Senators, Reps,SANs tackle CJN

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61748

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

AGF Challenges CJN Senate orders EFCC to •Incompetence of Judges stalls corruption cases

•P. 6

•Says charlatans 've invaded our judiciary

recover $235m from BA, Virgin Atlantic •P 7

DENIAL OF APPEAL COURT SEAT TO FEMALE JUDGE

Senators, Reps, SANs tackle CJN •NJC member, Falana, Sagay, Molajo, Ogwuche, condemn action

•It's wrong and must be reversed — Dabiri, Nkoyo Toyo

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR, ABDALLAH WAHAB, HENRY UMORU, IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI &BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

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AGOS—OUT RAGE, yesterday, greeted Monday ’s refusal by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Maryam AloomaMukhtar to swear in Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo into the Court of Appeal on the basis of her interstate marriage, just as it emerged that her appointment was duly approved by the National Judicial Council, NJC. While lawyers and leg

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Rules of •P.17 disengagement DEAR BUNMI •P. 38

ROTIMI FASAN •P.19

Mr & Mrs

WHO RULES US? —US President Barack Obama (left) votes, while opposition candidate, Mitt Romney and wife (right) vote during US Presidential election, yesterday. Photo: AFP.

UN to Nigeria: Force oil firms to clean-up environment •P.7 C M Y K

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POCKET CARTOON

Senators, Reps, SANs tackle CJN Continues from page 1 islators condemned the development, it emerged that the NJC approved the appointment of Justice JomboOfo as a replacement for the South-East geopolitical zone and not necessarily as a nominee of Abia State.

All three senators from Abia State, after an emergency meeting, yesterday, were set to present a motion today in the Senate on the issue.

Also in the House of Representatives, yesterday, a bill, "Women and Child Advancement Bill" seeking to, among others, stop discrimination of married women using the state of indigene factor passed through first reading. This came as female members including Rep. Abike Dabiri and Nkoyo Toyo flayed the development in the appellate court.

Also yesterday, the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) flayed the decision not to inaugurate Justice Jombo-Ofo. Justice Jombo-Ofo, a 14-year veteran of the Abia State judiciary, nominated by the Abia State Government to the Court of Appeal was on Monday side-stepped during the inauguration of the other judges appointed to the appellate court based on the policy

that she did not come through her state of birth. Justice JomboOfo originally from Anambra State is married to a man from Abia State, where she has served for the past 14 years.

She should be sworn-in — NJC Monday’s rejection of Justice Jombo-Ofo was surprising to a member of the National Judicial Council, NJC, who claimed that some members were not happy because the CJN was part of the meeting which approved the list of nominees to the appellate court.

“The main qualification of the lady is that she is filling the vacancy in the South-East because each zone produced two each. So, it does not really matter which state she is from whether Anambra, Imo or whatever.

“In any case, none of those states is complaining. So, as I said, most of us in the NJC are very unhappy over the action.”

Following a meeting of the three senators from Abia State, yesterday, it was resolved to bring up the issue through a motion on the senate floor today.

LIFEWORDS

H

BY PASTOR

BY PASTOR ITUAH ITUAH

E that can have patience can have what he will – Benjamin Franklin. Everything comes with time and wisdom.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense —Ralph Waldo Emerson

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CCORDING to Sara Wiseman, “the purpose of life is simple, to love. But love is complete when we give unconditionally and accept it. What we need to learn is always there before us. We just have to look around us with respect and attention to discover where God is leading us and which step we should take. When we are on the right path, we follow the signs, and if we occasionally stumble, the Divine comes to our aid, preventing us from making mistakes.”

The purpose of life is soul’s growth. We are here to become transcendent and to tune in to God’s will. There is no more to life than this. In other words, we are here to love.

Senator Enyinninya Abaribe, PDP Abia South told Vanguard, yesterday, that the nominee was endorsed by the three senators from the state as he rejected the reason for denying her a seat on the Court of Appeal.

Describing the refusal to administer the oath on the nominee as “unfortunate, not right and must be corrected”, he said that Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court is an example of a married woman who rose through the appellate court without being negatively affected by her marriage outside her native Imo State.

According to him, the action is "not in consonance with the law, the law states that a woman can benefit from both her state of origin and where she got married to; it is not a right decision. The Senate will look at the matter in form of a motion tomorrow (today). It is not right, it is unfortunate and it must be corrected.

All the Senators from Abia are supporting her, we don't know where this is coming from.”

The House of Representatives, yesterday, passed through first reading, a bill aimed at stopping discrimination of women. The bill titled: " Women and Girls Advancement Bill” is sponsored by Rep. Abike Dabiri, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora.

Speaking to Vanguard yesterday, Dabiri expressed concern over the fate meted to Justice Jombo-Ofo, saying that her bill aims to address such practices in the future.

Rep. Nkoyo Toyo, PDP, Cross River, herself also a lawyer, condemned the policy which she said must be reviewed, describing it as a clash of civilizations.

While noting the difficulties of the Chief Justice who she claimed was simply adhering to the rules, Toyo said: “It is actually a sort of clash of two civilizations as they say, the old order and new order are clashing. In some states they allow women married into the states to assume whatever position, in others they do not. Even within the judiciary itself, there is an extant policy that says all female judges must come from their states of origin and they must occupy the

slots that have to do with their states of origin.

“Let me say for the avoidance of doubt that there is something definitely wrong with that policy but that is the policy as it exists today.

We also know that in the past that that rule had been abused by previous CJNs and previous heads of the judiciary.

“What the present CJN is trying to do is to be rule-based and she now resurrected this rule particularly as she was confronted with petitions from the state in question. So, she was faced with a decision and it has been said that the action of swearing in is an administrative action and not a judicial action.

“Whereas the rule is a problem, the CJN was applying the rule as it were, where she was applying a rule that is problematic, where she was trying to uphold the rule of law as it exists today and therefore, she played on the wrong foot indirectly.

“What has happened is very unjust, very unjust.

If she deserves it based on her competence, why not? We are now sacrificing competence on the altar of where you come from. It is a big problem.

“This amounts to discrimination on the grounds of her sex and the question is when does a person become a member of a state,” she asked.

LEDAP condemns action Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) in its reaction argued that the refusal to swear her in was arbitrary and unfair, and inconsistent with previous instances in which a number of female justices have been appointed, promoted or elevated on slots from their states of marriage rather than states of birth.

LEDAP in a statement

by Chino Obiagwu expressed worry that “such practice of denying a married woman judicial appointment because of her state of marriage negates the principles of fairness and would be detrimental to women in judicial service”

Femi Falana,

SAN “As soon as the appointment was made by President Goodluck Jonathan in line with Section 238(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the former High Court judges became Justices of the Court of Appeal in line with the Supreme Court decision of Ogbuyiga v. Okudo (1979) 1 All NLR. Having not been removed as a Justice of the Court of Appeal by the appointing authority, the refusal of the Chief Honourable Justice to administer the oath of office on the Honourable Justice Ifeoma Jumbo-Ofo cannot be justified in law.

“Since the appointment of the Honourable Justice Ifeoma JomboOfo has not been validly set aside, she should not have been subjected to any embarrassment on the basis of a belated petition that sought to challenge the appointment on the ground that she is not an indigene of Abia State. In other words, the petition ought to have been discountenanced as it violates section 42 of the Constitution which has prohibited discrimination arising from circumstances of birth or sex.

“May we remind those who are opposed to the appointment of the Honourable Justice Ifeoma Jumbo-Ofo of the case of Augustine Mojekwu v.

Caroline Mojekwu (1997) 7 NWLR (PT 512) 283 where Tobi JCA (as he then was) held inter alia: “All human beings – male and female- are born into a free world and are expected to participate freely, without any inhibition on grounds of sex, and that is constitutional. Any form of societal discrimination on grounds of sex, apart from being unconstitutional, is an-

tithesis to a society built on the tents of democracy which we have freely chosen as a people.

“In the light of the foregoing, the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria should swear in the Honourable Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo without any further delay in the interest of justice and fair play.”

Professor Itse Sagay, SAN said, “I am very unpleasantly surprised.

It is a narrow minded conduct. Where the person is working is where the person is contributing. It is very shocking, primitive, backward, uncivilized and totally unacceptable.

“I have a high regard for the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, but her conduct has shaken my confidence in her.”

Sebastian, SAN “Personally, I think that the CJN should review that policy immediately. It is rather unfortunate that the judiciary has been using its own limitations to restrict appointment of its otherwise qualified personnel on the bench. It is not in doubt that in the Nigerian society, once a lady is married, she automatically transfers her origin to her husband’s community. Morover from media reports, I learnt that she duly transferred her service from Anambra to Abia state after her marriage and has been working there since. I will suggest that the CJN, with due respect, do a review of that policy. In the first place, she was qualified for the position. The onus is on the CJN to ensure that the discriminatory policy is reviewed, being a woman herself. Such discrimination should not be

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6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Mali: Nwachukwu, others caution FG against hasty move

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS EDITOR

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AGOS — FORMER External Affairs Minister, General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), yesterday, cautioned President Goodluck Johnathan against taking a hasty decision to deploy Nigerian troops to Mali as part of the multilateral military intervention force to rout the Al-Qaeda-backed Tuareg rebels that have taken the northern part of the Sahelian country.

Nwachukwu, who was Nigeria’s External Affairs minister during General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime that sent troops to Liberia and Sierra Leone, under the auspices of the Economic Community of West Africa Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), to quell the civil wars in the two Mano River countries, said Nigeria should "make measured intervention in Mali” after carefully weighing the options and forces at play rather than adopting egoistic approach of being a big brother in the region.

Nwachukwu, who is the chairman of the Governing Council of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, made this known at a twoday international conference on the current situation in the Sahel and West Africa. The event was jointly organised by NIIA and the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) to take a critical look at the future of Global Peace and Security in Africa.

The Director General of NIIA, Prof.

Bola Akinterinwa, said Nigeria,

the United Nations, and African Union must first ascertain what the people of Mali want before proffering any form of solution to the crisis in the West African region.

Akinterinwa argued that ECOWAS leaders misread the development in Mali where a military group had seized power from a democratically elected government which was unable to protect and defend the country against the onslaught from AlQaeda-backed Tuareg in Northern Mali.

Ashiru seeks support Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, in a key note address to the conference said what was required is the support of the international community for the ECOWAS peace plan, including assistance to the Malian Armed Forces as well as provision of intelligence and equipment when ECOWAS countries are ready to deploy troops.

He said: "Our approach which is an essential part of the ECOWAS approach, is to assist in stabilising and unifying the various forces and factions of the government in Bamako," adding that without a common approach from the government, it would be difficult to confront the rebels in the North.

Associate Prof. Fred Aja Agwu, who is a Senior Research Fellow at NIIA, told Vanguard that no meaningful move would take place in Mali, without an active participation of Algeria.

Army kills four suspected Boko Haram members

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ANO — BLASTS and gunfire rocked a town in Yobe, yesterday, as troops killed four suspected Islamists in a shootout and arrested four others while raiding an alleged hideout, the military said.

“Our men raided the house identified as their hideout in Gashua this morning (yesterday). We succeeded in killing four of the gunmen in a shootout and arrested four others,” army Lieutenant Lazarus Eli

told AFP. He did not say if any of the troops were killed or injured, but added that soldiers recovered ammunition and three AK-47 rifles, as well as phones and laptops.

The raid followed intelligence that suspected members of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram who allegedly carried out an attack on Sunday in the town of Fika were hiding in Gashua, he said.

Both Gashua and Fika are in Yobe State

From left: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; Speaker Aminu Tambuwal; Chairman, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, BON, Mr. Abubakar Jijiwa and House Deputy Minority Whip, Hon. Garba Datti Mohammed during House of Reps leadership meeting with the BON for effective coverage of the forth coming public hearing on constitution review, at National Assembly Complex, Abuja, yesterday.

AGF challenges CJN zIncompetence of Judges stalls corruption cases

zSays charlatans 've invaded our judiciary

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA — BARELY three months after the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, accused him of unwittingly contributing to the undue delay in prosecution of high profile cases of corruption in the country, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, yesterday, fired back, blaming it on ineptitude of judges.

Whereas the CJN made her allegation on a day she administered oath on 25 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, at the Supreme Court, the AGF, in a speech he presented at the commencement of the 2012/ 2013 legal year of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, said the perceived delays in trial of cases should be blamed on the inability of judges to sit as and when due, as well as pervasive acrimony between the Bar and Bench.

Lamenting that the judicial landscape in Nigeria had been invaded by charlatans, the AGF, said: “We are witnesses to complaints about trial delays occasioned by judges not sitting as and when due, the inability of judicial officers to take control of their courts and the granting of frequent adjournments at the behest of counsel.

“While one is not condoning the activities of a few bad eggs in the judiciary, it is necessary to

eschew these vices that have unfortunately crept into our profession in order to restore dignity to the profession and respect for our judges.”

It would be recalled that the CJN had in her speech, argued that “the administration of justice is not confined to the courts; it encompasses officers of the law and others whose duties are necessary to ensure that the courts function effectively.

“The constitution provides that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, as the chief law officer of the federation has the power to institute, undertake, take-over, continue or discontinue criminal proceedings before the courts of law in Nigeria in respect of offences created under any Act of the National Assembly.

“It, therefore, follows that the courts cannot on their own prosecute criminal cases, there must be the willingness of all prosecuting agencies to prosecute cases brought before our courts, especially high profile cases of corruption and all others.”

Courts lack essential office tools Remarkably, the CJN had equally flagged-off the 2012/2013 legal year of the apex court on the day she made the assertion.

Meanwhile, utilising his right of reply yesterday, the AGF, stressed that the government was not oblivious of the “difficult and challenging conditions under which our judicial

officers discharge their functions,” adding that, “given the technology driven and globalisation world that we live in today, there is the need for specialisation to enable our justices to develop key competence in the emerging fields of law.

“Despite the c o m m e n d a b l e improvements that have been made in the emoluments of our judicial officers, the reality is that overall, the judiciary has not reached where it ought to be.

“Our courts still lack essential office tools, accommodation, transport facilities and adequate security. Today, judges and their families face threats on accounts of their judicial functions. This situation has been made worse by the current security challenges in the country in form of terrorist attacks, kidnapping, assassinations and armed robbery.

“Let me assure you of g o v e r n m e n t ’ s determination to address these challenges and stem the tide of growing insecurity in the country.

Our objective is to ensure that our judicial officers are afforded the best facilities and the enabling environment to discharge their duties without fear or favour.

Bar contributes to negative image of judiciary “My lords, permit me to use this auspicious occasion to air my views on the relationship between the Bar and the Bench in this country. I am constrained to

observe that the Bar has over the years consciously or unconsciously contributed to the negative image the judiciary has suffered in recent times. It would appear that the sacred duty or responsibility of the Bar to protect the Bench from unwarranted attacks or assault from those with a score to settle has lost its significance.

Consequently, the traditional reverence with which the Bar held the Bench in the past has diminished and is gradually dwindling to unacceptable levels.

“It is a matter of regret that ethics and discipline at the Bar, in terms of comportment and respect for the Bench, has taken a downturn. Members of our noble profession now routinely launch unwarranted attacks on the Bench in the print and electronic media.

Judgments are criticized to the glee of the press even before the reasoning of the court is read and understood. In fact, it is safe to conclude that it has become fashionable for some lawyers to label any judge they disagree with as corrupt.

“Similarly, the disposition of our judicial officers to the Bar must also reflect the mutual respect existing between the Bar and Bench. Our judicial officers must resist the temptation of descending into the arena and conducting proceedings in an oppressive and intimidating manner. This is the only way to reclaim our profession from the charlatans that have invaded our space.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012—7

UN to Nigeria: Force foreign oil firms to clean-up environment zSet to end poverty by 2030 zUrges FG to partner varsities to end flooding

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA —THE United Nations, UN, yesterday said if Nigeria as a country must achieve environmental sustainability, it must force foreign oil companies that must have polluted the communities to engage in a total clean-up of the areas they operate.

It disclosed that it was putting in place measures to ensure that what it termed extreme poverty was eradicated by the year 2030.

According to the apex world body, if Nigeria must end the present problem of flooding that submerged many communities, rendered many homeless, killed many and property worth millions of naira destroyed, the Federal Government must, as a matter of urgency, partner with the various universities across the country.

These were raised when the Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the UN on MGDs, Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs led a delegation of three from the world body on a visit to the Chairman, Senate Committee on MDGs, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume.

Set to end poverty by 2030

According to Sachs, the commitment of the United Nations towards ensuring the eradication of poverty by 2030 was in line with its vision of “achieving environmental sustainability, adding that while the body was prepared to tackle poverty eradication through ensuring environmental sustainability by making room for successor goals, such goals he said do not give full priority to other forms of environmental challenges as flooding that recently affected some parts of Nigeria.

According to him, “The MDGs had MDGs serving environmental sustainability but I can tell you there was never enough focus on that to really address the scale of the challenge. So, the world has recognised that in the sense that when 2015 comes there is likely to be a new set of goals, as the successor goals, that put a lot more emphasis on the environmental challenges that you have said. ‘’The poverty alleviation

and environment will be given full prioritisation because each one is so much affected by the other, and the priorities that you have identified such as desertification, deforestation, flooding, draught, erosion need to be emphasized.

The envoy also stressed that the UN had already embarked on providing a sustainable Development Solutions Network that would address environmental challenges in issues of flooding, draught, deforestation, desertification, among others.

UN urges FG to partner varsities to end flooding

Sachs also called on the universities in Nigeria to play a role in finding solutions to the devastating challenges posed by environmental phenomena.

“The universities in this country could and should play a larger role in brainstorming and analysing exactly the questions raised. Because each state has a federal university if I understand correctly, and each state has local academic and scientific knowledge that it could tap into."

President Goodluck Jonathan (right); Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah (2nd left) and Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State (left) during the laying of foundation stone of Jigawa Airport, in Dutse, yesterday.

Senate orders EFCC to recover $235m from BA, Virgin Atlantic z Lufthansa owes Nigeria $14m— Senate zOur aviation laws are very weak —Mark zSenators reject moves to grant Arik Airline national carrier status

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA— THE Senate, yesterday, asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to go after the British Airline and Virgin Atlantic Airways and recover a total of $235 million that should be fines in line with the Civil Aviation Act 2006.

It also mandated the anti-graft agency to compel the airlines to refund to Nigerian passengers monies that were illegal charges just as they were similarly compelled by UK and USA. The Senate gave the directive after deliberating on the report of the Senator Hope Uzodinma-led Senate Committee on Aviation on the violation of aviation laws and practice by foreign airlines and lapses in the operations of regulatory agencies.

According to the breakdown of the fines, BA will refund $135 million while VAA will cough out $100 million.

The report further disclosed that Lufthansa Airline currently owes Nigeria through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, well

over $14 million being royalties due to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Uzodinma’s move to grant Arik Airline a national flag carrier status suffered a major setback following major criticisms the recommendation got from the Senators and it was, therefore, rejected. The committee also recommended that the Senate should engage Aviation Ministry on its plan to float an indigenous national carrier.

The Senate, however, stood down the report of the committee for another legislative day to enable the committee carry out further legislative actions.

Let’s stop blaming others for our problems — Mark Speaking after deliberations on the report, Senate President David Mark said as a nation, we must stop blaming others for our problems especially the Aviation sector and put our house in order.

Mark who also noted that the laws governing

the aviation sector were very weak, took a critical look of the state of our airports which, according to him, are in very bad shape, adding that foreign airlines operating in Nigeria must be commended as they were only doing Nigeria a favour.

Mark, who called for a total overhauling of the Aviation sector said: "You need to go back and do some more homework and bring us some critical recommendations that can make us change the aviation industry as it is at the moment, there are very many problems.

Of course, one of them is to reorganise our airports properly. The airports we have at the moment, for foreign airline to even come here, they are doing us a favour. So we need to do our home work and stop blaming other people for our problems because if we refuse to accept our blame, then we won’t make progress.”

Our laws are weak David Mark who corroborated the argument earlier raised

by Senator Olubunmi

Adetunmbi, ACN, Ekiti North that the business of the Senate should not be recommending carriers, but to tighten our aviation laws, said: "Our laws are weak, but even these weak laws are not fully implemented.

Weak as the laws may be, they are not being fully implemented because it is this partial implementation of the weak laws that is giving you the authority to recommend some reforms here. ‘’So, we already have problems with implementing laws we put in place. I think the problem is that the rumour in the air is that Emirate wants to come here, that the Aviation Minister said Emirate should go to Enugu rather than going to Kano, the committee should find out all these for us whether they are true or false. When we say we want to allow competition in the system, let us provide conducive environment for everybody to have a fair deal in the competition.”

In trying to defend the recommendations of the Committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma said:

"What we can do immediately is that while trying to get NCAA to come up with clear cut economic regulatory framework, to check excessive charges of BA, Nigerians should be given an opportunity for a choice, to see another airline that can carry them directly from Nigeria to London because 70 per cent of passengers leaving here are going to London and outside British Airways, they have to fly other airlines that are not going directly.”

In his contribution, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said: "It is a long time we have debating the motion because of the sentiments involved. I appeal that we can stand down the motion in order to expand the scope and include other necessary issues.

For Senator Ayogu Eze, PDP, Enugu North, "the issues are clearer now and confusions we had in the past have been cleared.

The issue we had was that observations and recommendations were scattered all over. Having made the above observations, I second this report.

8— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

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Ilasamaja pedestrian bridge ready by Jan. – Fashola

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AGOS —THE Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said his government had received assurances from the contractors handling the reconstruction of Ilasamaja pedestrian bridge that the project would be completed by January.

Fashola disclosed this

yesterday, shortly after inspecting the project and other key ongoing projects in the state.

He said most of the work on the bridge had been concluded, and that the contractor was working round the clock to ensure that it was completed on schedule.

Gun men kill 2 kids, parents

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OS — A one year old girl, her parents and a brother were on Monday night shot dead in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, when unknown gunmen invaded their home.

The girl, Peace, her 10year old brother, Nuhu and their parents were shot at close range when the gun men forccibly entered their home at Chaha village in Vwang District of the local government, shooting sporadically.

One other member of the family, 14-year old Alice was injured and is now hospitalized.

Sources said the family was about to retire to bed when they heard a noise and the subsequent hacking down of their door with a machete.

The head of the family, 42-year-old Iliya Yakubu, his wife Lyop and two of their children were said to have died before help could get to them as their assailants, whose motive was not

immediately known, waited to ensure that they had no chance of survival.

A survivor, Patience told journalists that they did not know their parents and other family members had been killed until an uncle came around to discover their bodies. ”When they came I heard one of them calling my brother ’s name. They were using something to break the door and when they eventually had entry, I tried to hide behind the door, but they shot at me. My elder sister hid behind the wall at the back of the house and was lucky not to be shot”, she said.

Police spokesman, Emmanuel Abuh confirmed the incident adding that investigations had begun to track down the assailants.

The Ilasamaja pedestrian bridge was pulled down by the state government for reconstruction on Sept. 8.

“Work has reached an advanced stage on the pedestrian bridge. The contractors are already piling and they told me by January the overhead bridge should be back.

“We have redesigned the bridge to make it better. This time it will have a ramp for the physically challenged and steps for able-bodied people and a roof to give protection against the weather.

“We only hope that when it is done, some people will not turn it into a market place and start trading there. That is clearly not the purpose, “ he said.

The governor, who also inspected reconstruction work at the ultra-modern Tejuosho and Oyingbo markets, gave assurances on the speedy completion of the two projects.

He said most of the work at Oyingbo Market had been completed, assuring that the project would be ready by the second quarter of next year.

At the Animashaun canal, Surulere, Fashola blamed the problem of blocked canals across the state on indiscriminate dumping of refuse by residents.

“The blockage of canals is an ongoing challenge for us.

People want to live a good life, but they do not want to live by the rules.

Okada rider under arrest by a security officer attached to the motorcade of the Governor of Lagos, State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, at Herbert Macalay Road, Yaba, Lagos for taking one way on a banned route, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

Traffic Law: Lagos lawmakers caution over-zealous

Burial

security officers

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.As Policeman shoots rider at Ilupeju

HE FINAL burial cer emony of Pa Olaniyi Fawayitin holds between Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10.

A wake-keep holds Friday, November 9 by 5pm; burial service holds Saturday, at his home town, 12 Broad Street, OgoOlorun, Sarowo, Ondo State, by 10am.

Internment follows immediately with entertainment of guest at Ogo Olorun Primary School, Sarowo, Ondo State.

Late Pa Fawayitin.

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI AND BOSE ADELAJA

LAGOS —LAGOS State House of Assembly has called on the Commissioner of Police, to caution some of his over-zealous officers to desist from indiscriminate arrest and brutalizing apprehended c o m m e r c i a l motorcyclists, popularly called “Okada riders” on the pretext of enforcing the state’s Traffic Law. A member of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, expressed this under Matters of Urgent Public Importance during a Plenary Session.

Citing a case of an Okada rider who was arrested in Agege for disobeying a section of

the law, the lawmaker frowned at the way and manner Okada riders were being accosted by some over-zealous policemen who went beyond reasonable measures in carrying out their duty, even on authorised routes.

Oluyinka Ogundimu, contributing to the issue cited a situation that happened on Monday morning, where an

arrested Okada rider stripped himself to attract public sympathy and ultimately portrayed the state government in bad light over the Traffic Law. The Speaker, however, advised the Commissioner of Police to call his men to order, saying, “Okada is not banned in this state, but on some roads which we consider dangerous for Okada operations.”

Meantime, a commercial

motorcyclis was allegedly shot by men of the Nigerian Police for flouting the law at Ilupeju area of OdiOlowo Local Council Development Area of the state.

Confirming the incident Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the motorcyclist was alive and responding to treatment, the circumstances surrounding the shooting

is still sketchy but the incident took place during enforcement operation.

...Okada riders react Reacting to the d e v e l o p m e n t , Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos State, MOALS, chairman Comrade Tijani Pekis, said policemen are taking the enforcement to the extreme.

Union calls off strike over governor's assault on staff

BY ABDALLAH ELKUREBE

S

OKOTO — THE National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, in the Northwest have suspended their industrial action in

Sokoto State following the alleged intervention of Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar 111 and a one-time Managing Director of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, Bello Suleiman in the oneweek dispute between

the union and Governor Magatakada Wamakko over the reported flogging of three PHCN members by Wamakko.

Engr.Bello Suleiman, a one-time (NEPA), the Sultan of Sokoto, some ministers members of the

National Assembly and other spirited individuals intervened and the Union after due consultations resolved to suspend the seven -day strike.

Work resumes today.

10 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Ondo Assembly suspends 9 council bosses

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, Head of Service; Taiwo Adeoluwa, Secretary to Ogun State Government and Hon. Muyiwa Oladipo Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, at a press conference on two staff members of Environment Ministry who lost their lives in a car accident, at Governor's Office Press Centre, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, yesterday. Photo: Wunmi Akinola.

PDP vs FAYEMI:

Fayemi should resign now – PDP .PDP is relishing in masturbation —Fayemi

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BADAN—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the SouthWest has called for the resignation of the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

The zonal chapter of the PDP said he should do this to save the state from alleged ridicule and embarrassment.

Justifying its reason for the governor ’s resignation, the opposition party through its Zonal Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kayode Babade, alleged that the governor had lost grip over the state.

But, responding, Dr. Fayemi spoke through his Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye and Director of Publicity of S/ W Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Ayo Afolabi, saying the PDP was relishing in masturbation.

Describing members of the opposition party as political lepers that cannot be cured, they lamented that PDP had plunged the state into chaos, rot and utter darkness which Kayode administration is trying to put back in shape.

They continued: “The governor did not obtain his mandate from these

infidels and uncircumcised,” so they lack moral justification to ask for his resignation.

Mr. Afuye added that if the PDP members are orchestrating violence in Ekiti, the governor would not be distracted.

"Ekiti people have total confidence in him. He is busy constructing roads and putting things that had been destroyed by the PDP. "But, these may not be appreciated by these infidels who had brought the state into infamy.

When they were there, what did they do?" he asked.

PDP, in its statement

said the refusal of Local Government workers to heed the governor ’s directive that they should resume work on Monday and the alleged “lacing of all Local Council secretariats with juju rituals, which prevented even the Local Councils Caretaker Committee members from entering the councils was a further confirmation of the governor ’s rejection by Ekiti people.

The statement added: “With his rejection by Ekiti people, especially teachers, local government workers, health workers, judiciary workers and students,

Fayemi should be honourable enough to resign and let a more competent person take his place.”

The PDP, which described Fayemi’s two years in Ekiti as “ years of locusts,” alleged that the governor had already lost every moral right to continue as governor of the state.

The party said it was worried that all primary health institutions in Ekiti State are grounded and people are dying of cholera, yet the governor is saying he does not give a damn and that the health workers can remain on strike for two years.

KURE —THE Ondo State House of Assembly yesterday wielded the big stick by suspending indefinitely nine out of the 18 chairmen of local council caretaker committees for undermining their authority.

Subsequently, nine acting council chairmen have been named to take charge in the councils until the ousted council chiefs are recalled.

The same House of Assembly had few months ago renewed the tenure of the 18 caretaker chairmen for another three months pending the conduct of a council poll next year.

However, the house said that the decision was taken following the refusal of the council chairmen “to heed its directives on council administrations,” adding that it was in accordance with its mandate to ensure probity, accountability and good governance at the third tier of government.

The Speaker, Hon.

Daniel’s aide, Kawonise, orderly shot by gunmen

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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B E O K U TA — U N K N O W N gunmen yesterday shot the Managing Director of Nigerian Compass, Mr. Sina Kawonise and his police orderly.

Kawonise who was Commissioner of Information during exGovernor Gbenga Daniel's tenure, was reportedly attacked by

Man, 33, absconds as wife gives birth to triplet

BY DAUD 0LATUNJI

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BEOKUTA— A 33 year old auto-mobile mechanic, Yemi Oyeniyi, has absconded after his wife Esther delivered triplets in Abeokuta.

Vanguard gathered that Oyeniyi became uncomfortable four months ago shortly after the result of scan showed that his wife was carrying three babies.

Vanguard also gathered that the couple had two children before the

triplets.

According to sources, the woman was delivered of the babies who were all females last Monday and that their naming ceremony was organised by the family’s church members.

Speaking, the mother of the triplets at Ogun State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, yesterday, Esther said her husband started behaving strangely when he got the result of the scan on June 3, 2012.

Esther Oyeniyi, 27, who is a teacher at a private nursey and primary school in Abeokuta, said her husband’s behaviour before her delivery became worrisome to her making her to relocate to a church at Okeyidi, also in Abeokuta.

Narrating her ordeal, she said she was brought to the State Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta by church authorities for admission on October 19,2012 and later put to

Samuel Adesina in Akure listed the affected councils as Akure North, Ose, Owo, Ifedore, Idanre, Ile-Oluji/ Okeigbo, Ilaje, Ese-Odo and Akoko North East.

Adesina directed the affected council chairmen to hand over the council’s property in their care to the Director of Local Government Administration, DLG. According to him the law enforcement agencies have been put on notice to forestal any breakdown of law and order in the councils.

Shedding light on the offences of the chairmen, the Chairman of the House Committee on Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon, Afolabi Akinsiku, said the suspended chairmen, failed to respond to the directive of the Assembly to carry out a staff audit of their personnel.

Akinsiku said that “on January 5, this year, we wrote to all the council administrations to carry out staff audit because we heard information that there were ghost workers on their payrolls."

bed on October 29,2012.

The mother of the triplets lamented that, since Oyeniyi left their Okeyidi matrimonial home, his mobile phone had been switched off.

She said her husband’s family members reside in Iganna town of Oyo State.

According to her, the church organised the naming ceremony, as neither the run away husband nor any member of his family was available.

the gunmen around Ikeji Arakeji in Osun State on his way back from Awka, Anambra State.

According to a statement by media aide to Daniel, Adegbenro Adebanjo, the gunmen opened fire in order to force his vehicle to stop.

“The attackers were, however, repelled by his two police orderlies. In the ensuing gun battle Mr. Kawonise was shot in the leg by the attackers while one of the two policemen also suffered gunshot wounds.

“The armed attackers later fled the scene while Mr. Kawonise and the wounded policeman were evacuated to a nearby hospital. Doctors treating the duo said they were stabilizing.

“Kawonise was in Awka as the keynote speaker at the 17th Annual Conference of the N i g e r i a n Anthropological and Sociological Association which held at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012—11

Delta lawmakers consider bill on kidnappers, terrorists today

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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COMMUNITY HALL DEDICATION: The President, Kirikese Community of River State, Lagos Branch, Chief George Olungwe (2nd left); Chairman, Okirika Council of Chiefs, Chief Nemi Adoki Oruwari (right), and Reginald Bob-Manuel, during the dedication of the first phase of the group's community hall, in Lagos.

Ugborodo crisis: Three confirmed dead, two others missing

BY EMMA ARUBI

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ARRI—AT LEAST three persons have been confirmed dead and two others still missing at Otumara, near SPDC flow station, Warri, Delta State, following last weekend's gun attack on the community by some youths.

They were allegedly attacked on Saturday for allegedly challenging the authority of their assailants, numbering over 40, in establishing an illegal camp at Otumara.

The dead youths were identified as Gift Obazuaye who was allegedly shot dead on the spot, while Andrew and Kurata’s bodies were recovered last Monday and Tuesday respectively, and deposited at Warri Central Hospital morgue.

Ugborodo Community Trust Vice-Chairman, Mr. Isaac Botosan and Community National Youth Chairman, Mr. Julius Atete, who spoke to newsmen on the incident in the office of the Police Area Commander, said the bodies of two other persons were yet to be found.

He said Mr. Robert Atete, whose two legs were broken by bullets, and three others were currently receiving treat-

ment at various hospitals.

Botosan said the mission of the attackers was to use the camp as a military base to launch sporadic attacks on the Otumara Gas Plant and Ugborodo community, because leaders of the

gangsters were allegedly dissatisfied with the ruling of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, who, last month resolved the leadership crisis rocking the oil rich community in favour of Chief Thomas Ereyitomi.

Meanwhile, a leading

elder of the attacking group, Pa Daje, escaped arrest by the whiskers yesterday at his Iyara residence in Warri, while the Secretary of the group, Pa Francis Uwawah, has been arrested and detained by the police.

5 arraigned over alleged kidnap of female magistrate, Delta Speaker's brother

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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SABA—TWO sus pected kidnappers of a female Chief Magistrate in Effurun, Delta State, and three others accused of abducting the younger brother of Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, have been arraigned in court.

Standing trial for the alleged kidnap of the Speaker's younger brother were Igane Enekorogha, 33; Godwin Sibede, 32; and Job Burutu, 43.

They all pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge and were ordered by the trial judge, Justice Cletus Emifoniye, of High Court 6, to be remanded in prison custody till November 22 for hearing.

Charges

The prosecution stated: “That you, Igane Enekorogha, male, Godwin Sibede, male and Job Burutu, male on March 27, 2012, at Asaba, within the Asaba judicial division, conspired to commit a felony to wit, kidnapping, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Cap C. 21 Vol. 1 Laws of Delta State, 2006, and kidnapping, punishable under section 364 of the Code.”

They were also accused of unlawful imprisonment of their victim, Donald Tobechukwu Ochei, demanding with menace, the sum of N300 million as ransom from Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, and armed robbery.

Alleged kidnap of Chief Magistrate Similarly, two other ac-

cused persons, Saidu Haruna and Raphael Ewugba, were also facing trial before Justice Cletus Emifoniye of an Asaba High Court for allegedly kidnapping a Delta magistrate, Onoriode Ynonne Asheshe, female, on December 26, 2011, at Effurun.

They were brought to court for continuation of cross examination of prosecution witness (PW1) which was stalled due to an application by the defence counsel, Mr. C. O. Egwenu, requesting prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, Mr. Eyefengiren Edema, to furnish him with some relevant documents which the prosecution opposed.

The defence counsel argued that the application was irrelevant, citing relevant section of the new Evidence Act to buttress his argument.

S A B A — D E LTA State House of Assembly will today consider a bill for a law stipulating death penalty for kidnappers and terrorists in the state.

The bill had earlier been passed on to the Committees on Peace and Security, Ethics and Privileges, Rules and Business, Legal and Judicial Matters, for consideration.

Last week, Chairman of Peace and Security Committee, Benjamin Okiemute, representing Isoko South constituency, told the House that after considering the facts of the matter, the committees recommended that the bill be passed, but with some amendments.

The Majority Leader,

Monday Igbuya, moved a motion, urging the House to receive the bill for further consideration, after which the speaker, Victor Ochei, slated it for definite consideration by the committee of the whole on Wednesday, November 7, which is today.

People of the state, who are practically living at the mercy of kidnappers, are waiting to see what their lawmakers did with the bill, particularly after the first bill they passed, stipulating death sentence, was not signed by the governor and they failed to veto him within the stipulated period.

The modified bill is seen as an attempt by the lawmakers to correct their mistake of not vetoing the governor the first time the bill was passed.

Rep donates to flood victims

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ENIN—A MEM BER of the House of Representatives, representing Egor IkpobaOkha Federal Constituency of Edo State, Mr. Jim Adun, has donated relief materials worth thousands of naira to internally displaced persons in Etsako Central, Etsako East and Esan South-East local government areas of the state.

Presenting the items, which were received on behalf of the state government by the deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, Adun said he was saddened by the unfortunate incident which has rendered many homeless in the state and

in country.

He noted that effort would be made to ensure that dams were constructed to check a reccurrence of the menace.

Adun stated that he deemed it necessary, on behalf of himself, his family and people of his constituency, to donate his widow’s mite towards the mitigation of the difficulties confronting the internally displaced persons.

Receiving the food item, Deputy Governor, Pius Odubu, thanked Adun for his gesture, adding that his donation had shown that the people of the state were brothers and sisters.

Oba of Benin lauds Edebiri

O

BA of Benin, Omo n’oba Erediauwa, has commended the founder and president of Iyobosa Edebiri Centre for Change, Chief Solomon Edebiri, for organising a seminar on Bini nation.

The monarch gave the commendation when Chief Edebiri led a delegation of the centre to the palace to formally thank him for his support during the programme and for accepting to be the grand patron of the centre.

Chief Edebiri said the purpose of the seminar, with the theme: Benin

Nation, yesterday, today and the future, was to find ways of bringing together all Bini within and outside Edo State, including those in diaspora, to join hands in developing Bini Kingdom and take it to greater heights.

Chief Edebiri said over 600 Bini persons attended the seminar and expressed delight that its 11-point agenda was articulated while a 7- member committee was set up under the chairmanship of Prof. Patrick Igbinovia.

The programme featured traditional breaking of kolanut and prayers for the Solomon Iyobosa Edebiri Centre for change

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Bakassi group flays Jonathan over Biya’s delegation to Abuja

BY SONI DANIEL

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INSPECTION: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (left) inspecting the football pitch of St. Patrick's College, Asaba, one of the venues for the forth coming Governor's Cup for Secondary Schools in Delta State, scheduled to kick-off today. Photo: Henry Unini.

Soku oil field: Bayelsa faults Rivers' N17bn claim

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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ENAGOA—AS the controversy over ownership of the disputed Soku oil wells rages, Bayelsa State Government, yesterday, said there was no iota of truth in Rivers State Government’s claim that Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, wrongly paid the state N17bn from escrow account.

The government also called on people of the affected communities, Nembe and Kalabari kingdoms, not to allow the unity of Ijaw nation to be affected by the antics of those who want to play politics over the disputed oil wells.

Escrow account Speaking at the inauguration of a 14-man State Boundaries Committee, Governor Seriake Dickson, in a statement issued by Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said at no point in time did RMFAC wrongly pay any amount from escrow account to Bayelsa State Government.

He said: “It is not true that Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission paid any amount of money to the government of Bayelsa State wrongly from an escrow account. That is

wrong, that is not true.

No N17 billion was ever kept in any escrow account. No such money was ever paid to the government of Bayelsa State.

Disputed oil wells ”That is deliberate falsehood that has been put out to create an impression of bias on the part of a hardworking, impartial federal agency that is doing its work.

The truth, however, is that last year, the government of Bayelsa State in the last administration, made some claims against Rivers State on the account of revenue collection due Bayelsa in respect of some disputed wells.

”The government of Rivers State and its officials duly defended this claim and at the end of it, there was a reconciliation of figures. At the end of the reconciliation it was found and agreed upon by all parties, including officials of the government of Rivers State, that the government had wrongly collected the sum of N17 billion that was due Bayelsa State. ”That was determined and found to be a fact at the reconciliation. Therefore an agreement was reached by all parties, including the representatives of the government of Rivers State for a refund to be made. Government of Rivers State also made a counter claim of wrongful payment in respect of some

other wells in its territory to Bayelsa State and other neighbouring states. ”The appropriate federal agencies looked at these claims, heard from all the parties and found that, as a fact , Rivers State Government was entitled to refund of close to N15-N16bn again as in defence, there was an agreement reached for refund, as a result of which all the states affected were made to refund that money. Refund was agreed upon to be made to Rivers State. Either all the states affected have paid or in the process of doing so. The government of Bayelsa State was made to pay about N2bn as refund to Rivers State based on that consensual understanding."

Watch out for reptiles, Uduaghan recently and to say that warns flood victims the committee is working

BY EMMA AMAIZE & AUSTIN OGWUDA

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SABA—GOVER NOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, yesterday, warned that reptiles such as snakes and other dangerous animals, could be prowling in the abandoned homes of flood victims and warned that they should not rush home until government had fumigated and cleaned-up the affected areas.

Uduaghan, who was addressing internally

displaced persons, IDPs, in Asaba, said very shortly, government would embark on fumigation and clean up of homes in flood-ravaged communities.

He said the state had a package for resettlement of the victims, but would have to wait till the Flood Committee, headed by Justice Francis Tabai (rtd.), submits its report.

He said: "I wish to remind you of a committee headed by Justice Tabai, which was inaugurated

hard to prepare and resettle you comfortably.

“However, until that committee submits its report there is nothing much the government can do to resettle you. It is therefore better for you to wait until the report of the committee is out before you go."

Dr Uduaghan, however, advised those who were in a hurry to return home to feel free to do so, assuring that whatever was due them would eventually be distributed to them, even after they had left.

RESIDENT Good luck Jonathan might have unwittingly incurred the wrath of Bakassi indigenes for openly welcoming a delegation sent by President Paul Biya of Cameroun to thank him for finally ceding the controversial peninsula to his country.

The three-man delegation dispatched by Biya to Jonathan comprised the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmadu Ali; Cameroonian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abbas Iya Ibrahima and Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation, Jean Nguta.

The delegation told Jonathan that Biya was interested in working hand-in-hand with him to resolve all issues of common interests to the two countries.

Barely three days after the visit, the Bakassi Citizens’ Advocacy Group, spurned the visit and the warm welcome extended to the delegation by the President.

In a document released to Vanguard last night, the group noted that it was wrong for the President to have accorded the delegation such a reception given the atrocities caused the natives of the peninsula by Cameroonian security agents.

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012 — 13

Abia govt hands over rubber estate to private firm

BY ANAYO OKOLI

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MUAHIA—IN ef forts to revive its ailing industries and create job for the youths, Abia State government has handed over to a private firm, Imoniyame Holdings Limited, the state-owned Rubber Estate at Ameke Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area.

Handing over the rubber plantation, Monday, Gov-

ernor Theodore Orji urged the host community to work harmoniously with the company to achieve higher result in rubber production and create more jobs.

According to him, management of the estate by a private investor will bring greater efficiency to running and utilization of the abundant rubber resources for the benefit of indigenes of the area and state at large.

Minister tasks Nigerians on energy consumption Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State (middle)' his wife, Mrs. Mercy Orji (right) and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, after the dedication of Araraume's grand daughter, Miss Viola Araraume, at Holy Trinity Church, Abuja.

Police pensioners protest 15 months arrears in Anambra

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

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WKA—SOME re tired police officers in Anambra State, have staged a protest in Awka over alleged non- payment of 15 months pension arrears.

Chairman of the Asso-

ciation of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria (APRON), in the state, Chief Harold Onyeonwu, a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, said yesterday that the Police Service Commission, PSC, had not paid them since August 2011

and wondered why their pensions should be withheld, in spite of the verifications done since July last year.

Onyeonwu claimed that no fewer than 63 police pensioners in the state had died of starvation and hunger, adding that the figure

could be more as there was no comprehensive record of all those who have died in the past 15 months.

According to him, members of the families of the deceased police pensioners are tossed around whenever they went for the entitlements of their relations.

Onyeonwu appealed to the federal government and National Assembly to intervene in the matter.

He said in view of the seriousness of the matter, the association had petitioned the Senate and House of Representatives, urging the lawmakers tso prevail on the appropriate authorities to pay them to avoid further loss of lives.

He also called for harmonization of police pensions, and lamented a situation where those who retired after 2006 were receiving pensions ten times higher than those who retired before 2006.

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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BUJA—THE Minis ter of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia, has called on Nigerians to change their attitude to energy consumption and cost of living.

The minister gave the charge, yesterday, while declaring open, the second national energy efficiency summit, NEES 2012 in Abuja.

Mailafia, who was represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Mr. Taye Haruna, said the event was critical to Nigeria, as it was aimed at realising the nation’s objectives and

the United nation’s Vision 20:2020 goals.

She said though, the task of reducing energy usage in the country posed key political and moral challenges to the world, Nigerians must begin to adopt the attitude of conserving energy to maximise the available output.

She said: ‘‘Though, reducing energy usage poses key political and moral challenges to the world today, Nigerians must begin adopt change of attitude towards energy consumption because the country is greatly challenged by energy generation, which is presently below expectation."

Lawmaker donates desks, relief materials to flood victims

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM ENIN CITY—A member of Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Johnson Oghuma, yesterday, donated 300 pairs of desks and chairs to three secondary schools in the state.

He also donated relief materials estimated at over N1 million to flood victims in Etsako Central Local Government Area.

The lawmaker, who represents Etsako Central in

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the state House of Assembly, expressed concern over the devastation caused by the flood in the area.

Oghuma, who stated this at Fugar, while presenting over 300 pairs of desks and chairs to Fugar Mixed Senior Secondary School, Osomegbe Secondary School Ekperi, and Imhore Primary School, Ukho, blamed the state of infrastructural decay in the locality on bad representation in the past.

Devt: My word is my bond —Gov Orji

BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

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M UA H I A — T H E Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji has said that nothing can come between him and the development of the state, saying the government is totally committed to making Abia State great again.

In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communication, Mr. Ben Onyechere, said: “My word is my bond. That is, to fulfil the promises I made to Abians which is to give the state a befitting status such that it can have the

semblance of statehood.

“We have laid out a work plan which must be enacted procedurally in accordance with our prioritisation agenda because of other contending issues which demand equal attention all at the same time due to long period of neglect by successive administration.”

Onyechere pointed out that irrespective of the Governor’s avowed commitment and responsibility to the people, his administration will refuse to be stampeded by those who have sworn to mislead the public through their trade mark of political mudslinging

because this government has gone beyond blackmail.

“The reconstruction of road in Aba will continue unabated so as not to hinder commercial activities for which the city is known.

Government will however source for partnership with concessionaries as well as gear up its instruments of internal generation of funds,” he added.

He urged the people of Aba to cooperate with the government by paying adequate taxes without which government may find it difficult to re-engage in the burden of giving Aba a face lift.

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14 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Nigeria loses N80bn annually to medical tourism —Senate zTasks Presidency on healthcare delivery

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—THE Sen ate, yesterday, said the about N80bn spent annually by Nigerians to seek better medical treatment abroad was no longer acceptable.

It also warned that the Presidency must match words with action in over hauling the health sector.

Speaking when the Minister of State, Health, Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate, and other members of the Health Ministry appeared before his committee to de-

fend the 2013 budget, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, PDP Delta North, also expressed the Senate’s concern that 2015 was close, yet the set targets

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said ‘’the need for Nigerians to begin to have renewed confidence that the health sector can actually provide them with health care is serious.”

Ministry, DPR, NIMASA, others disagree over environment regulation BYKUNLEKALEJAYE& OSCALINEONWUEMENYI

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BUJA—INTRIGUES and disagreements

Naval chief assures on Calabar Hospital completion ALABAR—CON STRUCTION of abandoned Nigeria Navy hospital in Calabar is to be completed in the next eight months.

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele J. Ezeoba, disclosed this when he and his principal officers paid a maiden courtesy call on Governor Liyel Imoke of

of the Millennium Developments Goals, MDGs, were not fully achieved.

Okowa, who also wondered why only 20 per cent of health budget should be on capital expenditure,

Cross River state.

Ezeoba noted that the referential hospital which construction started about 30 years ago, will add value to the health care delivery programme of the state government as well as ensure that most of the cases currently treated outside the country were treated there.

yesterday marred the third plenary of the ongoing 15th International Health Safety and Environment, HSE Biennial Conference in Abuja, as regulatory agencies disagreed over environmental regulatory enforcement.

The agencies, the Ministry of the Environment; Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR; National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency, NOSDRA; and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, disagreed over whose responsibility it was to enforce environmental laws in the oil and gas industry.

The Director General of NOSDRA, Mr. Peter Idabor, claimed that the

overlap of enforcing environmental law in the industry was between the Ministry of Environment and DPR, adding that his agency was not involved in the overlap function.

Stressing the need to tackle environmental pollution resulting from oil spill in the best interest of the country, Idabor argued, “If DPR cooperates effectively with us, NOSDRA, there will not be any problem. We are not competing with anybody but to achieve good environment for our national interest.”

He maintained that NOSDRA was established to manage oil spill contingency plan and to enforce them to the letter.

Abia, Imo laud NDDC over relief materials ment Commission NDDC,

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MUAHIA—ABIA State Government has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for responding promptly to the plight of flood victims in the state.

Special Assistant to the Governor on NDDC, Fidelis Nwachukwu, gave the commendation while receiving relief materials procured by the Commission at Oke-Ikpe in Ukwa East Local Government Area of the state.

He said: “We are proud of Niger Delta Develop-

for intervening at a time like this. Please keep it up.”

NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Christian Oboh, represented by Abia State Representative on the Board, Aloysius Nwagboso, explained that the donation was in line with federal government's directive urging agencies to provide succour for floor victims.

“We are touched by the plight of the victims, this little token is a way of demonstrating how we feel,” he said and charged them to ensure that the items were properly distributed and utilised.

Cleric blames corruption on insecurity

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NUGU—THE Angli can Bishop of Enugu North Diocese, Rev Sosthenes Eze, has blamed high level of corruption in Nigeria for the general instability prevailing across the nation.

He said such acts of wickedness had led to increased cases of breakdown of law and order and lack of peaceful coexistence among Nigeri-

ans.

The Bishop, who addressed the Church’s annual Diocesan synod at Olo, Enugu State, last Saturday, advocated the setting up of a National Solemn Assembly and repentance meetings across the nation, as a way of dealing with the cankerworm adversely affecting the nation's life.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012—15

Boko Haram: Army faults Amnesty Int'l on extra-judicial killings' report

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

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BUJA—NIGERIAN Army, yesterday, faulted Amnesty International on its recent report, which accused the Army and other security agencies of extra-judicial killing and illegal detention of Boko Haram members.

According to the Army, the methodology used by Amnesty International to arrive at the report was partisan.

Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, who spoke at a media parley, frowned at the claims by officials of Amnesty International that they visited Borno, Bauchi, Kano states and the FCT, several times to conduct interviews with alleged members of Boko Haram on issues of rights abuse, without seeking the opinion of the mili-

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tary.

Ihejirika, who was represented by the Chief of Civil/Military Affairs, Maj.-Gen. Bitrus Kwaji, said: “I am happy to observe that Amnesty International recognises that all violent acts of Boko Haram constitute threats to life and peaceful coexistence under international law and the laws of Nigeria.

“The law empowers

nations to tackle these acts of violence against its law-abiding citizens.

“We want to point out, therefore, that the methodology of arriving at their report is based solely on a one-way research approach, which is the visit to Maiduguri, Bauchi, Kano and FCT. “They claimed they interviewed the Boko Haram people. From all these, it is clear they did

not seek the opinion of security agencies.”

He pointed out that claims by the report that the offices of the National Security Adviser, Inspector-General of Police, Minister of Police Affairs and Ministry of the Interior were approached during the research were not enough reasons to submit that the Army was indulging in human rights abuses.

NYSC members to acquire martial arts skills

BY LAJU ARENYEKA

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BUJA—DEPUTY Director, Publications of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Mr. Peter Atilola, has said NYSC members were being trained on martial arts to defend themselves when the need arose.

Atitiola told newsmen in Abuja: “NYSC is collaborating with all states, local government areas and security agencies to

provide adequate security and protection for them and their property.

“Apart from provision of security tips handbook, NYSC members are also being trained on martial arts to defend themselves when the need arises.”

The initiative, which was first adopted by Ogun State directorate of NYSC, has, however, been greeted with mixed feelings by old and new NYSC members.

Reps query Aviation Minister over 4 airlines' landing rights zTo begin debate on PIB

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

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BUJA—HOUSE of Representatives, yesterday, ordered an investigation into the actions of the Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah, over her alleged denial of landing rights

to four airlines at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

Turkish Airline, Ethiopian Airline, Emirates Airline and Skyline, were reported to have repeatedly applied for landing rights, and signified interest to com-

mence operations to the airport, but were allegedly denied entry by the minister.

The House also, yesterday, announced that debate on the general principles of the Bill for an Act for the establishment of a legal fiscal framework for the petro-

leum industry in Nigeria, popularly referred to as the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, would commence next week.

The House’s mandate to its Committee on Aviation to investigate the action of Oduah on the alleged denial of

landing rights to the four airlines was the fallout of a motion moved by Chairman of the House Committee on Lake Chad, Ali Madaki, who contended that the action of the minister was not good for the economy of the entire northern part of the country.

16—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Oil firms shun gas flare penalty payment for 2012

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

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PROTEST—National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS protesting industrial strike of staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, in Sokoto, yesterday.

Senators, Reps, SANs tackle CJN Continues from page 5 meted against ladies who are eminently qualified to take up positions on the Bench.”

Festus Ogwuche “Denying her the position on grounds of indegeneship will be the height of injustice and highly unconstitutional.

In fact it will amount to a violation of her right under chapter 4 and section 42 of the 1999 constitution which forbids discriminatory tendencies on the basis of state of origin or religion. Suspending her elevation on the basis of such frivolous petition is unacceptable and should not be allowed to prevail in the 21st century especially in a democratic setting.

There is no law or procedure that stipulates that judicial appointment should be made on the basis of state of origin, cultural affiliation or religious inclination. Such barriers should not be considered at all for such sensitive positions. Or is she going to the bench to represent the interest of any state or to serve Nigerians?

The only ground she can be denied the position is on the basis of Chapter 2 of the constitution, where the Federal Character Commission, challenge the appointment on the C M Y K

must have caused her and her family, in turning up for a swearing-in which was not to take place.

BUJA—NONE of the oil companies operating in Nigeria has paid any penalty to the coffers of the Nigerian government for gas flaring since the beginning of this year.

As a result of the evasion by the oil firms, Nigeria reportedly lost a whopping sum of money within the year, the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force, headed by Nuhu Ribadu, has revealed.

According to the report, which was cited by Vanguard last night, the money was lost largely because the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, which is saddled with the task of enforcing compliance with the law, failed to carry out its job.

The submission of finding of the special task force, otherwise known as the Ribadu Report, which sparked contro-

versy before President Goodluck last week, indicated that oil firms flagrantly ignored the introduction of a new gas flare penalty regime introduced by the Ministry of Petroleum in August last year.

The report said, “The Minister issued a directive which was signed on 15 August 2011 increasing the gas penalty fee from N10.00 to $3.50.

“However, the oil companies have failed to comply with the directive and have continued to flare gas without compliance with the new rate as communicated in the Minister’s directive. “ Using the DPR gas flare information (irrespective of the inherent errors arising per the factors earlier stated) to compute the potential revenues for the relevant years at the rate of $3.50 per standard cubic feet is $4.1billion versus the $177million computed by the DPR using the N10 per scf.

premise that it may occasion the dominance of a particular section of the country or affect ethnic balance, but this is not the case here.”

candidate for swear-in was not informed well in advance of yesterday (Monday), so to avert the embarrassment it

Tani Molajo (SAN)

Ribadu’s report drama, ploy by Presidency to cover oil sector rot — Malami, SAN

I think it is unfortunate for the woman not to have been informed before today. I mean, it must have been quite embarrassing for her to have turned up at her swearing in, only for her to be asked to vacate her seat. I think she ought to have been informed in advance of that day. I hope that the matter will be sorted out in a way which I think is most reputable.

My information is that she had transferred her civil service to her husband’s state, which is Abia State. And that she has infact served there, according to reports available to us, for 14 years. In my view, she ought to have been considered as qualified to represent the judiciary of that state, in the Court of Appeal. I am hopeful that it would be resolved ultimately in her favour and she would be sworn in as a justice of the Court of Appeal.

The CJN took the decision that is most appropriate in my view, in accordance with the law.

My complain is that the

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

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BUJA—THE open disagreement over the report of the Nuhu Ribadu-led committee, which investigated the rot in the Nigerian oil industry, has been described as a premeditated action by the Presidency to rubbish the outcome and prevent the

administration from accepting and implementing the recommendations.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Abubakar Malami, who made the claim in an exclusive interview with Vanguard yesterday, pointed out that the drama over the manner in which the report was written and presented to the government was masterminded by the

same government that set it up.

“The purpose of what the government did was simply to divert Nigerians’ attention from the monumental looting by certain well placed individuals and top government agencies so as have justification for not implementing it.

“These elements are well connected and the government does not ap-

pear to be in a hurry to touch them given the weight of the evidence in both the Ribadu report and the Subsidy panel against them.

The legal practitioner said it was wrong for the Presidency to set up a committee to probe the infractions in the oil sector only for the same government to openly rubbish the outcome.

Pollution: FG sets restoration project

BY KUNLE KALEJAYE & OSCARLINE ONWUEMENYI

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BUJA—THE Fed eral Government has announced the institution of a restoration project that will manage hydrocarbon pollution in oil communities in Nigeria, seeing as oil companies operating in the country lacked respect for the environment.

The move is the first official response by government following the release of the environ-

ment report on the pollution of Ogoni land by the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, in August last year.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alision Madueke, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, while delivering a keynote at the opening of the 15th Biennial Conference on Health Safety and Environemnt, HSE, organised by the Department of Petroleum Re-

sources, DPR, the regulator of the nation’s petroleum industry.

She said: “Our industry has exploited oil from this region for over half of a century. And it is clear that the industry has not always respected sustainable development, in the conduct of its exploration and production operations.”

The minister said that sequel to the UNEP Report on the Environmental Assessment of Ogoni land, her ministry has set

up a Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project, HYPREP that would restore all communities impacted by hydrocarbon contamination in the country.

According to her, the project would also implement the actionable recommendations of the UNEP report, and design as well as provide a robust, independent coordinated guidance for the surveillance and monitoring of all petroleum infrastructure in Nigeria.

— 17 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012— “Victory in this war will not determine who is right, only who is left” - Anonymous graffiti

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Rules of disengagement

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HE dust raised by the chilling indictment of the Nigerian security agencies and the Jamaatu Ahlil Sunnah Diddaawati Wal Jihad (JASLIWAJ) (a.k.a. Boko Haram) by Amnesty International had hardly settled down when the war was taken up to new levels in Yobe and Borno States. In one skirmish alone, over 40 people were reported killed, and morgues were reported to be overflowing with bodies.

A bombing mission which appeared to have targeted a resumption of ethnoreligious mayhem in Kaduna took lives, and was contained only by a rising awareness among locals that they are being goaded into fighting someone else's war. Then the war took its most prized casualty: a living war legend, General Muhammadu Shuwa. Shot in his home amidst friends in broad daylight in an area littered by military checkpoints, the killing of General Shuwa was the most conclusive evidence that this war is being escalated by both sides, and its implications should worry more than just the administration.

Not all the speculations over coincidences in the manner this conflict is unfolding are idle. There are questions being asked about linkages between the quarrels between PDP and ANPP leaders in Borno State over who is the real sponsor of the insurgency, and what links they may have with the murder of General Shuwa who was a prominent ANPP chieftain. There are questions around the purported offer of peace talks between the JASLIWAJ and the government, and preconditions which included the prosecution of governor Sheriff. There have been one or two murders of other prominent ANPP leaders in the State, so speculations are being made with regards to the possibility that the offer to talk peace may be an olive branch from ANPP. Again, there are speculations that the entire peace gesture is all a ploy to create the impression that the insurgency wants peace, while putting forward conditions which are virtually impossible to accept.

Finally, there are speculations that the offer to talk is a trap to rope in General Muhammadu Buhari and one or two respected elders, and is being made by interests far from the insurgency.

The denial of responsibility for the murder of General Shuwa by the same spokesman who put forward the peace offer adds another twist. It reinforces the suspicion that there are factions of the insurgency which are active; or are entirely independent of known leaders; or rogue elements on the fringes of the insurgency; or interests which have hijacked its franchise and modus operandi to weaken the state. These suspicions only serve to make this problem altogether much more serious.

In the midst of these conflicting

General Buhari is most unlikely to take up the nomination from an insurgency he has been variously accused of creating, sustaining or supporting; his party says the entire offer is a ploy to link him up with the insurgency

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scenarios, it may be safe to isolate issues which may be reasonably assumed as making sense. One is that General Buhari is most unlikely to take up the nomination from an insurgency he has been variously accused of creating, sustaining or supporting. His party says the entire offer is a ploy to link him up with the insurgency. It is unlikely that a man who aspires to lead the nation, will take up an offer from a group which fundamentally repudiates the concept and existence of the Nigerian state as it exists. He will be accused of refusing to help, of course, but that will be a cross he will have to bear. He will be damned if he does accept; and damned if he doesn’t. Others on the list “nominated” by the insurgency will also very carefully weigh the full implications of their nomination, both in terms of the conditions set forth by the insurgency, and by the chances of any success.

Full blown war

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nother dimension which could be considered settled is the fact of the existence of a full blown war which neither government nor the insurgency is likely to win without massive, additional damage to the citizenry and economy of the nation. The civilian population in the epicentres of Yobe and

Borno States, as well as major towns in Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa Taraba, Kano and Kaduna State and even Abuja are now effectively hostages of an insurgency which is intricately woven into the fabric of communities that pay huge penalties for it. The security agencies, in spite of periodic complaints from community elders, Amnesty International and much of the international media, will most likely sustain their aggressive pursuit of the enemy, and lean very hard on young men, wives and children until the insurgency is wiped out. That, from all appearances, will take some time, and massive casualties to accomplish.

It is obvious that government and this insurgency both need the active involvement of leaders with credibility

Gen. Buhari: A no win situation and courage to intervene and facilitate the beginnings of a resolution. The claim by a spokeman of the insurgency that it is ready to talk will be welcome, but the conditions for it are not likely to be accepted by the administration. To the extent that it represents a genuine offer to talk, it is a serious step which should be considered. The manner it was made, however, is likely to scuttle it, and will make subsequent attempts to engineer negotiations in future more difficult.

Government also needs a breathing space, and must be acutely conscious that the insurgency has succeeded in creating massive hostility against security agents in the active frontlines

of this war. With the community harassed and hostile, a scorched earth policy by security agents is exactly what the insurgency needs to create enclaves and sustain campaigns.

A disengagement strategy should now be initiated by northern leaders with politicians, including Generals Buhari, Babangida, Abdussalami, Atiku, Ribadu, Maitama Sule, Ali Munguno, Ango Abdullahi, Jibril Aminu and others getting off the fence and rallying around other leaders to the cause. They should work with respected muslim and community leaders from Borno and Yobe States to engage northern governors and other leaders of political groups in the north. A coherent and practical outline of a planned resolution, starting with a three-month moratorium, should be discussed with the President. The Vice President must be actively involved in all stages of these discussions. Northern christian leaders should also be closely briefed on progress and should play active roles in the search for resolution.

Ultimately, a national momentum towards full and final resolution should be created.

Signs of good faith

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atters relating to release of women and children, treatment of detainees, release of suspects who have no cases to answer should be prioritised.

Government should be prevailed upon to address these as signs of good faith, and as evidence that it can respond to the grievances of communities. Positions on limiting collateral damage in or around communities, as well as those which encourage insurgents to reduce or stop attacks on security agents should be discussed with government.

Once a credible and genuine framework has been established in which respected community and religious leaders are involved, comprehensive peace talks should take place, and should target cessation of hostilities, rehabilitation and restitution demands of the insurgency as well as other issues it raises. It should be made clear to the insurgency that the talks and the resolution efforts are not merely meant to accommodate its demands and appease it unconditionally: The Nigerian state and all citizens also have demands and rights which the talks must table and protect as well.

The north is facing its biggest and most destructive challenge. Its leaders who sit and wait for Boko Haram or the government to invite them to mediate in this horrific war have no claims to leadership. They should get out of their comfort zones, and shape its destiny.

OPINION

BY CHARLES ONUNAIJU

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HIS week, the two leading world economies; the United States of America and the Peoples Republic of China would begin the process of leadership transitions.

In the case of United States, the incumbent President Obama might win a second term in office, but inspite of his pledge for policy continuity especially on domestic affairs, there would be a considerable shake up of foreign policy and Africa would count less, as Washington focuses on its stated priority of the Asia pacific and the Middle East. In the case of China, President Hu Jintao would be stepping aside after completing a two term tenure paving way for the emergence of the 5th generation leadership with Mr. Xi Jinping at the core.

The first generation leadership since the founding of Modern China in 1949 has Chairman Mao Zedong at the core, second generation has Deng Xiaoping at the core, third generation with Jiang Zemin at the core and the fourth generation has President Hu Jintao. While the U.S elections, arguably the world’s best known political event would hold on the 6th of November, the 18th congress of the communist party of China, the main vehicle for political transition in china will open on the 8th of November, in Beijing. While the winner of the U.S November 6th poll will take office on the 20th January,

Leadership transitions: Washington, Beijing and Africa the new leadership emerging from the congress of the 90 million member Chinese communist party would take office in March during the convocation of the country supreme legislative organ, the National Peoples Congress. While the two major parties in contention in the United States were created by a consensus of the ruling elite, the Chinese communist party created the modern China through a bloody struggle that ended foreign domination and local feudalist oppression.

Through revolution, reconstruction and reform, the Chinese communist party built a previously backward nation though, with outstanding civilisation of more than three thousand years, into a formidable and fairly prosperous economy.

The 18th congress of the party and the transition to a new leadership is as important and significant to the Chinese as it is to the rest of the world. The U. S. election in November has such equal significance for the Americans especially and even to the wider world.

President Obama characterised his first term as a work progress that would require another fresh term of four years to complete and consolidate its key features. He argues that he inherited a nearly bankrupt country, despirited at home, and exhausted with long and unpopular wars abroad.

His challenger Mr. Mitt Romney plans to deconstruct the big government, he claims the Obama administration is building. His platform is essentially to cut taxes across the board, roll back state Medicare and other social safety nets for than more 47percent Americans he notoriously jabbed as existing on the margins as social parasites. His outlandish plan to create 12 million job in four years is drawing a considerable sneer from Americans but his message 're-inventing the country’ is striking sufficient resonance from the across the country as his improving polls indicates.

His foreign policy platform remains unclear even as his reference to Mali as terrorist haven only reinforces dominant Washington’s view of Africa as a mere security concern. China has been traditionally engaged in Africa from the earlier time of the founding of Modern China especially solidarity of the continent for its anti-colonial aspirations.

Continues on pg. 18 *Mr. Onunaiju, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012 PEOPLE shocked that doctorate degree holders are applying for jobs as truck drivers may not appreciate the extent of the unemployment situation. Statistics are unreliable, but revelations that six Ph.D holders and 704 others with Master’s degree applied to Dangote Group as truck drivers raise questions about our education and our uses of the educated.

“All these things are verifiable, and they all graduated from reputable institutions which is satisfactory; and our plan is to eventually make them self dependent,” Aliko Dangote said at a mentoring session of the World Bank Youth Forum.

Debates over if a Ph.D holder should apply for a truck driver’s position, miss the point. Such debates are at the perplexing level of encountering a national challenge that has been on for many years.

Thirteen thousand applied though Dangote had only 100 openings. How would you compare that to the 39,000 applications that a federal broadcasting agency received 10 years ago when it advertised eight positions? The problem has been lingering, and growing with the

Truc k Driv er ruck Driver er,, Ph.D thousands who graduate from higher institutions annually.

High unemployment rates have devastating impacts including the fact that families that invested their fortune in education, in the hope that the educated would rescue other family members, are stuck with their unemployed young ones.

It is a long frustrating process that leaves generations of Nigerians wasting. When university graduates, especially higher degree holders, apply for jobs ordinarily meant for those who are not so educated, we should worry too about increasing unemployment rates among the uneducated.

The attraction for most of the applicants could be the generous conditions of the employment.

Apart from their salaries, and trip allowances,

Dangote said the truck becomes completely theirs on clocking 300,000km, about 140 trips between Kano and Lagos.

Many would not like to miss the opportunity of owning their own business after serving Dangote. Few jobs offer that type of incentive today. Our Ph.D truck drivers could be budding entrepreneurs, who missed their calling.

Dangote is providing something different, more than a job.

The eminent danger is that next year, more people, some from the dwindling universities, could leave their teaching positions for the Dangote offer. We are in the final stages of misapplication of our resources, particularly those who have completed high levels of education and should at least be teaching.

Jobs are so scarce that some make a living from scams that promise jobs. The incident in Abuja where thousands of unemployed graduates protested at the Ministry of Interior because officials denied them access to submit application forms is instructive: the ministry was not recruiting.

Governments’ policies are important to reverse this trend which is a ticking bomb.

OPINION

BY CHARLES ONUNAIJU Continued from pg.17

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OWEVER, in contemporary times and especially since 2000, when the Forum for China-Africa cooperation, FOCAC, was founded, Sino-Africa relation has reached new heights. FOCAC founded under the watch of President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji became a major architecture of contemporary global life under the leadership of President Ju Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.

Providing the institutional basis for the steady development of China-Africa co-operation, the FOCAC process has within the past 10 years under the leadership of President Hu-Jintao and his African counterparts nudged up the co-operation between the two sides.

China has become Africa’s largest trading partner and Chinese presence in Africa and African Presence in China, especially in the coastal city of Guangzhou has become a key feature of dynamic co-operation existing along the formal inter-state relations. The new leadership of China that would emerge from the 18th congress of the party would almost certainly accelerate

Leadership transitions: Washington, Beijing and Africa (2) the pace of comprehensive Sino-Africa co-operations. Africa’s China policy is a major component of Beijing foreign policy and its diplomatic global outlook.The five yearly congress of the communist party of China is the most important political event in China with world-wide significance. This year’s 18th congress with 2270 deputies elected from local party branches all over the country would deliberate on key issues that would sustain the momentum of growth and development leading to 2020 when the country is expected to attain the status of a fairly prosperous nation. In the past 10 years under the watch of President Hu-Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, almost all Chinese are now covered by medical insurance, the most comprehensive ever health insurance scheme. On the contrary, the ambitious President Obama healthcare insurance barely covering half of all Americans are under intense attack from his Republican challenger.

President Hu- Jintao's most enduring legacy may well be his socialist country-side programme, under which

the bulk of rural China was opened up and transformed to shining cities with enabling infrastructures and facilities.

The 18th congress of the party and the Chinese people in general would pay an unending tribute to Mr. Hu as a great innovator who has ensured that the fruits of economic growth from the reforms are well spread out to all Chinese.

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t his inauguration at the 16th congress of the party in 2002 as the General Secretary of the party and leader of the country, he was dismissed

by Western media as a wooly technocrat and party apparatick.

Inspite of the Western media tag of Vice President, Xi Jinping as ‘a princeling’ for his father, Xi Zhongxun, having fought along Chairman Mao Zedong in the war to found the Modern China, is most likely to continue in the tradition of innovation and creativity.

In the single week of November, two most important countries in the world will launch into a breathtaking political event that would determine the trajectories of their policies, both for

their nations and the rest of the world.

Africa, holding the world largest reserve of precious natural minerals or wealth, is already a world legendry phenomenon both for its famed poverty and predatory political elite and for its numerous opportunities and immense possibilities. For ill or for good, Africa savours an unusual attention from the world and the events in the two world’s most leading and important nations must not escape scrutiny in Africa.

Africa leadership transitions are notorious for banging heads, if they occur at all, except in some few places in the continent and the import of the ace-political gatherings in Beijing and Washington must not be lost as every lesson the world can offer, can enrich our experience to re-set Africa on the path of participatory democracy and development.

Concluded *Mr. Onunaiju, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012— —19

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VER since he emerged governor of Lagos State in 2007, Raji Fashola has, arguably, had more favourable press than any other governor in Nigeria. He is certainly one Nigerian politician whose performance in office has not gone unremarked and in very favourable light too.

If he is coming under increasing criticism in recent times it is more a reflection of public angst at some of his policies which seem to have been at odds with public expectation. Surely, no leader worth his salt should bend in any and every direction the public wants. Governance is not popularity contest nor is populism necessarily a virtue or an end in itself. Therefore, a leader’s task is to do what is right by the people and leave the rest to the judgement of posterity. But the fact is that Mr. Fashola is generally perceived to have performed well in office, especially when his performance index is viewed against the record posted by many others in the same position as he is. Some might argue that he enjoys the advantage of being governor of Nigeria’s richest state. But that is neither here nor there- there are many others who enjoy equally solid

revenue base but have nothing but huge foreign accounts to show for it. Truth is that Nigerians ask so very little of their leaders that any politician has only to make an effort to have their names up in gold. But nearly all of them fail to make any impression worthy of note. It’s in these circumstances that Fashola has emerged the peacock in a gathering of vultures. Of course, he came into office with a head start, in the sense that he was part of the administration he took over from. He had a clear view of what needed to be done and simply raised the game beyond what it was. This seemed to have ruffled some feathers, not the least those of his former boss, Bola Tinubu, who probably thought his former pupil has no business trying to outshine his master. It is therefore arguable if interference from Mr. Tinubu and other party godfathers hasn’t slowed down Fashola’s effort considerably, leading him into byways less likely to bring him into head-on collision with the party leaders but which put him at odds with the larger public.

He might be doing his best but my impression is that Governor Fashola’s second term has been

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less sterling than the first and this is because of the internal dynamics of his party that insist on perpetual obeisance to former leaders whose electoral mandate, where they have one, has since lapsed but who are unwilling to stay out of the public glare. For reasons such as this, Fashola appears inclined to pursue his agenda of turning Lagos into the place of his dream by initiating policies, many of them driven by economic considerations, which are increasingly controversial because they lack antecedent initiatives that ought to have ameliorated their less desirable and/or aggravating consequences.

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he crisis at the Lagos State University which culminated in the introduction of the astronomical tuition fee that promptly shut the university gate against students from poor homes didn’t begin like a contest over the economic health of the institution. But it was resolved as such. For a state that prided itself on providing free or at least affordable education for its citizens, the decision was a hard

Is this country under a curse?

BY CLEMENT UDEGBE

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HE JTF has taken the bull of sectarian violence in the North East of Nigeria by the horns. We pray daily for them, for Gods favour. May their zeal never wane. Our nation had for a long time taken terrorism for granted until this stage where we now live with it. Learning to live with terror is a horrible thing, and that’s what we must now do since we appear not to be ready to deal with the evil from its roots.

We are a nation of mostly Christians who say we love God and our neighbour, but right under our noses politicians steal from government coffers, flaunt such wealth before us even in churches and we pray for their long life. We are also mostly Muslims, who say Allah does not support violence, but under our noses our relations kill and maim innocent strangers and our neighbours; we conceal their identities, waiting and working to use the sufferings inflicted upon people through violence to attract government largesse.

My Pastor knows that his congregants are deprived, that someone in government is sitting on what belongs to them, but he asks them to pray and fast, do early morning cries and night vigils; he prophesies to them, but by noon time, he visits his politician friends in power, prays for them, knowing fully well that they are all worse than armed robbers.

The Bible enjoins us to pray for our leaders, so why don’t we pray that all thieves be caught and shamed, and that the wealth of this country becomes trouble in the hands of all that have stolen from it? My Pastor’s friends in power, steal the money, use that same ill-gotten wealth to intimidate and harass us, while my Pastor boasts to us that he was visited by the thief. My Pastor is not a good man!

My good friend is a Muslim Alfa, or Mullah, he preaches strong messages from the Holy Quran in his big mosque and has

huge followership. He tells me that Allah supports fairness, honesty, hard work, and justice, and I am convinced, but many a time my friend visits his members and tribes men in power, they connive to foster lack of development in their area hoping to blame the “infidels” from the other zones of the country for their plight. They destroy their own, take away their money, keep them perpetually poor, and feed them with the opium of the blame game, blaming the education from ‘infidels’. My Alfa friend is not a good man!

How can a nation where their religious leaders have been compromised prosper?

How can a nation that professes God, confesses God, but cheats in the name of God, steals in the name of God, deceives each other in the name of God, and kills in the name of God, be at peace ? It will be hard in my opinion because God sees our hearts, and never sleeps nor slumbers. Will God compromise his standards for Nigeria?

God does not change, and will not do so because of Nigeria.

The two main ruling religions in Nigeria, Christianity and Islam, believe that God created man, God is God of Equity, fair play and justice, God wants us all to love each other as we love ourselves, but there's not one aspect of the Nigerian life you look into and see that type of fear of God by our leaders.

On security for example, the JTF, SSS, NPF, NSCDC are all toiling round the clock to solve the challenges of Boko haram. Life has become rough for these men because of our wickedness. It is difficult to convince any one that our Northern leaders do not know who Boko Haram is, and that we cannot infiltrate all Governors, Senators, to compile those of them that hobnob with the sect. We surely know what to do, but we are not doing it because the country is under a curse! There must be a curse.

The book of Amos, Chapter 8,verses 3 to

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Fashola’s economic logic

Companies in Lagos have complained of multiple taxes, but rather than abate more devious means are fashioned to take more naira out of the purse of the people

slap in the face of the electorate.

Neither the party leaders nor the eloquent commentators in ACNsupportive media made any meaningful intervention. Such silence might not be unconnected, as some have argued, to the fact that the new fee was Fashola’s way of loosening the tightening noose of the economic demands of his party leaders. Companies and individuals in Lagos have complained of multiple taxes but rather than abate more devious means are fashioned to take more naira out of the purse of the people. What is the rationale behind multiple taxation of citizens and who or whose organisations are behind the process? The party leaders and other officials in Lagos boast of the clever means they’ve devised in generating IGR in multiples of what Lagos used to make but for whom, at what cost and at whose expense?

After fighting with staff and students of the Lagos State University, the government turned to medical doctors. And now it’s the turn of okada riders. In each instance, there seems to be an economic motive behind the decisions or policies that bring the combatants into the trenches.

Clearly, that many Nigerians would turn to riding motor bikes as a means of economic sustenance is an indication of failure in the economy, the education system and ultimately in governance. While Fashola outlaws okada his peers in other states, including those controlled by his party, are giving out okadas to young graduates and list this as part of their effort at reducing poverty/unemployment! If the argument is that okada records huge fatalities so do travels in other modes on our roads and waterways, to say nothing of air travels. But this is not to say that

The Lord have sworn by the pride of Jacob, I will not forget anything they have done; this nation has offended and is offending God, and the curse must follow!

,

7,the Bible (NIV) declares: “In that day declares the sovereign Lord, The songs in the temple will turn to wailing, many many bodies- flung every where ! Silence! Hear this, you who trample the needy, and do away with the poor of the land saying- when will the new moon be over that we may sell grain and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat? Skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy with a pair of sandals, selling the sweepings with the wheat. The Lord have sworn by the pride of Jacob, I will not forget anything they have done”.This nation has offended and is offending God, and the curse must follow! A few facts on the effects of this curse include that: e are the seventh largest oil producing nation in this world, but we don’t have working refineries and fuel to run our cars, generators and machines. We have enormous agricultural potentials and resources, but we spend billions of dollars on food imports; we are over 160 million people, but we do not trust each other, the demon of ethnicity has hindered us. We have huge educational resources with over 40% active youth population, but we send them to universities and tertiary education institutions to condition them for four to six years depending on the course, to learn to accept life without electric power, good hostels, library, and research laboratories, good roads, health care and government failure as the way forward, they graduate

W

Fashola has no point in limiting the use of okada but how is he to convince the okada riders he is not doing it to pave way for commercial operators of stateowned vehicles? Could this be why the okada owners have resorted to vandalising BRT buses? How can Fashola ensure that his polices look more altruistic than mere economic measures meant to shore up the already bloated purse of his state?

And talking of economy: I recently heard Mr. Fashola making a case for the introduction of Chinese as a subject in Lagos schools. He says his position is a matter of economy for China has emerged an economic power. No Sir, Mr. Governor! There are more than enough foreign languages for our children to learn already. While it is true that China is an emergent economic power, it is no excuse to make Nigerians add Chinese to the heavy baggage of foreign languages they already have to learn but do not master. The over one billion people of China were for decades cut off from the rest of the world in a so-called cultural revolution during which they held on to everything Chinese. They didn’t have to learn English to become what they have become.

While we might choose to have specialists in Chinese there is no reason turning hundreds of millions of Nigerians into Chinese in diaspora. The task now is to develop our own languages or those of them we want the world to know not run around learning some foreign language of some economic power. India is fast entering the ‘premiership’ of the economic league as is Brazil and South Korea. Shall we throw Hindi, Portuguese and Korean into our shopping list? Enough of this economic rant.

and remain grateful to the politician for owning one Okada. We are endowed with hardworking and knowledgeable health care professionals but we run overseas to treat headaches, and diagnose minor tumors and surgeries. Our neighbours to the north: Mali, Somalia, Sudan, are all terrorists dens and hives, but we leave our borders as porous as ever. Our Police Force has been conditioned through 33 years of military rule, and 11 years of lies, and bigbig grammar under democracy, to accept their lot, to fight more and better equipped criminals and terrorists. Our Police Force has been conditioned to be ineffective, because we know that an effective police force will investigate our numerous crimes against the poor of the land, and bring us all to book. Our leaders jostle and clamor for Police security aides and cover because they all know that they have taken what does not belong to them; We have all the resources from God, to keep and maintain less than 4% unemployment rate, but our graduates ride Okada and Keke NA PEPE with pride, we make laws to confiscate their okadas, and destroy their legitimate property in a situation where unemployment rate hovers around 35%; Our mega Pentecostal Churches are led by people who benefited from free education in one form or the other, but today, they build schools that their members children can hardly afford, they raise money from the congregation, build schools which only “unbelievers” can afford to pay for their children. Our bankers pick up awards from overseas, they declare huge mouthwatering profits, but industries are leaving the country, lending is only short term in support of services and trading; We supply electric power to nations around us who do not experience power outage, while we have children who clap when they find power in their houses, yet some governors are determined to scuttle the plan to give their people power. You tell me God is happy? I disagree, He cannot be happy with us!*Mr. Udegbe, a lawyer, wrote from Lagos.

20—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Debate of the masses

Ph.D holder as a driver

BY EBELE ORAKPO

“O

*A Lagos bus-stop. Commuters complain of undue hike in transport fares due to recent fuel scarcity

Fuel price: In Lagos, it’s back to N97 without cheers ...As transport fares remain high T

HE recurring prob lem of fuel scarcity is one most Nigerians have come to accept as a bad penny or Kobo. Recently, Nigerians endured another round of fuel scarcity which almost crippled economic activities at all levels in the country, with corporate organisations and individuals on the receiving end complaining bitterly as a result.

Within the period, the PMS which was originally sold for N97 per litre was sold for between N110 and N120 per litre, a difference of about N23. It did not end there. Most agonising and annoying to end users was the fact that they had to go searching for where to source this essential commodity as many homes, shops, companies, individuals and many others need the product in most cases to support their businesses.

This is beside the financial extortion or exploitation meted out to the users as many filling stations hoarded the product, thereby creating artificial scarcity. But thanks to a sensitive government which subsequently clamped down on fraudulent stations, thus forcing the greedy and

shrewd business men and women who thrived on this to revert to the pump price of N97 per litre and recommenced the sale of the product at that price with effect from last Thursday. But while the situation lasted, it was a lot of punishment on commuters as the scarcity occurred during the Muslims celebration of Eid-elKabir, a period when many Nigerians travelled to their localities. So their

,

BY BOSE ADELAJA

We travelled together about two weeks ago but returned separately due to the increase in fares; my wife returned first, followed by the children, while I joined them later

,

suffering was heightened by fares being hiked by almost 100 per cent.

In Lagos, the return of the N97 pump price has not in any way ushered in any respite for commuters as transport fares remain relatively high. This is the case at most routes. An example is the Ojota to

Ikeja route which used to be N70 but is now N100. Also, Oshodi to Apapa has been jacked up from N150 to N200; Agege to Agbado-Ijaye from N100 to N150, and Oke-Odo to Oshodi from N100 to N150 and above. This is the exact situation in most parts of Lagos metropolis.

Due to this increase in fares, there are now long queues of commuters at BRT and LAGBUS terminuses, especially as the operators charge cheaper fares. A trip from Oshodi to Iyana-Ipaja costs only N70 as against N150 on Danfo buses.

Also, a trip from Ikorodu to CMS costs N200 as against N350, while that of Oshodi to Yaba/Oyingbo attracts N100 as against N250, respectively.

Reacting to the development, a commuter at Obalende, Mr. Godwin Okafor, told Vanguard Metro VM, that the situation has put a lot of pressure on his pocket through increased expenses. ‘’If one was told at the beginning of the crisis that it will come to an end, one will not believe it. Thank God for the ‘shock absorber’ God has given us to withstand all odds,’’ he said.

Also at Iyana-Ipaja, another commuter, Mrs

Akinwale Abiola, told VM he now spends up to N1,500 daily on transport to office and back home. ‘’I travel to Ijesha from Abule-Egba and usually spend about N1,300 daily on fares but this has gone up to N1,500,’’ she lamented. Also, Mr and Mrs Badmus Ogene who travelled to their home town suddenly discovered at the park that they could not afford the fare to travel back to base as it has been hiked beyond their reach. So they opted for vehicles outside the park, a situation that entailed having to break the journey into three parts. “We travelled together about two weeks ago but returned separately due to the increase in fares. My wife returned first, followed by the children, while I joined them later,’’ said Ogene.

At some motor parks in Lagos, some transport operators attributed the development to greed. ‘’Nigerians try to extort others at the slightest opportunity; that is why the fares will remain so. We pay so much to the park operators as well as motor parts dealers. Fare increase is the only way for us to meet our profit margin,’’ said Agbelusi Oriyomi and Temitope Orishadare.

H God! How did we get here? How did we descend so slow?” asked a commuter by name John, as the CMS-bound commuter bus moved slowly through the Monday morning Lagos traffic. He was reading one of the national dailies, and apparently reacting to one of the headlines.

“Na today we bin descend? E don tey nah!”

Bros abeg talk anoda thing jare! said TJ, who was looking over John’s shoulder to read the story, an action popularly called Giraffe method or Giraffing in local parlance.

“What are you talking about?” asked Chioma, anxious to join the debate.

“It says here that six PhD holders, 704 master’s degree and over 8,460 Bachelor’s degree holders applied for drivers’ job in Dangote Group. Is it not a disgrace?” asked John, obviously irritated “It’s an aberration.”

Replied Mercy who had been listening all the while; “No, it’s not a disgrace at all. There is nothing wrong in a man working with his strength to make a decent living. Remember that there is dignity in labour.

It’s just a misapplication of talents. Those PhDs would have been better off in research centres or universities imparting knowledge to young Nigerians. But alas, they will only end up as drivers.”

“But do you blame them?

There are no jobs and they need to make a living.

Many of them have families to cater for so they will grab any job that will pay well. They are even better suited for the job because they’ve got the brain and the brawn,” said TJ. “But why are we crying more than the bereaved?

These people are not complaining. After all, in Europe and America, many of our people, highly educated, end up doing menial jobs. So, what is wrong in them being drivers back home?” asked Chioma.

Continued Chioma; “My joy is that they have jobs. If you have ever

been in the unemployment market, you will not be saying this. Thank God for people like Dangote creating jobs and empowering people.”

“There are even incentives. Apart from the huge salaries, they receive allowances on each trip and after they must have reached 300,000 kilometres, about 140 trips from Lagos to Kano, the trucks become theirs at no interests or repayments. Isn’t that great?” asked TJ enthusiastically.

“But isn’t that making a mockery of our degrees?

What happened to those drivers that were there before?” asked John.

“Those drivers were illiterates. There is a difference between a literate and an illiterate person. It is easier to deal with a literate person. At a point, Dangote drivers were said to be the most notorious.

Most of us were witnesses. They were so reckless on the road, causing accidents so often and giving the company a bad name.

A few times, they had pulled down pedestrian bridges in Lagos and before those were repaired, so many lives were lost. So I think the man did the right thing. Moreover, Dangote Group is becoming a global entity so they must project a positive image at all times,” said Bose.

Narrated Mercy: “This Giraffing thing reminds me of a story I heard sometime ago of a guy who was chatting online with his girlfriend. He noticed that the man sitting directly behind him was giraffing, reading every word he typed.

When he could not bear it any longer, he sent this message to the girlfriend; ‘Baby, please, we will continue later. Someone behind me is reading every word I’m sending to you.’

The guy did not know when he blurted out; ‘It’s a lie. I am not reading anything!’

“Foolish guy, if he was not reading, how did he know what the guy typed?” asked many of the commuters laughing.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012—21

Statistics: Bureau calls for agencies’ collaboration to minimise conflicts N

ATIONAL Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has called on relevant agencies to collaborate with it to minimise conflicts in statistical figures released in the country.

Dr Yemi Kale, the Statistician-General of the Federation, made the call in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, at a twoday workshop on “Statistical User Satisfaction”.

Kale, who was represented

by Mr George Oparaku, the Director, Real Sector and Household Statistics, NBS, said the workshop was to interact with users of statistics in order to get their feedback

on data use He also called for a strong collaboration to utilise the available human and material resources for the development of statistical system in the country. The statisticiangeneral urged participants to note and discuss issues bordering on statistical development in the country.

Kale said the issues bordered on the journey so far in the implementation of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics and support through the Statistics for Results Facility.

“Other issues include users’

feedback on current data use, current statistical surveys and programmes, data availability and accessibility as well as statistical products and dissemination strategy.”

Also speaking, Mr Alain Gaugris, a Statistician, Development Data Group, World Bank, stressed the need for sustainable improvements in the production, availability and use of quality statistics.

Gaugris said the availability and use of statistics would increase the capacity in policy formulation and decision making for development.

FG to import 100 large-scale rice mills

He commended Nigeria for making head way in the “Statistics for Results Facility” project, being one out of the five pilot countries selected by the World Bank.

Gaugaris listed the other pilot countries as Afghanistan, DRC, Ghana and Rwanda.

He said the World Bank had started phase one of the project with six pilot states Anambra, Bauchi, Edo, Kaduna, Niger and Ondo.

The statistician said the aim was to drive the process of reforming the Nigerian Statistical System.

From left: Dr. Olajide Bashorun, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Lagos State; Prince Gbolahan Lawal, Hon. Commissioner and Dr Nureni Funsho, Special Assistant to Gov Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Agriculture during a press conference on the first Lagos Sea Food Festival at Alausa Secretariat, Lagos.

Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

— Minister

LANS are under way to import 100 large-scale mills to boost rice production in the country, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said on Monday.

Adesina said this in Abuja at the National Agricultural Commodity Chain Development seminar organised by the Ilorin-based Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI).

He reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to meet its target of making the country self-sufficient in rice production by 2015.

“These rice mills, not owned by government, owned by a private sector, would put in place the capacity of 2.1 million tonnes.

“That means that the rice value chain in Nigeria will for the first time in our nations’ history, make us to have full industrial capacity, be internationally competitive and can export to the rest of West Africa. According to the Minister, “13 new rice mills with the total capacity of 240,000 tonnes, all owned by the private sector, have been created in the last 12 months.”

In his remarks, the Executive Director of ARMTI, Mr Samuel Afolayan, said that the institute had embarked on a study on the prevailing situation in selected agricultural commodity value chains.

Okonjo-Iweala faults provisions on NCS bill

M

INISTER of Finance, Dr. Ngozi- Okonjo Iweala, on Monday faulted the proposed Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) bill, saying that it vested too much power in the Customs.

The bill aims to repeal the Customs and Excise Management Act (2004) and enact the Nigeria Customs Service Act. Okonjo-iweala made her observations known at the public hearing on the bill organised by the Senate Committee on Finance in Abuja.

She noted that the Customs Service was an important tool for revenue collection and for facilitation of trade between countries being supervised by C M Y K

the Ministry of Finance.

She further observed that the bill vested too many powers in the Customs at the expense of the president and the minister, thereby making it inimical to the economic goals of the government.

“We do not consider this a good bill at the moment, in terms of the economic development of the country and we think that it would need significant amendment of some sections.

“With the present bill, the policy making and executing powers are all vested largely in the Customs and are not separate.

“We believe that the bill should separate policy making powers from the

executing powers, so that they can be properly aligned.

“Many of the powers of the president that are granted in the former bill have now been rescinded and many of the powers of the minister in the former bill have also now been rescinded,” she said.

According to her, the existing law provides that the board of the NCS shall be under the control of the Minister of Finance, who has the powers to make appointment into the board.

Okonjo-Iweala said that the minister ’s powers to appoint members of the board were limited to a few persons while large powers of appointing the member were vested in the Customs Service.

P

150.9

-3.8

2,445.00

-2.00

19.37

-0.08

108.03 +2.35 85.69 +0.83 CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

Ngozi-Okonjo-Iweala

154.74 247.259 197.9434 164.0064 0.2841 236.6692 24.7749 41.2607 26.532 236.6129

155.24 248.058 198.583 164.5363 0.2941 237.434 24.8554 41.394 26.6177 237.3775

SELLING 155.74 248.8569 199.2226 165.0662 0.3041 238.1987 24.936 41.5273 26.7035 238.142

CBN Exchange rate as at 05/11/2012

22—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

FGN Bonds: Offshore investors trigger demand pressure

BY ABIGAIL FRANK

T

HE influence of offshore investors triggered increased demand for FGN bonds last week, causing prices to rise and interest rate to decline.

This was the position of Dunn Loren Merrifield in its latest review of activities in the bonds market.

The research firm observed that the efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s to strengthen the naira contributed to the increased interest of offshore investment in the market, adding that this was supported by the policies to defend the domestic currency as well as Nigeria’s growing external reserves, which stands at capitalisation of $43 billion as at October 31, 2012.

According to the firm, the influx saw the prices of bonds across all tradable maturities increasing by capitalisation of 100 bonds per share (c.100bps).

“Consequently, the demand pressure from offshore investors led to two-way quotes being provided on some bonds that had been trading on one-way quotes, which resulted in higher activity in these bonds.

“Several weeks ago, profittaking by international investors against the backdrop of rising core

inflation, Euro-zone debt crisis and the weak Naira led to a downward trend in the market,” the company said in the report.

In addition, it noted that the bonds market is expected to be liquid during the week, while adding that the CBN was also likely to continue to tighten liquidity through the issuance of Open Market Operation bills.

According to the report, in the week ahead, there will be

a Treasury bill of N129.84 billion across all maturities. It is also anticipated that Treasury and Open Market Operation bills worth N129.84billion and N92.52 billion respectively would mature in the week ahead.

“However, over the last few days, it appears there is a reversal of this trend given the changes in contributing factors such as drop in domestic inflation and the strengthening of the domestic currency as naira closed at N157.05 to a dollar in the inter-bank market earlier last

week. “Moreso, during last week, liquidity tightening was sustained, as N80.00 billion worth of 85day Open Market Operation bills was offered, while N77.11 billion was sold at marginal rate of 14.05 per cent.

“The sale of the Open Market Operation bills by the Central Bank of Nigeria may not be unconnected with the increase in liquidity in the market given that Open Market Operation bills worth N16.63 billion matured during the week,” it further stated.

Former US Under-Secretary of States for Africa and now Managing Partner of African Exchange Holding Company, Ambassador Jendayi Frazer and Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Arunma Oteh during Frazer’s Business visit to the Commission, in Abuja.

UBN introduces new branch structures, communications campaign

BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

U

nion Bank of Nigeria (UBN) has evolved a branch re-restructuring strategy and new communications and advertising campaign tagged ‘and we’ve only just begun’ that would impact on the bank’s image.

The new campaign and repositioning aims at bringing dreams alive whilst replacing its old fashioned branch structure, making it fenceless and modern. The blue colour, signage, pylon, letter-head, account opening form, email template will change to new ones.

Apart from structural changes, the bank said the new project will sink into the UBN’s brand, from staff, management, directors to customers employing the Justin Biebier ’s classic, “Born to be

somebody” as a foothold for the campaign.

The bank, which is renowned for its pay off…big, strong and reliable revealed that the new campaign would ensure customers and consumers of the bank’s products and services will be course add ‘more’ reliable by the time the campaign has taken full effect.

With the new positioning statement, which the bank said is customer-focused, the bank has launched a new logo, signages, more appealing blue and white corporate colour and a multimedia advertising campaign tagged “….and we’ve only just begun.”

Mr. Tayo Bright, the bank’s strategy Consultant, at press briefing unveiling the new marketing and communication roadmap for the brand, said a 2010 consumer insight which

cited the bank’s old fashioned approach to service delivery, old buildings and failure to move with new trends has forced the bank to take aggressive steps in rebuilding a new image and more customer-centric service delivery.

According to Bright, “the bank is taking new steps to create new identity, new brand, remodeling, new signage and pylon prototype, which displays service offered. The bank’s blue colour which signifies trust will come on a white that shows the bank’s sincerity, cleanliness, honesty and trust. These will reflect on our branch buildings across the country.”

Also, the consultant said the new corporate identity would reflect on every business communication materials such as Business cards, letter-head,

envelopes, e-mail template and other internal and external communication materials of the bank.

“We are going to upgrade all other branches to a world class standard. We are presently working on 100 branches nationwide and hope to cover 400 branches in the next eighteen months. We will not put our signage on a building that is not befitting for our new look,” said Bright.

Concerning the bank’s staff and their relationship with customers, the bank consultant said currently, staffs of the bank’s whose branches have been remodeled with the new look are already changing their attitude and are now more customers – centric and more willing to attend to customer complaints as the bank has put in place a more effective feedback mechanism that would ensure prompt response.

Guinness Nigeria shareholders approvesN8.00 dividends, bonus

S

HAREHOLDERS of Guin ness Nigeria Plc have approved the companies’ dividend of N8 per share and a bonus of one ordinary share for every 33 ordinary shares.

Following fruitful deliberations on the matters on the agenda for the meeting, the shareholders also approved all the ordinary and special resolutions proposed at the meeting.

The Board used the opportunity to explain the reasons behind some of the resolutions proposed for approval.

The Chairman of the Company, Mr. Babatunde Savage informed the shareholders as follows, “In 2010 we announced an investment of N52 billion in Guinness Nigeria because we have a deep u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the potential of the market and are committed to seeing the continued success of Guinness Nigeria.

“I am happy to say that we are now half way through our project and we are already seeing the benefits with increased production capacity and optimised distribution infrastructure amongst others.”

Mansard Insurance grows GPI by 22% in third quarter

M

ANSARD Insurance Plc has posted Gross Premium Income, GPI, of N10.05 billion for the third quarter ended 2012.

According to unaudited third quarter financial results for the period ended September 30, 2012 the figure represents a 22 per cent increase from the September 2011 figure of N8.26 billion.

Net premium revenue stood at N3.55 billion from N2.92 billion of the preceding period to represent a 22 per cent growth as well while investment income & other operating income was N1.26 billion up 91 per cent from last September’s figure of N662 million.

Profit before tax was N1.37 billion from N811 million of the preceding period which is an increase of 68 per cent while profit after tax of N1.22 billion, an increase of 98 per cent against N619 million of the preceding period.

Commenting on the company’s performance, Chief Client Officer, Tosin Runsewe said that the result validates its leadership position within the industry and shows that it remain on track towards achieving strategic goal for the year.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER7, 2012—23

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya

DIARY Select ICT events z LTE North America 2012. Holds 14-15 November 2012 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Í

z Advancing Innovation & Profitability for a Digital Africa. Holds 14 15 November 2012 @ CTICC Cape Town, South Africa.

NCC MICROWAVE FORUM:

From left: Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu, former ATCON President; F. A Akiode, Corporate Palnning and Strategy, Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), and Chairman, Openmedia Communications and x-EVC of NCC, during the recent forum on Microwave Frequency, in Lagos.

Photo: Emeka Aginam.

z AfricaCom 2012.

Holds 14-15 Nov 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa. zOpportunities in the Evolving Cloud Dynamics. Holds 4-5 December 2012 @ Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE.

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Preview

New inventions shaping life and living

Headband reads your mind

Operators seek review of microwave frequency charges

BY EMEKA AGINAM

I N S I D E C M Y K

PHCN's cables of death: Calling URFU

B

Windows phone sales to rise fast, says Ballmer

discussed at the forum, participants also called for all inclusive industrywide frequency-use Committee and and carefully managed expansion of virtual private network operations in the country.

At the event that offered a unique opportunity for quality and inno-

,

The Muse brainwavereading headband, developed by InteraXon and currently seeking funding on IndieGoGo, the flexible headband is worn across the forehead and over the ears, connecting to other devices via Bluetooth. The embedded sensors detect the brain’s electrical activity and display the changes in real time, providing guidance to allow the wearer to fine-tune their stress management, fitness training and general brain health.

The developers hope the Muse will encourage people develop stronger mental practices by providing real-time feedback of those practices in action.

Y the time the just concluded Nige rian Communications Commission (NCC) consultative forum on Nigerian microwave frequency was drawing to a close recently in Lagos, telecoms operators, equipment vendors and stakeholders in the Nigerian market were worried saying that except increased co-location and review frequency price were given a priority attention, quality of service will remain at low ebb.

Apart from many topics including challenges and principles of microwave frequency management, issues, deployment, impediments, planning, trends, legal and regulatory fragment among others that were

vative exchange of ideas as well as solutions on the challenges of microwave frequency deployment, co-ordination and general management of this scarce resource, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Johnson Omobola who was represented by the former Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications

Reviewing of spectrum price was inevitable if Nigeria must join the rest of the world to reap the benefits of telecommunication

Commission, (NCC) Engr. Ernest Ndukwe told the gathering in his address that with emerging technologies, the Commission was inundated with several requests for microwave frequencies on a regular basis with divergent preposition on deployments.

G

iven the infrastruc tural challenges in the country, the Minister was apprehensive saying that when all methods of sharing and coordination were exhausted and the requests still keep coming for the same resource, what next?

In no distance future according to the Minister, the industry predicts the development and deployment of more multifunction, multi-stand-

FUT Minna wins 2012 ISPON Software cup

ard , smart, configurable and frequency-agile microwave systems on a chip.

“Advances in microwave power devices will also continue with the growing number of innovative energy efficient semi-conductors which are repacing older devices with evr-higher power levels and improved efficiency.

“All these researches developments are of particular interest to us especially with Nigeria's lack of a robust wire line infrastructure that may have addressed substantial portion of requests for microwave frequencies” she explained.

Review of frequency price: While the operators cry on high cost of procur-

Continues on page 26

18 educators from Africa, Middle East for Microsoft partner in learning

24—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER 7, 2012

T

PHCN's cables of death: Calling URFU

I

T was evening, about a few minutes to eight o’clock last Friday. In the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos, towards Ikotun roundabout, traffic had slowed to a standstill, as is usual in that very busy suburb of Lagos. I was in transit, on my way to Igando, another busy suburb further ahead of Ikotun. It was from the Bolorunpelu area of Egbe that traffic had grounded to a halt.

Looking out the vehicle’s window, I saw that I was right by the Synagogue Church of All Nations, which is also domiciled in this area.

While waiting for the traffic to resume crawling, suddenly there were blinding flashes of lighteningwhite light, accompanied by cracking sounds.

Craning my neck out the vehicle’s window, I saw that cables t h a t streamed overhead from a nearby power transformer were glowing red, emitting white, lightening flashes. To make matters worse, it was happening at a bus stop. This occurrence, as familiar with it as we are in this part of the world, sent scores of people waiting at the bus stop scampering for safety.

At the end of the fireworks show, the red glow from the overheated power cables faded away, and in its wake, left a dangling power cable which had ben severed from its connection during the fireworks display. Inevitably, the area hitherto lit up with public power, was thrown into darkness instantly. That again, we are used to. Happily, apart from the power outage, nobody was injured, as much as I could ascertain from that brief incident.

What we do not want to get used to is the occurrence of people getting electrocuted after fireworks from overhead power cables. I recall a similar incident at Cele Bus Stop on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway several years ago. It was morning. On the other side of

the road, in the Oshodi direction, a cobbler had a makeshift stand under one of the high-tension towers whose cables crisscrossed the Cele Bus Stop area. Suddenly, there was a spark on the tower under which the cobbler sat, waiting for customers. At the end of the spark, the cable, which had been severed during the spark, dropped on the cobbler, and in an instant, the fellow, a light skinned person, blackened immediately, and was rendered lifeless. I stood there, rooted to the spot, for several minutes, and later made my way to my workplace. The following day, I observed on getting to Cele Bus Stop that another trader had taken the place of the cobbler that died. Even now, more people are there, perhaps oblivious of the risk.

In many of our residential areas, especially in the suburbs, PHCN’s cables, many of them live, dangle from the electric poles, and people, to warn others of the danger, use damaged furniture or discarded tyres to warn people, while it takes forever for PHCN workmen to come and fix the damned things.

I therefore call on the Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit, URFU to include the power companies among those whose installations it must regulate. There is much carelessness in the handling of electric power installations in this country, such that it is commonplace to see units of a transformer glowing red hot as you walked or drove past, and at the same time, beside such a lethal installation, see traders comfortably selling their wares, with their children playing around, completely impervious to the danger next to them.

Other countries, especially those that have uninterrupted power supply do not fly cables overhead carelessly the way we do, or leave transformers and feeder pillars exposed as we have them. Let there be action to show that we are in the 21st century.

Even countries that have uninterrupted power supply do not fly cables overhead carelessly the way we do

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EL AVIV (Reuters) Microsoft expects its newly launched Windows Phone to become a strong challenger in the smartphone market, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Monday.

Google's Android and Apple's iPhone devices dominate the smartphone market. However, Microsoft unveiled its Windows 8 products 10 days ago and Ballmer said that expects sales of Windows Phone to grow fast.

"With the work we have done with Nokia, HTC, Samsung and others ... there is now an opportunity to create really a strong third participant in the smartphone market," he said in Tel Aviv at Microsoft's first Windows 8 launch outside the United States.

"We are still relatively small ... I expect the volumes on Windows Phone to really ramp quickly."

Finnish phone maker Nokia last week launched its Windows 8-based Lumia smartphones, on which the company's recovery hopes rest. Nokia, once the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturer, last month reported an underlying loss for a third straight quarter.

Shipments of Androidbased smartphones made

by Samsung, HTC and other vendors nearly doubled in the third quarter, reaching 136 million units, according to industry research company IDC. The strong sales boosted Android's share of the worldwide smart-

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HE Centre for Infra structure, Policy, Regulation and Advancement (CIPRA) at Lagos Business School, and the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), today in Lagos signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between CIPRA and ICRC. Under the term of this MOU, both parties will collaborate to conduct research and develop case studies, reports, policy research papers and other instructional materials covering various areas of Private Public Partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure in Nigeria.

The MOU signing ceremony had in attendance the Dean of Lagos Business School, Dr Enase Okonedo, the DG of ICRC Engr. Mansur Ahmed, the Director of CIPRA, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, Mr Chiedu Ndubuisi of ICRC and the CIPRA Research Fellow Dr Bongo Adi, and witnessed by representative from the two organisations.

In his remarks at the signing ceremony, Dr Ndukwe declared that “The MOU we have signed today represents an important milestone

Microsoft Corporate Vice President Joe Belfiore (left); Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and actress Jessica Alba during the launch of Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco, California, October 29, 2012. Photo:REUTERS.

Windows phone sales to rise fast, says Ballmer phone market to 75 percent, from 57.5 percent in the same period last year.

Apple's share of the market rose to 14.9 percent during the third quarter, from 13.8 percent a year earlier. Apple's iPhone uses the company's own iOS mobile software.

Ballmer said that there will be more marketing

and advertising around Windows 8, its Surface tablet and Windows Phone than for any previous Microsoft products.

He also reiterated that Microsoft sold more than four million upgrades of Windows 8 in the first weekend after its launch.

"The initial reaction to these products has been

really really phenomenal ... And if you look at how people will get Windows 8, the truth of the matter is more people over time will get Windows 8 by buying a new computer than by upgrading old computers," Ballmer said, noting that 400 million personal computers are sold globally each year.

CIPRA of LBS signs MoU with ICRC

MoU: From left: CIPRA Director, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, Dr. Enase Okonedo of LBS, and Engr. Mansur Ahmed, D-G of ICRC at the signing. for both ICRC and CIPRA and will advance the development of requisite skills and capacity for Public Private Partnership undertakings in Nigeria”. He further observed that “Grossly underdeveloped public infrastructure has been identified as one of the biggest constraints to rapid economic transformation in Nigeria and indeed in most other countries in Africa. Well structured Public Private Partnerships will attract the needed investment for faster infrastructure de-

ployment” Engr Ahmed, the DG of ICRC, said “this partnership with LBS’ CIPRA will give ICRC the needed institutional and intellectual foundation for actualizing the Commission’s mandate. It is one initiative that will contribute in no small measure to the knowledge base required for a sound PPP regime in Nigeria.” He pledged ICRC’s support and willingness to collaborate with LBS to pursue the goals of the MOU. Dr Enase Okonedo, the dean of the school re-

marked that the MOU with ICRC would go down the history of LBS as the first MOU between the school and a public sector institution and is optimistic that the partnership would yield good dividends in terms of improved know-how and optimal policy framework for infrastructure delivery in the country.

The MOU, valid for two years initially, is expected to help achieve a more efficient and effective regulatory environment built on transparency, accountability and trust.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER 7, 2012 — 25

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Airtel offers four new products on single price platform

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

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IRTEL Nigeria has unveiled a set of data-rich voice packages designed to provide distinctive telecoms solutions for the youth, High Network Individuals and the mass market segment.

This is in fulfillment of its “Padi Na Good Thing O” friendship campaign launched few weeks ago, the company promised that it would ride on the principle of the campaign to provide its customers across every segment irrespective of class or status, with impactful value prepositions that would serve as an enabler to achieving success.

The Club 10 Padis is for the youth, Smartbytes for Black Berry users and Smart phone users, 2 Good Classic is for High Network Individuals customers while the Big Family Plus is for the mass market.

Club 10 padis is designed for the youth and the young at heart to connect with friends at 7.5k/ sec with 90MB of free data and facebook browsing every month and also an access to Airtel Groupie for one month within the club base.

Airtel Smartbytes for Black Berry users and Smart phone users to connect with friends family and associates at the rate of 18k/sec across

network in Nigeria upon purchase of data of 200mb or more and will enjoy international call rate of 20k/sec on subscription to Black Berry or Smart phone data plan.

The 2 Good Classic is designed for High Network Individuals (HNIs) customers and high caller at a call rate of 18k/ sec to all network in Nigeria, and International call rate of N20k/sec with N5 daily access.

The Big Family Plus is designed for the mass market and it offers a flat rate of N18k/sec for on-

net and 30k/sec for offnet and much more.

Mr Deepak Srivastava, the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Airtel Nigeria at the unveiling of the products in Ikeja last week said that the company carefully designed these products to suit everyone of its customers across all market segment.

The Chief Operating Officer said, “is built on the value that as a network of friends, consumers need quality products with simple and honest price variants across the country that offers them

the flexibility to choose their tariff options as detected by their lifestyles as well as financial power” “Our Padi Na Good Thing thematic campaign was shaped by this belief because friendship as we all know, is an enabler to success; hence we painstakingly designed these products to enhance our customers’ ability to bond and have fun, have amazing internet experience and expand business opportunities without necessary burning holes in their pockets, as they collectively thrive to achieve their life dreams”

HE National Infor mation Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has announced that all is now set for eNigeria Conference 2012.

The IT summit, expected to host global leaders and showcase business and knowledge innovators and investors across the continent, will hold in Abuja from Tuesday November 20 Thursday November 22.

Expected at the event is Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former World Bank Vice President for Africa and other Nigerian leaders. The annual IT summit is convened with the chief aim of promoting local content in the country’s burgeoning IT industry, according to NITDA. Director General of NITDA, Professor Cleopas Angaye said the event is designed to address key issues in relation to developing Nigeria’s IT capabilities to match the demands of the digital age.

Angaye added that “if Nigeria must play actively in the digital age attention must shift from consumerism to active production of IT products and services, hence the theme of this year’s e-Nigeria conference “Local

Content in IT Development in Nigeria” Further, the conference will feature top speakers drawn from the IT industry and the business world to address grey areas in developing a vibrant Nigerian IT sector. Key among issues to be discussed include Framework for developing human capital and infrastructure for local content, innovations and technology acquisition in local content development, Value addition and wealth creation through IT and marketing “made in Nigeria” IT products and services.

According to Angaye the 2012 edition is targeted at developing strategies towards enhancing local content in IT development in Nigeria. Specifically it will address the challenges facing the locally made IT products and services with a view to making them globally competitive and efficient.

One of the major features at e-Nigeria 2012 is the provision of innovation booth for young Nigeria IT entrepreneurs to exhibit their innovations for free.

E-Nigeria conference is organized by the NITDA, an agency of the Ministry of Communications Technology.

FG trains legal officers on forensic evidence PRIZE PRESENTATION: From left: Retail Marketing Manager, Mr. Olajide Adeyemi; winner of an all expense paid trip to Dubai, Miss Obielusi Lilian; Assistant Director/Co-ordinator, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lagos Zonal Office, Mr. Obi Iregbu and Marketing Manager, Nokia West Africa, Mr. Kesiena Ogbemi, at the final prize presentation in the Nokia 30 Amazing Days Promo, in Lagos.

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ED up with ineffec tive law enforcement, thousands of Bulgarians have flocked to a Facebook page showcasing images of police breaking rules or failing to do their duty. The "Photograph a Policeman" group includes pictures of badly parked patrol cars, including one in a disabled spot and another on a pedestrian crossing, and a police motorcyclist pulling a "wheelie" - on the wrong side of the road.

In another image, a uniformed policeman holds an open bottle of beer while sitting at the wheel of a patrol car. It highlights frustration among many Bulgarians with a justice system that is subject to special monitoring by the European Union and a country where corruption and organized crime remain major problems five

NITDA announces e-Nigeria 2012

Bulgarians use Facebook to expose slipshod Police years after joining the bloc.

Created only this week, the group already has nearly 6,500 followers, including several well-known local politicians, journalists and businessmen. It started after Boyan Maximov, from the Black Sea city of Varna, took a picture of three policemen apparently asleep in a patrol car and posted it on social networks.

Police then questioned Maximov, who complained of harassment and fines for petty offences like taking the rubbish out without an ID card, which under Bulgarian law must be carried in public at all times.

Last week police spokeswoman Kalinka Pencheva called Maximov "a red neck idiot, who has nothing to do and is bored" on local channel bTV. Pencheva

has since been sacked but the Facebook page and the number of pictures - continues to grow. The interior ministry said it was aware of the page and most of the pictures were old.

"The Interior Ministry's inspectorate obtained information about the creation of this group and is checking the photos and the comments that have been published," a spokeswoman said.

BY EMEKA AGINAM

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HE Federal Ministry of Justice in partnership with First Digital & Techno-Law Forensics Co. Ltd., has trained legal officers in order to strengthen their capacity in the area of forensic evidence examination and presentation.

The training was also geared towards helping legal officers to have a good understanding of the nature and scope of digital and cybercrime.

The four-day forensic evidence boot camp for legal officers of the ministry held at the Public Service Institute, Abuja, recently.

The Deputy Director of training at the ministry, Alhaja Ramatu Sabo Ahmed had in an opening address stated that the objective of the training was to provide the participants with useful and modern techniques on cyber warfare and security, which included the prevention and detection of cyber/information security threats and professional handling of Forensic Evidence.

He further stated that the workshop was designed to help in the

knowledge of skills required to enable lawyers assist tribunals.

According to him, “the coming into being of the new Evidence Act makes it very necessary to prepare you adequately in digital and computer forensics because a large percentage of all criminal cases today have one form of digital evidence or another.”

He implored participants to therefore take full advantage of the workshop and participate effectively so that at the end of the workshop the ministry would have lawyers who are better informed in the prevention and detection of digital and computer crime and who will support law enforcement agencies and the judiciary by skillful handling of digital evidence.

In his remarks, Dr. Peter Olu Olayiwola, the workshop director and president, Computer Forensics Institute, Nigeria (CFIN) said that his organization has concluded arrangements with First Digital & Techno-Law Forensics Co. Ltd. to offer a special scholarship for the training and certification of 1,000 new forensics examiners for Nigeria.

26 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER, 7, 2012

Operators seek review of microwave frequency charges Continues from Page 23 ing frequencies at N18,000 per link, Nduwke in his remarks told operators to make a formal request to the regulatory authority as in review of frequency price based best international practice.

“There is no point agitating from time to time without formal request.

The operators should

come together, put up a formal request to the Commission for a review of frequency price to address the current challenges. That is the next way to go about. NCC is a listening Commission” Ndukwe, who is the Chief executive Officer of Open Media told the gathering.

Supporting Ndukwe's call for official proposal

for frequency review, the Manager, Transmission Planning, (Microwave) Olatoyo Olalere in his pepper titled, Microwave Frequency Infrastructure Sharing: Etisalat perspective proposed possibility of of reduction in the microwave spectrum charges using a new pricing formula.

According to him, the current price per link of

N18,000 should be reduced to N10,000 for the purpose of economy of scale by operators.

MVNO as option: He added that if NCC fees, levies were reduced, different business models could be introduced to encourage Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) in Nigeria where MVNO operators will lease capacity from mobile net-

BY BILL MEGALOS

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he way that my pre vious project had fallen apart did not leave a very good taste in my mouth, but I was very open to seeing the good side of Nigeria and this trip showed me 95% positive trends and I am very happy that it came about.

It wasn’t until the week before the conference when I received the schedule that I saw how wide-ranging the topics covered would be. The schedule impressed me and I was looking forward to meeting the other participants, but without a doubt, the most intriguing part of the conference was the competition among Nigerian Tertiary Institution (University and Polytechnics)students for

ISPON Tinapa project: A window to the world available at the confer-

,

HEN I was invit ed to speak at the 2012 ISPON National Software Conference and Competition at Tinapa, Cross River State, I was immediately interested in attending. A few years back I had spent a considerable amount of time and energy preparing for a trip that was designed to lay the foundations for a formal film school in Lagos. Sadly this ambitious plan fell through and I have been trying to visit Nigeria ever since. Based on emails with Chris Uwaje, President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), I quickly learned that the ICT industry in Nigeria was every bit as energized as Nollywood.

I saw this invitation as a great opportunity to get a measure of Nigeria and its people 2012.

I would be less than truthful to say that I had no trepidation about making this trip. I, like nearly every foreigner who has not visited Nigeria, had heard many negative things about the country.

My multiple trips to East Africa had taught me to wait to see for myself, but personal friends had themselves had bad experiences in country.

Based on the thoroughly inadequate bandwidth available at the conference center and hotel, I can’t imagine the intriguing schemes proposed happening any time soon

best Software Developers and the fact that half or more of the attendees would be students. Indeed, this proved to be the most exciting aspect of the convention. The students were very engaged and excited to get into conversations. My presentation on interactive games for social change was well received and many students came up to me afterward to discuss their projects. Outside of individual conversations, I had a meeting with 15 students that went into more detail about my presentation than I was able to cover in the time allotted.

I found these students to all be sharp, well informed and hungry for guidance and new ideas and leads that could advance them in their fields. It became clear to me that these young people were not just very smart individuals, but that they were like boats lifted by a rising tide created by a government and university system dedicated to bringing about a vibrant ICT industry in Nigeria, an industry that would be the leader in Africa. The

awards ceremony on Tuesday afternoon was especially moving to me. After being impressed by demonstrations of the top student-created software, to see the pride in the students being called up as winners and to hear the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Senator Liyel Imoke deliver an inspiring speech, I felt very proud and honoured to be able to be a part of what seems to be a new dawn in Nigeria.

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ot every aspect of the ISPON conference was as encouraging as the time I spent with the students. The themeof the conference was “THE CLOUD AND THE FUTURE OF SOFTWARE NIGERIA” it took most of the conference to reconcile my idea of the cloud with what is feasible and likely to happen soon in Nigeria. Although there were strong and optimistic proponents of the cloud giving presentations, there were also a significant number of participants making strong cases for caution. Certainly, based on the thoroughly inadequate bandwidth

ence centre and hotel, I can’t imagine the intriguing schemes proposed happening any time soon.

I understand that there is a tremendous amount of fibre capacity already in Nigeria, but it is waiting for the most difficult and expensive “last mile” to get into people’s hands.

I can’t urge strongly enough that all parties, private and public, put on full speed to get this capacity into the hands that need it.

I

left Tinapa with more hope for the future than with satisfaction with the present. To a person, every participant in the conference was serious, well-informed and committed to creating a better Nigeria. The attendance and participation by His Excellency Governor Liyel Imoke (MON)and Mrs. Omobola Johnson, the Honorable Minister of Communication Technology and other ICT leaders like Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Prof.

Cleopas Angaye (DG NITDA) and Mrs. Funke Opeke (CEO of Main One Cable Company), shows support on the part of the government. The projected creation of a Knowledge City in the Tinapa facility is very encouraging. I look forward to seeing Nigeria take full advantage of its digital resources and lead the way to a better future for all her citizens in particular and Africa in general. zBill Megalos, a Professor of Film Technology at the University of Southern California, wrote from Venice, CA, USA.

work, charge their consumers to use the services they provide and pay the operator to use their network and then keep the difference.

He was optimistic that NCC can even realize money money by the taxes to be received from MVNO operators, adding that this will present a win win scenario for the NCC, the mobile operators and the subscribers.

Proposal to NCC

Allocation of 56MHz channels for frequencies which enable higher throughput per transmission system, allocating upper 6 frequencies to mobile operators, allocation of 28MHz channels for 15GHz and 14GHz FOR 23ghz frequencies, among operators by NCC, policies to encourage Mobile Virtual Network Operators MVNO by NCC, according to Olalere were among the proposals by Etisalat on microwave frequencies sharing.

Challenges in frequencies sharing

Although both operators and vendors at the forum believed that sharing of infrastructure will reduce cost, but Olalere said that lack of existing nationwide fibre optics

by NITEL or a national carrier which has increased the use of microwave radios had made sharing of microwave spectrum difficult.

According to him, insufficient frequency spectrum available for the large number of operators existing and still existing, lack of information and access to frequency spectrum allocated to operators by the NCC, that is to say, what frequency band , channels, were allocated to which operator and the geographical regions they were permitted to use them were part of the major challenges that need to be addressed in frequency sharing in the Nigerian environment.

Sharing the view of Olalere, the Senior Solution Manager, IP and Broadband at Ericson, Madnet Akeen noted that unless appropriate tools as a solution to Microwave Radio was applied, much may not be achieved in deploying microwave frequencies.

For Akeen, the regulatory authority must also address the issue of setting of definite timeline for resolving interference issues.

She said that active infrastructure sharing, limited to antena, feeder cable, radio access and transmission systems

should permuted by the regulatory agency as a way forward.

In the opinion of Pradhlad Singh of Huawei Technologies while dwelling on overcoming the challenges of microwave radio deployment, the regulatory agency must force operators upgrade to more efficient equipment in order to save spectrum and minimize interference.

According to him, more spectrum should be opened to operators to support the capacity of operations, adding that reviewing of spectrum price was inevitable if Nigeria must join the rest of the world to reap the benefits of telecommunication.

Guiding regulations

Speaking on th guiding legislation on frequency allocation and management, the Head, Spectrum Administration, NCC, Engr. Austine Nwauluna assured that the the Commission was guided by the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act. Pursuant to sections 123 (2) and 33(3), he said that the Commission at different times has applied various licensing mechanisms including first come first served, auction, beauty contest / comparative, administrative / fixed price, among others.

Administrative spectrum allocations

In further clarifying issues in spectrum, he informed that there were more allocations awarded administratively (without an auction process) than those awarded by way of auctions.

The objectives of the frequency management policy, according to him, was to control and encourage the use of spectrum, an instrument for developing telecommunications, to promote competition in the assignment of frequency in order to ensure innovative and efficient use of the radio spectrum and to achieve optimum pricing of spectrum in order to discourage wastage of the scarce resources.

Similarly, former Executive Commissioner of NCC, S.A Bello while fielding questions from news men on frequency allocation guidelines explained that forces of demand supply were the main determinate o frequency auction.

According to him, some frequencies allocated were done without auction process include, adding that NCC has been transparent in the frequency processes.

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28— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Champions League Special EFE AMBROSE: Messi will not celebrate at Celtic S

uper Eagles and Celtic of Scotland defender, Efe Ambrose has vowed to do everything to stop Lionel Messi from scoring Parkhead, and give honour to his new born son when Barcelona come visiting.

Efe, no stranger to Messi was a stumbling block to the Argentine phenomenon when the Barca entertained Celtic at the Nou Camp a forth night ago, however a late minute goal denied Celtic from sharing the points with the former European champions.

Messi plans to scored and dedicate the goal to his first son who was delivered last Friday in Barcelona by his girlfriend Antonella Rocuzzo.

“First of all I will tell Messi congratulations. It’s a great thing to become a father but I believe we are going to ruin his party in Glasgow.

“Yes, Barcelona’s tradition is to keep possession of the ball no matter where they are playing.

“But the most important thing is we know how they play.

We did well against them in Spain, and we will make them fight for their possession. That’s where our strengths lie and we will give everything we have to ensure we don’t lose and we get at least a point.”

However, winger Pedro said Celtic will be no match for Barcelona. And the 25-year-old has revealed that no matter who finds the net they will dedicate the goal to their team talisman’s new-born son.

A confident Pedro said: “Messi is really happy about the birth of Thiago and we are all happy for him too.

“That’s why we want to dedicate our victory – and any goals we score in Glasgow – to his baby boy.”

Shakhtar out to shatter dreams at the ‘Bridge’ C

Fixtures 20: 45 20: 45 20: 45 20: 45 20:45 20 : 45 20 : 45 20 :45

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-Bayern Munich v Lille -Benfica v Spartak Moscow -Braga v Man Utd -Cluj-Napoca v Galatasaray -Celtic v Barcelona -Chelsea v Shakhtar -Juventus v FC Nordsjaelland -Valencia v BATE Borisov

helsea are in a sink or swim situation as they face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League today knowing defeat could send their season cartwheeling towards catastrophe.

The Blues had been cruising prior to the 2-1 loss at Shakhtar in their previous outing in Group E two weeks ago, but they have now won just one of their last four games in all competitions.

Another loss, and Roberto Di Matteo’s side will find themselves confronted by the very real prospect of becoming the first defending champions to fall in the Champions League group phase.

Having lost 3-2 at Manchester United in the match that sparked the Mark Clattenburg allegations,

Chelsea relinquished top spot in the Premier League last Saturday after conceding an 88th-minute equaliser in a 11 draw at Swansea City.

Di Matteo said his players had felt “tired” after the thrilling 5-4 defeat of United in the League Cup last week, but he knows that they cannot afford to produce another lethargic showing on Wednesday.

With Juventus expected to take three points at home to Nordsjaelland in the other group encounter, Chelsea must prevail against Shakhtar if they are to avoid getting cut adrift.

“It’s like a final for us if we want to finish first in our group,” said Spanish midfielder Juan Mata on his official blog.

“Besides, in Ukraine,

Shakhtar proved to be a top team who are able to beat anyone.

“Even so, we always have a great support at the Bridge and I’m confident that we will get a victory to face the last two games in a good position.”

Chelsea hope Mata will be able to play on Wednesday after sitting out the draw at Swansea with a hamstring injury.

John Terry is expected to return to the starting line-up, however, having now completed his four-match domestic ban for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand, and Di Matteo admits that he has been missed.

“He’s still a fantastic defender and he’s very influential when he plays, and he’s used to those kinds of games as well, big pressure game and big European nights,” said the Chelsea coach. “Certainly, he marks his influence on the pitch and on the opposition.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012 — 29

Emenike sits out Spartak attack on Benfica

Di Matteo predicts bright future for Moses

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OBERTO Di Matteo says Victor Moses is a great prospect for Chelsea, but is far from being the finished article.

Moses, who scored Blues goal in their 1-1 draw with Swansea last Saturday, is in the frame for a starting place against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday – due a Juan Mata’s hamstring injury.

Di Matteo said of Moses: “He played midweek and was terrific. He got another start (at Swansea) – he’s still a very young player, but he’s coming along very nicely.

“He’s got tricks, he’s very good in one-v-ones, he’s got pace, he’s got timing as well, and he’s becoming more aware of where to find the paces and where to go.

“So over time I think he’ll be a big, big asset for us.”

But despite Moses’ ability, Chelsea looked understrength at The Liberty Stadium – and many will be hoping Mata can return for the game against the present leaders of Chelsea’s Champions League group.

Asked if the Spaniard will return for Wednesday’s match, Di Matteo said simply: “I really hope so.”

Chelsea host women champions league final

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partak Moscow will be without leading strikers Emmanuel Emenike and Welliton for Wednesday’s Champions League Group G match at Benfica, the Russian club said on Tuesday.

Emenike, the club’s top scorer this season, aggravated a back injury in Saturday ’s league game in Samara.

The Nigerian, who scored both of Spartak goals in last month’s 3-2 defeat by Celtic, also missed the team’s 2-1 win over Benfica two weeks ago with the same problem.

Brazilian Welliton, who topped the Russian scoring charts in 2009 and 2010, is sidelined with an unspecified problem, a Spartak spokesman said.

The Muscovites already have several key players out with injury in addition to Emenike and Welliton, including first and second-choice goalkeepers Andriy Dykan and Sergei Pesyakov.

helsea FC’s Stamford Bridge will be the host venue for the UEFA Women’s Champions League final on Thursday 23 May 2013.

It means the biggest event in European women’s club football returns to London for the second time in three years after Fulham FC’s Craven Cottage hosted the 2011 showpiece.

The final of the women’s competition will be held two days prior to the men’s UEFA Champions League final, which takes place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 25 May. UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said: “The UEFA Women’s Champions League final showcases the best women’s club football in Europe and Stamford Bridge, home of the men’s 2012 UEFA Champions League winners, is the ideal venue to host this prestigious event. football having lost all UEFA is pleased to be three of their games, bringing the UEFA Women’s including a 1-0 home Champions League final back defeat to Bayern. to London for what will be He said: “Lille have a another successful event.” good team, but things are not going well for them this year.

“This happens in football. I hope for their sake that they don’t start a good run against us.” ristia no Rona ldo admi ts he is grow ing tired of Bayern are currently comparisons with Lionel Messi and believes the race third in the group on for the Balon d’Or is wide open. goal difference as the The Primera Division pair, whose feats for Real Madr id German side, BATE and Barcelona continue to wow the football world, are widel y and Valencia have all considered to be in a head-to-head battle for the prestigious won two games and lost award. one each.

Both are on a 23-man shortlist compiled by FIFA’s footba ll Dante hopes his side committee and experts from France Football magazine. can add another three When asked who he expected to win the award, Ronal do points to their tally to played down the supposed rivalry with Messi and sugge sted put them on their way there were plenty of potential recipients. to qualification for the “(The rivalry) is a question of the media,” he told Franc e next round of the Football. competition.

“We constantly face it to sell more papers and impro ve He added: “We need television audiences. to win on Wednesday to “The truth is I’m a little tired of it. It’s a little heavy but I’m qualify for the knockused to it. I don’t like out stages. to comp are myse lf “Lille played very well with others. against us and a lot of “Mes si and I are the times the match was different, that’s for square. The game sure. could have ended in “I respect him a lot. their favour.

“Mes si can win “But, fortunately for (the Balon d’Or) but us, we were able to so can Xavi or counter their attacks Inies ta. And we without letting them cannot forget (Didier) score. The next match is Drog ba or Falca o. also difficult. Hopefully They can also receive we’ll win this time too.” the trophy.”

Messi comparisons tire Ronaldo C

Dante wishes Lille bad luck in Munich B

ayern Munich defender Dante is hoping that Lille continue their bad luck in the Champions League when the two sides square up today.

The Brazilian centre-back

will line-up against his former club, where he spent two years from 2004, during the Group F clash at the Allianz-Arena.

Lille are on the brink of elimination from European

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30—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

From left: Mrs. Ola Deinde, Lions Club of Lagos, Miss Saratu Kitchener, Founder, Saratu Kitchener Foundation and Pastor Ben Akabueze, Lagos State Commissioner for Budget & Economic PlanGovernor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (left) during the deworming of babies ning at the commissioning of a playground donated by Saratu Kitchener under six months old, at the SPC flood displaced persons' camp in Asaba yesterday. Foundation to the Lagos State Motherless Babies Home, Lekki Phase Photo: Henry Unini.

1 in Lagos.

From left: Mrs. Adebola Afun, Perm Sec, Ministry of Environment, From left: Pastor Harry David, Mr. Ayo Olusanwo, Principal Partner, Ayo Olusanwo Mrs. Rhoda Ayinde, representing First Lady of Lagos State, and Dr and Associates; Mrs Martha Okhifo, CEO, Delta Kitchen; Mr Jide Ologun, Chairman, Taofik Folami, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Environment, at the Environmental Sanitation Advocacy Campaign for the in- Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Lagos Chapter and Mr Marc Anyanwu, CEO, Public Relations Impacts Ltd at the commissioning of Delta Kitchen in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi formal sector in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

Bamidele.

Mr. Yomi Awobokun, CEO, Oando Marketing Plc (left); Senator Magnus Abe, ( middle) and others during a Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Down- From left: Olori Iyabode Akinruntan, Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Obateru stream), Finance and Appropriation facility tour of the Oando Marketing Termi- Akinruntan and Amapetu of Mahin, Ondo State, Oba Lawrence Omowole, at the third coronation anniversary of Oba Akinruntan in Ode-Ugbo, Ondo State. nal in Apapa, Lagos.

Mr Stawn Gary of Brightway, at China Pavillion, at the ongoing Lagos lnternational trade fair, TBS, Lagos. Photo: Shola oyelese.

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Primate of All Nigeria, Anglican Communion, His Grace, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh (2nd right); his wife, Mrs. Nkasiobi Okoh (right), Retired Bishop of Rochester and guest preacher, Rt. Rev. Nazir Ali and others during the Divine Commonwealth Conference in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012 — 31

Nigeria oil sector needs to remain competitive — NAPE

duction forecast for oil and gas shows a decline,

BY KUNLE KALEJAIYE

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N the face of new dis coveries of oil and gas in African countries and the increasing global exploration of shale gas threatening to be a game changer in the energy mix, the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, NAPE, has urged the federal government to make Nigeria’s oil sector to remain competitive and relevant.

NAPE President, Dr. Mayowa Afe, said this has

become imperative in the face of new discoveries being made in other African countries. “Nations endowed with hydrocarbon reserves will need to pursue a renewed thrust in exploration and in a global landscape where competition for capital and supply preference is getting tighter by the day.

“Therefore, an all-encompassing enabling environment will be required to stimulate renewed exploration activities in major hydrocarbon

heartlands and frontier basins,” he added.

NAPE also noted that in the face of rising global demand for energy, there is the need to find new hydrocarbon reserves, adding that forecast from various recognized organizations and institutions have indicated that global demand for energy will continue to rise well into the next decade and beyond.

In a statement made available to newsmen, NAPE said the global pro-

with the big fields depleting as we move into the next decade.

“There is therefore an ever increasing pressure in identifying new re-

serves, most of which will come from frontier exploration, unconventional hydrocarbons, tight gas and enhanced secondary amongst others.

Lagos to host Kuramo summit

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BY INNOCENT ANABA

agos State is to host the Kuramo Conference, designed to provide a space for private and public sector reflection on development challenges and opportunities globally - particularly in emerging economies and to galvanise collective response to them.

The conference, sched-

uled to hold November 9 and 10, 2012, at the Eko International Conference Centre, according to a statement by the organisers, will have as its theme: “The Global Common Wealth.”

The conference is a biennial International meeting of multi-disciplinary experts drawn from public and private sectors - law, business, finance, media and en-

tertainment, energy and the environment aimed at covering emerging issues tailored to address advocacy and policy required to shape global decision-making.

The Kuramo Conference 2012 will highlight some of what are considered to be topical global issues the role of the creative industries in supporting local economies among others.

32— Vanguard, Wednesday November 7, 2012

M-I-S-C-A-R-R-A-G-E O-F J-U-S-T-I-C-E

How police detained kids, mother theft by husband A

UGUST 7, 2012 will forever remain indelible in the minds of the family of Hyacinth Okwute of Asaba in Delta State. On that memorable day, a team of policemen from the Delta State Police Command stormed the residence of Okwute and arrested no fewer than eight persons including children, their mother and a pregnant woman over an alleged theft of the sum of N13. 8 million from the boot of a car that belongs to the State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Frank Omare.

Crime Alert was reliably told that Okwute, a domestic staff in the employment of the commissioner along with four of his colleagues, were accused of stealing the commissioner’s money and disappearing with their loot.

The President-General of the Environmental and Human Rights Justice Committee (EHRJC), Mr. Benjamin Iluobe, a Beninbased legal practitioner and counsel to the Okwute family who narrated how the incident happened said , “On the 8th day of August, 2012, the Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Environment, Delta State, Sammy Ayiwie, in company of four armed police officers, went to the house of one Hyacinth Okwute who is our client’s younger brother and who was working for the Commissioner for Environment, Delta State as a cook and arrested his under-aged children, wife and other members of the family. The children and other persons who were arrested by the police and detained before they were released and subsequently re-arrested on the alleged orders of the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba are;- Sophia Hyacinth Okwute, 7, Kelvin Hyacinth Okwute, 5, Dominion Hyacinth

Okwute, 2 and Nonso Hyacinth Okwute, 5.

Others include; Calista Cletus, 15, a cousin and Chinyere Hyacinth Okwute, his wife, Mrs Aladi Friday (wife of Hyacinth’s younger brother) and Mrs. Lilian John (wife of Hyacinth’s elder brother).

The suspects were alleged to have been arrested and detained by the Police in a questionable manner until Hyacinth Okwute, the alleged perpetrator of the crime was found. The abducted children were said to have kept in a room inside a house allegedly owned by the commissioner before they were released following media outcry on the way and manner they were arrested and incarcerated by the police.

Mr. Iluobe, in a petition to the Chairman, Police Service Commission and titled, “SERIES OF BAIT ARREST BY THE DELTA STATE POLICE COMMAND:- A CALL FOR INVESTIGATION AND IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE P O L I C E COMMISSIONER, DELTA STATE POLICE COMMAND”, said that his client informed him that the reason for their arrest was because Hyacinth Okwute allegedly stole the sum of N13.8million belonging to the Commissioner for Environment, Delta state.

Besides, Iruobe said he was told by his client that on the order of the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, Mrs. Chinyere Hyacinth, Mrs. Aladi Friday, Mrs. Lilian John and Miss Calister Hyacinth were detained at the police cell in Asaba till the 10th day of August, 2012 , while the under aged children, Miss Sophia Hyacinth, Master Kelvin Hyacinth, Master Nonso Nnachukwu Hyacinth and Master Dominion Hyacinth were taken to the house of the Commissioner for

Environment where they were allegedly maltreated and starved till the 14th day of August, 2012. He added that following media outcry on the arrest of the children and the women in lieu of Hyacinth Okwute, the Commissioner of Police and the Environment Commissioner later released them.

The Human Rights activist said that again, on the 29th of August, 2012, the Commissioner of Police, Delta state ordered a fresh arrest and detention of Mrs. Chinyere Hyacinth, Mrs. Aladi Friday and Mrs. Lilian John pending when Hyacinth Okwute would submit himself to the police. “Our client said since the said Hyacinth

,

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE, Benin

including documents and three of his photographs and threatened to declare him wanted for an offence he did not commit.”

In a 27-paragraph affidavit in support of the application by the applicants against the Delta State Commissioner of Environment, Delta State Police Commissioner and five others at an Asaba High Court, Mr. Cletus Okwute, younger brother to Hyacinth Okwute, said that the applicants were deceived by the Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Environment, one Sammy Ayiwie who came to inform them that the Commissioner wanted to see them and that there was a problem to be resolved. He deposed

For my children, the police did not tell us where they kept them all those days. At first, they claimed they were at the Ministry of Women Affairs. We went there, but we did not see them. We called them on phone, they said they were at the Welfare Office; we went there, again, we did not see them , but when the children appeared and were released to the family, they put the record straight by saying that they were kept in one of the rooms at the Commissioner’s quarters, Government House, Asaba with little or no care.

Okwute was alleged to have stolen the money, no member of his family has seen him to confirm the story. He said they are uncomfortable with the story and are confused as to what had happened to him or what the commissioner for Environment must have done with him. Our client further told us that on the 20 th day of September, 2012, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, sent police officers to his house at No. 31C, Ogbeagwezie Street, Asaba Delta State to arrest him as a bait to get his brother, Hyacinth Okwute. He said he was not at home at the time and that the police officers entered his room and removed valuables

,

that Ayiwie who is the third Respondent in the suit claimed that the children were also needed.

Wife of Hyacinth Okwute, Mrs. Chinyere Hyacinth while corroborating what was contained in the affidavit explained that they were taken to the Police Headquarters and from there, they took the children from them just as she added that while at the police detention for three days, they were not given food or even allowed to have their bath. “For my children, the police did not tell us where they kept them all those days. At first, they claimed they were at the Ministry of Women

•Callista Cletus (14) — a victim.

Affairs. We went there, but we did not see them. We called them on phone, they said they were at the Welfare Office; we went there, again, we did not see them , but when the children appeared and were released to the family, they put the record straight by saying that they were kept in one of the rooms at the Commissioner’s quarters, Government House, Asaba with little or no care.”

The applicants are seeking among other reliefs, an order of the court for the enforcement of their fundamental rights under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a declaration that the arrest, and subsequent detention of the 5th to the 8th applicants from the 8th day of August 2012 to the 14th day of August, 2012 in the premises/houses, offices and within the premises of the 1 st and 7 th Respondents by the 2nd and 3rd respondents, is a breach of their constitutional rights and that such detention and

•Okwute kids

Vanguard, Wednesday November 7, 2012 —33

E

over alleged

Pig meat tragedy: Another funeral guest dies BY CHINENYEH OZOR, Nsukka

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•Ánother victim, Chinonye (Inset) Ikechukwu Aduba CP Delta State arrest is unconstitutional, unlawful and therefore actionable.

The applicants want the court to declare that the arrest and the subsequent detention of the 1st to 4th applicants by the 2nd to 3rd respondents is a breach of their constitutional rights provisions and that such detention and arrest is unconstitutional, unlawful and therefore actionable. The applicants are asking for general, aggravated and exemplary damages for the sum of N2billion against the respondents jointly and severally as reparation for the unconstitutional and unlawful act.

Attempt made to reach the Commissioner for Environment, Frank Omare for his own side of the story failed as he would not pick several telephone calls put across to him. Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Charles Muoka could not be reached also.

However, , a police source in Asaba confirmed the story saying that the matter was being investigated.

HE number of people that died after eating pig meat at a funeral ceremony in EdeOballa community, Nsukka L.G.A of Enugu State recently has risen to seven.

The latest victim is a pregnant woman from Nze autonomous community in a neighbouring Udi LGA who came to honour the invitation from her friend.

She reportedly arrived the village a day earlier only for her to die after eating the pig meat in the next day.

Meanwhile, a team of medical experts from the Faculty of Veterinary •Mrs. Akweka — hosted the victims.

Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and World Health Organization (WHO) has begun full scale investigations into the alleged dead pig meat served at the funeral. The team reportedly visited the town, Elu-Onicha in Ama-Egbu village and took blood samples and faeces of the only surviving pig at the pen of the pig farmer who allegedly sold the dead pig to the funeral celebrant, a widow.

A team of medical experts probing into the source of the dead pig meat that allegedly killed the guests had reportedly visited the town. The experts took blood sample and faeces of the only surviving pig at the pen UNN VET doctors taking blood samples from a pig in Mr. Eze’s farm. of the pig farmer who allegedly sold the dead Uchechukwu who also of her late husband. The pig to the funeral was hosting the funeral embattled widow whose celebrant, a widow. One of the victims of the dead pig meat admitted at Good shepherd hospital, the special anti-robbery Nsukka is in critical squad in Ikeja, Lagos State. condition while others BY ONOZURE DANIA According to the prosecuthat ate the dead pig meat tor, “Amugo, a self -emA 45-YEAR-OLD man, ployed man had signed an were defecating and vomiting blood when they David Amugo, has been undertaken and promised were brought to the arraigned before an lkeja to produce the said defenhospital. A hospital Magistrate Court for failing dant before the court anysource said only one of the to produce a defendant, time his presence was victims who was brought one David Nwabuko. needed. Amugo, who relate at the hospital died. Amugo, who was a surety sides around Ijegun area of Mrs. Caroline Akweka to Nwabuko, is standing who hosted the trial on on-count charge of Lagos failed to produce the controversial funeral in failing to produce the de- said defendant which led to his arraignment. He memory of her late fendant. breached the agreement husband told Crime Alert The police prosecutor, that was reached between that she bought the dead Inspector Benson Emuerhi, pig at the cost of N13,000 told the court that Amugo the two parties,” Emuerhi the and shared it with another had taken the bail of Nwa- said.However, widow, Mrs. Asogwa buko on August 8, 2012, at defendant pleaded not guilty to the one- count

son, Emeka is now helping the police in her stead said none of her children including herself had any problem after taking the dead pig meat served at the funeral.

Meanwhile, the seller of the dead pig, Mr. Ifeanyi Eze is also helping the police in their investigations. His elder brother, Ephraim told Crime Alert that the dead pig had developed rashes and was treated by a female health worker with multivitamin drugs before its death, noting that he ate the dead pig meat with his other siblings and nothing happened to them. He explained that the female health worker did not instruct his brother Ifeanyi to bury the pig if it dies.

Reacting to the controversial dead pig meat, Ede-Oballa Community traditional Prime Minister, Engr.

Chris Asogwa condemned the actions of the pig farmer for selling the dead pig to the funeral celebrant and commended the University of Nigeria Veterinary medical team for stepping up a full scale investigation into the source of the dead pig meat that led to the death of people after a funeral ceremony.

Dr. J. A Nwanta, leader of the medical team told Crime Alert that Dr. Uchendu Goodhead catalyzed the Veterinary faculty action, explaining that the investigation was part of their services to the host community of the university.

Surety arraigned in court for failure to produce defendant charge levelled against

him.

The counsel to the defendant, Sola kadiri, however, told the court that the where about of the defendant was not known, when Magistrate E.O. Ogunkanmi asked him.

The prosecutor also alleged that the defendant whom the surety took on bail was involved in a case of conspiracy and stealing.

The offence, he said, contravened section 132 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

34 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

MIDWEEK SERMON

with SAM EYOBOKA sameyoboka@yahoo.com

Okposo, Ayefele, Ekiye for Oritsejafor's triple jubilee

ASOHON joins war against child trafficking

By SAM EYOBOKA ETERMINED to assist the NAPTIP to rid the nation of child traffickers and the unholy activities of quack maternity homes who masquarade themselves as orphanages, an association to streamline the activities and operations of orphanages has been inaugarated.

Known as the Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria, ASOHON, the non-governmental organisation is born out of

D

the passion, zeal and commitment of founders and executives of registered Orphanages and Homes to raise the standard of care and protect-ion of all vulnerable children in Nigeria.

It has as its president, the founder of the Little Saints Orphanages, Rev. (Mrs.) Dele George who had piloted the affairs of the first private orphanage to be registered by the Lagos State in Lagos since 1994.

Speaking in an interview, Mrs. George said it was disheartening to hear

and read about act-ivities of certain women who have turned an otherwise God-given vision to champion the course of the less-privileged in our society especially abandoned/abused and orphaned children to a business venture.

According to her, ASOHON is made up of men and women of integrity who are opposed to child trafficking, child abuse, child labour and fake orphanages.

The homes/orphanages of this association are visible and on ground

*Some members of ASOHON after a meeting in Lagos actually rehabilitating and reforming abused, abandoned, orphaned, mentally challenged, physically challenged children and sufferers of terminal diseases.

She maintained that its objectives include: the

How I survived 42 bullets----Idem Bishop Joe Idem is the General Overseer of United Christian Bible Church, Ojo in Lagos. In this interview with ETOP EKANEM, during his 27th wedding anniversary, he spoke on how survived 42 bullet shots and national issues. Excerpts........

Advice for intended couples: To those planning to go into matrimony, they have to turn to God because without Him you can do nothing. Do not marry because of sentiments. Let God lead you. When God leads you, things are perfect. He is always ready to defend you when challenges come.

A lot of people make mistakes by allowing others, in-laws, friends and other relatives, to intervene in their marriage.

When you have challenges, you go to God in prayer. He is the originator of marriage. He is the one that gave Eve to Adam. He is the father of marriage. He knows what to do when marriages face challenges.

Bullet Proof Bishop In 1990, men of the under world came to my house and they started shooting at me. I fell down and I saw myself in another realm. I saw a personality standing dressed in purple clothes. He told me you will not die but live to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. They took me to a hospital and I was operated upon. Forty two bullets were extracted from my head. None of the bullets went into my skull. This I know was the hand of God. The same bullets that could not penetrate my skull broke the thick iron rod in my house into pieces. This was the Lord's doing and to Him alone we give the glory.

On the leadership of Nigeria It takes the leadership and followership to make a nation function effectively. So all hands must

Bishop Joe Idem be on deck for Nigeria to move forward. The day our fathers in the Lord would tell the leadership of this country the home truth, things will start moving well. When clerics like Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Re-

deemed Christian Church of God, Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM and other anointed men of God would invite President Goodluck Jonathan and others who are in positions of authority in this nation and tell them that the key to the nation's problems is in their hands, they will sit up.

But I know that God has a purpose for this country. I believe that God has something for this nation.

I keep telling leaders in this country that it is not a matter of telling us the ministers of God to be praying. We have been praying and we must not seize to pray.

Advice to clerics

We need to live exemplary lives so that our followers will emulate us.

This nation needs cleansing and God is ready to clean it. We will keep on praying and those in authority should play their part well. The resources of this nation should be well utilised. If we have the fear of God, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and ICPC will have less work to do.

On President Jonathan It is not easy to change things overnight. He has been a peaceful person.

He has good intensions, but he doesn't want to step on toes. He needs to put on more boldness especially with the people that work with him.

HIS PRESENCE MUSICAL OUTREACH STAGES SHOW

*HIS Presence Musical Outreach, a non-denominational body of choristers from different churches came together to sing with one voice in a programme tagged, "In His Presence" with stage show on November 4.

The song ministration programme was organised at different locations using church halls or event centres as venue and works with a team of ministers who voluntarily evangelise in the area where the programme was held. The musical show was staged on November 4, at 3.00 p.m. at The King's Church, 43, Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.

improvement of efficiency of orphanages and homes; to enhance the reputation and image of orphanages and homes; promotion of awareness of and respect for laws relating to the rights of children; to unite against the violation of the child rights law and to promote and encourage a united

approach in care of all vulnerable children.

She therefore called on all homes and orphanages within the country to register on line, Email: contact@asohon.org.ng or send their registration forms to ASOHON through: Strong Tower House, 6b Dalberto Road, Palmgrove, Lagos.

Rhema Confab begins

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HE annual convention of Rhema Christian Church with headquarters in Sango Ota in Ogun State began on Sunday and continues till Sunday at the 10,000 capacity ultra modern new auditorium of the church, known as Peace Cathedral.

Addressing newsmen recently, the president/pastorgeneral of the church, Bishop Taiwo Akinola said the theme of the event is; 'Blessed Beyond Curses'.

According to him the convention is strategically planned to glorify God for His unbounding mercies over the church and its members in the last 21 years.

Outlining the highlights of the programme, Akinola said they include a Dream Service, Hosanna Night of worship and wonders which is expected to feature various praise groups among others.

There will also be free medicare services for the needy during the occasion, noting that the former CAN vice president, Bishop Mike Okonkwo and other anointed men of God from different parts of the country and other parts of the world will join hands to liberate many people by refocusing them on the reality of the power of the Most High God and instilling blessings beyond curses.

Cleric tasks colleagues on holiness

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PASTOR with the Assemblies of God Church, Badagry District in Lagos, has called on min isters of the gospel to desist from turning churches to cinema houses, rather they should preach the undiluted Word of God, reports OLAYINKA LATONA. Briefing newsmen on the church's annual Ebenezer convention planned to commence today, the Badagry District Superintendent, Rev. Henry Ogbonnaya said preaching the truth of God is the primary purpose of any man of God. The cleric said the annual Ebenezer convention with a theme: “More Than Conquerors” is scheduled to hold from today to Sunday at Evangel College, Okokomaiko Lagos.

Lamenting the rate at which many men of God have deviated from fulfilling their primary objectives, the cleric said it is a pity that so many pastors have turned their churches to a jamboree and amusement centres which, he said, is contrary to God’s principles.

Ogbonnaya said according to biblical ethics, pastors have a duty to preach the gospel of Christ to the people to win them for Christ in readiness for the kingdom of God, adding that the basic requisite to achieve this is by preaching the gospel truth.

Explaining the uniqueness of the convention, Rev. John Ikpe, assistant District Superintendent said God has been faithful to the church and the country as a whole, noting that despite various challenges and crisis facing the country, God has always been in the midst of it all. Ministers expected at the event include: Bishop Bernard Ansah, Rev. Theodore Effiong, Rev. Emeka Eze, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa and other anointed ministers of God.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012—35

BY JOSEPH O. OKPAKU, SR.

Continues from yesterday

Obama: The Second Time Around (4) no fair or logical basis for being against you in the first place. Their reassessment of their own position or action provides the best prospect of their recanting and possibly joining you or at least becoming indifferent to you, which later option is itself a measure of victory.

For Obama especially, the dichotomy between these three publics is very clearly defined. For Barack Obama in his first term as President, the group of those who would die for him consists of the Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities, women, and young people. Those who represent the second group, those who would kill him, are the right wing extremists, including a good number (but by no

Dr. Joseph O. Okpaku, Sr., yesterday, continued with theObama second time around and noted that President Obama had fewer Blacks in his cabinet than even his Republican predecessor, President George W. Bush. Read on.

Spurned Quest For Bipartisanship

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Y the time Barack Obama decided to run for US president, the American Congress was wracked with such partisanship that its functioning was mired in bickering and obstructionism. Undoing this was one of Obama’s prime objectives. As president, Barack Obama gave all he had and could afford, and a bit more that he could not afford, to try to build collaboration with the Republican Party. Despite the fact that he had a majority in both houses of Congress, he sought consensus. But he seemed to ignore the fact, well stated publicly by the leaders of the Republican Party, that they did not care to cooperate. They simply wanted him to fail. They said so publicly, and despite the glaring disservice to the American people that such a stance represented, they stuck to this goal with little room for cooperation.

The result is that they disrupted Obama’s agenda. To his supporters, especially those who themselves believed that the very reason that they had given him such clear majorities in both Houses was precisely to empower him to override any such mischief, Barack Obama squandered this rare opportunity. It is, however, important to note that Obama very much believed in his commitment to bipartisanship and that he finally gave up on it only when it became clear to him, later than it did to his ardent supporters, that you cannot make people work with you if they are determined not to. Simply, noble ideas do not always made good policy or smart politics.

As Chief Executive, you have a job to do, a promise to keep, and you act, with the support of the opposition if possible, but alone if inevitable, especially if you have the votes to do so.

, The Three Types of Publics In a broader sense, I am compelled to look at this phenomenon in Obama’s political approach as a strategic flaw. Essentially, I have always held the position, in rough essentials, that in all politics (if not perhaps in life itself) there are three groups of people, three publics: Those who would die for you; those who would kill you (not literally); and those who do not give a damn about you. Simply, unless in exceptional cases in terms of doing your diligent duty, you do not waste your time, not more than is essential, trying to woo the second group, namely those who would kill, because they had no reason in the first place to want to kill you. And the more you pay them unearned attention, the more you invest prime resources in their unrequited love, the more they want to kill you because they see your overtures as a weakness, solid evidence of the success of their hostility and shenanigans.

Instead, you devote your best efforts in pursuit of the interest of those who would die for you. They are your avant garde for your offensive, and your first line of defence when under attack. They are already loyal to you, most often at significant risk or cost to themselves.

You know where they stand, right besides you. It is they who would come to your defence

when the third group comes after you. Whatever you do, you do not take them for granted. The third group, those who do not give a damn about you, come second in the priority of your attention. Not stridently against you as those in the second group, they are at least theoretically open to persuasion. You engage them in dialogue, enlighten them on your dream for them and for everyone, and encourage them to take your side. For this group, a most important factor is the attraction of how much they see and appreciate (or even envy) how well you respond to the dreams and needs of those who would die for you.

The promise of your bestowing such attention to them is a powerful incentive for their coming on board with you.

Put differently, you reinforce the commitment of those who would die for you because they have prior and proven loyalty, they are easy to please and they, in that most beautiful American expression, “have your back”. For those who would kill you, you of course do not want to let them out of your sight, just in case they are up to some mischief. You need to know what they are up to.

And every now and then when you have some attention to spare, having assured yourself that the other two groups are well and happy, you make overtures to them. The prospect here is that some will come to realise that they had

As president, Barack Obama gave all he had and could afford, and a bit more that he could not afford, to try to build collaboration with the Republican Party

,

means all) of the Tea Party people. In-between are all of those who do not give a damn about the president, and this can consist of a motley group of people with other interests, loyalties and preoccupations.

It is fair to say that in his first term, President Barack Obama expended an awful lot of political, emotional and other resources trying to persuade those who would kill him to rethink and come over to his side. The nobility of this effort cannot be underestimated or denied. But in the process, he left those who would die for him exposed and some-

what neglected. Most vocal in this group are the many Black Americans who felt neglected.

Some of their colleagues argued that Obama was president for all America, not just for Black people. Obama is rumoured to have actually said so himself. But that begs the question. American politics is a game of taking care of your supporters.

Others argued that by focusing on improving employment and other basic public needs, the President, in taking care of the whole, was implicitly taking care of the particular.

This also does not hold water.

African Americans did not give all they had and more to elect the first Black President just to be packaged with everyone else in a generic grouping. There are yet those who argue that Obama could not afford to be seen as looking out in particular for Black interests. Such an argument also does not wash because if anything at all, American politics has always been predicated on the benefits of meeting the needs of the particular. If Obama can meticulously look out for the interests of Israel and its domestic Jewish constituency for whom despite these efforts he cannot seem to do enough, then surely he can look out for his own people for whom little would go a long way. Besides, having a Black man in the White House is a once in a lifetime phenomenon. If Black Americans cannot benefit significantly from it, when will they have another such opportunity?

Those who make this last argument have tended to suggest that Obama had to focus on his reelection and that such specific attention to particular interests of Black people would hurt his reelection chances. Ironically, the facts do not support this position because it is the total turnout of African Americans, and of Hispanics, women and young people as happened in 2008 that would ensure Obama’s reelection.

Besides, Black Americans and other ethic minorities that supported Barack Obama paid a price for doing so.

Continues tomorrow

Dr. Joseph O. Okpaku, Sr., President and Publisher of Third Press Publishers and Chairman of Telecom Africa International Corporation, is a renowned scholar and expert of strategic development and global issues. He is regarded as a Renaissance man and a leading 21st Century philosopher.

C M Y K

36—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Ajimobi’s travels and travails ERUPTIONS from the now discredited report of Mrs. Florence Ajimobi’s arrest on money laundering charges and 52 foreign trips throw up a debate on moral rectitude of public office holders.

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F the tale about the alleged arrest in London, of the wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi was meant to rubbish her, it was apparently so amateurishly conceived.

Backed with some of the best hands in media relations, Mrs. Ajimobi has been able to in a way, show that the story was the handiwork of the political detractors of her husband, Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

“The rumour is not going to stop me; it has only made me to be stronger and be more careful,” the Oyo First Lady said last Wednesday as she returned to the country from London, a day after the story of her alleged arrest was published in a local newspaper.

The report had also noted, albeit so sensationally, that the

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AD it been a battle of principle or ideas, it would have been very welcome. But the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has never been known to project a platform for transparent policy discourse.

However, the ensuing battle between the National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State is simply a selfish contest of ego.

Ego simply does not have scruples and so, the two elderly pensioners who came to national limelight more than twenty five years ago seem to be showing.

The two oldies who according to multiple sources are in-laws have set themselves in the path of mutual political destruction.

Tukur, the 77 year old multibillionaire businessman national chairman of the PDP has taken the battle to the 69 year old governor of his home state with the dissolution of the state executive of the party in Adamawa State.

As everybody knows, state executives of the ruling party

Oyo First Lady had traveled abroad 52 times since her husband became governor penultimate May. Indeed, once the alleged arrest was published, the first response of Governor Ajimobi’s media team was a press statement that the governor had instituted a libel action against the newspaper that published the story. Given the experience of Dr. Festus Adedayo in the hullabaloo that marked the Ebeano Phenomenon, it was believed by some in the Lagos press that the statement was articulated to deter further publication of the story.

Governor Ajimobi who undoubtedly would have been scandalised by the report spared little niceties when he was challenged by newsmen on the issue during the meeting of the National Economic Council, NEC in Abuja last Wednesday.

•Florence Ajimobi: In the eye of the storm He was categorical in asserting the culpability of three unnamed political adversaries as the brains behind the allegedly fictitious story.

“We know those behind it. In fact, they are political jobbers, who lost out in the last election.

Three of them are from the PDP.

POLITICAL METABOLISM with

EMMANUEL AZIKEN

The two old PDP men in Adamawa in every state are tea boys of the governors in those states.

Adamawa was no exception.

The only ambiguity was that in Adamawa, the state chairman recognized by Nyako was Alhaji Umaru Kugama, who is from the same local government area, and the same village as the governor.

In Adamawa State, Governor Nyako actually does not recognize the principle of zoning, which is the feature of several other PDP controlled states where the PDP chairman is “selected” from outside the senatorial zone of the governor.

Whatever it is the problem between the two men, no one can exactly say.

But in the run-up to the PDP

,

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

Tukur’s fixation with developments in Adamawa it is alleged, flows from the well known ambition of his son, Awaal, to aspire to the governorship in 2015

,

national convention of the party last March, Nyako was known to have stubbornly opposed the emergence of Tukur despite the presidential bandwagon that was going the way of the then

They have never achieved anything in their lives. They are coming back with the old system of maligning people.”

Asserting that it was beneath him and his family to be so scandalized, he added: “We have built our reputation over the years. I did not come from 76 year old businessman.

Not even a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan could pacify Nyako who reportedly connived with fellow PDP governors from the Noutheast to embarrass his inlaw, Tukur at the zonal congress where Tukur was shamefully trashed.

Nyako only succumbed at the eleventh hour, minutes before proceedings opened on the convention ground last March.

After that, the governor did a show of recognizing the national chairman by hosting a reception for a true son of the state after the convention. But Tukur it seems never forgot the humiliation he passed through from Nyako in the run up to the convention.

Now fully settled in office, he is now baring his fangs.

The dissolution of the Adamawa executive of the party was framed on the fact of allegations of insubordination on the part of the Kugama led state executive. The executive, it is claimed, violated instructions of the National Working Committee, NWC against further actions in compiling the list of candidates

nowhere. I worked with the oil industry. I did not work with Wero Enterprises; I worked with National Oil and Shell. I was the Managing Director of National Oil and the MD of Shell STSL in Togo. I have made my name.”

“When you are doing well as a politician, some mischief makers, who want to pull you down, would concoct stories like this particular one.”

The governor, however, did not name those he claimed were the brains behind the story.

His immediate predecessor in office and PDP leader in the state, Chief Adebayo AlaoAkala immediately disputed him.

“The truth of the matter is that the ACN leadership is just making baseless allegations against the PDP over the money laundering issue.

“I want Governor Ajimobi to know that those behind the rumour are not true and authentic members of the PDP. Rather, they are the ones who went to the ACN to support him when he was contesting the governorship election in 2011.

“Those making the insinuation are not the real PDP members, but those who betrayed the party by supporting ACN during the election.

“Ajimobi should look inward and beam his searchlight on

Continues on page 37 for the forthcoming council polls in the state.

Tukur ’s fixation with developments in Adamawa it is alleged, flows from the well known ambition of his son, Awaal, to aspire to the governorship in 2015.

Apparently, Nyako is not in on that game.

After exacting his pound of flesh with the dismissal of the Nyako loyalists from the state executive, Tukur seems to be the one laughing now. Nyako, the former naval general and Chief of Naval Staff surprised many when he visited the PDP national secretariat to beg over his past ‘misdeeds.’

While begging, he is suspected to be also mobilizing fellow governors for what could be a calculated upper cut on Tukur.

If past experience is anything to go by, governors are known to fight viciously when it comes to such power fights.

Unfortunately, these fights, including the ensuing battle between Nyako and Tukur are not over principles, policies or patriotic matters. They are fights over personal fiefdoms.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012—37

STATE CREATION:

Why S/East demands equity — Ben Obi

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

A

T a time that many observers are saying that most states of the country are not economically viable, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, has stressed the need to create more states in the South-East geo-political zone, to address a lingering inequity and disequilibrium in the polity.

Responding to a question on why the South-East was asking for an additional state, Obi, who spoke weekend at an award ceremony organised by the Association of Anambra State Development Unions (AASDU) for distinguished Anambra citizens in Apapa, Lagos, said: “South-East is not asking for an additional state.

The South-East demands!

"You see, that is the mistake; when you are talking about an additional state, it is a different matter. The SouthEast has to be brought into equity, into fairness in this country. Until you do that, the issue of extra state is a disequilibrium in the system.

You should balance it first and then you can now talk about extra state here and other.

That is the truth.”

Among the six geo-political zones, the South-East with five states is the least. The remaining five have a minimum of six states. The North-West has seven states.

The North-Central has six states and if the Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is included, it would be seven.

Igbos and 2015

Asked the preparedness of the Igbo for the 2015 presidential election, the former lawmaker, who made case for independent candidacy in the on-going constitution amendment, said: “For me, 2015 is two and half years away. Those who want to run should go about making their arrangements, but it is a long time and it is starting early in the day. The answer is go and get your structures, when your structures are built, when you get to the bridge you can cross the bridge. It is not a moon tale outing. It is a serious issue.”

On Boko Haram’s readiness for dialogue with the Federal Government, the 2007 vice presidential candidate of the

*Obi Action Congress, said as much the negotiation is welcome, government could not negotiate with preconditions like releasing all Boko Haram members being held in detention “We have been calling for dialogue. In a situation where you have uprising there is need to jaw -jaw. I think if they are truly and seriously interested in dialogue, we

should engage them in dialogue.

You don’t place conditions before security agencies. If a man is a criminal and has been arrested for criminality you don’t tell people to release them, it is not their duty. You go to court and let the court release them. But they want to engage in dialogue, yes they should be engaged in dialogue not with

any precondition,” he said.

Other Anambra citizens honoured with awards alongside Obi included Professor Peter Chigozie Nwilo, Dr Joseph Odumodu, Dr Ekwenze Anadili, Hon Uche Ekwunife, Chief Paul Odenigbo, Mr Godwin Ezeemo, Mr Donatus Agupusi, Engr Augustine Emelobe, Chief Daniel Chukwudozie, Emeka

Oranugo, Mr Eberechukwu Nwosu, Dr Mike Ezeagu, Mr John Nwosu, Peter Obih, James Ezeifeoma and Chief Sebastin Umeobi.

Speaking at the event, the Guest Speaker, Professor Ray Okafor, a statistician, tied the problems of the country to inaccurate data, arguing that government policies were based on rough estimates and projections.

To address the problem, he canvassed statistical federalism where every state government would have a statistical agency because “there is a lot of data to be collected from the wards up to the state level. Here is no state government that has an agency in the mould of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS and that is sad.”

Earlier, Lagos AASDU Chairman, Chief E.I Anyadike, said the award was for people, who had been successful in selected areas and were therefore “ role models through their businesses, career or community service or philanthropy.”

On his part, the Chairman of the ceremony, Dr Obiora Chukwuka, urged Anambra indigenes to pay more attention to education because “the best you are doing today can be better with more touch of education.”

Ajimobi’s travels and travails Continues from page 36 those people who supported him during the election.

“I am sure that he knows them. Those behind the allegation of money laundering are the PDP members who donated some people to Ajimobi’s cabinet.

“The governor should not allow his party to drag him into an unnecessary war with the PDP. Our party consists of men and women of integrity who will never engage in baseless allegations.

“We have nothing to gain by witch-hunting or spreading rumour against the governor.

Ajimobi should critically look inward to know those who are behind the insinuations,” he said. rs.

Ajimobi’s explanation of the purpose of her visit to London was, however, to open another dimension to the unfolding story.

“I only travelled last Sunday to London to accompany my child, who returned to secondary school. I have a 14year old daughter who has

M

been in England since 2007 and every parent who has children over there knows the system; she is still in secondary school; and you have to go and pick them up from school; there are no exemptions that they are international students, you cannot say because my husband is a politician, because I am married to a politician, I should shelve my responsibility as a mother; I have to manage my home, take care of my children and play the role of a good mother, a responsible mother, a committed mother in addition to my responsibilities as wife of a politician.”

Her explanation of the purpose of her visit was something that immediately lured the opposition PDP in Oyo State to enter the fray.

“As much as we are not in a position to join issues with Mrs. Ajimobi on the alleged money laundering charges as reported by a local newspaper using an online publication as its source, we are constrained to ask some fundamental questions, especially from her own defence on arrival,” the PDP

publicity secretary for the state, Mr. Lukman Agboluaje said in a statement.

“We are aware of the free education policy of the present administration in the state and our concern is the inability of the state’s first couple to allow their kid daughter enjoy the free education being dished out to the populace rather than for the First Lady to incessantly visit her daughter every three

*Akala

weeks in a UK secondary school.”

Remarkably, Mrs. Ajimobi is undoubtedly not the only First Lady of a state training her children abroad. Even in some cases the governors do not make any pretence about the fact that they have indeed virtually relocated their wives and children out of the country.

Besides schooling, many senior officials of the government are also in the habit of attending to their

medical needs abroad. The slightest feeling of malaria immediately gives reason for many Nigerian public officials to go abroad to seek treatment and thereby squandering the country's foreign reserves.

Rounding up on the events of the last week, Mrs. Ajimobi was to note the cost on her reputation.

“Indeed, I see it as a price I have to pay for being the wife of a politician.” It is indeed, a costly price.

38—VANGUARD,

WEDNESDAY,

NOVEMBER

7,

2012

I shut my friends out when I'm in love

I prefer an aggressive lover Dear Bunmi, ALTHOUGH I am a happy and healthy man living in a large city, I am having great difficulty in finding a sex partner, since my marriage fell apart 18 months ago. It is common knowledge that there are many middle aged women who are looking for a partner after the loss, by death or otherwise, of their life partners, many who have not lost them still wish to have an intimate relationship outside their marriage. This is in the hope that this extra-marital relationship will provide something that marriage or living together cannot. Since this is the case, why am I having so much difficulty getting a woman of my choice?

Since I like to be dominant,

the more militant females do not interest me. I guess the difficulty is the variety of lively, attractive, high spirited women who are sexually submissive. I want a challenging partner who is sexually aggressive as I am as plain sex doesn’t interest me. Is there a woman like that out there? I met one once many years ago, so why has it been so difficult to replace her?

Hassan, bye-mail

Dear Hassan, I guess what you want is the reassurance that hot-blooded men could link up with women who attach the same importance to anatomy. Well, it is love, not sex, that makes the world go round. You see yourself as a trophy man, the

kind women might like to go to bed with. Or in what way, other than sexually, do you expect these women you’re looking for, to find you attractive?

A woman’s sex drive attracts her to a man. Her emotional sexual response then helps her to choose a suitable partner. Soon his looks lose importance. The same applies when a man courts and wins a female. The pin-up image you have of yourself might be putting off the women you’ve approached, and in the age group you mentioned, most women would rather have stability than one-night stands.

So why not try establishing good relationships first and see what sexual bonus develops?

She can't handle her husband's betrayal Dear Bunmi, MY younger sister has been on her own since her husband left her for his pregnant and much younger mistress. They had no children, so I’m happy for her to join us on my birthday which I always celebrate.’ She lives in another state and usually stays a couple of days. The problem is, she always drinks too much and ends up crying and showing herself up.

Last year, she made a pass at my son’s 22-year-old best friend, and it took the two of us to get her away from him and up to bed.

When she finally left for home a few days later, I found two empty brandy bottles under her bed. No wonder she was off her head. My next birthday is in a few weeks and she’s already indicated her wish to attend. Now I pray she gets a better offer for that date!

Lara, bye-mail

Try talking to her, and telling her how worried you are. We all need a good shoulder to cry on from time to time. If she feels she can let it all out, then maybe she won’t resort to booze. If you see her drinking, take her aside and say it might be a good idea if

Dear lara, It’s unlikely she’ll get a better offer, so be prepared, because she’s coming! First, you need to find somewhere to hide all the booze you’ll need for the party. If you think she’ll bring some with her, make some excuse to get into the bedroom when she’s unpacking, grab the bottles and say, ‘thanks, you’ve brought the brandy!’ Since she’s your sister, and you obviously care a lot for her, don’t you think it’s better that she’s behaving badly in your house and not in any godforsaken pepper soup joint where someone could easily take advantage of her?

She’s only acting this way because she’s lonely and hurting.

Dear Bunmi, I’VE been with my partner for 15 years and comfortable with the fact that he keeps in touch with his ex-wife. Now his ex lives just a few minutes’ walk from us and I’m not happy. He’s always dashing round to do jobs for her and gives her lifts most of the time.

They have three children together and they often come to their mother ’s, making the whole atmosphere as cosy as if they’re family again. But we have a daughter of our own who needs him. Why can’t he spend more time with us?

Slyvia, bye-mail

she had some exotic juice instead as it’ll be more difficult if you leave it until she’s actually drunk. She won’t be lonely for ever. When she’s back on her feet, the problem may well cure itself.

You’ve got to face the fact that your current partner is a freeloader.

He was living off his parents when he met you, now he’s living off you.

Is his ex trying to win him back?

Dear Slyvia,

You didn’t say it but you seem to think your partner is being unfaithful. And if there’s a whiff of an affair, you would be right to feel angry and betrayed. But if he’s simply giving his ex a helping hand and being a good father, then he needs your support. Talk to him about it all - tell him you’re concerned for your own daughter but don’t turn his love for his children into a contest. They all need him.

Discuss ways of sharing his time, and let him know you’re hurting. Be generous, and you could find this problem melts away.

Dear Bunmi, I’ve discovered that when I’m in a relationship with a guy, I always lose myself.

Once I fall in love, everyone and everything else ceases to be important. Invariably, the guy dumps me because I suffocate him and then I have to grovel to get my friends to forgive me for ignoring them.

I’m well aware of doing it and try to stop myself but it doesn’t work. I’m currently single and want to solve this before getting a new boyfriend and start the whole process again.

Precious, bye-mail

Dear Precious, We all tend to disappear off the face of the earth when we first find someone we think is delicious. That’s normal.

What’s not normal is letting any man kidnap us from our career, friends and family, over and over again.

I think your problem is two-

fold. First, it sounds like you’re not just looking for a lOVing relationship but an escape from the life you’re in.

If you loved your job, yourfriends and everything about your life, you wouldn’t be so quick to drop them the minute some guy came along.

Look at changes you can make to your life that will make you happy.

The second issue is that age old problem psychologist call “abandonment”. Looks like someone you love abandoned you (a partner or a past lover?) or you saw it happen to someone. This may explain why you feel you need to cling so tight. Now that you have recognised this flaw in your relationship, you need to talk openly about this with trusted friends and ask them to give you a wake-up call whenever they feel you’re once more stepping out of line.

"I want a challenging partner who is sexually aggressive as I am as plain sex doesn’t interest me"

Is he trying to to con me?

Dear Bunmi, FVE years ago, I got a loan from the bank I still work with to buy a four-bedroom bungalow. Shortly after, I met my current partner after over two years of nursing a broken heart. My partner was then living rent-free in a flat at his family house and later moved in with me. I currently pay the mortgage on the house while he takes care of other bills which don’t come close to my monthly expenses on the house.

He’s now throwing hints about us getting married and how it would be the proper thing to do to make him a joint-owner of the house. I’m a bit hesitant to do this as I earn lots more than he does.

If eventually we separated, God forbid, I would be nursing a broken heart all over again- not to talk about the loss of full control of my house.

How do I tackle my partner? I truly love him.

Debora, bye-mail

Dear Debora, You’d been hurt once but how many warning signs do you really need? Like many financially successful women in dicey relationships, you’re afraid he might stop loving you if you don’t hand over the string of your purse to him.

Well, if he really cared about you, he would jump at the chance to protect you. Now he wants to be an equal partner in your property when he doesn’t earn as much as you do!

You’ve got to face the fact that your current partner is a freeloader. He was living off his parents when he met you, now he’s living off you. Make it clear that you don’t plan to alter the mortgage of the house you bought before you met him - you saved for the deposit on the house, so why should he have any claim to it? If he still insists on being a co-owner as a prerequisite to marriage, then you’ve got your warning as to the type of person he really is!

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

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012 — 39 YOUR LUCK TODAY

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 SAGITTARIUS: Some of you will wake up from slumber and realise mistakes about your finances early enough and make amendment but those who are reckless will commit more blunder. Beware of joint venture.

CAPRICORN: Although erratic people from unexpected quarters may oppose you openly, your being self assertive will earn you both victory and financial success. Then tomorrow will prove more successful.

AQUARIUS: Yes! It’s your day again. The more ambitious you are the better for you. Then you will need to ignore those with queer characteristics within your working arena..

PISCES: Mixed trends are indicated. If you take good advice from your cool headed friends, you will benefit more than you imagine, but if you take to unpredictable attitude, you will today start fire that will burn with great intensity tomorrow.

ARIES: If you take the veterans within your base for granted, they will fail you painfully. Yet here is a lucky day for you when your being secretive and self reliant will earn you success. Be more ambitious.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Where is heaven?

By Richard Eromosele

I

believe you have heard of the word ‘heaven’. My question now is where is heaven? Is it a geographical expression or a spiritual condition?

This was a question thrown at me recently

in one of my teachings.

My attempt to answer that heaven as above was met by yet another question – which above? Where is above?

The general belief is that heaven is above.

The basis of the Chris-

TERROR MUDA

tian religion is Christ crucifixion and resurrection. If you believe Christ resurrected, then where did He resurrect to? Could He have resurrected from earth to earth? Resurrection connotes moving from a lower plain

in “Never say goodbye”

to a higher plain. If God is in heaven (as indicated by Christ … our Father who art in heaven) and God is above, it therefore means that heaven being the seat of God is above.

Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

TAURUS: Some of the people around you may get on your nerve via careless remarks, you must not allow them to disorganise your plans. The closer you are to the influential people the better for you.

GEMINI: “Money is the root of all evils” says an adage.

And if care is not taken, money may set you and some other people fiercely against each other to the detriment of your cause. Be cautious.

CANCER: Opposition between the Moon and Venus may induce personality clashes you don’t need at lest for now.

What can help you now is love and your being persuasive.

Think of the future.

LEO: Positive events that started yesterday will continue today. Rely more on your ability to be as bold as necessary so that you can get things done your own way at work.

VIRGO: Good luck will smile at you. Romantic interlude that started last yesterday may become excitingly louder and melodious to the satisfaction of your soul.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

LIBRA: If you allow domestic pressure to affect your working pattern, your senior colleagues may not understand and make things a bit more difficult. IF you’re stable, you will have more to gain financially.

SCORPIO: After snappy aggressive approach exhibited by you yesterday ,you are back at your being pleasant self to the admiration of others. This is the wrong time to take law and it’s agents for granted. Young-at-heart are favoured so also commercial activities.

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,

Why constant frustration Dear Joshua, Right now I am a healthy person yet I want your Astrological ex-ray about my star and tell me what to expect health-wise and/or how to manage myself, career and financially.

Yinka, Ogun.

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

Dear Yinka, It is true that you have gone through a few moments of test but today you are a chief. Meaning that what you tagged as frustration are lessons.

Your parents must have gone through a few numbers of troubled moment while trying to raise you as you have what looked like a dirty childhood from both health and other areas as your life as indicated by opposition between conjoined planets across Pisces and Virgo when you were born Luckily for you however, as your natal Moon strongly got positive aspect from Venus, Your survival is assured.

And there are indications of better health for you as you outgrow the childhood problems.

Nonetheless what you will need to take seriously include constant worries, toothache, skin infection, headache (fever)lungs, stomach ache, feet and sometimes the bones (dislocation). Nothing fatalistic about everything started here but mere warnings. Yours is a rugged personality suitable for military career of any type. And whenever you opt out of the military, it will be wise of you to give consideration to involvement with liquid related business especially the oil industry. The computer world and essential needs of women. Actually dealing with women along your business line will prove most fortunate for you. Fish farming and other agro-allied can be favourable but because of your love of changes, you may not be able to see such through.

As your natal Moon got good aspects from comfortable placed Venus (another money related planet), financial success is within your reach.

T-square aspects formed by your natal Sun/Saturn, Uranus/ Pluto and Jupiter will bring delay related frustrations.

Miscalculation and gambling line tedencies are other things capable of militating against your finance.

Financial success will eventually be earned by you but you will need to embrace discipline nature in handling your finance.

Commen3

by Lawrence Akapa

40—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

From left: Mr. Jenkins Giarie, M/D Imoniyame Holdings Limited and Mr. Theodore Orji, Abia State Governor, during the handing over of the Abia Rubber Company Limited to the former, at Ameke Abam in Arochukwu LGA, Abia.

From left: Prof. T.O Olagbemiro, Vice Chancellor, Rev Olasupo Ayokunle, General Secretary, Nigerian Baptist Convention; Rev (Dr.) Williams Ojo and Mr. Gamaliel Onosode, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, during the conferment of honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by Bowen University, Iwo, on Rev. Ojo, at the institution’s 7th convocation, weekend.

I'll go to court this week FLOOD: —Oke

A

KURE — THE PDP candidate in the Oct. 20 governorship election in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, has said that he will go to court before Friday to challenge the result of the poll.

The candidate announced the plan in a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Kunle Adebayo, in Akure on Monday.

Oke said “not doing this would amount to supporting injustice with perfidy which is the greatest disservice to democracy.”

He alleged that INEC, the police, State Security Service, the army and other security forces are the biggest suspects in the “dastardly coup against the people of the state.”

“All our investigations, collated reports as well as reports by election observers and monitors have shown massive evidence of monumental corruption and manipulation of INEC’s docu-

Ordination

T

HE DIVINE ordination of Pastor Golden Chijioke Ozor as a reverend of Covenant Chapel Worldwide Church will take place on November 10, 2012 at Miracle Valley Cathedral 22, Ozubulu Close, Orile Iganmu, Lagos, by 10a.m. by His Grace, Bishop John Nzube.

ments and the entire electoral process.

“Quite regrettably and shamefully, INEC allowed its voters’ register to be overloaded with as much as over 150,000 strange names.

This is against the background that no new voters’ registration took place in the state after the 2011 elections.”

In his reaction, the Director of Publicity and Research of the LP, Prince Koye Odogiyan, dismissed Oke’s claims.

Odogiyan said that Oke was only trying to use the court process to remain relevant.

“Olusola Oke won in Okitipupa and Ilaje local government areas of the state while Rotimi Akeredolu won in Owo, Akoko South-West and Odigbo local government areas as well.

“Does that mean that the two of them also connived with INEC to rig the election in those areas?

“The ballot papers were counted in the presence of everybody, so let Oke go to any court, he will meet us there,” Odogiyan said.

7 persons decamped in Delta for stealing, fighting

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI — SEV EN persons have been decamped from the Oharisi Primary School, Ughelli camp, Delta State for violating the rules and regulations guiding the camp.

The State Vice Chairman of Red Cross, Mr. Victor Olasupo who disclosed this to the Vanguard, said four persons were decamped for stealing, while a man with his two wives were decamped for fighting.

According to Olasupo, one of the victims, a female was caught by the gate while attempting to smuggle some of the relief materials in a rice sack, adding that the other three persons were caught stealing from the items they were asked to keep vigil on.

He said: "Those who stole were arrested and kept in police custody for about 24 hours before they were decamped," adding that the manage-

ment of the camp abhors stealing and other acts capable of bringing the integrity of the camp to disrepute.

Meanwhile, the Urhobo Democratic Assembly, UDA, has donated food and other relief materials worth thousands of naira to flood victims in Ughelli and

Ewu camps, Ughelli North and South local government areas respectively.

Presenting the items on behalf of the group in Ughelli and Ewu, its President, Mr. Arthur Akpowowo said the donation was a token of their contribution to the welfare of the flood dis-

placed persons in the state.

Akpowowo commended the state government for the timely step it took to alleviate the suffering of the victims. He added that government could not do it alone and urged public spirited individuals to continue to donate towards helping the displaced persons at the time of need.

...Victims well catered for in Kogi —Dep Gov L

OKOJA - THE Deputy Governor of Kogi, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, on Monday denied the alleged neglect of flood victims in the state, saying they were getting the best attention from the government.

In a statement issued in Lokoja by his Press Secretary, Mr. Michael Abu, the Deputy Governor said the affected persons, being accommodated in the 83 camps, were getting the best treatment.

He said the state government had completed a verification to ascertain their numbers and requirements for re-settlement.

Awoniyi said the verification followed a recommendation from the UN, which ranked the state as the most organised in handling victims of flood.

“The government is already in the process of building houses for those affected,” Awoniyi said.

Awoniyi further said

that the state had acquired some Federal Government houses to relocate the victims.

He said the state government had the record of donations received for the victims and stressed that only those genuinely affected would be compensated.

Awoniyi said some of the victims would have their houses rebuilt, while others would be provided land and financial support.

Umeh, Obi advised to settle face-off for late Dim Ojukwu's sake

A

BA - THE Chairman of APGA in Abia State, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu, has urged the National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh and Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra to resolve the impasse rocking the par-

ty.

Ukaegbu told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Aba on Saturday that the face-off between the two prominent members of the party would affect the legacies of the leader of the

party, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and the Igbos.

NAN reports that Umeh had in the last one month launched attack on Obi, and the clash between the two big-wigs seemed to have led to the sanc-

tion against some Obi’s supporters by the party.

“I want to appeal to them to resolve the impasse in the party as quickly as possible, taking into consideration that whatever happens to APGA will invariably af-

fect adversely the Igbos.

“Let them resolve the impasse, more so, both Umeh and Obi are children of Ojukwu and what is equally at stake is the legacy which Ojukwu left behind.

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42 — Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Obama leads Romney as Americans decide A

S millions of voters head to their polling places across the U.S., the final round of pre-election polls finds a close race nationwide, but collectively forecasts a narrow victory by President Barack Obama over Republican nominee Mitt Romney in enough battleground states to put Obama over the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.

The HuffPost Pollster tracking model created by Stanford political scientist Simon Jackman, which combines all available national and statewide polling data, finds that if polls fall within the historical ranges of polling accuracy, Obama stands a 91 percent chance of victory.

The remaining questions about the polling data are whether the final averages prove to be as collectively accurate as in past elections or whether some systematic error in the swing state surveys is concealing a hidden Romney advantage that will reveal itself when the votes are counted. There is also, perhaps, the issue of whether all voters will be allowed to cast ballots and whether all of their votes will be counted.

Nationally, 10 more pollsters reported their final results on Monday or Tuesday. The final round of national polls,

including those released over the weekend, all show the race falling well within the typical random sampling error for a single national survey, with margins ranging from a 1 percentage-point Romney edge to a 4 point Obama advantage.

When the Pollster tracking model combines all of the data into an estimate of the national popular vote, it now shows Obama holding a roughly 1.5 point advantage over Romney (48.1 to 46.7 percent), the best showing for Obama since just before the first presidential debate in October.

•Romney and his wife arrive at the voting centre.

Peruvian Shaman predicts Obama win •President Barack Obama being shown the voting booth in Chicago.

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OME polls say Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are neck and neck in the White House race — but for one

How voters made their choice Issues Social Security Health Care Military Spending Same Sex Taxes Abortion Afghanistan Economy Education Energy Foreign Policy Govt Spending Immigration Iran Jobs

Obama 46% 50% 45% 50% 49% 50% 51% 48% 45% 49% 50% 44% 46% 51% 45%

Romney 39% 38% 35% 39% 44% 39% 38% 44% 42% 41% 40% 47% 43% 38% 44%

•Vanguard publication.

Obama in Illinois, calls voters P RESIDENT Obama is already in Illinois, Chicago waiting for the election results as they roll in while Mitt Romney still campaigned in New Hampshire and Cleveland Ohio to seal last minute deals with the electorates. It was said this is the first time a Presidential candidate will campaign on the election day He has got former President Bill Clinton campaigning fiercely for him in major swing states despite losing his voice as well as maintaining his various campaign offices all over America since 2008 up till this moment. He is a good motivational speaker, a situation that drove helped his candidature in 2008 and he has using same tactics in reaching out to his supporters and undecided voters.

He has got a very

S

experienced Vice President whom has served at least 10 former Presidents and seen as a formidable factor in Obama’s race to the white house. He has more women supporting him in the election than Romney simply because of his Health care system.

Recent polls saw the economy picking up although slowly in line with unemployment rate going down in the month

of October. Early voting in states like Ohio, Florida and some other places adds to early lead he is having in some swing states. The Hurricane Sandy was to his advantage because about 78 percent of Americans gave him a thumb-up for his early response to the devastation that ravaged New York and New Jersey.

House seats up for grap

R

EPUBLICANS made historic gains in the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections, wresting 63 seats away from Democrats and winning a clear majority.

Democrats were expected to make up some of that lost ground in 2012, but Republicans’ control over the redistricting process

in many states has allowed them to redraw potentially vulnerable incumbents into safer Republican districts, insulating many of them from tough reelection challenges.

Democrats need a net gain of 25 seats to take back the lower chamber, a daunting task for them.

•Perusian Shaman and his client in Lima, Peru.

Source: Facebook.

Tearful Obama, ends campaign in Iowa

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S sentimentality goes, President Barack Obama hosting the last campaign event of his political career in Des Moines, Iowa, is hard to top. The Hawkeye State launched the then-junior senator from Illinois to national prominence. And there is a movie script-like quality to having such a historic political trajectory emerge out of the frosty cornfields.

Speaking just steps from his 2008 caucus

headquarters on Monday evening, it seemed at times as if the magic hadn’t faded.

“I came back to ask you to help us finish what we started because this is where our movement for change began,” Obama declared. “To all of you who’ve lived and breathed the hard work of change: I want to thank you. You took this campaign and made it your own ... starting a movement that spread across the country.

group it is already over.

Using maracas, coca leaves and a hallucinogenic brew, a group of Peruvian shamans has determined that Mr. Obama will be re-elected on Tuesday.

Wearing traditional Andean dress, the group of 12 medicine men and women gathered on Monday at the top of Lima’s San Cristobal hill for a ceremony.

They burned incense and rubbed a poster of Mr. Obama with flowers and the common rue plant, which is supposed to bring good luck.

They also assaulted a poster of Mr. Romney with maracas and a sword. ‘’The apus (gods of the hills in indigenous mythology) tell us Obama will be re-elected,’’ predicted Juan Osco, known as the Shaman of the Andes.

The shamans sang, whistled and danced in a circle for journalists, who came and went as the ceremony continued.

They also chewed coca leaves, a traditional ceremonial and medicinal plant since Inca times that helps fight altitudes sickness.

Romney, Biden meet on airport tarmac

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EPUBLICAN presidential nominee Mitt Romney landed in Massachusssetts with his wife, Ann where they voted on Tuesday. Before then, he waited in his campaign plane for his running mate, Paul Ryan, to touch down from Wisconsin, for a joint Election Day stop. But 22 minutes after Romney arrived, another plane unexpectedly landed across the tarmac.

It was Air Force Two. For the third time in as

many days, Romney and Vice President Biden’s planes have crossed each other on the same tarmac.

On Sunday, it was a chance meeting on the same Cleveland runway.

On Monday, it was at Dulles Airport just outside Washington.

And on Tuesday, it was back in Cleveland, where Biden was making an unannounced Election Day stop — the same day and at the same time that Romney and Ryan were to hold an event of their own here. Romney senior

adviser Stuart Stevens made his way to the back of the plane as the motorcade was passing outside. “I thought they said that it was panic that we were campaigning today,” he mused to the handful of reporters on the aircraft. ”How about that?”He was a successful business man and many Americans believe he could handle the economy better than Obama because of his achievement as a businessman.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, NOVEMBER 7, 2012 — 43

Heavy turnout greet US polls

BY GBENGA OKE, in US & DOTUN IBIWOYE, with agency reports

T

HERE was a large turn-out of voters as Americans headed to the voting booths, while campaign teams for both candidates were furiously working their phones to urge supporters to cast their ballots.

Opinion polls show incumbent president Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney are in a virtual dead heat, although according to agency reports, Obama has a slight advantage in several vital states that could give him the 270 electoral votes needed to win the state-by-state contest.

The outcome lookswhich will definitely be settled in just a handful of key states because US states are attributed electoral votes according to their population from California, the most populous, with 55 electoral votes and states with smaller populations having just three Romney’s campaigning took a surprise announcement, when his team said he would continue to campaign on election day itself and he will vote near his home in Belmont, Massachusetts.

More conventionally, Obama is to stay put in his home town, Chicago, on Tuesday. He is planning a game of basketball with friends and staff, but is not totally abandoning the campaign trail, with about a dozen television

and radio interviews planned.

Hitches in some areas New Yorkers went to the polls in sunny, but frigid, weather to cast ballots in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, special voting arrangements were made to ensure as many eligible voters as possible could get to the polls.

Board of Election officials relocated several polling sites because of power outages and damage after Sandy swept through the northeastern United States eight days ago.

Special buses have been deployed to hard hit areas to shuttle voters to

•VP Joe Biden arrives to vote

•Ryan Paul and daughter at voting centre.

polling stations. In some locations, multiple districts have been consolidated into a single site sometimes in a tent where people can vote.

Authorities in Philadelphia say a judge has issued a court order allowing all certified minority

Attorney Seth Williams, says a judge has now issued a court order allowing all minority voting inspectors into polling places.

There were also tension in Ohio, New Jersey and in St. Petersburg, an hour after polls opened yester-

inspectors into Philadelphia polling places.

The Republican Party said dozens of legally credentialed minority voting inspectors were removed from polling places in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Tasha Jamerson, a spokeswoman for District

Hitches in New Jersey

S

UPER storm Sandy is having a devastating effect on voting in New Jersey, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law executive director Barbara Arnwine told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday morning. Voters were

being asked for I.D. even though the state has no law requiring it, voting locations opened late and some locations didn’t have ballots, she said. “In a word, there’s just one word to describe the experience in New Jersey, and that is catastrophe,” Arnwine said.

Tension in Florida, Ohio

T

HERE was high tension in states like Florida and Ohio yesterday in a bid to stop early voters from casting their ballot. Many electorates were seen protesting at the voting centers over what they called voters suppression being used by Republicans in a bid to frustrate the Democrats from leaving the voting

center out of anger. Job Hustein, secretary of state for Ohio went as far as Supreme Court to stop early voting when it dawned on Republicans that Democrats are taking more advantage of early voting.

Many voters in Florida and Ohio stayed more than 7hours on the line 2days ago trying to cast their ballot and serious

day, the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office mistakenly placed thousands of automatic calls to voters instructing them that they had until 7 p.m. Wednesday to vote.

Dixville Notch share votes

BY GBENGA OKE

E

The 10 registered voters in the small village of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire wait to cast the first election day ballots of the U.S. presidential election moments after midnight November 6 protest took over many of such centers. However, some electorates maintained they are ready to sleep overnight all in the bid to cast their ballot while President Obama campaign office has deployed over 600 lawyers to various counties to ensure there were no voting suppression as well as

getting ready to challenge any of such cases in court. From all indications, results from the state of Ohio might not be decided early enough as there is about 200,000 provisional ballots expected in the state already and election will be closing in places like Ohio, Nevada and Iowa around 10pm Eastern.

ARLY voting took place in the smallest area of the United States, Dixville Notch, New Hampshire this morning with both Presidential Candidates sharing the the 10votes equally.

Both President Obama and Mitt Romney had 5votes each, a situation which further confirms a tie in the Presidential race.

President Obama won Dixville Notch in 2008 with 15votes while Sen MCain got 6votes. By tradition, the enclave village of Dixville Notch located in Coos County, N.H is one of the locations that get to cast the first vote of the Presidential election just after midnight of the election day.

The impact of Social media on the US elections B

ARACK Obama’s campaign in 2008 coincided with a time that Social media was just beginning to gain popularity all over the world. Conservative, and in a higher age bracket, John McCain did not stand a chance with many twitter and facebook followers.

Although experts are not sure of the extent of the impact of the social media on the U.S elections, they do not C M Y K

deny that opinions on the virtual scale, just might have had an impact on the actual votes. During the campaign, Barack Obama held a distinct advantage over Mitt Romney in the way his campaign used digital technology to communicate directly with voters. The Obama campaign posted almost four times more content and was active on nearly twice as many platforms, according to a Pew Research study analyzing the content

,

BY LAJU ARENYEKA (with Agency Reports)

There is no doubt mainstream media coverage influences what is being said on social media, especially on Facebook

,

and volume of candidate communications on their websites and social media channels.

According to a recent study by the Pew research institute, from the beginning of the political conventions to the eve of the final debate, social media and blog postings about US presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have been relentlessly negative. ”We found social media very harsh,” said Tom Rosenstiel, director of Pew ’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. “We also found it fairly insensitive to events. It moved some

but was pretty relentlessly negative about both candidates, particularly Romney.”

There is no doubt mainstream media coverage influences what is being said on social media, especially on Facebook, where users tend to be more politically engaged and often more partisan.

Earlier this year, Pew’s Internet and American Life project found that 18% of facebook users have unfriended or blocked someone online due to political issues.

Twitter developed tools that showed the social media activity around Barack Obama and Mitt Romney ’s campaigns.

This Political Engagement Map measured the number of replies, retweets and favourites each of the candidates got on the social networks and allowed viewers to filter this information by state and by topic. Meanwhile Facebook teamed up with CNN to build this real-time visualisation of Facebook users’ activity about the election.

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Chukwu joins Keshi, Jay Jay for Delta Gov’s cup

D

ETERMINED to build sports culture on school children, Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has moved the venue of today’s opening game of the Governor’s Cup to the Saint Patrick College, Asaba.

The opening match between Comprehensive Secondary School and Adaigbo Secondary School both of Ogwashi-uku will witness the presence of

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi,Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Victor Ikpeba, Davidson Owunmi among other exinternationals who are all products of school football.

Former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu also confirmed last night that he would grace the occasion.

Governor Uduaghan will do the kick off at 10.a.m

'No banana peel' Continues from B/P goalless draw at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

However, Ikhana who is seeking to win his first title with the women team posited that the South African ladies cannot stop their march to the final.

“Our aim is to reach the final and South Africa cannot stop us”, enthused the CAF Champions League winning coach.

Winger, Stella Mbachu

concurred.

“Banyana Banyana cannot stop us. We know them too well and we know how to beat them.

They are our customers”, said the experienced winger.

The Nigerian ladies are yet to lose to their South African counterparts and are looking forward to continue this dominance in Bata to set up a final most likely against highflying hosts Equatorial Guinea, who battle Cameroon in the other semi-final, today

We’ll break Nigerians hear ts Kidnappers grab player’s sister hearts Continues from B/P they can shock the reigning champions by playing as a team and making full use of their chances.

“We’ve never beaten Nigeria, the best we have done has been a draw but we are determined to change this,” said Mgcoyi.

“We have to forget about the past and look at this game as an opportunity to make history.”

Mgcoyi has spearheaded the Banyana attack - scoring four goals in the last two matches, including a hat trick in the 4-1

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win over DR Congo - but she believes the good form shown by the likes of Sannah Mollo and Nothando Vilakazi and the experience of players like Portia Modise, Janine van Wyk and captain Amanda Dlamini makes them a strong side.

“I strongly believe that we have a team that is capable of standing up to Nigeria and get that win we need to go through to the finals,” she said.

“We have quick and skilful attacking players, our defence is looking solid and the spirit in the camp is very high.''

Continues from B/P another vehicle which sped away at around 2 o’clock on Monday afternoon.

Police have confirmed the kidnapping, but added that the gang have yet to make contact with the player’s family, who were targeted due to the player ’s £100,000-a-week wages. Hulk was one of the star players for Andre Villas-Boas’s Porto side before his £39.5 million transfer to Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg at the beginning of September.

Chelsea had also tried to sign

the player, who is a regular for his country and was one of the overage players who took Brazil to the football final at the London 2012 Olympics.

Angelica is far from the first relative of a South American footballer to be kidnapped by gangs trying to cash in on the huge sums earned by top football stars.

Former Manchester City forward Robinho’s mother was held hostage for 40 days in 2004 before being released following the payment of a ransom.

Keshi celebrates Osaze’s goals Continues from B/P have succeeded in convincing him that the national team still needs his services. “We pray that all our players continue to be in good health and score for their club sides ahead of the Nations Cup championship. It means we will have a very good squad at the CAN 2013 championship”, Keshi declared.

Rivaldo leaves Angolan side Continues from B/P The Brazilian 2002 World Cup winner and former favourite at Barcelona and AC Milan joined Kabuscorp in January. “[It’s the] day to say goodbye to Angola but only for football because Angola will be a home forever,” Rivaldo said on his Twitter page. The 40-year-old hit 11 goals and played in 21 league games for Kabuscorp.

“This was a positive year in my career and although we came fourth in the Angolan Girabola league, I was the third best scorer,” he added on his website.

Luanda-based Kabuscorp finished the season 16 points adrift of champions Libolo on Sunday.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Kidnappers grab player’s sister

B

RAZILIAN international striker Hulk has become the latest victim of kidnappers after his younger sister was snatched by a gang

of organised criminals.

Police have confirmed that the 26-year-old superstar ’s younger sister Angelica was snatched at gunpoint as

We’ll break Nigerians hearts — Banyana Banyana

B

ANYANA Banyana hat-trick hero Andisiwe Mgcoyi is confident that they can beat Nigeria for the first time when the two sides meet in the semi-final of the 2012 African Women’s Championship in Bata today.

While it was the Super Falcons who won the last competitive match between the two sides, Banyana will be encouraged by the backto-back draws they

managed during friendly matches played earlier this year.

The Nigerians qualified as the best team in Group B after winning all their three matches, while the South Africans were the second best side in Group A behind hosts Equatorial Guinea.

However, Banyana’s top scorer in the tournament believes

KICK-OFF 5.30 p.m.

Keshi celebrat es Osaze’s celebrates goals

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TANGO — Falcons' Stella Mbachu tangles with an opponent in one of their matches. Falcons tackle S/Africa today.

UPER Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, has said he was delighted that one of his players, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, got a brace in his team’s 2-0 win against Southampton on Monday night in the English Premier League.

“We always want our top players to be on top of their game and I am delighted to see him score a brace after we

Continues on Page 55

Continues on Page 55

'No banana peel from Banyana Banyana' S UPER Falcons coach, Kadiri Ikhana declared yesterday that South Africa’s Bayana Bayana will not prove a stumbling block when they clash today in the semi-final of the African Women Championship in Equatorial- Guinea.

Ikhana played his first

TODAY'S

Rivaldo leaves Angolan side

international friendly against the South African women in twolegged encounter, which a winner failed to emerge. The Bayana Bayana held the Falcons to a 1-1 draw at home, while they played out a Continues on Page 55

PUZZLE

she pulled her car up outside a restaurant in the player ’s hometown of Campina Grande, in the north east of Brazil.

Angelica, 22, was apparently pulled out of her car and dragged into Continues on Page 55

F

ORMER World Footballer of the Year Rivaldo has left Kabuscorp after completing a short-term contract with the Angolan team.

Continues on Page 55 YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Trade (6) 5 Climb (6) 9 Melody (5) 10 Mend (6) 11 Ripen (6) 12 Seized (5) 14 Orient (4) 17 Guided (3) 18 Repast (4) 20 Dismal (5) 22 Cordial (5) 23 Twist (7) 24 Release (5) 26 Cede (5) 29 Separate (4) 30Vigour (3) 32 Destiny (4) 33 Distribute (5) 35 Duty (6) 36 Approved (6) 37 Loathed (5) 38 Staggered (6) 39 Blush (6)

DOWN 1 Banned (6) 2 Rest (6) 3 Discharge (4) 4 Rustic (5) 5 Directed (5) 6 Inspect (4) 7 Evaded (6) 8 Profoundly (6) 13 Falcon (7) 15 Boxing ring (5) 16 Understood (5) 18 Theme (5) 19 Grown-up (5) 21 Deer (3) 22 Attempt (3) 24 Tumult (6) 25 Triviality (6) 27 Merited (6) 28 Numb (6) 30 Beg (5) 31 Problem (5) 33 Pain (4) 34 Season (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 4, Harsh 7, Recess 9, Cot 10, Sob 12, Poppy 13, Coin 15, Label 17, Before 19, Lure 20, Sheer 22, Rat 24, Desired 27, Tic 28, Louse 31, Miss 33, Gallon 35, Handy 37, Mire 38, Buxom 39, Era 41, Nod 42, Endure 43, Sleek.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 1, Crocus 2, Scribe 3, Ass 4, Hope 5, Atoll 6, Suppress 8, Solo 11, Barricade 14, Need 16, Bear 18, Fret 21, Habitual 23, Tell 25, Sign 26, Doom 29, Unique 30, Eyelet 32, Shone 34, Lyre 36, Amok 40, Ant.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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