Boko Haram, FG sign ceasefire deal

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61921

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, flanked on his right by Bishop Magnus Atilade and on the left by Dr. Adebola Ademowo, Dr. S. Ola Makinde, Revd Adebayo Akinde and others at the interdenominational service held in honour of Alhaja Abibat Asabi Mogaji at Eko Expo Hall, Lagos on Sunday.

NGF, lawyers fault Reps on immunity clause P.9

Boko Haram, FG sign ceasefire deal •We're sorry, forgive us for those we killed — Boko Haram

•How the agreement was reached

•Mixed reactions trail new development; UK bans sect

•P.8

PRAYERS CONTINUE FOR MANDELA

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD, CHARLES KUMOLU & DAPO AKINREFON

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AGOS— “WE are seeking forgiveness from the people over the number of people killed in the country.

I appeal to those who lost their loved ones to our activities to forgive us and on our side we have forgiven all those who committed atrocities

Continues on Page 5

COLUMNIST:

•P.19

Mr & Mrs

ALL FOR MANDELA—A man prays, while others watch as a young well-wisher (right) lights a candle outside the Medi Clinic Heart Hospital, Pretoria, where former South African President, Nelson Mandela is hospitalized, yesterday. Photo: AFP

195 senior police officers face trial

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POCKET CARTOON

PRESENTATION—Wife of Niger State Governor, Hajiya Jumai Babangida-Aliyu (M) presenting a cash donation to a widow of one of the slain police officers in Alakyo, Nasarawa State, yesterday. Right is wife of Nasarawa State Governor, Hajiya Salamatu Al-Makura. Photo: NAN.

Boko Haram, FG sign ceasefire deal Continues from Page 1 against us. I want to state clearly that we have no hands in the unfortunate attack on the sec-

ondary school (Government Secondary School, Mamudo, Yobe State).”

With these words, Imam Muhammadu

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Do not despair, God is in control; whenever there is life, there is hope. A living dog is better than a dead lion.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom — Marcel Proust

W

HEN William Stidger taught at Boston Uni versity, he once reflected upon the great number of un-thanked people in his life. Those who had helped nurture him, inspire him or who cared enough about him to leave a lasting impression.

One was a schoolteacher he’d not heard of in many years. But he remembered that she had gone out of her way to put a love of verse in him, and Will had loved poetry all his life. He wrote a letter of thanks to her.

The reply he received, written in the feeble scrawl of the aged, began: “My dear Willie.” He was delighted. Now over 50, bald and a professor, he didn’t think there was a person left in the world who would call him “Willie.” Here is that letter: ”My dear Willie, I cannot tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and, like the last leaf of autumn, lingering behind. You will be interested to know that I taught school for 50 years and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue-cold morning and it cheered me as nothing has in many years.”

Marwana, an influential member of the Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram sect, yesterday, confirmed a ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government to end their deadly activities across most states of Northern Nigeria, which have claimed about 4,000 lives and destroyed properties worth billions of Naira since 2009.

The agreement came exactly 82 days after the Federal Government raised a 25-man committee to work out modalities for granting the amnesty to the sect.

Indeed, the Federal Government, yesterday, said that it had signed a ceasefire agreement with the militant group.

Minister of Special Duties and Chairman of the Peace and Dialogue Committee in the North, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki announced the ceasefire agreement on the Hausa service of Radio France International monitored in Kano The announcement came on the eve of the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan expected to commence today throughout the world

and also coincided with a vehement denial by the insurgents that they had no hands in the murder of 30 boarding students of a secondary school in Yobe weekend.

Although details of the peace deal were scanty, Turaki who spoke in Hausa further said that the Boko Haram insurgents had agreed to lay down their arms. “ We have sat down and agreed that Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah Lidda’awati wal Jihad, known as Boko Haram will lay down their arms as part of the agreement so as to end the insurgency. Government agreed with ceasefire and will look into ways to ensure that the troops relax their activities till the final take off of the ceasefire,” Turaki told his interviewers.

Confirming the truce, Imam Muhammadu Marwana said: “This ceasefire, in sha’Allahu, from the time I am talking to you (Radio France Hausa Service) we have ceasefire because of the discussion held so as to have peace over this struggle.”

The Boko Haram stalwart added that “we are seeking forgiveness from the people over the

number of people killed in the country.

Sounding apologetic during the Radio news, Imam Marwana declared that “I appeal to those who lost their loved ones to our activities to forgive us and on our side we have forgiven all those who committed atrocities against us” He added that “I want to state clearly that we have no hands in the unfortunate attack on the secondary school.”

How the agreement was reached A member of the presidential committee, which President Godluck Jonathan gave 90 days to hammer out a solution to the problem told Vanguard how the agreement was brokered. He said “Shekau’s leadership came out through several fronts and set traps for us. The government gave them confidence, the confidence led to trust and they said they will call their men to cease-fire and they have done so.”

Mixed reactions trail move Meanwhile, Nigerians have received news of the truce with cautious optimism A step in the right direction—Gani Adams National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Otunba Gani Adams said it was a step in the right direction. Iin a telephone chat with Vanguard, he said: “It is a step in the right direction and I think from there, they will create room to dialogue with the Federal Government and state their position. They cannot continue to waste lives just like that. I don’t know what they stand for but no matter what they stand for, their approach is wrong and

deadly. Nobody in the world will support their struggle. But calling for a ceasefire will afford Nigerians the opportunity to know exactly what they want.”

Identity of the group should be ascertained — Afenifere Also, Pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere was of the view that the identity of the group calling for ceasefire should be ascertained. Speaking with Vanguard on phone, Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said “We should be sure which of the Boko Haram sect is calling for a ceasefire. Is it a strategy to rule or what is it all about? The identity of the group should be ascertained and its genuineness should be known before the Federal Government is taken off guard. Since emergency was declared in those three states (Yobe, Adamawa and Borno), the incidence of bombings has gone down but killings continue here and there. So, we must know how genuine the call is and the identity of the group calling for the ceasefire. Was it not Boko Haram that said it was the Federal Government that needed amnesty?”.

Govt should reciprocate —Balarabe Musa In his reaction, former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa expressed optimism that the ceasefire will resolve the insurgency.

“We hope that the Federal Government will respond favourably and effectively to the ceasefire,” he said.

Committee should not concede unnecessarily—Frederick Fasehun Continues on Page 41

6—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Alleged gay pastor held for abusing teenager

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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ORT HARCOURT— A CHURCH founder simply identified as Pastor Chinagoro has been released by the Oyigbo Divisional Police Office in Rivers State after five days in detention for alleged abuse of a 13-year-old Destiny Kalu.

The police, acting on complaints by the victim’s mother, Mrs. Kalu through a counsel, had arrested the Pastor who runs a church in Mbesie, Imo State after the teenager had confided in her mother that the suspect has been having sex with him through his anus.

Vanguard investigations revealed that Destiny, a drummer, had been living with Chinagoro who offered to take care of him out of pity over his parents’ living condition in their Port Harcourt residence.

“The pastor was making love to me in my anus with other children after stripping us naked. I was not the only one. I had reported the issue to some persons who come around the church but no one listened,” the abused teenager said.

He said he left the suspect’s house and picked courage to report to his mother because the suspect was always recording the abusive sexual acts in one of his phones and that every night after satisfying the urge, there would be a strange noise.

While in police custody, a pregnant relative who visited the suspect reacted: “I don’t think my brother could do such thing. It was in my house my brother (the suspect) met Kalu, offered to help and took him to Imo where he has been running his ministry for years and nobody has accused him of any wrong doing.”

Gridlock as persons with disabilities block Asaba/Benin highway

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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SABA — PERSONS with disabilities in Delta State, yesterday, blocked the Asaba/ Benin highway, causing gridlock for hours. They were protesting alleged neglect by the state government.

As a result of the protest, some motorists were stranded as both sides of the road were barricaded.

Chairman of the Association of Persons with Disabilities in the state, Mr. Isaac Obruche, who led the operation vowed that his members would remain under the sun or rain to press home their demands.

According to him, “we embarked on this having failed to have an audience with the governor since his assumption of office and several issues affecting us have not been addressed.

missioner for Health has proved abortive, different messages to his cell phone have not been attended to.

“In the transport sector, in Lagos for example, issues of transportation of persons with disabilities have been addressed and they also have a scheme where persons with disabilities are employed to earn a living. We also have members who are graduates here.

“Of course we have confidence in the governor, no doubt he is a listening governor but the problem we are

having here is that those that are representing us are not doing what they are supposed to do. What do you make out of an able bodied person being a Special Adviser to the governor on Physically Challenge matters? The rehabilitation department of the ministry of women affairs where we fall under is under the management of person who is not physically challenged.

“We have persons with disabilities in the civil service.

Will it be out of place if one of them is in charge of that office? All efforts to see that the

issues are addressed have proved abortive. Countless letters seeking audience with the governor have not yielded fruit.

“Now that we have come here, the only thing that would make us to leave this place is when the governor comes here to address us.”

The Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr. Ovuozourie Macaulay later addressed them and pacified them to leave the highway as government would address the issues raised. However, they were still there at press time.

Their demands “The issues are free medical health care for persons with disabilities; our bill to establish a commission for persons with disabilities in the Delta State House of Assembly is lying there unaddressed; we have the issue of SURE-P in the state in which persons with disabilities were totally excluded at state and local government levels in Delta.

“As I speak, it is only the chairman of Ndokwa East council that has released N1.5 million to empower our people in that locality. The remaining 24 councils have done nothing regarding the SURE-P. “Also, the Ministry of Health has not attended to applications from our members for the past two years and as a matter of fact we lost five of them last year. There are some of them with very sympathetic situations that had applied for medical attention but not granted.

All efforts to meet with the Com-

The physically challenged persons during the protest, yesterday. PHOTO: NATH ONOJAKE

Man nabbed for defiling his two daughters zI don’t know what usually comes over me – Suspect

BY EVELYN USMAN

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AGOS — POLICEMEN at tached to Ikotun division in Lagos have arrested a man alleged to have been having carnal knowledge of his two daughters between the ages of 10 and 13, in the past two years.

His daughters reportedly claimed to have been going through what they described as

horrible experience since their mother left them for another man.

Unable to resist their father, they endured until the elder girl confided in her friend’s mother, who then contacted some child rights groups.

The organisations were said to have effected the man’s arrest at his 29, Omooye Street, Abaranje, last Saturday and handed him over to policemen at Ikotun division.

Explaining, the elder child (names withheld) said: “Our father started it when I was 11 years old. I did not know he was doing same to my sister who was then eight years. I only got to know when I saw her blood stained undies and when I demanded to know whether she had started seeing her monthly flow, she revealed that our father slept with her the previous night.

He usually crept to either of us at night whenever he wanted to satisfy his urge. He was the one who dis-virgined us.”

I beg to be forgiven —Suspect Gridlock at Ilasamaja on Mile 2-Oshodi expressway due to bad portion of the road. Photo: Shola Oyelese.

On his part, the 35-year-old suspect , a commercial bus driver identified as Adewale Adeleke, admitted to the police that he

committed the sacrilegious act.

He claimed, however, that he did not know what usually comes over him at that point.

Hear him: “I beg to be forgiven.

This is the handiwork of the devil because I do not know what usually comes over me. What usually happened was that the urge would just come and before I know it, I would be with either of them.”

When news of the act reached the mother of the children who resides in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, she reportedly rushed to Lagos, where she was quoted as saying that she was shocked beyond words.

She reportedly said she was forced to leave her husband because of alleged battering, in spite of the fact that she was the one responsible for the upkeep of the home. She said while leaving, she handed her two children to her mother with the intention of sending them monthly allowance, only for their father to go and take them.

Executive Director of Esther Child Rights Foundation, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, said her foundation was making effort to ensure that the woman would take custody of her children, adding also that the arrest of the suspect was a first step to ensure that justice was done.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—7

How accused policeman mistakenly fired 7 shots —Witness

BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

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AGOS — A WITNESS in the case involving a policeman, Cpl. Abu Abolaji, who is standing trial for alleged shooting three men to death while on patrol, yesterday, told a Lagos High Court in Igbosere that seven shots were mistakenly fired by him.

The witness, Mr Yahyah Emmanuel, an inspector, told the court that he and three other policemen, including the defendant, were on patrol when the seven shots that left three men dead were fired.

According to the witness, “On October 1, 2009, I was at Adekunle Police Station when we received a distress call informing us of a robbery at Alagomeji after which four of us signed for ammunition and went on patrol.

When we got there, we saw three men who ran into a car and locked themselves up immediately they saw us.

“I got down from the patrol van with Cpl. Abolaji and asked him to go find out why the men ran into the car when they saw us.

After a while, I started hearing gunshots and I moved to the scene to ask the defendant why he was shooting.”

Yahyah further told the court that one of the men died instantly and the other two died on their way to the general hospital on Lagos Island.

He said: “Immediately I got there, Cpl. Abolaji said it was a mistake and the gun was collected from him by another police officer who later discovered that seven of the bullets had been fired.”

Counsel to the defendant, Mr Victor Okpala, argued that Yahyah had not seen the defend-

ant fire the shots, adding that the defendant was on red alert.

State counsel, Mrs O. A. AkinAdesomojo countered that the Inspector had said all he knew about the incident.

After listening to the witness,

Justice Ebenezer Adebajo adjourned to October 9 for continuation of trial.

According to the charge sheet, Abolaji, on October 1, 2009, at 4, Olode Street, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos at 12.30 a.m shot at three

PROTEST: Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Edo State chapter protesting non payment of Teachers Enhancement Allowance, TEA in Benin City, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN.

Farmer remanded for allegedly raping his 14-yr-old daughter

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AGOS — A 50-year-old farmer was, yesterday, charged before a Federal High Court, Lagos, for allegedly raping his 14-year-old daughter.

The accused, Yesiru Onajobi, living at Bogije Street, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State, is standing trial on a two-count charge of unlawfully having carnal knowledge of his teenage daughter.

He is being prosecuted by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Person, NAPTIP. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, however, ordered the accused to be remanded at the Ikoyi prisons.

He adjourned the case to Oct. 21, for hearing of the bail appli-

Man, 45, jailed four years for fraud

BY ONOZURE DANIA

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AGOS — AN Ikeja Magis trate's Court, yesterday, sentenced a 45- year-old businessman, Fred Olise, to four years imprisonment without an option of fine.

Delivering her judgment, Magistrate Abimbola OshodiMakanju, said the sentence was to run concurrently, stating that the defendant will serve his jail term and still pay the complainant N610,000.

The defendant was discharged and acquitted in counts one of the five-count charge levelled against him on the grounds of conspiracy that the prosecution extensively proved that he conspired.

He was convicted on count two and he is to serve two years on the grounds that he defrauded the complainant of N450,000, stating that the defendant admitted to

men— Mr Ibrahim Olojede, Rotimi Philips and Friday Uti— which later led to their death, offences which contravened Section 361 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.

collecting the said sum but that he has not met him before.

Oshodi-Makanju: ”Said I wonder how you will collect money from someone you have never met before. In his words he said the visa was tempered with. He is a big time fraudster and has been in the business for a very long time.”

She discharged him on count three on the grounds that counsel could not prove that he stole the money because it was the complainant that gave him the money willingly.

He was found guilty and convicted on count four and is to serve two years jail term on the grounds that he stole N160,000.

cation of the accused, and a motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the suit.

The accused was first arraigned before retired Justice Benedicta Molokwu of the FHC, sometime in September 2012. The case was, however, re-assigned to a new judge following the retirement of the judge.

The prosecutor told the court that the accused was arrested on January 20, 2010.

Prosecutor said after the death of his wife, the accused had engaged in the habit of sexually harassing his only daughter, kept in his custody, alleging that the accused intimidated and forcefully had carnal knowledge of the teenager, who eventually became pregnant.

According to the prosecutor, the offence contravenes sections 13 (1) and 18 (a) of the Trafficking in Person (Prohibition) Law Enforcement Act 2003.

Police kill thr ee robbery suspects in Ogun

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BEOKUTA — THE Ogun State Police Command said three of the five suspects, who robbed Agarau Shopping Complex in Ota, Sunday, were killed by its men.

The command’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday, in Abeokuta.

Adejobi said: “We heard about

the robbery operation and the command’s men swung into action.

We met the robbers at the scene and engaged them in a fierce gun battle that lasted 30 minutes.

“We were able to kill three of them on the spot while two escaped with bullet wounds.

“The robbers robbed the owner of the complex of N1.2 million before the police anti-robbery

team attached to Onipanu Division led by the Divisional Police Officer, Oyeniyi Yemi, arrived the scene.

“The team recovered the N1.2 million, one locally made single barrel, double-barrel and triplebarrel guns and four live cartridges.We also recovered two expended cartridges and a motorcycle.”

Two r obbery suspects nabbed in Onitsha

BY OKONKWO EZE

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NITSHA — TWO gunmen suspected to be robbers or kidnappers have been apprehended by the police in Onitsha, Anambra State as they were allegedly planning to carry out criminal activities in the commercial city.

The suspects whose identities were yet to be ascertained at press time, according to the source, were arrested at Okpoko area of Onitsha by a combined team of Onitsha vigilance operatives and antirobbery police team attached to Okpoko Police Division who were on a routine patrol in the area.

According to the source, the two men who were neatly dressed and carrying hand bags were shortly on arrest, searched and two AK47 riffles and one pistol found concealed inside their hand bags.

The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, at Okpoko, Mr. Emeka Ugwu (CSP), who confirmed the arrest told newsmen in a telephone chat that there would be no hiding place for criminals in his division.

14-yr-old boy drowns in Osun river

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

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SOGBO—TRAGEDY struck in Osogbo, Sunday evening, when a 14-yearold boy identified as Sefiu Sikiru got drowned in the Osun River while fishing.

According to eye witness, the boy and two of his friends visited the river around 2 p.m on fishing expediction when the incident occurred.

It was learnt that the boy armed with hook, thread and a stick was pull inside by a particular big fish inside the river.

On getting to the middle of the river, the boy got drowned and when his friends noticed it, they took to their heels, leaving Sikiru to his fate.

But one Saheed Buhari of Dupe Aina Street behind Old Governor’s Office heard the boy crying for help and immediately raised alarm.

Buhari also reported the incident at the Ataoja Police station from where men of the fire service in the state and local swimmers were invited on rescue mission. Unfortunately, the boy's body could not be rescued after a long search.

8—Vanguard , TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

NPA gets ultimatum on salaries

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

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OLLOWING the intervention of Federal Government, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has given Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, till next week to pay 11 months outstanding salaries of tally clerks and onboard security men, among other grievances, or all ports operations across the country will be shut down.

The union had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to NPA over the issues, lamenting that same authority spends about N300 million monthly to pay illegal employees known as Cargo Surveyors, who had nothing to do at the ports.

Before the ultimatum elapsed in the last week of June, Federal Government, through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, summoned stakeholders, including Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to a meeting to find solution to the looming industrial unrest in the ports.

President-General of MWUN, Emmanuel Nted, told Vanguard that due to the intervention of Wogu, the union decided to extend the ultimatum with another 14 days to enable NPA to sort itself out over the issues.

AGRIC SUMMIT: From left— Judith Rodin, President, Rockefeller Foundation; President Goodluck Jonathan; Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu, Togolese Prime Minister; Akinwunmi Adeshina, Minister of Agricuture and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Finance Minister, during the pan-African summit on agricultural finance organised by Rockefeller Foundation in Abuja, yesterday. STATE HOUSE PHOTO.

UK to ban Boko Haram under anti-terror law

BY UUDMA KALU, with agency reports

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IGERIAN-based Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram, is to be banned in Britain under anti-terror laws, British Interior Ministry announced yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Home Office said British-based extremists Minbar Ansar Deen, also

NASU urges FG to retain NECO, UTME

BY FUNMI KOMOLAFE

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ON-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has advised Federal Government to retain the central admission system for Ni-

Access Bank AUM hits 200% growth

BY PETER EGWUATU

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CCESS Bank UK Limited, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Access Bank Plc, has declared that its Assets Under Management, AUM, in the private banking and asset management business has increased by over 200 percent to US$18.5 million by the end of 2012.

The bank, in a statement, said AUM had continued to grow and now stand at US$66 million.

According to the statement, “the increase in AUM has been driven by the ability of Access Bank UK to deepen its client relationships by expanding its product portfolio to its clients beyond its traditional focus on

known as Ansar al-Sharia UK, would also be proscribed from Friday, subject to parliamentary approval.

The ministry said in a statement, “this will make membership of, and support for, these organisations a criminal offence.

“The government is determined to work with the international community to tackle

terrorism and take the steps necessary to keep the UK public safe.

“Proscription of these groups sends a clear message that we condemn their activities.”

Some 3,600 people have been killed during Boko Haram’s four-year insurgency in north and central Nigeria, according to Human Rights Watch.

British government said its ban on Boko Haram would

banking and asset management services.

“Buy-to-let property loans, investor visa and discretionary portfolio lending provide new routes for customers to access hard currency outside of Africa.

“The bank provides private banking services to African/ Nigerian Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, UHNWIs, in the UK and sub-Saharan Africa.

“Services provided include traditional private banking services, property and discretionary portfolio lending.”

The statement said the number of customers had grown since the launch of the Private Bank in 2009.

gerian universities and jettison the Oronsaye report that recommended the scrapping of National Examination Council, NECO. Rising from its meeting held in Lokoja, Kogi State, the union’s WAEC, libraries and other trade groups’ branch described the proposals contained in the Steve Oronsaye committee report.

NASU described the report, which recommended the scrapping of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the merging of NECO with West African Examination Council, WAEC, as “ retrogressive, unproductive and one that will worsen the education sector in the country.”

The union said: “It will increase the level of unemployment, the ills in the society and also defeat the essence of national cohesion.”

NASU’s views were contained in a resolution signed by its Deputy President, Mr. Michael Adegoke and Secretary, Prince Damola

Adelekun.

It expressed concern about insecurity in the country and called on all tiers of government to “intensify action in protecting the lives and property of the citizenry.”

However, labour relations appear strained between the union and WAEC as the union accused the management of WAEC of highhandedness.

Making reference to the queries issued to three principal officer of the union in WAEC, the union said: “The cordial industrial relationship that has been in existence between the Union and WAEC is being threatened by this repressive, choice of monologue and oppressive posture of WAEC management.”

It advised the management of WAEC to “as a matter of urgency, start dialogue with the union over the demands of its members.

“The union will not compromise the rights of its members at any time.”

give police the power to target British support for the group.

The British-based Minbar Ansar Deen allegedly promotes terror through its website and encourages people to travel abroad to engage in extremist activity, the Home Office added.

Terrorism Act

Under the 2000 Terrorism Act, the home secretary, or Interior Minister, can ban an organisation if it is believed to have terror links.

If the ban on Boko Haram and Minbar Ansar Deen is approved by parliament, it will be a criminal offence in Britain to belong to or support the groups, as well as to arrange meetings or wear clothing supporting them.

Al-Qaeda and Somalia’s AlShabaab insurgents are also proscribed under British law.

Offenders could face fines of up to £5,000 or up to 10 years in prison.

Boko Haram is a militant Islamist group based in Nigeria led by the country ’s most wanted man, Abubakar Shekau.

Its name means “Western education is forbidden” and it has waged an insurgency for more than a decade.

The United States, yesterday, posted up to $23 million in rewards to help track down five leaders of militant groups accused of spreading terror in West Africa.

The highest reward of $7 million is offered for Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who last week called on Islamists in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join the bloody fight to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.

Vanguard , TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—9

NGF, lawyers fault Reps on immunity clause

BY SONI DANIEL,Regional Editor, North; OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE, with agency report

A

BUJA—WORRIED by moves by the House of Representatives to remove the immunity clause that protects the President and governors from prosecution while in office, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, and some lawyers have begun moves to stop the plan from sailing through.

In its report, presented to the plenary last week, the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review recommended the scrapping of SIECs, local government joint account with states and removal of immunity protecting the President and governors from prosecution while in office.

The lawmakers claimed that the recommendations reflected the wishes of the majority of the electorate who took part public hearing sessions.

The publication of the outcome of the committee’s work has, however, raised concerns among political interests,

which view the move as one that could expose senior political figures to undue prosecutions over personal and public infractions in the course of their work.

Recommendations unacceptable — Amaechi

Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, told Vanguard yesterday, that the recommendations were not acceptable to governors and that appropriate decisions were being taken in line with the wishes of the people.

The governor said that there was no need for Nigerians to chastise the lawmakers for their work, as the governors also have a role to play before the recommendations become law.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said that the legislators meant well for the country.

He said: “Ät all times, we have tried to do the best to

save this country with farreaching decisions that many have come to cherish after the initial furore. What these men have done is to promote a better Nigeria and bring development to the third tier of government in particular.

“We believe that if the amendments are effected they would go a long way to give Nigerians a new lease of life across board.”

However, some lawyers in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, said making Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, solely responsible for the conduct of all elections was a breach of the principle of true federalism.

NBA

Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja branch, urged the National Assembly to drop the idea because “it negates the principle of proper federalism.

“If you say local governments are under states, the states should be responsible for conducting elections into council positions.”

LAUNCH: From left— Mr. Charl van Heerden, Managing Director, Brand Fusion Marketing Ltd; Dr. Mairo Mandara, Nigerian representative of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BMGF; Salah Goss of BMGF; Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, and Modupe Ladipo, CEO, EFInA, at the launch of the GIS results for Nigeria by CBN and BMGF in Lagos, yesterday.

He said that most elections conducted by some state electoral commissions in the past had not lived to the expectations of many Nigerians due to lack of fairness and credibility.

He said: “The electoral fraud at that level is very high, but scrapping SIECs will not solve the problem. What we should do is to build strong institutions which would ensure that our elections are free and fair.”

A former Chairman of NBA, Ikeja branch, Mr. Adebamigbe Omole, said making INEC the sole body in charge of elections would lead to more abuses because “this will only give the Federal Government more powers to trample on the rights of states like they are doing with the police.

He said: “Look at what is happening to Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. That is why some governors are clamouring for state police.”

On his part, a human rights activist, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, said Nigerians should be vigilant and defend their votes at all elections.

Ihedioha reacts

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the ad-hoc committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday, explained why his committee did not adopt state police, single tenure and immunity for the President, vice president, governors and deputy governors as had been canvassed by some commentators and critics.

Ihedioha revealed this in a meeting with Civil Society Organisations,CSOs, saying: “Once again we did our duty. If the Senate or the House of Representatives or state Houses of Assembly reject this clear decision of the people, so be it.

“It is again for Nigerians to hold those it elected accountable.”

Ihedioha said: “The committee conducted a painstaking consultative process with major stakeholders as joint-organisers.

These stakeholders include NLC, TUC, NUJ, NUT, CSOs, NULGE, NCWS, youths and students organisations, NBA, and so on."

195 senior police officers face trial

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

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BUJA—POLICE High Command, yesterday, commenced the trial of four Assistant Inspectors General of Police, AIGs; 17 Commissioners of Police, CPs; and 174 other senior officers for various disciplinary offences.

Those facing trial also include two Deputy Commissioners of Police, six Assistant Commissioners of Police, and several

Chief Superintendents, Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents.

The offences for which they are being tried bothered on misconduct, negligence of duty, collusion with Boko Haram insurgents, manslaughter, criminal acts, conspiracy other misconducts.

Already, 14 senior officers, including a Commissioner of Police, one Assistant Commissioner of Police, one CSP, two Superintendents, one Deputy Superintendent

and eight ASPs have been dismissed from the force.

Sixteen others, including two CSP’s, one Superintendent and 13 ASPs, were compulsorily retired even as 22 others were demoted.

The only CP that was dismissed is Zakari Biu, who was indicted in the escape of Boko Haram suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, while the case of former Plateau State CP, Femi Ayeni, was still being investigated.

Deputy Inspector-Gen-

eral of Police, DIG, in charge of Administration and Chairman of the FDC, Suleiman Fakai made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Fakai said the committee would complete its assignment between yesterday and Friday.

Meanwhile, punishment for such infractions include but not limited to dismissals, reprimand, serious reprimand, demotion in rank or exoneration, as the case may be.

NLNG vs NIMASA: Court refuses to renew order

BY INNOCENT ANABA

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AGOS—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, refused to renew the order exparte granted in favour of Nigeria Liquefied and Natural Gas, NLNG, Limited, restraining Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, from detaining its vessels over failure to pay statutory charges to Federal Government.

Trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, who turned down the oral application by NLNG’s lawyer, also warned parties to desist from engaging in acts that could undermine proceedings in court.

NLNG and NIMASA had been locked in battle over the issue of non-payment of certain statutory levies and charges which NIMASA claims are due to it from NLNG. The court had on June 18, 2013 in a suit between NLNG against the Attorney-General of the Federation and Global West Vessels Specialists, restrained the defendants from charging, imposing, demanding or collecting the three percent of gross freight earnings or any other sums further to section 15(a) of NIMASA Act 2007 on all of NLNG’s international inbound or outbound cargo ships owned, contracted or subcontracted by it.

AGF and Global West had last Friday in separate applications, sought to discharge the ex-parte order on the grounds that the order was essentially made against NIMASA, which was not a party in the suit.

10 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Why prosecutions against corruption fail — CAFIN

BY EVELYN USMAN

LAGOS — PRESIDENT of Coalition Against Fraud in Nigeria, CAFIN, Mr. Debo Adeniran, yesterday, identified poor reports by police investigators as the reason many corruption cases were not successfully prosecuted.

Adeniran spoke in an interview with journalists in Lagos.

He gave the suggestion on the sideline of the just concluded five-day workshop on Corporate Fraud organised by the Police Special Fraud Unit in collaboration with City of London Police.

According to him, prosecutors of corrupt wealthy Nigerians found it difficult to charge the suspects accurately in court, saying, “there should be cooperation between the officers to carry out prosecution after investigation.

The investigators should be able to send a report in such a way that it will be easy for prosecutors to file a proper case. Most of the investigations are badly written and it will be difficult for prosecutors to make use of them to file good charges.

“When a case is badly filed, the judge will have no case to work on and that may lead to court throwing out the case.”

NRC acquires equipment for rehabilitating rail system

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

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AGOS — NIGERIA Railway Corporation, NRC, has acquired two telescopic rail cranes, two overhead cranes, one wheel press machine and two weigh bridges, to enhance its operational efficiency in the ongoing rehabilitation of the railway industry.

The German made telescopic rail cranes with loaded-carriage capacity of 100 tonnes and axle weight of 128 tonnes, are expected to travel at 20km per hour when self propelled and up to 100 km per hour when hauled.

RETREAT: From left, Most Rev. Daniel Okoh, President, Organisation of African Instituted Churches (Nigeria Region) and Rt. Rev. M.O. Owadayo (rtd), Anglican Bishop, at OAIC Leaders' Retreat, in Badagry, Lagos State.

Lagos lawmakers probe councils’ activities at the House of Assembly Complex, was meant to properly monitor and guide the AGOS — LAGOS State House of Asprogress of capital projects in local governsembly, yesterday,, commenced investiments and its local council development argation of capital projects of local government eas. areas through the report of the Auditor- GenFafunmi explained at the beginning of the exercise that: “We have evaluated the local government councils and we have come out with a resolution that if we want a different result we need a more pragmatic

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI “Human needs oxygen which ‘Green was peace’. approach, that is why we Explaining the choice of the is the waste product of tree, while have decided to include AGOS — AHEAD of the theme for this year’s celebration, tree needed carbon monoxide the Heads of Unit to be part July 14, 2013 annual tree Anibaba said; “Planting of trees which is also waste from human of the representation”. planting day celebration in La- will create a better wellbeing for being for survival.”

To this effect all the Local The theme was also chosen; “to gos, the state government, yes- the residents and it is the cheapGovernment Areas, LGAs re-sensitise the public on the est solution to mitigate climate terday, said over 4.3 million trees and Local Council Develneed to live with green espehad been planted in the first five change.” opment Areas, LCDAs that He noted that both; “human cially planting tree, desist from years of its tree planting cam- and tree needs each other for sur- dumping of refuse into the drain, appeared yesterday inpaign as part of measures to re- vival. cluded: Agege, Bariga, conserve energy and others.”

Ayobo/Ipaja, Apapa and duce the impacts of global climate Amuwo–Odofin. change.

However, they were The government also said the asked to re-appear at anstate had over 170 parks and garBY GODFREY BIVBERE every one docks immediately and other date within the week dens across the state and that alongside all the Heads of additional three were under conAGOS — CHAIRMAN begins the discharge.”

Unit.

“I remember when I was workstruction in Badagry, Alimosho of the Monitoring and ImFafunmi added that the and Ipakodo, Ikorodu axis of the plementation committee of the ing in Lagos, as you are driving move was also to improve state.

National Council on Privatisation, on the Marina, you used to have the public performance of It will be recalled that gover- Dr. Shamshudeen Usman, has a large flotilla of ships waiting to local government to further nor, Babatunde Fashola flagged- commended port concessionaires berth. Now it looks as if there is earn the trust of the grassoff the tree planting campaign in for their positive impact on the not enough business in the ports, roots.

Bisi Yusuf, a member of September 2008 along Ikorodu cost of doing business in Nigeria. but it is really because of the work the committee, while coraxis of the state, “with the aim to Usman, who doubles as the that all these companies are do- roborating, said: “You ing. orientate residents of the state on Minister for National Planning, “With all the improvements in should endeavour to come the importance of tree planting, gave assessment of the port teralong with all the Heads and as a mitigating measure to minal operators (PTOs) during the investments that are taking of unit even if the query climate change.” his committee’s inspection of port place, we are heading towards a does not concern some of situation of a significant impact. them as this will ensure Head of consultant to the La- facilities around Apapa.

“For example, the additional that all heads realise that gos State Parks and Gardens According to him, “The effiAgency, LASPARK, Dr. Titi ciency of the ports is in multiples surcharge that used to be placed they have to be accountAnibaba, who disclosed this in of what it was prior to the con- on every container has been re- able for their beats and can moved. This is a benefit to the be called upon at any time. an interview with Vanguard, cession.

The exercise is expected said the theme for this year’s tree “There is no waiting time for importers, those who are doing to last for two weeks. planting day celebration was; ships as they come into Apapa; business.”

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

L

eral.

It is being done through the House Committee on Public Account, (LocalGovernment), According to Dayo Fafunmi, chairman of the committee, the two-week exercise taking place

We’ve planted 4.3m trees to counter climate change — Lagos govt

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Minister identifies port concession gains

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 — 11

Governors, Presidency diminished by NGF crisis — Fayemi

BY EMMANUELAZIKEN

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OVERNOR KAYODE Fayemi of Ekiti State has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to use his moral authority to resolve the crisis in the Nigerian Governors' Forum, which he said, poses a bad omen for the 2015 general elections, and diminished the reputation of both the governors and the Presidency.

LAUNCH: From left, Author of 'Awesome Digest,' Mrs. Olajumoke Adenowo; book PreGovernor Fayemi in a session senter/Governor, Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Managing Director, L’oreal Central West with newsmen in Lagos also Africa, Mr. Idorienyin Enang; his wife, Susie, and Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC, Mr. warned that unless the security Yinka Sanni, during the launch of the book, in Lagos, weekend. challenges in the country were addressed the 2015 general elections may not hold.

Noting the spate of insecurity in the country which has resulted in the declaration of state of emergency in three states in the North East Governor Fayemi regretted the

BY DAUD OLATUNJI ward 12, in Sagamu Local Government Area of poor intelligence gathering BEOKUTA — STRONG indications emerged, the state, was accused of anti-party activities capacity of the security agenyesterday, that the National leadership of the which includes alleged funding of Labour Party. cies which he said had unSpeaking at the commissioning of the party necessarily prolonged the criPeoples Democratic Party may overrule the suspension slammed on the former governor of Ogun Secretariat in Abeokuta South Local Government sis.

State,Otunba Gbenga Daniel for alleged anti-party Area, beside Alake Sport Centre, in Ijeja “There are no crises in NGF; Abeokuta, the National Chairman of the party, activities. people want to beat about the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur described Daniel as a Daniel who was suspended by his ward in Sagamu statesman that bush. And it is a very danmust be accorded gerous omen for 2015. his deserved sta- "Our colleagues, who have found themselves defending tus.

Tukur who was this albatross round their represented by a necks, know that this will also chieftain of the come to haunt them. A lot of party who is also them have lost their credibilthe Chairman, ity,” Dr. Fayemi said.

Governing Coun- “First; when they said there cil of Federal Road M a i n t e n a n c e was no election. When we Agency, FERMA, came out with the tape, NiEngr. Jide Adeniji gerians knew that there was said the former an election, where the ballot governor is a was counted. statesman and be- “They said the chairman did fore a man of his not vacate his seat, but we calibre could be had two hours of debate besuspended it has fore the election. This is what to come from the most people were not aware National Executive Council, of.”

NEC, of the party. ”Before we got to 35 votes “If the suspen- cast and counted, we had sion was not le- three full hours of debate on gally followed, it one; consensus: we said at the will be reviewed last meeting we had finished by the National about the idea of consensus Executive Council (and) taken decision that . "Daniel is still a Okaru is going to organise member of PDP. election and whoever wins Peradventure, some of his fol- becomes our chairman. lowers are in La- ”Later they said we used bour Party, he open ballot, show of hands, can’t stop them,” we said we are adults, we did not use show of hands; we he said.

He, however, used secret ballot because it disclosed the par- is what is recognised in the ty’s plan to recon- country’s electoral act. They cile all the ag- agreed again,” Governor grieved members Fayemi said. of the party including the former He urged the President as governor at a a former governor and a memmeeting which he ber of NGF to use the authorsaid would hold ity of his office to resolve what in Abuja in the he described as an unnecesnext two weeks. sary crisis.

National PDP may overrule Daniel’s suspension A

Freight forwarders rally support for ailing council

BY GODWIN ORITSE

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OR the second time in about one month, practising freight forwarders again last week rallied support for the crises-ridden Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN. At a meeting held in Lagos at the instance of the immediate past chairman of the CRFFN governing counci, Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju and attended by leaders of all the registered freight forwarding associations under the council last Friday, it was agreed that there is the need to set up a sevenman committee to fashion out a revival programme for the council.

Members of the committee are: Chief Ernest Elochukwu, Chief Peter Obih, Alhaji Hakeem Olarenwaju and Alhaji Aminu Kaye.Others are ;President of NAGAFF, Chief Eugene Nweke, Alhaji Moshood Tijani and Chief C.A.T Agubamah.

Ondo moves destitute, lunatics to corrective centres

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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KURE — ONDO State government is to clampdown on lunatics and destitute on the streets in all towns and cities in the state by moving them to a correctional centres.

The state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko said the government will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that lunatics and destitute roaming the streets become inmates at the state correctional centres.

Mimiko said the government, through the Women Affairs ministry is putting machinery in place to ensure that prospective inmates who are still on the streets are brought into the centres and adequately benefit from the caring heart agenda of the government.

12 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Amaechi’s emer gence, God’s handwork —Rivers Chief of Staff

BY JIMITOTA ONOY-

UME

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ORT HARCOURT— CHIEF of Staff to Rivers State Government House, Mr Tony Okocha, yesterday, said that the emergence of Mr Chibuike Amaechi as governor of the state in 2007 was the handwork of God. Okocha who spoke to newsmen in Port Harcourt, noted that Amaechi becoming a governor of the state was beyond human understanding.

He said. “The governorship of Rotimi Amaechi was beyond all understanding because every effort by man failed.”

He said it was necessary to put the record straight after the allegations made by the Minister of State for Education, Mr Nyesom Wike in

several papers last weekend. According to Okocha, Amaechi had a good case, adding that it was why his legal team was able to secure victory at the Supreme Court.

“I have called you to respond to issues raised

by Chief Wike, Minister of State for Education.

The Minister has unbridled penchant for lies.

Mr President will soon know who his true friends are. Amaechi took off to Ghana but he had briefed his lawyers before the trip. It was through the divine will of God that Amaechi became governor.

“This is the sequence.

Amaechi had a good case. The issue was about substitution, the reason for which you can substitute a candidate must be cogent and verifiable. But that was not

the case with Amaechi.

It was clear later that Amaechi was not the target. A lot of people played different roles. A lot of people made contributions. I grant him (Wike) that he played roles as well.”

Okocha dismissed as untrue, allegation by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state that the governor had concluded arrangement to leave the party.

It will be recalled that the Felix Obuah led faction of the party in the state had alleged before President Goodluck Jonathan, when they visited him at the Presidential villa, Abuja, that Governor Amaechi was on his way out of the party. “Amaechi is still a very strong and foundation member of the PDP,” he said.

Abe reconciles warring Ogoni communities

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ORT HARCOURT— SENATOR Magnus Abe, has begun the process of reconciling warring communities in Ogoniland of Rivers State.

The peace move that started with K. Dere and B. Dere communities had been extended to Deeyor and Deken in Gokana Local Government Area of the state.

Addressing the people

of the communities locked in clashes over land dispute at separate venues, he implored them to forgive one another and allow peace to reign in the area.

Abe, representing Rivers South-East in the National Assembly, watched majority of the people indicate interest in peaceful co-existence, assuring that the peace efforts in the dis-

30 0 0 benefit from N60 m SURE-P fund in Edo

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE ENIN—OVER N60 million was weekend, paid to 3000 beneficiaries of SURE-P by the Edo State office of the programme under its Community Services and Women Empowerment Programme.

Each beneficiary received the sum of N20,000 for the months of April and May, 2013.

State Chairman of SURE-P in Edo State, Mr. Lucky Imasuen, who

B

disclosed this while disbursing the money, said that the beneficiaries were earlier in March paid N10,000 each amounting to N30million.

He disclosed that the distribution of forms for the second batch of the programme in which 2000 people are expected to be employed will commence very soon as soon as Abuja gives them the green light to do so.

trict would continues though, he acknowledged God as the fulcrum for peace in the communities.

“Many people have fought for so long in several communities, they had developed hatred for one another, and deepseated misunderstanding, it’s not possible for you to decree peace, it is only God that working through their minds that can bring peace that would be sustainable.”

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), said as part of the initiative, representatives from the communities would work with him to restore peace.

“We had asked them to nominate their representatives that will come, together to create the terms and conditions under which talks will hold; we are looking for home-grown peace based on forgiveness, togetherness and understanding because it is our responsibility to hand over our communities peacefully to the next generation.”

C M Y

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 — 13

Ibru, Urhobo students mourn Ewherido

BY EMMAAMAIZE, HENRY UMORU & AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE.

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BRIEFING: Delta State Secretary to State Government, SSG, Mr. Ovuozorie Macaulay (left); Information Commissioner, Chike Ogeah (middle)and state Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr. Norbert Chiazor, during a Mid-Term Report media briefing by the SSG in Asaba. Photo: Nath Onojake.

Gunmen kill soldier, kidnap an Israeli in Benin

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

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ENIN—GUNMEN yesterday, in Benin, Edo State, killed a Soldier on guard duty at SETRACO Construction Company yard and kidnapped an Israeli working with the company.

Vanguard gathered that another soldier was reportedly shot and wounded, while a third soldier, also on guard duty was said to have escaped the attack launched by the gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.

It was also learnt that the kidnap victim, whose name could not be established at press time, is said to be a staff of SETRACO working on the Upper Mission Road in Benin.

When contacted, yesterday, 4

Brigade Army spokesperson, Capt. Roslyn Managbe, said she was yet to be briefed on the incident.

But her Edo Police Command counterpart, Mr. Mo-

ses Eguavoen, who confirmed the incident, said police had commenced covert intelligence gathering with a view to apprehending the suspects and also ascertain what might

....As Police nab 5 suspected kidnappers of 3 corps members

BY JIMITOTAONOYUME

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ORT HARCOURT—RIVERS State Police Commissioner; Mr Joseph Mbu, said, yesterday, that five persons have been arrested in connection with the abduction of the three National Youths Service Corps, NYSC

members, who regained their freedom on Sunday.

Mbu at the Police headquarters, Port Harcourt said corps members serving in Ogolokon community, where the three corps members were taken hostage had been relocated to Ominima still in Abua Odua Local Government Area, add-

Abasi Otu r e-emerges Obong of Calabar

BY EMMA UNA

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ALABAR—THE Conclave of Etubom Traditional Council, has re-selected Etubom Ekpo Abasi Otu of Adiabo Ikot Mbo House, who was deposed by the Appeal Court in Calabar Thursday last week, to the stool of Obong of Calabar.

The Etubom Council in Calabar, said the ruling of the Appeal Court ordered the kingmakers to conduct another process to select the Obong of Calabar in accordance with provisions of the constitution of Etuboms’ Council of 2002 and in strict compliance with the rules of natural justice. It said: “The Etubom’s Council has promptly

have led to the incident.

He assured members of the public of police determination to provide safety for them and their property.

complied with the court order by taking all the necessary steps leading to and covening of the Etuboms’ Conclave which conducted another selection process for the position of Obong.”

A statement by 14 Etuboms, representing the 14 ruling houses to the Obong of Calabar, said: “The turn of the ruling house to produce the Obong after the demise of Nta Elijah Henshaw is Atai Iboku group of houses as provided for under the constitution of the Etuboms’ Constitution of 2002.

Accordingly, the most senior Etubom of the Atai Iboku group of houses, Etubom Lawrence Asido presented their unani-

mously selected nominee for the throne of Obong of Calabar in the person of Etubom Okon Otu. Having been satisfied with the candidate’s qualifications and eligibility and with no dissent whatsoever among the kingmakers, the Etuboms’ Conclave thefore, declared him the successor to the throne of Obong of Calabar.”

The re-emergence of Abasi Otu forecloses the agitation by Chief Anthony Ani to the throne of Obong which has been subject of litigation and leading to the Appeal Court judgment of Thursday last week, which excluded him from further participation in the selection processes since he was not a capped chief.

ing that the Police took the action because of the vulnerable nature of the lodge.

He said: “The lodge, close to mangrove water is too vulnerable for attacks,” adding that security of the occupants should have been considered in the location of a residential quarters for corps members.

Meantime, security operatives in Rivers State have been urged to take steps to guarantee the security of lives and property in the state.

A group, Pilot in a statement in Port Harcourt, expressed worries over the rising incidents of kidnapping and shootings in Port Harcourt.

The group in its statement by Mr Egbe Festus pleaded with security operatives to ensure that the state did not return to the era when hoodlums overran the state.

Continuing, the group charged the people of the state to join in building a peaceful state, adding that cult clashes in Amadiama area of Port Harcourt on June 28, which allegedly left one dead should not be allowed to occur again.

BUJA—FORMER governor of Delta State, Olorogun Felix Ibru has described late Senator Pius Ewherido, who died penultimate Sunday as a man who served his people well.

The former President, Urhobo Progressive Union, UPU, however, charged all political office holders in the country to embrace and sustain the culture of transparent service.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Urhobo Students, has described the death of Senator Ewherido as an eclipse of a promising leader, saying it came to the group as a rude shock.

The students in a statement by their National President, Igbighogho Ernest, said “The news of Senator Ewherido’s death came to us as a big shock.

In fact, when the news came, we thought someone was making fool of us, considering the importance of the Senator to the Urhobo nation, particularly Urhobo students nationwide.”

Continuing, Senator Ibru, who served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service between 2003 and 2007, said that it had become imperative on every public officer to take the issue of good service serious as same was not negotiable.

The former governor who spoke weekend, when he paid a condolence visit to the family of late Senator Ewherido Pius Akpor in Abuja, stressed that Senator Ewherido was an example of a good political office holder.

Signing a condolence register opened for the late Ewherido at his Asokoro residence in Abuja, Ibru wrote, “Senator, you served well and your people will always remember you.

May your soul rest in peace” The Urhobo students on their part said: “The Senator was a man who knew the needs of his people and always wanted to meet those needs. Urhobo nation will miss the senator. We will miss his unfinished service towards the promotion of the Urhobo nation, his human capital development scheme and scholarship programme will surely be missed.”

14—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

NNPC to acquire divested assets of IOCs

Enugu PDP caucus okays zoning of guber to Nsukka

BY MICHAEL EBOH, WITH AGENCY REPORT

BY TONY EDIKE

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NUGU—ENUGU State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, caucus, has affirmed the position of Governor Sullivan Chime by zoning the 2015 governorship seat to Enugu North Senatorial District, also known as Nsukka cultural zone.

The decision put to rest speculations of aspirations being expressed by certain persons and groups from Enugu West Senatorial District where the incumbent governor hails from.

There are speculations that the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, and some other contestants are warming up to contest the gubernatorial seat from Enugu West where Chime emerged, insisting that the party had no zoning arrangement.

The unanimous endorsement of the governor ’s position followed a motion moved by Chief Dubem Onyia, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

He hinged his recommendation on the “inherent agreement we have in Enugu State, in view of our historical antecedents.”

Senator Ben-Collins Ndu seconded the motion.

There was no dissenting voice when it was put to voice vote by the state chairman of the party, Engr. Vita Abba, leading to loud ovation from the members at the state caucus meeting.

....As group drums support for Mamah

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S political gladiators from Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State fall over one another to get the support of Governor Sullivan Chime for governorship of the state in 2015, Nsukka Renaissance Group, NRG, has asked Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Ifesinachi Industries Limited, Prince Emeka Mamah, to contest for the exalted position.

A joint statement by both the President and General Secretary of the NRG, Mr Bernard Odo, and Ikechukwu Onu respectively, said Prince Mamah possessed the wherewithal to govern Enugu State and provide the needed infrastructure, as according to them, he is level headed, unassuming, intelligent and above all energetic and Godfearing.

NIKKAI—From left: Mrs Adepeju Docemo, bride's mother; couple, Mr and Mrs Folarin Rufai Daodu and Princess Erelu Abiola Dosunmu at the Nikkai between Olubukola Ayisat and Folarin Rufai in Lagos. Photo: Shola Oyelese.

Return to classroom, FG begs ASUU

BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU & JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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BUJA—THE Federal Government, yesterday, begged the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to return to classrooms, as the union insisted that the strike would continue unless agreements between it and government were implemented.

The strike which began last week, entered its second week yesterday, even as the union and Education Ministry officials appear before the National Assembly today.

Minister of Education, Professor Ruqquayat Rufa’i, who made the appeal, said the union should call off its strike in the interest of students.

Rufa’i said: “We are going to meet with ASUU and all those that are concerned at the Senate today. We are going to appear before the Senate and the House Committee on Education and we are pleading with ASUU to go

back to classroom and let our children go back to school.”

Speaking to Vanguard, ASUU President, Dr Isa Nasir Fagge Isa, however, said the strike would continue until the Federal Government faithfully implemented agreement in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU reached between both parties.

Strike to contine unless...

He said: “On whether the strike will continue or be called off is dependent on government’s decision. If the government does what is right, I assure you that we will call off the strike immediately, we will look at what government has and we will review the situation.

“We don’t have to inform anybody that we are taking an action when it becomes clear to us that what we are doing cannot make any headway. We looked at all the options available before embarking on the strike.

“I must remind you that a

strike is a fundamental right of a worker, if it becomes clear to a worker that the dialogue with his employer is becoming the dialogue of the deaf and dump, the worker has the right to withdraw his services, that is a fundamental right, it is enshrined in the ILO conventions and it is part of the right of Nigerian citizens.

“We have realised that each time we reached an agreement with the government, government finds it difficult to implement the provisions of the agreement and that is the reason our members advised that we just go back to the trenches.

“You should ask the government, out of the nine provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding we had how many have been implemented?

“Out of the provisions, government had been able to implement two which is the “review of the retirement age of academics on the professional cadre from 65 to 70 years and the reinstatement of the governing council of universities".

....ASUP wants FG, N-Assembly to review Poly Act

BY PETER OKUTU & OKONKWO EZE

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BAKALIKI—THE Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, chapter of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, yesterday, called on both the Federal Government and National Assembly to review the Act establishing federal polytechnics as a way of proffering solution to the over three months strike embarked upon by polytechnics in the country.

Chairman of ASUP, Akanu

Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Comrade Edmund Onyeneho, who made the call at a briefing in Afikpo, in solidarity with ASUP, blamed the current impasse on Federal Government’s insensitivity to the plight of polytechnic lecturers and students.

He said his chapter was fully committed to the struggle by the National body of ASUP to liberate the polytechnic system from the current neglect which had culminated in the disparity and discrimination of products of the polytechnic system by the society

He said: “ASUP demands the speedy review of the Federal Polytechnics Act. The National Assembly should do more than lip service in this regard. There is now an urgent need to review this Act and reposition polytechnics to effectively fulfil the goals of technological growth and development in Nigeria.

For avoidance of doubt, no demand of ASUP in the present situation is selfish. ASUP is only asking for government’s attention to the debilitating state of polytechnics and also to treat the products of the system not as second rate graduates.

IGERIAN National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, said it will acquire the divested assets of International Oil Companies, IOCs, in Nigeria.

The NNPC has also borrowed about N224 billion ($1.4 billion) from the international financial market to settle N496 billion ($3.1 billion) indebtedness of its subsidiary — the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC — to importers of petroleum products into the country over the last three years.

Speaking on plans to acquire the divested interests of oil majors, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, Group Managing Director, NNPC, said it is prepared to take over and operate the assets sold off in Nigeria by foreign oil companies.

He said, “With the divestment of the oil majors, the NPDC comes across as the major option for indigenous participation that will replace companies like Shell and other companies that wanted to divest their equities.”

He disclosed that the NPDC has been repositioned to ensure that the acquired assets remain productive to boost the company’s reserve base and ultimately ensure increases in revenue for Nigeria.

Mark pleads with constituents not to defect to other parties

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—SENATE President, David Mark, has pleaded with his constituents not to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for any other party because of disagreement.

Senator Mark, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, told members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in his area to put their house in order ahead of next elections, stressing that cross carpeting on account of any little disagreement was unhealthy for politics.

Mark, who held a parley with some members of his constituents weekend, however, renewed his call for peace and mutual cooperation that would engender progress in the land.

He called for consistency in politics, pointing that “politics is not synonymous with deceit or inconsistency but steadfastness that should attract development and welfare for the citizenry.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—15

'Why Northern monarchs won't back Jonathan's re-election bid in 2015'

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

thereby setting the stage for a bitter confrontation with the

President and his hordes of supporters, particularly his

kinsmen from Ijaw ethnic nationality.

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

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S the nation prepares for the next general election, a strong indication emerged yesterday that some key northern traditional rulers, who spearheaded the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, are not ready to back his reelection in 2015.

The anger of the monarchs, Vanguard gathered, stems from what they see as a spirited attempt by the Presidency to deny an agreement President Jonathan allegedly reached with them before they gave their nod to his election in 2011.

A northern governor, who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity, pointed out that there was an unwritten understanding between the President and northern monarchs that he would not stay in office beyond 2015, if given the support to complete late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s tenure and run for a term of four years.

The governor said it was wrong for those, who did not know what took place between the president and North to begin to whip up political sentiments, insisting that what transpired was a gentleman’s agreement that must be respected.

The governor said it was the unwritten undertaking reached between the North and Jonathan in 2011 that the Sultan of Sokoto made a veiled reference to at a meeting of Islamic scholars in Abuja last week.

The Sultan had said the North gave Jonathan a blueprint to work on and that they would evaluate implementation of same to decide on the way forward.

Kano politician, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, said Jonathan’s attempt to deny the deal he reached with the North was the basis for the renewed anger in the region.

Muhammed said: “That agreement is the basis of the anger against the President and they can no longer trust him. If an agreement with northern governors is not respected, what of the one the President had with the emirs and other leaders of the area that he would do a single term and return power to the North?

"It is left to Jonathan to show statesmanship and respect the deal before during and after his election because it is dangerous to disagree with emirs in the North.”

Niger State governor, Dr. Aliyu Babangida, was the first to accuse President Jonathan of trying to breach the agreement he reached with northern governors in 2011 to do a single term of four years, C M Y K

APGA faction calls for deployment of more troops to Yobe

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From left: Chairman, Access Bank, Gbenga Oyebode, Chief Molade Okoya Thomas, Deputy Group Managing Director, Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe and Group Managing Director, Access Bank, Aigboje Aig- Imoukhuede at the just concluded Access Bank Day at Ham Polo in London.

Katsina has highest rate of teenage pregnancy — NPC

BY CHRIS OCHAYI BUJA—THE National Population Commission, NPC, disclosed yesterday that Katsina State has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and motherhood in Nigeria.

Chairman of NPC, Eze Festus Odimegwu, who disclosed this at a briefing to mark the 2013 World Population Day in Abuja, said while the state accounted for 65 percent of teenage pregnancy, Edo State recorded the least percentage of 2.9.

Odimegwu said: “Teenage pregnancy varies markedly in the Northern and Southern zones, as well as urban and rural areas.

“They are higher in the Northern geo-political zone’s rural areas. One in every three

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teenage girls in the North has started child bearing in 2008, compared to one in every 10 in the South.

Odimegwu, who was represented by the Head, Technical Management, NPC, Mr. Festus Uzor, noted that pregnancy was the highest killer of teenage girls worldwide.

He said for girls and women aged 15-19, pregnancy and child birth were the number one killer, adding that they were the cause of 50,000 deaths of teenage girls every year.

He opined that: “Teenage pregnancy not only imposes severe health and psychological strains on their baby and the teen mothers but also have a long term negative impacts on

sustainable development efforts.

“It worsens the population and reproductive health situation and compromises genuine efforts to promote gender equity, educational attainment, family values and economic development”.

Odimegwu named the negative impacts of teenage pregnancy to include unsafe abortion, pregnancy complications, poor ante-natal care, week pelvic bones, high fertility rate and curtailment of educational attainment.

He blamed poverty for increased incidence of teenage pregnancy, noting that teenage pregnancy remained the most prevalent among girls from poor households.

No extending Pr esident's tenure beyond 4 yrs, says Ihedioha

BY OKEY NDIRIBE, EMMAN OVUAKPORIE & IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA—DEPUTY Speaker and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Mr Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday, maintained that nothing would compel the National Assembly to extend the tenure provision for the office of the President beyond four years.

Ihedioha, who spoke at an event organized by Civil Society

Organisations, CSOs, led by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, to review some of the proposed amendments to the constitution, said despite pressures on the legislative arm of government to elongate the tenure of the President to seven years, “we have unanimously rejected such proposal as doing so will be contrary to the wish of the people.”

Highlighting the circumstances that informed the lower legislative chamber of the National Assembly to dissociate

itself from moves to amend the constitution to create an extended single tenure for both the office of the President and governor, Ihedioha said: “This is one area where the committee relied on the results obtained from the Peoples Public Session.

“Indeed item 25 asked the question, ‘should section 135 and 180(2) be amended to create a single tenure of five, six or seven years for the office of President and Governor respectively?"

BUJA—ALL Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has called on the Federal Government to deploy more troops to Yobe State to provide adequate security to the people in the state.

Factional APGA National Chairman, Maxi Okwu, made the call while also condemning last weekend’s killing of over 40 boarding students by suspected Boko Haram sect.

He also charged security agents to fish out perpetrators of the heinous crime and bring them to justice.

According to him, “APGA received with shock and sadness news of the killing of the students and a teacher at Government Secondary School, Mamudo, Yobe State, by Boko Haram members.

“APGA condemns this diabolic attack and murder of innocent children in their boarding school. It is sadism of the worst order".

Nigerians-inDiaspora seek tax waiver

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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IGERIANS in diaspora interested in bidding for public sector consultancy and contracting jobs have demanded for a waiver of three-year tax clearance requirement as a precondition for their eligibility.

They made the demand in response to the presentation by the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, who spoke at the Nigeria conversation programme weekend in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to a statement by the media assistant to the minister, Kingsley Osadolor, the minister urged Nigerians living abroad to stop bemoaning the influx of other nationals into Nigeria and take advantage of the immense investment opportunities in the country.

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16 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Don’t sell your votes, former OBJ aide charges electorate

BY AKOMA CHINWEOKE

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JEBU-IGBO— FORMER Senior Special Assistant to former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Political Matters, Dr. Gbolade Osinowo, has called on Nigerians not to sell their votes to enjoy good governance.

Osinowo who is the new board chairman of a pressure group, the National Campaign for Credible Election and Leadership, spoke in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, at an inaugural meeting of the group.

He expressed concern over growing level of destructive politics in the country.

Osinowo argued that something must be done to curb election rigging which posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy, saying “I believe this is a positive development for me.

We want people who have dedicated themselves to principles based upon integrity, patriotism and good governance through credible elections to join us to promote the political development of Nigeria.”

Group flays killing of students in Yobe

BY NNAMDI OJIEGO

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human rights group, Youth and Conflict Resolution Initiatives, YCRI, has described as senseless and barbaric the killing of innocent school children in Mamudo, Yobe State by suspected militants.

While condemning the attack, YCRI in a release by its Director of International Relations, Mr Efemena Agadama, said such barbaric acts should not be allowed to continue forever.

“This is Yobe state that is so educationally disadvantaged that the federal ministry of education had to give the state 2 (two)as cut off mark while Anambra has 139 yet you find some group of people kill the few innocent children who love education. It’s a shame for such to happen in such a state and in a democratic nation like Nigeria”

Niger govt bans sponsorship of pilgrims to Mecca maize would be sold for WOLE MOSADOMI ing festivities. to the less privileged at sub- N5,600, 100kg of beans would To this end, he said 10,000 sidised rates. be sold for N14,000, 100kg of INNA—NIGER State tonnes of assorted grains had According to him, 25kg of millet for N7,000, while Government, yesterday, placed embargo on the spon- been purchased at over rice would be sold for N3,500 Guinea corn would cost as against N5,000, 100kg of N6,300,. sorship of pilgrims to Mecca, N25million and would be sold even as it advised intending pilgrims against stealing or borrowing money for the exercise.

Similarly, the government directed the state pilgrim Board to allocate 90 per cent of the available seats for freshers.

Speaking at the flag off of sale of grains to members of the public in Minna ahead of the Ramadan fasting governor Babangida Aliyu, said the step became necessary because of the number of seats allocated to the state for this year hajj.

He insisted that holy pilgrimage to Mecca should not be seen as a jamboree but as a religious obligation, saying “Already the Customs and Immigrations have been directed AWARD: From left: Mr. Oluwole Kolawole of the National Eye Centre, Kaduna; Dr. Terkura to screen the passports of all Akuse; Bishop of the Diocese of Kaduna, Most Revd. Joshiah Idowu-Fearon; Mrs Remha intending pilgrimage to screen Ayodele and Mrs. Victoria Kolawole, during the of presentation of Merit Award, at St. out those who have performed Christopher's Church, Kaduna. Photo: Olu Ajayi. the journey in the past and allow the first timers to go and where necessary introduce balloting for all intending pilgrim to give room for fairness and equity.”

He warned local government chairmen in the state not to bribe traditional rulers and politicians with hajj seat at the detriment of freshers, who had no god fathers to lobby for them.

On the sale of the grains to the public, the governor said it was a deliberate attempt to make it coincide with the Ramadan season to allow the poor purchase food items at a cheaper rate, nothing that it had been observed that prices of food stuff usually went up dur-

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Amnesty c’ttee chair lauds peace in Adamawa

BY UMAR YUSUF

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OLA—PRESIDENTIAL Amnesty Commit tee on dialogue and resolution of security challenges in the North, has lauded the peace so far recorded in Adamawa State.

Chairman of the committee, Kabiru Turaki, told news men in Yola, yesterday, during the Committee’s assessment tour that the peace achieved in Adamawa State, pointed to a direction that peace was achievable in states where State of Emergency was declared in April by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He declared that relative peace was being achieved in most of the states in the North even as the Islamic insurgency leadership had declared a cease fire.

According him, the committee should not be condemned based on the latest killing of 42 Secondary School Students in Yobe State saying that “I do not think it is right to judge the committee because of such isolated case.”

He maintained that as the chairman of the committee there was no need for him to sing about the committee’s achievements, saying “I leave Nigerians to be Judges as far as am concern. The most important thing is that we are making desirable progress. The situation in Adamawa is very calm, we are impressed.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—17

L-r: Minister for National Planning, Dr. Shamshudeen Usman and Comptroller Charles Epoiwer Edike, Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command during the tour of Apapa port to assess the concession exercise by Monitoring and Implementation committee of the National Council on Privatisation chaired by the Minister

L-r: Ms. Wunika Mukan, Brand Director, LagosPhoto Foundation; Mr. Steven Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria; and Mr. Azu Nwagbogu, Director, LagosPhoto Foundation at the Etisalat-sponsored LagosPhoto Festival press conference in Lagos.

Photo:Lamidi Bamidele

Teacher’s strike: Stakeholders in Edo hold town hall meeting

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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ENIN CITY — STAKEHOLDERS in the educational sector in Edo State, including members of the civil society organisation, yesterday, held a town hall meeting with a view to end the one month strike action embarked upon by primary school teachers in the state.

Primary school teachers in some states had embarked on an indefinite strike over what they described as alleged failure of state governments to fully implement their TSS, which was an agreement reached between the teachers and the Nigeria Governor ’s Forum in 2009, which amounts to 27.5 per cent increase in their salaries.

However, at the town hall meeting hosted by the chairman of Oredo Local Government Area, Mr Osaro Obaze, the state government was represented by the Commissioner for Local Govern-

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ment, Lucky James; Commissioner for Basic Education, Patrick Aguinede and the Commissioner for Higher Education, Washington Osifo.

While the teachers were represented by the first Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, in the state, Mr John Ayobahan, who lamented that they had been unable to call off the strike due to the alleged failure by the state government to assure them that the agreement would be implemented.

But state government expressed frustration in discussing with the teachers due to the strike.

Aguiede said: “We have been trying to meet with the teachers, but they have not been forthcoming. We appealed to them to suspend the strike so that government can have a condusive atmosphere to discuss the issues but they have not been forthcoming and we are worried that our children are now at home.”

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY,JULY 9, 2013 SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has been preaching this message for a while – service to the people should be above partisan leanings. He has won few converts in his class.

The emphasis on party loyalty over service to the people who elected them is at the centre of the growing contests among the peoples of Nigeria and their representatives.

Politicians think they are divined to be over Nigerians. They consider Nigerians irritants to be reluctantly faced during elections.

In the House of Representatives, there have been glimpses of possibilities of using politics to serve our peoples who have suffered neglects over the years. Politicians see politics as the veritable platform to place themselves above the people. Our servantleaders serve themselves; they disregard the dictates of democratic governments. The hang over of military governments remains.

Tambuwal at the birthday celebration of Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr Pius Odubu, said that concerns for the people were central to decisions of the House of Representatives. Tambuwal appears at events of opposition politicians.

Choosing People Over Politics On June 1, Tambuwal incurred new anger in his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, when he praised Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola during the launching of the ITbased educational aid for secondary school pupils. PDP thought he had no business eulogising the performance of an opposition party member.

His response then was that he was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, and not just PDP. Party politics for all its importance to growth of democracy, has been a growing challenge, essentially as party officials hold self-serving positions on issues. The parties are less democratic than some authoritarian regimes. Nigerians’

interests are distant considerations for most of them.

“What concerns us as a House is the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The moment you are elected a member, you are expected to serve and represent that particular constituency irrespective of which platform of the party you have contested the election and won. Whatever we do in the House, we consider the federation of Nigeria as a basis of our decision,” Tambuwal told the gathering which personalities across political party lines attended.

Tambuwal’s antecedents make him a supporter of broader platforms for attaining national objectives. In June 2011, drawing from alliances in the House, he upturned PDP’s decision on the House. The singular act has made him an anti-party man. He is often seen in the company of more politicians from other parties, and his absence at major party events casts him in opposition garbs.

It is convenient to see the messenger as a drowning politician seeking relevance. The point remains that service to the people is the essence of governance, our Constitution says so.

OPINION

BY ROMANUS UWA ALL is now set for the Abia State government to score another first as usual with the commissioning of the First Dialysis Centre in South East zone of the country. The centre which is at the Abia Specialist and Diagnostic Centre Umuahia came into being following the acquisition of the defunct Alaoma Hospital on Aba road through private-public partnership. It was constructed by international health and specialist group, MECURE of India. Not many believed that the project will come to fruition so soon considering the bitter experiences of private-public partnership projects which in some cases are crisis-ridden, leading to their termination or complete abandonment. But the Abia Dialysis Centre was different because of the commitment, sincerity and transparency on the part of the parties involved, the state government and Mecure International.

The centre, part of the numerous completed and ongoing projects embarked upon by the present government, has been described as a revolution of the health sector, a sector that has been neglected for years, forcing indigenes or residents to seek medicare outside the state.

Announcing the planned commission of the centre recently, after inspecting C M Y K

Ano ther health sect or f ir st i n A bia S tat e Another irst tate the equipment installed there, the state governor, Theodore Orji, happily said that all the facilities needed for the take-off of the centre are ready, adding that government is waiting for the technical partners from India who will man the machines.

The state government has also concluded plans on how indigenous health professionals will be trained to work there. With the take-off of the centre, it is obvious that the centre will bring succour to many people suffering from renal problem as they do not need to travel far or outside the country or spend so much money on dialysis, pending when their renal problem will be tackled. Another good thing about the centre is that majority of doctors and nurses who will be in-charge are Nigerians to be trained for that purpose. There are also enough machines for dialysis to meet the need of patients, unlike the case in several public hospitals. No wonder the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN recently approved the centre for medical students’ internship.

Since 2007, the Chief Orji-led government has recorded giant strides in the area of health care delivery in Abia State. So far, the

government has equipped and upgraded one hospital in each of the three senatorial zones of the state into a referral hospital for specialist treatment and diagnosis. It has also undertaken a massive re-equipping and modernisation of the Amachara General Hospital as the pilot hospital for Abia Central Senatorial Zone and the Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba to serve the people of Abia South Senatorial zone, while the Umunnato General Hospital is to serve as the Specialist Hospital for the Abia North Senatorial Zone.

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n the rural areas, the state government is complementing the Federal Government to ensure the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals by building and equipping 250 health centres in various villages in the state. The government has distributed ambulances to 10 local government areas in Abia State to aid in conveying pregnant rural women to the nearest hospital to guarantee safe delivery.

The aim of the government is to ensure that every political ward in the state has a health centre to attend to patients. The government also

employed health professionals to manage the hospitals.

As parts of its effort to provide qualitative healthcare to the people, it has embarked on the construction of an auditorium at the specialist hospital Abayi, Aba for student doctors. The government has continued to meet its counterpart obligation to partner agencies such as WHO, UNICEF and has continued to support the Ministry of Health in its campaigns and other activities aimed at keeping Abia state polio free. In addition, it has also undertaken massive refurbishing and expansion works at the School of Health Technology, Aba, the School of Nursing, Umuahia and the Uzuakoli Tuberculosis and Leprosy Centre.

With the completion of Centre, the present government in the state has set another pace in the health care delivery in the country. A rare feat other state governments might soon aspire to achieve, because the Dialysis Centre on taking off might witness beehive of activities especially from patients from southeast zone.

*Uwa, a medical doctor, wrote from Aba, Abia State.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013— 19

, Continues from last week “

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NE person’s atrocity does not excuse another ’s and revenge is not the motive. It is good governance. It’s ridding yourself of the terrorist organisation so that you can establish a standard of law that people can respect. And that’s what needs to happen in Nigeria.”

The above remarks show the consequence of analyses of misconduct by the opposing forces, Government and Boko Haram, BH, without focus on the course and nature of the conflict in Nigeria. The course is terrorism, not insurgency. BH terrorist operations make no distinction between combatants and non-combatants; between Muslims and Christians. BH terrorist operations are of dual purposes: *To destroy the capabilities of the Nigeria Government to wage counter-terrorism operations in

Nigeria *To control and rule areas of Nigeria as bases for gaining more Nigeria territories that are to be brought under the BH government. The US criticism addresses the first of the two aims of the BH. The Government of Nigeria is not engaged only in counter-terrorism internal security operation.

It is engaged in a civil war with the BH that has transformed itself into colonising party. The Boko Haram’s course of territorial control and rule is a civil war course and how an aggressive BH fights a territory grabbing war compels the Nigerian Government to fight to win the civil war for it is the integrity of the Nigeria society that is now at stake. All civil wars are fought over governing or conquest of society. The US has to factor the fact into their counter-insurgency plans for their allies that global terrorist organisations initiate civil wars as means of developing their capability to conquer and rule

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territories that serve as their base for global terrorism. The BH seeks to replicate in Nigeria what the AQIM achieved in Northern Mali. President Jonathan explained what was at stake in the declaration of the state of emergency in the three Northern states.

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ccording to President Jonathan: “These terrorists and insurgents seem determined to establish control and authority over parts of our beloved nation and to progressively overwhelm the rest of the country. In many places these have destroyed the Nigeria flag and other symbols and flags suggesting the exercise of alternative sovereignty.” The Boko Haram at the stage of the declaration of the state of emergency had established their

Untying the knots of imbalance in Ar ewa

BY PASCHAL ONYIORAH He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart — Chinua Achebe.

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HE above excerpt taken from Achebe’s debut novel, Things Fall Apart, aptly describes the fate that befell the people of Northern Nigeria as soon as the then British colonial overlords abdicated in favour of " Ahmadu Bello, the Sarduana of Sokoto Sir and the then Premier of Northern region. So for people who maintain that the idea or the era of monolithic North died a long time ago, there can be nothing more truthful about this assertion than the increasingly emerging vexatious issues bordering on the hitherto smouldering feelings that now threaten our polity. Arguably, dating back to the era of the overwhelming leadership of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the North has lost – with the exception of its bloc name and geographical fabrics – the fundamentals of meaningful monolithic existence, and now tailored to be running on illusions as would always be created and/or re-created by its successive leadership at varying periods of time.

Thus, this has made it possible for the vast majority of the people of the region to have unconsciously embraced the false sense of unity and oneness which unfolding events have increasingly continued to bring out the truth to bear on this mindset. Hence, the situation nowadays is such that the new consciousness is so rife that the mere mention of the moribund slogan of “one North” is readily taken to connote one religion (which is Islam) as opposed to the initial impression of “one people”, its response slogan.

Perhaps it is in view of this development,

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that the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka, was quoted in the media to have urged the Muslims in the North to imbibe the habit of sharing powers with their non-Muslim brethren in the region.

In fact, that brings us to the salient issue of whether the Muslim Northerners can afford to sacrifice or subsume their presidential aspirations into that of a Northern Christian candidate. Though, as the saying goes, nobody can predict the temper of the chicken still in the egg, yet it may be no exaggeration to speculate that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for Muslim Northerners or, worse still, their far-Northern group to mobilize themselves and unanimously adopt a consensus Northern Christian presidential candidate.

However, let us look at the burning issue of the day in the North. That insecurity of lives and properties is the greatest challenge confronting the region is a fact that does not need any proof. Conversely, one thing that needs to be proved, beyond reasonable doubt for that matter, is the sincerity or claim of it by the leaders and elders of the North in their manifold suggestions and attempts to bring to an end the festering crisis of the Boko Haram sect. Indeed, this need for proof becomes imperative given the contradictions that have arisen from the unguarded utterances of these leaders and elders of the North. For one, it still boggles one’s mind how the person of retired MajorGeneral Muhammadu Buhari, erstwhile Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces, could almost run amok while griping about the “invasion” of soldiers into his Daura community in houseto-house search for suspected terrorists.

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US alarming misreading of facts about Nigeria (2)

The course of civil war polarises society and it does so fundamentally and the Nigerian government must first defeat the Boko Haram and recover lost territory in the course of war determined by the aggressor

own government over areas they militarily controlled and thus shown themselves to be a rival contestant for sovereignty over parts or all of Nigeria. The Boko Haram, according to President Jonathan, has become by their course of war a revolutionary party, replacing the Constitution and its government with its Islamic Sharia government in the areas of Nigeria it controlled. Northern Mali was being replicated in the parts of North Eastern Nigeria where the Boko Haram held sway. The course of civil war make winning the allegiance of society, part or in its entirety, the overall goal of the war. The Boko Haram as the aggressor-party make neutrality of the inhabitants of the parts of the society under its control suicidal. The course of civil war polarises society and it does so fundamentally and the Nigerian Government must first defeat the Boko Haram and recover lost territory in the course of war determined by the aggressor. The US cannot claim ignorance of the course of civil war-its experience in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq is fresh and painfully so. And this same experience confirms the fact that control of society is the strategy of choice for Al Queda affiliates in all areas of their terrorism operations. This strategy is most attractive where control of society is weak or tenuous as was the case in Mali. It is thus part of the course of war for terrorists to go through the phase of insurgency during which government control is weakened by indiscriminate use of violence to the stage of consolidation of military control of the society controlled and the institutionalisation of their

That the ACF and the NEF hurriedly condemned the action of the Federal Government over the proscription of the Boko Haram sect and the Ansaru, impugns the sincerity of these groups

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Unbelievably, Buhari did not perceive any wrong or see the pain that rankles over the killing of a soldier and the wounding of a few others by the Boko Haram members, which necessitated that singular military action. And it is quite unfortunate that Buhari had to even chastise President Jonathan for not deeming it right to give members of the Boko Haram sect the Niger-Delta kind of amnesty treat.

Similarly, that the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Northern Elders Forum hurriedly condemned the action of the Federal Government over the proscription of the Boko Haram sect and the Ansaru, its sister terrorist group, impugns the sincerity of these groups, especially with regard to what appears to be their lip-service calls for an end to terrorism, wanton killings and destruction of properties being perpetrated by the same Boko Haram members and their ilk.

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eanwhile, it is by no means less dis turbing that after appearing to have become somewhat tired of using the Boko Haram sect to unleash fear upon the minds of people of different ethnic nationalities in the North, there seems to be a secret resolve to begin a whole novel wave of assault on

authority over the society transformed into a new country for a terrorism base.

For the Secretary of State to focus on the protection of human rights in the course of counterterrorism operation is to ignore two salient facts in Nigeria, namely: That the present chronic violators of human rights are non-state actors; that the condition of anarchy in Nigeria inherited and or induced provides the space for the organisation of armed gangs that constitute themselves into militias. Militias can, as has been the case with the Boko Haram, develop into insurgent groups through the radicalisation and or change of their leadership. The Niger Delta crisis provides ample evidence of the emergence of militias out of gangs and the development of militias into insurgent groups as was the case of MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta). The US that cuts into the spectrum of the course of war in Nigeria at the phase of formation of terrorist organisation out of a militia will find its efforts futile and frustrating in Nigeria. Nigeria is attractive to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations for objective and structural reasons.

Nigeria is a country with vast segments of its territory poorly or weakly controlled and these provide camps for organising and growing armed gangs who have become militias advertising Nigeria as largely anarchic. Why this is so must be addressed in the planning of long-term peace and security in Nigeria.

Concluded

the leaders of these nationalities who attempt to support Dr Goodluck Jonathan for 2015 presidential contest. Little wonder, therefore, that there was in the news recently a widely reported alleged lynching of Major-General Lawrence Onoja and Senator John Wash Pam, two prominent leaders of the Middle- Belt region. But the concern is: Has it come to a point whereby people are no longer at liberty to exercise their right to freedom of choice on who to endorse for 2015 presidential contest? Anyway, time and events will address this anomaly.

Much as certain issues are highly sensitive and so are bound to raise incredulity when they are mentioned, the truth is that no imbalance or aberration can be candidly addressed without first identifying and adverting attention to its existence. Essentially, therefore, it has been carefully observed that the dailies are yet to be awash with the news of expression of gratitude by either the Arewa Consultative Forum or the Northern Elders Forum to President Goodluck Jonathan over his appointments of AirMarshall Alex Badeh and David Paradang to the positions of Chief of Air Staff and the Controller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service respectively, as has been the tradition of these groups which was duly observed in the wake of the appointment of the incumbent Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Muhammed Dikko Abubakar. Needless to say that it has been an oversight on the part of these same groups of elders not to have done same since the appointments of Mr. Andrew Yakubu, the Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation, and Mr. Benjamin Diki, the Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises.

For clarity, however, this observation is personal and not intended or meant to serve as a reminder to these leaders and elders of the North or an attempt to ridicule them either.

Mr. Onyiorah, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

20 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

,

If you are not killed through violence, you can also be killed by drinking unclean water, by these provisions the STF has reduced the suffering of our people

,

*A borehole provided by the STF in one of the communities

STF: Coping with security challenge, community service in Plateau

BY TAYE OBATERU & HOPE OFOBIKE, JOS

T

he military and their operations, especially when drafted to a place to restore order, are often associated with a nononsense attitude to depict the seriousness of their mission.

Thus, it is usual to see road blocks and other security bulwarks in the effort to restore law and order.

However, in Plateau State another side of the Special Task Force, STF, code-named Operation Safe Haven is being seen by the people through community service activities for the benefit of various communities. The STF was set up by the Federal Government some years back to bring to an end the incessant violence in the state and its environs.

Since its introduction, the STF has deployed various means to curb the recurring killings and destructions of lives and property in the state.

Apart from advocacy strategies to encourage people to lay down their arms and the use of dialogue, the STF has been rendering free medical facilities, provision of improved seedlings, organising seminars and parleys for youths in the crisis-ridden communities, C M Y K

among others.

This strategy, according to the STF, has helped in restoration of the relative peace enjoyed in the state.

Determined to consolidate on the gains of previous efforts, the STF recently rehabilitated 25 boreholes in various crisisridden communities in three local government areas of Barkin-Ladi, Riyom and Jos South. Commander for the Open Plateau Peace Initiative, as the programme is tagged,

Daniels Harry, said the initiative is to endear the people and bring them close to the STF as a family.

He said the initiative which started nine months ago began with free medical treatments, educational supports, vocational training as well as organising seminars and parleys with youth on the peace process in Plateau State.

He added that the programme initiated quick impact projects, assisting women through

provision of improved seedling and fertilizer.

Harry said the STF believes doing this will eventually lead to the disarmament of the villagers and restoring the much awaited peace.

According to him: “The rehabilitated boreholes were built in the villages since 2009 before the STF came into Jos, but due to mismanagement they were abandoned. He added that the STF decided to rehabilitate them “for better public use” and urged the benefitting communities to make the best of the boreholes.

The Commander of the STF, Major General Henry Ayoola, said at the commissioning of the boreholes that the operation of the command is based on the military strategy that combines both the military and civilian cooperation “which is an international concept, just like an organisations social responsibility”. He maintained that security is a collective responsibility and solicited the cooperation of the people with the STF in the effort to restore peace to the state.

Earlier while commissioning the boreholes in Riyom and Barkin Ladi, the Deputy

Governor of the state, Ignatius Longjan, stressed the importance of peace for development. According to him, “the developments experienced in different parts of the state and the rural communities is largely due to the relative peace that has been embraced by the indigenes of the state”.

Longjam said the STF has not only come to provide security for the people but they have also secured lives through the provision of clean waters.

“If you are not killed through violence you can also be killed by drinking unclean water, by this provisions the STF have reduced the suffering of our people. The military have not only protected you but have also provided infrastructures for you,” he stated. While condoling the affected communities for the loss of lives and property, the Deputy Governor appreciated the Fulanis and Berom communities in Barkin Ladi for signing an agreement to embrace peace. He called on them to cooperate with the STF for total restoration of peace.

Responding to the gesture of the STF, the Management Committee Chairmen of Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas, Emmanuel Longjan and Sam Audu appreciated the effort of the task force in working hard to restore peace in the affected communities. They added that except for some skirmishes experienced in the area of grazing cows and some unexpected attacks, peace has returned to the communities.

Residents were unanimous that STF’s strategy of combining strict military duties with community service was working well in the search for peace among the people and urged that it should be sustained.

Group condemns hanging of criminals in Edo

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

A

religious group, Community of Sant’Egidio has described the killing by hanging of four criminals on death row in Benin Prison recently a brutal return to the use of the death penalty in Nigeria which had been put on hold for more than seven years. The group, therefore, called on the Nigerian government to suspend all executions immediately with a view to re-establish the moratorium on executions in the country.

The group’s National Coordinator, Prince Henry Ezike, recalled that an international human rights group, Amnesty International, among others, had earlier in a statement condemned the execution.

Quoting a Catholic community report which described it as “cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment any human being can receive,” he said: “We wish to state here that no life has been replaced by the death of another. Furthermore, there is scientific evidence that capital punishment is not helpful in lowering the level of crime rate. Rather, it continues the infernal cycle of violence and vengeance. There is no justice without life.”

He noted that innocent people were caught in the web, with their offence being they were at the wrong place and time, adding that it was typical in Nigeria. He said executing prisoners only serves the purpose of decongesting prisons across the

country. “With great sympathy, we mourn the death of Nigerians who have been executed and commensurate with their families.

As we pray for the souls of the departed, there is the need for everyone to speak with one voice in condemning death penalty and continuously ask the Federal Government and state governments to explore other options in their fight and determination to eradicate crime in our society,” Ezike implored.

He urged government to borrow a leaf from other countries that have abolished death penalty and developed more effective means to fight crime in their countries.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 — 21

PPPRA laments domination of Nigeria’s freight sector by foreigners ByMICHAEL EBOH

T

HE Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, has expressed dissatisfaction over foreign ship owners’ domination of Nigeria’s oil maritime and petroleum products freight services.

Speaking at the inauguration of two double hulled oil vessels — MT Adeline and MT Emmanuel — acquired by Rainoil Limited, Mr. Reginald Stanley, Managing Director, PPPRA, called for increased patronage of local fender providers in Ship-to-Ship operations, saying this will help build a strong synergy among local ship operators.

He said, “The domination of the oil maritime services by foreign fender providers is not in the best interest of the country, given the Federal Government’s transformation agenda, aimed at boosting the capacity of indigenous operators to play active role in Nigeria’s economic development.

According to him, a situation where foreign fender providers dominate the market should be discouraged, adding also that the new acquired vessels would boost maritime operation and reduce the unit cost of freight.

Stanley said the investment in the acquisition of the vessels is a significant milestone and a big boost to the nation’s economy, especially in the areas of foreign exchange conservation, reduction in the cost of freight of petroleum products, employment opportunities and

speedy distribution of products across the country.

Also speaking, Hon. Dakuku Peterside, Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), assured the organised private sector that the National Assembly will ensure that the needed legislative framework to make businesses thrive would be provided.

He charged industry operators to imbibe value-addition and forthrightness as essential ingredients for their success in

-0.35

2,214.00

-36.00

16.27

-0.15

DOLLAR 154.76 POUNDS 236.303 EURO 200.6154 FRANC 163.0082 YEN 1.5562 CFA 0.2881 WAUA 231.5465 RENMINBI 25.2413 RIYA 41.266 KRONA 26.8858 SDR 231.9698

107.48

+1.94

102.96

+1.72

155.26 237.0665 201.2635 163.5349 1.5612 0.2981 232.2946 25.3233 41.3994 26.9727 232.7192

milestone and I can tell you that in the last one year, apart from Rainoil I know that a lot of other Nigerian companies decided to take the bull by the horn and invest in getting vessels that are of world class standard.”

Continuing, he said, “Maritime is one area where this country bleeds a lot of foreign exchange.

This business is practically more than 95 per cent dollar denominated and a lot of this money, when you are hiring foreign vessels, practically leaves the country in foreign exchange.

From left: Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Company/Guest Speaker, Mr. Dominic Barton; Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, Mr. Foluso Phillips; DirectorGeneral, NESG, Mr. Frank Nweke; President/CEO, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and Managing Director/CEO, Airtel, Mr. Segun Onasanya, during the Chief Executive Officers, CEOs, Breakfast Meeting with Dominic Barton, on Global Business Trends and Implications for Africa, in Lagos.

120.8

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL

business, describing the new vessels as another value-creation worthy of emulation by other operators.

Mr. Gabriel Ogbechie, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Rainoil, said, “The vessel business in Nigeria has over the years been heavily dominated by foreigners because they are the ones who, over the years, agreed to invest in vessels that meet very stringent international standards.

“Running vessels do not come cheap. So for us it is a major

SELLING 155.76 237.8299 201.9117 164.0615 1.5662 0.3081 233.0427 25.4053 41.5327 27.0595 233.4687

CBN Exchange rate as at 08/07/2013

Miners seek tougher regulation to curb environmental degradation

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

T

HE National President, Miners Association of Nigeria, MAN Alhaji Shehu Sani, has called for increased monitoring and regulation of mining activities within the country to help reduce the negative impact of mining on the environment.

He stated this while delivering a keynote address during a one day symposium to mark this year’s National Miners day in Ibadan.

He said, “We are using this opportunity of the World Earth Day to sensitise Nigerian miners to mine responsibly. The world earth day was set aside by the United Nations to demonstrate support for environmental protection world wide.”

He also noted that, “the association is now a national industry association and critical stakeholder in the mining industry. It is into mutual understanding with the ministry of mines and steel development and other relevant agencies to promote and protect the interest of her members and complement government’s effort to reinvigorate the mining industry in Nigeria.”

He said the association has in the past few years accomplished a lot for the growth of the industry, noting that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Orca Oil and Gas, UK, for sourcing and supply of base metals from Nigeria.

Railway: Patronage drops as skepticism heightens over safety

By JONAH NWOKPOKU

T

HE number of passengers patronising the Lagos to Kano inter-city rail service has significantly declined.

When Vanguard visited the Lagos Iddo terminus, a departure point for the Kano bound train, the terminus was deserted as few passengers turned up for the trip. Up until an hour before departure, there were a total of ninety six passengers on queue waiting to buy ticket. The platform also looked deserted. Before now, the terminus was always a beehive of activities with over 400 passengers milling around and jostling for ticket.

When contacted, the Assistant Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Railway Corporation, Mr. David Ndanusa, said, the authorities are aware of the impact the incident would have on their patronage.

He said, “When things like this happen,

it is normal for people to get scared. For instance, when the Dana Air crash happened, people got scared of flying Dana and it was just a matter of time, people started patronising them again.

It happens everywhere, but that does not mean that the railway has ceased to be the safest means of transportation.

What happened was just an isolated case. And it was not the authorities’ fault.”

Some people who spoke to Vanguard attributed the trend to safety concerns occasioned by train derailment at Barkin Kasua in Kaduna State, where a passenger lost his two feet and three others seriously injured Olanipekun Ayodele who got to the terminus by ten o’ clock to help her mum get a ticket but found the station deserted on arrival said, “My mother told me how rowdy this place used to

be and how getting a ticket is a serious challenge. So because of that, I arrived here by ten o’ clock to help her get a ticket but to my surprise, there were just a handful of passengers when I got here.

It is obvious, because of that accident; people no longer believe the train is as safe as claimed. It is also obvious that the people here are ones who didn’t hear about what happened.

Another passenger, Justice Ebeia, who is a post graduate student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and was headed to Kaduna, said that road transporters have begun exploiting the situation by dissuading people from patronising the rail.

22 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Types of collective investment schemes

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

T

HERE are different types of collective in vestment schemes (mutual funds) for different investment purposes. It is important that you understand the purpose or investment objectives of a mutual fund before deciding to participate or not.

The most common type is Unit Trust schemes. A unit trust is a scheme whereby investors contribute small sums of money to form a pool of fund for investment in stocks, bonds, or other money market instruments by a fund manager. The fund manager invests on behalf of the contributors or investors.

The total amount of money in the fund is divided into units of exactly equal monetary value. For example if one unit is N1.00, anybody investing N100 will get 100 units.

Hence, investors in the fund are referred to as Unit holders or subscribers.

There are two types of unit trust schemes namely: Openended and Close-ended. In the Open-ended unit trust, the Fund continuously creates and redeems units after the initial public offering. This implies

unit holders can sell their units to the Fund, and they can buy more units from the Fund. It also means that those who did not participate in the initial public offer can buy units from the Fund at anytime. So, if the purpose is to invest for a short period of time, with little risk of decline in the value of your

money, as well as easy and quick liquidation of the investment, an open-ended unit trust might be just appropriate for you. Remember that if you had invested the money to buy shares yourself, the value of the shares might decline, and if not, it might take some time for you to recover your money

when you need to. This is because you will have to go through a stockbroker, wait for the broker to get a willing buyer and at the price you also desire.

In the closed-ended unit trust, the Fund does not create new units, and it does not redeem units from unit hold-

ers. Such funds are usually listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, where unit holders can trade their units like shares. Hence the price of each unit is determined by the market forces of demand and supply. Unit holders that want to redeem their investment will have to sell their units by going through a stock broker.

Also intending unit holders have to go through a stockbroker to buy on the stock exchange.

Besides being an openended or closed-ended unit trust, unit trusts are also established for different investment purposes. There are some, whose investment objective is shares. Hence the fund manager invests all or about 80 percent of the fund in shares (mostly blue chips). Some are set up to invest only in money market or fixed income instruments such as treasury bills, bonds etc. Irrespective of the investment objective, the Trustees of the Fund are expected to inform the investing public about the investment objectives. Also the prospective unit holder is expected to be aware of this before committing his/ her money into the scheme.

Top 10 performing stocks

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

O

N the top ten per forming stocks last week were companies like Portland Paints & Products Nig Plc, Evans Medical, Forte Oil Plc, Cornerstone Insurance, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria, TRANSCORP, ABC Transport and UTC Nig Plc. The rest are R.T Briscoe, Paint & Coating Manufacturers of Nigeria Plc, PCMN, and Lafarge WAPCO Plc. PORTLAND PAINTS, listed in the building material subsector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, topped the list with 46.98 percent or N2.10 gain. It started the market at N4.47 and closed at N6.57 per share. Only two weeks ago, UAC of Nigeria plc, became a majority shareholder in the company with acquisition of 51 percent equity stake. Following the development, the shares witnessed increased activity during the week rising to the highest level since June,

2013. The acquisition, it is believed, would boost Portland’s operations as its revenue and profit have been on declining mode. Though there is a boost

in the working capital from N275.67 million in the first quarter ended 31st March, 2012 to N303.81 million in the same period of 2013, the net profit nose-dived to N20.096 million from N75.022 million in 2012. Also, revenue for the period was down to N624.850 million from N832.222 million in 2011. Year-to-date, the share price has risen by 189.42 from N2.27 to the present market price.

The second highest gainer, EVANS MEDICALS, recorded 38.81 percent or N1.04 price gain from N2.68 at the beginning of the week to N3.72 per share. The product ranges of Evans Medical are over thirty

and are household names in Nigeria and beyond. Some of the products are Multivite, Cofta, Vanclox, Glucose-D, Amovin and Ferbalan to name a few. The audited 2012 full year financial statement showed that the revenue rose by 6.4 percent to N4.8billion from N4.5billion in 2011, while gross profit rose by 20 percent to N2.6billion on the back of a six percent reduction in cost of sales. The company’s finance cost also rose by 28 percent to N503million compared to N393million posted in 2011.

The share price has witnessed

tremendous growth from N0.50 at the beginning of the year to N3.72 last week.

FORTE OIL’s share price went up by 19.51 percent or N3.32 to close at N20.34 from N17.02. Between 2009 and 2011, Forte Oil recorded very

poor financial performance following alleged mismanagement of the company’s fund and diversion of products by the Chairman, Mr. Femi

Otedola. Recent financials showed that it has bounced back to profitability. Though it ended 2012 with lower revenue, it was able to wipe out the losses of the previous year.

The company recorded a turnover of N90.9 billion in 2012, down from N116.9 billion in 2011. It reduced cost of sales from N108 billion to N81 billion in 2012, giving room for a gross profit of N10.14 billion as against N8.72 billion in 2011.

CONERSTONE Insurance placed fourth with 18 percent or N0.09 price gains from N0.50 to N0.59. Last the year, the company made an attempt to merge its business with Linkage Assurance, but the deal was met with opposition by shareholders of the later. In

December, 2012, it emerged the most IT savvy insurer in Nigeria as it won the ‘Best use of IT’ in the insurance industry. Already, the share price has risen by 44 percent from N0.50 to N0.72, its highest in the year.

TRANSCORP PLC recorded 17.97 percent or N0.23 gains to close at N1.51 from N1.28 percent. Transcorp recently undertook a rights issue of N13 billion to refinance the acquisition of Ughelli Power Plc, development of new hotels and hospitality assets within the hospitality portfolio of the company as well as the exploration and development of Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 281.

Others include ABC Transport, which rose by 15.58 percent or N0.16 from N1.01 to N1.17 per share. UTC, R.T Briscoe, PCMN and Lafarge WAPCO advanced by 15 percent or N0.09, 14.47 percent or N0.22, 13.77 percent or N0.23 and 12.86 or N10.80 to close at N0.69, N1.74, N1.90 and N94.80 per share in that order.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 — 23

INVESTORS SPEAK

Adewale Abiodun

I

have never participated in any of the mutual funds and this is because I have been buying shares since 1970.

Based on my long experience in investment, my advice is that before embarking on any form of investment available in the market, mutual fund inclusive, there is need to understand the type of people that make up the group and those managing it.

Though I have shares in many companies, about 80 of them, I don’t have anything against either bonds or any form of mutual funds because I see them as another opportunity for those interested in investing in the market, but cannot bear the risk in shareholding.

Investors, most especially those who engage in monthly or weekly contributions, which often result to a situation where some members cannot get their contributions

Prince Marcel Ajaerel

,

By WILLIAM JIMOH & PAUL METU

of the Nigerian Shareholders Association)

Every investment is a risk, especially in this part of the world. I think investment in mutual funds is good and can be undertaken considering the benefit that comes with it; which includes, help from the group when a member is in financial problem

C

,

PRINCE MARCEL AJAEREL CHAIRMAN, OPTIMIST SHAREHOLDERS ASSOCIATION

Mutual funds are good, but… back can embrace collective investment schemes of whatever type they want knowing fully well that they can collect their money at anytime provided they follow the laid down rules.

Another reason why I support mutual fund is that, since it is been regulated by the Se-

curities and Exchange Commission, SEC, investors can be rest assured that their investments are safe. For this reason also, it can be recommend for people seeking a profitable venture to invest in apart from stocks.

Additionally, if as an investor you are going for any form

of investment, mutual fund inclusive, there is need to ensure that you understand the market very well. This is because, many managers of these collective funds are announcing their services on various media, but not all of them are very sincere,” ( Adewale Abiodun is the Chairman Ogun Chapter

oncerning the issue of mutual funds, you need to have full knowledge of what you are entering into because it is the understanding you have about how things work in such market that will sustain you, as well as make the venture profitable.

Every investment is a risk, especially in this part of the world. I think investment in mutual funds is good and can be undertaken considering the benefit that comes with it. But if you don’t know about such investments and you involve yourself in it, you might fall into the wrong hands.

Lastly, if you are new in the market, to participate in this form of investment, you need somebody that is into the business or someone that has the idea to guide you. You don’t have to venture into such investment as a novice, and if you do, you might end up investing in a venture you may not like.

COMPLAINTS and INVESTIGATIONS I need information on my Oando shares lease kindly help me find out why for almost four years I have not received any dividend or update on my investment in Oando Plc.

P

Investors Forum Please contact First Registrars at Plot 2 Abebe Village Road, Iganmu or call 08033018295, 08191410456.

I need contact of Forte Oil registrar ir I want to know where I can locate or contact the registrar of former AP Plc now Forte Oil and also inquire about my unclaimed dividends.

(Adewara Olusegun Olayinka)

S

Investors Forum Contact Zenith Registrars at plot 89 Ajose Adeogun Street Victoria Island Extension Lagos, Nigeria E-mail: enquiry@zenithregistrars.com.

Tel: 2708930-4

We don’t recommend stockbrokers to readers. You can visit www.nse.com.ng for list of licensed stockbrokers. However, you don’t need a stockbroker to cash your dividend warrants. You need to open a current account into which you will pay the dividend warrants. Also, you should contact the registrar of Access Bank to revalidate the dividend warrants, or register for e-dividend (direct payment of your dividend into your bank account). The registrar is United Securities Limited, located at 10, Ojikutu Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Telephone: 012714566 or 01-2714567) I need update on Daar Communications shares lease what is the status of my Daar Communications shares that I bought early 2000? (John Otamere Asemota Benin City)

P

I

Investors Forum Please contact Please contact First Registrars at Plot 2 Abebe Village Road, Iganmu or call 08033018295, 08191410456.

Investors Forum

No dividend from ETI bought the shares of Ecobank Transnational (ETI) in 2008 and received certificate through a post office.

I can’t cash my dividend warrant bought shares from Access Bank and I do receive dividend warrants because I don’t have a current account.

Please help me, I need a stockbroker. (Isaac Bill)

I

But since then, I have not received any dividend from the company (Agbontaire Francis) Investors Forum Please contact ESL Registrars Ltd, 16/A Rauf Taylor Close, Off Idego Street, Victoria Island, Lagos or call an official of Ecobank on 08023877599 No communication from Premier Breweries, 5 others bought the shares of the following companies over ten years ago. They are RS Nigeria Plc, Premier Breweries Plc, Ellah Lakes Plc, Jos International Breweries Plc, Aba Textile Mills Plc and Unipetrol Nigeria Plc. But since I bought the shares, I have not received any communication from them.

Please help me to investigate (Ceramic Manufacture)

I

Investors Forum You need to contact the registrars of these companies for update on your investment.

For Premier Breweries contact Africa Prudential Registrars Plc at 220B, Ikorodu Road, Palmgrove, Lagos. You can call 01-8401153, 01-8931501, and 01-4606460 or send message to info@africaprudentialregistrars.com.

For Jos Breweries and Ellah Lakes contact - City Securities, Primrose Tower, 2nd Floor, 17A Tinubu Street, Lagos. Tel: 234-

1-2641298, 234-1-7924462. For Unipetrol now Oando Plc, contact First Registrars at Plot 2 Abebe Village Road, Iganmu or call 08033018295, 08191410456. For Aba Textile Mills contact NIDB Trustees, NIDB House, 63/71 Broad Street, Lagos.

I need investment advice just gained admission and I have N850, 000. Please I need advice on what I can invest the money in that would sustain me throughout my schooling (Onos Michael, Effurun Delta State)

I

Investors Forum If the money is meant for the four years you are to spend in school and there is little hope that more will come, then you need to be careful.

If you must invest, safety of your money must be the number one priority as you can’t afford to speculate with the money. For this purpose, investment in fixed income instrument e.g. treasury bills or FGN bond would be most appropriate. Alternatively, consider buying a blue chip highly liquid shares that you can easily sell. For the former, see your bank, and for the later, see a stockbroker.

How do I recover un-

claimed dividend in First Bank, two others have shares in First Bank, Cadbury and Oando and they send me a paper detailing my shares position. Please help me on how to get my accumulated dividend from these companies.

(Friday Odoemelam)

I

Investors Forum The three companies have the same registrar namely First Registrar. Please contact the company at Plot 2 Abebe Village Road, Iganmu or call 08033018295, 08191410456.

COMPLAINTS AND INVESTIGATIONS Do you have any challenge with your investment in the stock market or with any company (stockbroker, Registrar Company etc), write to vanguardinvestorsforum @gmail.com OR send text to 07043855187. We will INVESTIGATE AND REPLY

24 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Nigeria loses N191bn to crude theft, vandalisation

By SEBASTINE OBASI

N

IGERIA has suffered a shortfall of N191billion ($1.23 billion) in the first quarter of 2013, due to drop in crude oil production.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), attributed the drop in production to crude oil theft and the vandalism of major oil pipelines in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

The NNPC explained that daily oil production within the period fluctuated between 2.1 and 2.3 million barrels per day (mbpd), compared with the projected estimate of 2.48 mbpd.

According to NNPC’s spokesperson, Ms. Tumini Green, “Expectedly, this fall between actual production and forecast in the first quarter of 2013, has resulted in a drop in crude oil revenue of about $1.23 billion (N191 billion) that should have accrued to the Federation Account.”

She also said that due to crude oil theft, the NNPC/SPDC joint venture recently declared a force majeure on Bonny crude.

This resulted in the shutting in of 150,000 bpd.

“Investigations showed that 53 break points were discovered along the 97 kilometre Nembe Creek trunkline. Repair work is expected to last about six weeks...We shall continue to work with relevant government agencies both at the federal and state levels to end this incessant crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism. We have the potential to meet the national target of 2.48mbpd if this menace is eliminated,” she said.

The NNPC spokesperson further noted that crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism would continue to degrade the environment, increase operational costs, impact negatively on the image of the country, and reduce revenue accruable to the country.

Crude oil receipts In the last quarter of 2012 – October to December, Nigeria was estimated to have lost about N426 billion ($2.7billion) from decline in crude oil production.

A Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Fourth Quarter Economic Report, attributed the decline to natural disaster, oil theft and sabotage to oil infrastructure during the period under

C M Y K

review.

As a result, Nigeria’s oil revenue in the fourth quarter of 2012 dipped by N112.6 billion, as gross oil receipts in the Federation Account stood at N1.824 trillion, dropping by 5.8 per cent from N1.936

trillion recorded in the third quarter of 2012.

The CBN data put Nigeria’s crude oil production, including condensates and natural gas liquids at 2.00 million barrels per day (mbd) or 184.00 million barrels during the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to

the 2.26 mbpd or 207.92 million barrels recorded in the third quarter, representing a decrease of 0.26 mbd or 11.5 per cent in production level.

The report pegged the average price of Nigeria’s reference crude, the Bonny Light at $112.73 (N17,811.34)

per barrel, with crude oil export at 1.55 mbd or 142.60 million barrels in the fourth quarter, compared with 1.81 mbd or 166.52 million barrels in the preceding quarter, representing a decline of 14.4 per cent.

Crude allocated for domestic consumption in the period under review was valued at $4.667 billion or N737.386 billion, while actual allocation of crude oil for domestic consumption was put at 0.45 mbd or 41.40 million barrels.

Group Managing Director, NNPC, Engr. Andrew Yakubu (left); President, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Comrade Igwe Achese and his PENGASSAN counterpart, Comrade Babatunde Ogun at the Oil and Gas Stakeholders Forum at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.

... loses N64bn to production decline

BY MICHAEL EBOH

N

IGERIA lost a total of $399 million (N63.84 billion) in the month of April, due to decline in crude production and export, according to data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. Specifically, the CBN Economic Report for April 2013 said the country lost $304 million (N48.64 billion), following a 1.5 per cent dip in crude oil production and another $95 million (N15.2 billion), following a decline in crude export.

Using an estimated average of US$105.68 per barrel for the month, the report said Nigeria earned $6.246 billion (N999.36 billion) from crude oil production in April, compared with $6.55 billion (N1.048 trillion) earned in March.

According to the report, Nigeria’s crude oil production, including condensates and natural gas liquids, was estimated at an average of 1.97 million barrels per day or 59.10 million

barrels for the month.

This, the report said, was 0.03 million barrels per day or 1.5 per cent below the average of 2.00 million barrels per day or 62.0 million barrels produced in the preceding month.

Also, the report stated that Nigeria earnings from crude export dropped by $95 million (N15.2 billion), as the country exported crude valued at $4.819 billion (N771.04 billion) in the period under review, dropping by 1.9 per cent from $4.914 billion (N786.240 billion) in March.

Specifically, the country’s crude export in April stood at 45.60 million barrels, compared with 46.5 million barrels exported in March.

The report attributed the decrease in production to incessant pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.

However, the country earned N22.66 billion from local crude sales, as the CBN disclosed that 13.05 million barrels was delivered to the refineries for domes-

tic consumption.

Pressure on fiscal position According to analysts at FBN Capital, the numerous shut-ins over the past year due to escalating crude oil theft, is likely to put pressure on the Federal Government’s fiscal position in the near term.

Market analysts, Messrs Gregory Kronsten and Olubunmi Asaolu, argued that indigenous players are also likely to be affected given that they mostly rely on the oil majors’ pipelines and export terminals for their crude transport activities.

They said: “We expect more divestment activities to follow as the majors shift focus to deepwater and/or countries/continents which they deem to offer better risk-reward prospects.

“Amid the broader negative picture, the one positive consequence of this development is the opportunity for the indigenous players to grow their presence in the sector.

“While the delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry

Bill and the competing alternative technologies are likely to have significant long term implications for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. In the near term, we believe crude oil theft is likely to be the greatest challenge the sector faces unless swift and decisive action is taken by the government to address the problem.”

Also, another analyst, Mr. David Adonri, the Chief Executive Officer, Lambeth Trust, said: “There are short term and long term threats to Nigeria’s crude oil revenue. Oil theft and pipeline vandalism are short term that ought to be dealt with by the security force if they are not compromised. However, more worrisome is the increasing exploitation of shale gas/oil by industrialised economies that consume our crude oil.

“This long term threat to federal revenue and the economy can proactively be addressed through diversification of the economy to manufacturing and agriculture.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—25

EU invests N5.5bn in Nigeria’s renewable energy

BY MICHAEL EBOH & ADEBADE ADEJIMI

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HE European Commission has invested •27 million (N5.54 billion) in Nigeria to help improve the renewable energy policy in the country.

The investment is also to boost the use of renewable energies by Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) and households, under the Energising Access to Sustainable Energy, EASE, programme.

The Commission said the new programme will be run in partnership with the World Bank, which will contribute over •4.6 million (N943 million) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ, with a contribution of •9 million (N1.85 billion).

According to a statement by the Commission, a large part of the Nigerian population lacks access to energy or relies on polluting fuels such as fuel wood and charcoal with severe consequences for health and the environment.

The European Commission stated further that the newly launched EASE programme aims at improving the enabling framework conditions for renewable energy and energy efficiency in Nigeria, and in particular, with a focus on the use of renewable energies by Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and households.

Commenting on the investment, Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development, said: “At the moment, 80 per cent of the population in rural Nigeria have no access to electricity at all. Our overall objective is to help decrease this number significantly, but it is also important to improve the wellbeing of those who do have access, since they often suffer from inadequate lightning to carry out their housework and from inhaling toxic smokes due to un-maintained cooking stoves.”

The EASE programme, Piebalgs said, will also address the massive deforestation and cutting of trees for fuel wood, which is the main energy source for the majority of the population by planting more trees.

Furthermore, he noted that Nigeria is the second largest gas flaring country, emitting some 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, CO2, each day.

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Recently, Afren Plc and Lekoil Limited announced the discovery of oil in Lagos. The discovery has thrown up a lot of issue with regard to Lagos becoming an oil producing state.

In this interview with Olasunkanmi Akoni, the State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Taofiq Tijani, sheds light on the perspectives of the state regarding some of these issues.

Excerpts:

Oil discover y: ‘Lagos deserves derivation’ Ibile Oil is to Lagos, what Owena is to Ondo State. It’s what Delta Oil is to Delta State; every state has such agency. So we have that agency so that Lagos State can also start partnering and participating in all the aspects of oil and gas activities Upstream, midstream and downstream.

H

ow does Lagos feel about the discovery of oil in the state?

“We at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, have done our due diligence about the activity of oil and gas within our own state, and we know the different status and level of activities. We know the companies that have drilled and found oil, but are yet to commence operation after about seven years ago. They are yet to produce the oil they have found, that is Agip group, owned by Folawiyo.

We are also aware about this new discovery, we know about that oil block, AML, Group of companies. We know they have been building that block many years back. We are aware when they found the oil and they contacted us so that we can work in partnership to develop that block. So we are in touch with them We know about another block owned by Sunlink. We have also been interacting with all the professional groups, Geologists, Geophysicists’, petroleum engineers and stakeholders to know about the kind of resources we found within our offshore, onshore Lagos.

We have been told all along, that offshore Lagos is also a potential oil producing region like the Niger Delta, if they do enough exploration and exploitation activities. We know that the reservoir that we are talking about of the new discovery will amount to that of the Jubilee Field in Ghana where they are now producing. So it’s not news to us that they found oil, it is a thing of joy that they put in money to be able to explore and making arrangement for production.

What then is the economic impact of this discovery to the state?

As for the economic impact

•Mr. Taofiq Tijani

We know a new bill is coming on board, but we don’t know when it is coming. So if they start using the old law to guide our economy, when the new bill comes, the oil companies will be shortchanged because things will change immediately. That is why the Lagos State Government cannot blame them

,

BRIEF

for Nigeria and Lagos in particular, it has a very positive economic implications for Nigeria. Considering the fact that Nigeria has made a projection that we are going to achieve certain billion barrels of reserves in certain years We have not been able to make good the projection because most of the international oil companies are not doing what they are supposed to do - developing their resources. They are not drilling as they are supposed to, and we don’t blame them because the instrument they need to do all that is not available.

One of the instruments is the fiscal regime that will guarantee them to develop these assets, such as working

,

out the tax they are going to pay, what is the federal government thinking in terms of incentives. They are not there because they have not even passed the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, so for them to develop these resources they have to depend on the old bills.

We know a new bill is coming on board, but we don’t know when it is coming. So if they start using the old law to guide our economy, when the new bill comes, the oil companies will be shortchanged because things will change immediately. That is why the Lagos State Government cannot blame them.

What is the importance of Ibile Oil to Lagos?

Is Lagos going to lay claim to the oil, and will it demand for derivation like other oil producing states?

As far as the oil in Lagos State is concerned, there is nothing we can do with the oil discovery because the oil belongs to the Federal Government and Afren and co.

The reason why they give derivation to all those states where oil was found is that when they are producing oil from their states, they have tampered with their environment and definitely, the state must benefit from the proceeds due to the activities of oil and gas in their states.

It will affect the fishermen, the social activities of certain people, that is why the Federal Government always gives certain amount of fund to the states to make up for these challenges.

And we as a state, we have been disadvantaged and we have been short changed in terms of the activities of oil and gas in the country. Every day they are drilling. What about the downstream where the products are transported especially Lagos state. In Lagos, they are polluting our water as they as they discharge the oil products from their tankers and their storage facilities. All the tankers are in Lagos damaging our roads and the state isn’t getting anything.

What is the state doing about the proliferation of tank farms?

Lagos has been complaining about the proliferation of tank farms in certain parts of the state. The State Government however has been doing some things underground. And the government has heightened their activities effectively after the last explosion at the MRS storage tanks in Apapa. I may not be able to give you the full details but I can assure you that the State Governor, Babatunde Fashola is concerned about it, and we have set up a committee on it.

And this committee will make the required recommendations to the State Government.

26—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

By SEBASTINE OBASI

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HE Petroleum and Natu ral Gas Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN has decried the non commencement of construction works on the three Greenfield refineries two years after the government promised to build the refineries.

Mr. Babatunde Ogun, President of the association told Vanguard in a chat on Sunday, that there will not be any appreciable development in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria until the refineries are built.

“Our position has been very clear that there won’t be any appreciable improvement in our development and employment opportunities until the refineries are built, and Nigeria starts processing other natural resources locally instead of exporting the raw materials for dollar exchange only,” he said.

Recall that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, attributed the delay in the take-off of the refineries to the non deregulation of the country’s downstream sector.

At the Offshore Technology Conference, OTC, held in May, in Houston, Texas, the Minister, who was represented by the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, however gave the assurance that government was working hard to establish investors’ confidence, so as to achieve self-sufficiency in crude oil refining in the country.

Government had signed a $51.8 billion (N8.1 trillion) Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with various local and international investors between 2011 and 2012, to build new refineries across the country, to stem the tide of fuel importation.

The three refineries were meant to have a combined capacity of 400,000 barrels per day, bpd. The refineries were to be built in Brass, Bayelsa State; and Lokoja, Kogi State, which have a capacity for 100,000 bpd each, and Lekki, Lagos, with a capacity for 200,000 bpd.

The minister also said that government is working hard to ensure that the proposed greenfield refineries are moved from the proposal stage to the implementation stage.

According to her, “We must get the business model right.

There are quite a number of issues that are wrong. No investor will want to invest in a regulated environment. Today, the petroleum product market is regulated and there are quite a number of things that are needed to be done to ensure that the business environment is conducive enough for investors to invest.

“The business models must be

Market regulation stalls Greenfield refineries right. We are working hard to establish investors’ confidence in the Greenfield refineries.”

Signing of agreements Recall that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) Limited, in May, 2011, signed an agreement for the joint sourcing of funds for the construction of the

three new Greenfield refineries and a petrochemical plant in Nigeria under a $28.5-billion provisional deal.

The initial plan was that each of the new refineries would be able to process around 250,000 bpd, to potentially meet Nigeria’s estimated need of 750,000 bpd over the next 10 years.

But the decision to downsize the capacities of the plants was

based on the new Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) prepared

by Wood Mckenzie & Foster Will. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank, would provide 80 per cent of the amount budgeted for the project, while the NNPC would provide 20 per cent equity, to be diluted for private sector participation later.

From left: Executive Chairman, Kaztec Engineering Limited, Sir Emeka Offor, receiving a contract certificate from the General Manager, Offshore and Shallow Waters, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCo, Mr. Toyin Olagunju.

Nigeria risks losing Africa’s biggest oil producer status

By KUNLE KALEJAYE with Agency report

N

IGERIA is on the verge of losing its prestigious ‘Africa’s biggest oil producer’ as Angola drew level with it in May, with daily oil production at 1.97 million barrels per day.

Angola also sold its first gas cargo from its $10 billion gas plants after 18 months delay.

The development follows a recent report by Platts survey of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which analysts called ‘ worrying’. This is because Nigeria is the OPEC producer most affected by the shale oil boom that has seen its oil sales into the United States (US) slashed.

Meanwhile, a huge cloud of doubt hovers over future investments in Nigeria’s oil industry following huge divestments by International Oil Companies, IOCs, from the

country. This has left marginal field operators the herculean task to develop their fields with little financial power and obsolete technologies.

Statistics however, revealed that Nigeria produced about 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day, making it the fourth world exporter of oil.

Trailing behind Nigeria in oil production is Algeria with about 2.1 million barrels follow by Angola and Libya with 1.9 and 1.7 million barrels respectively.

Industry expert believes that Angola will unseat Nigeria as Africa’s biggest oil producer in 2014, owning to its unfriendly economic terrain, unfair revenue sharing formula, stall of investment in the sector, non discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity and the none passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. Factors militating against Nigeria’s production Speaking further, our source

urged the Federal Government to address factor militating against the country’s oil production.

“For instance, oil companies pay royalties, taxes and other levies to the Federal Government for oil production. That automatically suggests that government is responsible for the up keep of oil producing communities not the oil companies. But you still find these companies taking care of the oil producing communities.

“The Nigerian terrain is not favourable for them to operate any longer and that is why you find some of them divesting.

The Petroleum Profit Tax, PPT Act (1959) is still on the high side and not attractive.

“Applicable tax rate is 85 per cent for Joint Venture, JV operations and 59 per cent for deepwater field is the highest in Africa, if not in the world.

For new comers, it is 67.5 per cent rate fort first development projects.

BRIEF Oil theft: Shell re-streams TNP for production

S

HELL Petroleum Devel opment Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC, said weekend that it has reopened the 24-inch Trans Niger Pipeline, TNP, for production after activities of pipeline vandals caused a fire and explosion on the facility and subsequent shut down.

A statement from Shell said a joint investigation carried out by industry regulators, communities, independent observers and the company found that the incident occurred as a result of unknown persons installing a valve to steal crude oil from the line.

Consequently, Shell said it has repaired the valve point and removed six other crude oil theft connections, as part of its continuing efforts to maintain the integrity of the line, adding that the 24” TNP, which was shut down in a precautionary response to the fire on the 28”TNP has also been reopened for production.

Responding to accusations on the company’s slow response to the fire incidence, the Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chair Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, was quoted as saying that: “Suggestions that we reacted slowly to the fire and spill are false.

“At the earliest opportunity, we quickly mobilised teams to respond to a crude theft spill on the 28” TNP on June 10 and the explosion and fire on June 19. We conducted an assessment of the risks and decided, with the support of the JTF to enforce a restriction of access to the site for safety reasons. Our response and the actions we took at Bodo West were in the best interest of lives and the environment.

“SPDC has also dismissed suggestions that the TNP is not safe to operate. The line is operated in line with the company’s Pipeline Integrity Management System (PIMS), ensuring regular inspection and maintenance. The dominant cause of failures on the TNP has been third party damage resulting from sabotage (hacksaw cuts, drilled holes, etc) and illegal crude theft. In the past three years, a total of 25 leaks have been recorded on the facility – 23 of which were due to sabotage and two operational pinhole leaks.

“Integrity assessments including Long Range Ultrasonic Test (LRUT) surveys, Cathodic Protection (CP) surveys, and chemical injection have been periodically performed on the pipelines.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—27

Chevron invests $4bn in Nigeria

BY MICHAEL EBOH

C

HEVRON Nigeria Lim ited said it has invested about $4 billion (N640 billion) in the Nigerian economy as at the end of 2012.

In a statement announcing the launch of its 2012 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, the General Manager,

BRIEF Oshiomhole to speak on deregulation challenges

...launches CSR report

Policy, Government & Public Affairs, Mr. Deji Haastrup, also said that the company had executed projects worth more than $22.3 million through its various community development programmes.

He added that the local content value of its Escravos gas project has reached 40 per cent of the total project spend.

He said: “As at end of 2012, the Nigerian Content value of the Escravos Gas-to-Liquids (EGTL) project approached 40 per cent of project spend. This is approximately $4 billion invested in the regional economy through contracts for goods and services, employment and regulatory fees.

“In addition, projects worth

more than $22.3 million were executed by the Regional Development Committees under the Global Memorandum of Understanding.”

Haastrup further disclosed that more than 18,500 people benefited from the company’s River Boat Clinic programme in 2012; while 3,924 students studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, medical laboratory sciences and nursing joined the Agbami Medical and Engineering Professionals Scholarship programme in 2012.

He added that Chevron contributed $375,000 to the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF, in 2012, to support the Foundation’s programmes

including the running of the Lekki Conservation Centre.

Haastrup further stated that Chevron has continued to focus on ‘zero incident’ objective and has implemented leading programmes to improve its performance with renewed vigor and emphasis on process safety.

He disclosed that the 2012 Corporate Responsibility Report highlights how in the past year, the company has contributed to the social and economic development of Nigeria, through effective partnerships with various stakeholders.

He further stated that the report highlights the philosophy that guides Chevron Nigeria’s long-term social investments in Nigeria and

shows how ‘The Chevron Way’ guides its behavior.

Continuing, he said: “The report shows our achievements in key areas including, Stakeholder Engagement and Social Investments; Health, Safety and Environment; Human Resource Development; and Nigerian Content Development.

“We take pride in our accomplishments, and are happy to communicate the values that make us who we are and why communities where we operate welcome us.”

“Specifically, the report demonstrates Chevron’s commitment to the people of Nigeria through sustainable development programmes designed to stimulate economic growth, reduce poverty, local capacity building, job creation opportunities and enterprise, build human capacity and infrastructure development.”

BY KUNLE KALEJAYE

T

O educate the public on subsidy regime and explain the executive’s position on effective deregulation of the oil and gas sector, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State is billed to deliver a lecture on the issue on July 14.

Oshiomhole is also meant to speak on the way forward and politics behind the subsidy removal.

President of the Catholic Young Men Association (CYMA), Maryland Chapter, Mr. Vicent Uba, disclosed this to newsmen during the association’s pre-14th Annual Lecture in Lagos.

According to him, the topic was chosen because: “Over the years, these essential products have been the subject of discuss in our country. If we are not talking about scarcity, we would be talking about price increases or subsidy, and its removal. In either case, there have been marked implications on the masses and the economy at large.”

The CYMA president said that the association decided to bring a policy maker, who will explain what the implications are if the government decided to remove or retain subsidy.

Uba said that Oshiomhole was deliberately chosen as the guest speaker on the topic: “Nigeria, The Politics of Oil and Subsidy and the SocioEconomic Implications” “We have, therefore, chosen a man who has once served as the chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress, and had engaged Federal Government on subsidy, fuel increase and the like.”

The first lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Justice George Oguntade , a former judge of Lagos State are also expected as special guests of honour.

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•An oil production vessel

Labour issues still unresolved in PHCN privatisation

BY KUNLE KALEJAYE

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HE National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, has refuted claims by the Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo that labour issues with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN workers has been resolved.

The minister was quoted on a national television last week that the Federal Government had resolved outstanding contentious issues with the workers.

But the Lagos State Chairman of NUEE, Comrade Adeleke Ibrahim, maintained that the core labour issues

have not been settled, noting that the minister had made similar pronouncements in March, 2013.

He said: “In March this year, the Minister of Labour said Labour issues have been settled with PHCN workers, but we have not seen anything yet. None of our members have been settled.

“Only last week, we saw the Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo on national television saying that labour issues have been settled and severance payment will be made by the end of July.

“We will watch and see if government will fulfill their

promise at the end of this month (July),” he said.

Ibrahim however, admitted that the Federal Government is currently looking into the severance payment of PHCN workers before handing over assets to investors.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had disclosed that it will hand over 15 of the successfully privatised successor companies heaved off the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to their winning investors by the end of July 2013.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Power, Hajia Zainab Kuchi had earlier hinted that

all labour issues have been address adding that payment of severance will commence at the end of June.

“We are finalising on labour, the labour is what is standing between us and the handing over and all the issues that were there had been addressed. We are about to begin payment, as soon as the payments are finalised by June ending, we will definitely be handing over to the successor companies by the end of July; that is the projection we have here and that is the stance of the BPE which has a timeline which was created with the labour issues in mind.

We have taken over all the problems and addressed all the issues, the funding is there for the payment of labour and all we are doing is data computation and as soon as we are done with that the handing over will be done,”Kuchi said.

28 — V anguard , TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

By Theodore Opara

The interior

Rear view of the Camry

ALL-NEW CAMR Y:

The power plant

Evolution o f a n i con

"A

CCLAIMED for generations around the world for its superb quality, durability and reliability, the Camry evolves to shape next generation comfort, performance and peace of mind that appeals to both the head and the heart.”

This was how Toyota Motor Corporation described the all-new Toyota Camry which recently won the Car of the Year Award by the Nigeria Auto Awards.

To those who have come in contact with the new Camry, they know that the award was well deserved. The all new Camry has it all; solid presence, luxurious comfort, space, class-leading driving performance, and fuel efficiency are some of the attributes of the new Toyota Camry.

The Camry, from a distance could be mistaken for a Lexus Sedan (don’t forget that Lexus is a sister company to Toyota).

Its sculpted solid presence exudes sophisticated styling and attitude, in a dynamic blend of aerodynamic elegance and refined functionality with a sporty edge.

N

o wonder the car has been bestowed with all manner of awards in many countries like its predecessors. With the right contours in the right places, the all-new Camry has demonstrated Toyota engineer’s ability to surpass the attributes of the older Camry which dominated its segment for many years. It is simply the evolution of an icon.

Available in two engine variants, (both V6) the new Camry has maintain its reputation as trailblazer in fuel efC M Y K

ficiency, comfort, safety and powerful performance. The engines include 24 valves 3.5 lire (2GR-FE) power plant which delivers maximum output of 204kw/ 6200 rpm and maximum torque of 346 Nm/4700 rpm. Other engine is the 16 valves 2.5 litre (2ARFE) power plant which churns out maximum output of 133kw/6000 rpm and maximum torque of 231 Nm/4100 rpm.

Both engines feature a super intelligent sixspeed automatic transmission which delivers outstanding driving performance and fuel efficiency and at the same time offers smooth shifting feeling and quiet operation.

The new Camry also owes it excellent drive to its suspension. At the front, is the MacPherson strut (L-shaped lower arms, gas filled shock absorbers with stabiliser bar) while the rear suspension is dual link

strut.

Inside, the Camry is masterfully crafted as the sensation of luxurious comfort is instantly inviting. Tasteful use of wood grain trim and well lighted meter cluster gives you the assurance that the Camry has been designed to lead its class.

Also, the seamless blend of space, comfort

and convenience creates an oasis of refined pleasure in the rear seats, where every amenity is controlled by a touch of switch.

Designed to be outstanding, the new Camry boasts array of unique features. For instance the rear seat control panel equipped with switches for power reclining rear seats, rear seat heat-

er, power rear window sunshade, audio system, and air-conditioning system. All these provide rear seat passengers with convenient personal control.

The Camry boasts top safety features such as ESP which assist steering and contributes to excellent fuel efficiency, VSC which act to reduce

excessive side slipping by the tyre, intelligent AFS which contribute to excellent visibility when cornering at night, back monitor which supports smooth reversing operation while parking, airbags, crash safety body, as well as WIL concept front seats all work in tandem to protect the occupants.

We w ant sof t loan, not buses, RTEAN t ells FG

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU embers of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, have called on the Federal Government to give its members soft loans instead of buses in the Government Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P. RTEAN described the buses as “unserviceable” saying they would become a problem to

M

members, even as it said it was setting up a committee to check drivers who drive under the influence of alcohol and other drugs to safeguard lives and property.

President of RTEAN, Musa Isiwele, at the first National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja, urged government to provide soft loans for his members to buy the buses themselves instead of giving them

buses that were not serviceable or would not last.

Speaking on the celebration of International Day against drug abuse and trafficking, he said: “As the world celebrates International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, our roads must be sanitised.”

The RTEAN president who received certificate of return from the Registrar of Trade

Unions of Nigeria, after his election to the office last month, said that Nigerians would witness a drastic reduction in accidents due to new strategies has put in place.

He added that in order to improve the public transportation system in the country, RTEAN will set up a committee on buses that will be given to it as part of the SURE-P programme so as to ensure that good buses were delivered.

Vanguard , TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 — 2 9

By Theodore Opara

Robbers or local govt officials at Benin By-Pass?

T

ravelling in Niger ia, especially by road, can be quite challenging, if not traumatic. The challenges these days are many and travellers are always afraid of possible danger lurking on the road. Apart from challenges like bad roads which most often lead to accidents, there are other dangers like kidnapping and armed robbery on the highways. But there is another ugly hurdle that often confront travellers to the East at the Benin By-pass.

Before negotiating into the Benin By-pass from the Lagos end of the road, if you are used to this road, you would have been stopped by a group of fierce-looking young men with all manner of dangerous weapons who usually stop private car owners, demanding for radio and environment permits.

These youngmen are always ready to maim any traveller who dares challenge their authority or fail to settle them at this point.

Their mode of operation is that they flag down the driver while trying to negotiate into the Benin By-pass using planks spiked with nails and other sharp objects. The danger at this point is that if you refuse to stop, your tyres could get

punctured and damaged by the sharp objects. And if you stop, these young men numbering over 20 would descend on you.

They will start by introducing themselves as local government officials saddled with the responsibility of collecting revenue for the state. The said officials would then demand for your radio and environmental sanitation permit receipt which they say cost about N30,000 (thirty thousand naira).

One of their victims, a Lagos based Catholic Priest, shared his experience with Vanguard Motoring recently. The priest who would not like his name in print described his experience in the hands of the said Edo State local government revenue collectors’ at the By-pass sometime ago as traumatic.

Harassment and intimidation He explained that they held him for over two hours, insisting that he must pay for the two permits. The worst thing about his experience, according to him, was that while he was harassed and intimidated, different teams of police men drove past in their patrol vehicles and never cared about

Lagos Benin expressway, linking the Benin by-pass what was going on, preferring to look the other way.

He, therefore, asked why a state government would allow its officials to harass travellers for not carrying radio permit receipts. According to him, even if their demand was genuine, would they expect travellers to carry such a receipt on them while travelling. When has that become part of vehicle requirement for drivers?” he queried.

“I drove past Lagos, Ogun, Ondo before getting to Edo State and would still drive past Anambra and Delta states before arriving my state Imo, if I had to pay N30,000 in each of these states before arriving my destination, only God knows how much I would have

paid,” he noted.

He therefore, called on the Edo State governor to check the menace of these hoodlums who are parading themselves as local government revenue collectors before they dent the image of the state. Continuing the priest asked how the state expected travellers to carry a huge sum of money in a country that is preaching cashless economy.

Another traveller who shared his experience with Vanguard Motoring, Mr. Tony Uwadiegwu said that he was almost beaten by these hoodlums who threatened to deal with him if he dared challenge them.

According to him: “I was travelling to the East for the

Porsche in record shipment D

UBAI Between January and June 2013, Porsche shipped over 81,500 new cars globally for the first time ever by the midway point in the year – an increase of 18 per cent compared to the first half of 2012. In June alone the Stuttgart-based business sold 14,300 vehicles around the world, up 13 per cent on the same month last year.

“We’ve had a good first half to the year and go into the second six months highly motivated,” said Bernhard Maier, Member of the Executive Board Sales and Marketing of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, at a dealer presentation in Faro, Portugal. “Our attractive range of models is proving a hit with customers all over the world. Even before the new Panamera models are launched at the end of July, we already have a large number of orders.

Our model strategy is, in particular, borne out by the demand for the first plug-in hybrid in the luxury segment.”

In the first half of 2013, all sales regions achieved figures above those for the same period last year: during the first six months C M Y K

in the Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East regions 30,400 new cars were handed over to customers (+25.2%).

With 18,300 vehicles sold, Porsche achieved an increase in China compared to the first half of 2012 of 20 per cent. In the USA deliveries to customers rose between January and June 2013 by 30 per cent to a total of 21,300

units.

In its ‘50 Years of Porsche 911’ anniversary year, the iconic sports car has already provided a significant boost to sales worldwide: 15,834 sports cars were supplied to customers during the first six months of 2013, representing a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. With sales figures of 12,886 units, the mid-

engine Boxster and Cayman models also recorded an almost threefold increase compared to January to June 2012.

As expected, however, the most successful range in the first six months of this trading year was the Cayenne: 42,354 vehicles sold represent a year-on-year increase of 22 per cent.

memorial service of my late brother when these hoodlums stopped and demanded N30,000 for radio permit. His aged mother who was travelling with him and the rest of his family too did not find the experience palatable when these fierce looking hoodlums threatened to kill and dump him in the bush if he refused to pay. He ended up parting with N20,000 without a receipt after all. Many travellers to the Eastern parts of the country suffer similar fate on this road.

Beating a retreat Even reporter had a similar experience at the beginning of the year at this notorious spot.

Not even my identify card as a pressman could save me from these hoodlums as the plea from my aged mother in-law who was going home for the memorial service of her son fell on deaf ears. Not even the cry of my under-aged son and daughter could move them. But my contact with a colleague on phone who spoke to them, threatening to send police after them if they refused to let me off the hook was the saving grace as they handed the phone back to me and beat a retreat.

But the question most people who spoke to Vanguard Motoring asked was whether these hoodlums were robbers or local government officials? This could best be answered by the Edo State Government whose domain is being used to perpetrate this dastardly act.

Another question that is still begging for answer is why didn’t the revenue collectors demand for house rents receipt, PHCN bills, water bills, etc.

Many observers are of the view that this harassment seem targeted against people from a certain part of the country, arguing that should not be the case.

30— Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Badia demolition: Compensation'll be paid only on compassionate grounds — Lagos govt

BY KINGSLEY ADEGBOYE

T

HE Lagos State Government has said that it can pay compensation to the displaced people of Badia East, referred to as Oke Ilu Eri in Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area only on compassionate grounds.

This, according to LASG is because strucures demolished in the area were mere shanties that cannot be valued.

Lagos State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN who represented the Chairman, Exco Committee on Badia East, and Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Lagos State at the stakeholders’ meeting of the Technical Committee on Badia East last week disclosed this.

Pedro who said there were consultations between the state government and community leaders including the Ojora of Ojora land, Oba Fatai Aremu Aromire before the eventual demolition of the area in February this year, pointing out that besides the stakeholders’ meeting to chart the way forward as regards the redevelopment of the slum community, there will be verification this week after which report will be written and sent to the government for necessary action.

Verification exercise According to him, the deliberation at the stakeholders’ meeting and the findings of the verification exercise will form the basis of the report of the Badia East committee which will be sent to the government for implementation, stressing that until the report is ready, nobody can do anything now as regards issue of compensation. He argued that the structures demolished by the government were shanties without legal titles and their value cannot be ascertained, reiterating that the government can only compensate the affected residents on compassionate ground.

The State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Bosun Jeje noted in his speech that the essence of the stakeholders’ meeting was to look into the complaints by the various interest groups following the clearance of the illegal structures in the area and report back to the government. He added that the housing project to be constructed at the site is to align with the government’s efforts towards making Lagos a C M Y K

The demolished Badia East site with displaced people mega city.

“To be able to achieve our vision of making Lagos State Africa’s Model Mega City and global economic and financial hub that is safe, secure, functional and productive, in this instance, requires a collective effort. We must ensure eradication of filthy, unhealthy living environment.

“Let me therefore enjoin all of us gathered here to see this occasion as an avenue to rub minds on how we can collectively move the state forward in her quest to create a more livable environment for her citizenry”, Bosun said.

The Special Adviser on Housing to the governor, Mr. Ajao explained that the state government is proposing to develop the land at Badia East measuring about 10.04 hectares into a modern housing estate comprising 1008 housing units

under the Lagos Home ownership and mortgage Scheme, HOMS. He disclosed that the estate will comprise 29 blocks of multi tenement apartments and also a block of shopping/office complex.

“Each block comprises 48 units of the following house types, 12 mini flats, 12 units of onebedroom, 12 units of twobedroom flats and 12 units of three-bedroom Maisonettes. The Development is proposed for execution in phases in order to minimize the impact of displacement on the people as this would be gradual. The first set of six Blocks comprising 288 units is expected to be completed

by December 2014”, the Special Adviser noted.

In his remark, the Ojora of Ojora land appealed to the displaced people to cooperate with the government in order to

move forward, pointing out that going to court as some people have done will not help matters.

He said the place is known to be a slum, and it cannot be left the way it is, urging those who had plots of land should go to the committee set up by the to resolve issues.

Making his observations on the issue, the chairman of ApapaIganmu Local Council Development Area, Adesola Adebayo said the situation at Badia can be likened to that of Maroko then. He added that Maroko’s demolition happened under military rule, which explains why the land owners lost out in the redevelopment of the place. He said because this is democratic dispensation, and considering the fact governor Babatunde Fashola to be a compassionate person, he believed that the displaced

people of Badia will not be treated like the Maroko land owners.

According to Adebayo, “Badia is central to Lagos metropolis, and it cannot be left out of development.

Let the government consider our case as regards whether we have C.of O. or not. They say when a man has lived in a particular place for long, he or she becomes part and parcel of the place. We are asking for favour on compassionate ground. Let some of the housing units to be built on the land be given to the displaced persons while the government should equally look into the cases of those who were left when the government compiled the list of the affected people, as some of the affected people were not around when the exercise was being carried out”,

Lagos-Ibadan Expr essway r econstruction'll cr eate thousands of jobs — JULIUS BERGER BOSS

J

ULIUS Berger Nigeria Plc has noted that the reconstruction and expansion of LagosIbadan Expressway which the Federal Government flagged off at the weekend will generate several thousands of jobs for Nigerians.

Managing director of the company Mr. Wolfgang Goetsch who made this known in a chat with Vanguard Homes & Property, said his firm had estimated approximately 1,200,000 cubic metres of

earthworks, removal of approximately 940,000 square metres of damaged asphalt and the laying of more than 2,000metres of pipe culverts.

Other areas of job creation during the project according to Goetsch include approximately 50,000 metres of U-channels and approximately 66,000 metres of lined drains, adding that the company is planning to process approximately 1.2 million tons of aggregates, 698,000 tons of a new asphaltic base course to laid, asphaltic binder and wearing

course as well as 41,000 metres of a concrete median barrier to be constructed.

The scope of works to be executed under section 1 of the expressway which is between Lagos Old Toll Gate and Shagamu Interchange, totaling 43.6 km being handled by Julius Berger includes reconstruction of the existing two lane carriageway in each direction and addition of a third lane to make three lanes in each direction.

The width of the carriageway is 10.95m with adjoining 2.75m

outer hard shoulder, 1.8m inner hard shoulder and a median.

The thickness of the pavement is made up of 150mm sub-base, 200mm crushed base, 150mm Macadam, 60mm asphaltic concrete binder course and 40mm asphaltic concrete wearing course. The works also involve the construction of an interchange at the Redemption Camp, five bridges as well as the maintenance of the existing 10 bridges amongst other ancillary works.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—31

BY JUDE NJOKU

D

IFFERENT stakeholder groups comprising community associations, trade groups and government officials will from today, flag off the validation of Urban Profiles prepared in nine cities in Osun State, under a N100 million Structure Plans Project funded by the state government in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme UN Habitat.

The Osun Structure Plans Project, which kicked off in July last year, according to a statement by Mr Paul Okunola of UN-HABITAT, seeks to develop and adopt Structure Plans that will guide the growth, development and management of the participating cities over the next 20 years.

The participating cities, grouped into three clusters of three cities each are: Osogbo, Ikirun, Ila Orangun (Cluster 1), Ilesha. Ile Ife, Ede (Cluster 2) and Iwo, Ejgbo and Ikire (Cluster 3). Structure Plans are planning instruments that will guiding the growth of these towns for the next 20 years and specifically make significant contributions towards achieving the goals of the State’s six-point Integral Action Plan, the various Local Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (LEEDS), the HABITAT Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The project involves use of the Rapid Urban Sector Profiling for Suastainability (RUSPS) methodology, which establishes a sustainable, participatory, long-term framework for the orderly physical, economic and social development of the city.

The RUSPS methodology, which is based on ‘Guidelines for Sustainable Urban Development’ designed by the European Commission and UNHabitat, seeks to reduce urban poverty through policy development and assessment of needs and responses for urban institutions.

“One of the major challenges facing urban centres is a lack of information and accurate statistics that could be used when planning development. This is one of the issues we want to address. The successful implementation of the process would help town planners prioritize their needs and put their resources into the places they ought to be,” said Dr. Alioune Badiane, Director, Projects Office at the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement in Osogbo.

In all, 13 consultants, comprising specialists in Urban Planning and Local Economic Development; Urban Environment and Infrastructure; Governance, Gender and AnthroC M Y K

Consultations begin on structured plans for Osogbo, Ife, 7 other Osun cities

An area in Osogbo town

pology, as well as Urban Services and Transportations were commissioned to work on the project under the coordination of a Chief Technical Adviser.

According to the State Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, the Structure Plans Project is a follow up to an Urban Renewal Scheme involvinig te upgrading of a two-kilometre radius from the city centre in each of the nine cities.

“We are determined to transform our cities into functional settlements that will match our expectations as a state of excellence,” Mr Ige said.

The City Consultations begin on today, July at Ilesa, followed by Ile Ife on Wednesday and Ede on July 11. Others will follow at Iwo (July 15), Ejigbo (July 16) and Ikire (July 17), while consultations for the final cluster will hold at hold at Ikirun (July 22), Ila (July 23) and Osogbo (July 24).

The Habitat Programme Manager for Nigeria, Mallam Kabir Yari, stressing the importance of the scheme, noted that “For planning to flourish and more importantly stem the growing slum formation and poverty, there is a need for a more fundamental rethinking of city planning and development approaches and actions to make them inclusive, participatory and one to be undertaken at the local level.”

The Structure Plans project comprises three phases, namely, PHASE 1 - a rapid appraisal of current issues and policies to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to policy on slums and shelter,

governance, gender and HIV/ AIDS and the urban environment; PHASE 2 - building on priorities determined in the previous phase to develop and expand capacity for national and local institutions to improve their performance in

the urban sector; and, PHASE 3 - implementation of programmes and projects identified in earlier phases.

The project is scheduled for completion before the end of this year.

AUA boss lauds Nigerite on innovative building solutions

BY KINGSLEY ADEGBOYE

P

RESIDENT of Africa Union of Architects, AUA Tokunbo Omisore has commended Nigerite Ltd, for its innovative building solutions, saying that the company’s corporate and product philosophy is in tandem with the Pan-African professional body as recently articulated by AUA in Tangier,Morocco. According to architect Omisore, “prior to this event, our valued partner on this journey, Nigerite Ltd has adopted the vision of the Africa Union of Architects and her strategy to promote Africa’s research and development, and most importantly encourage made in Africa products to promote affordable developments for sustainability”.

Disclosing this at the presentation of awards to young architect and student winners in the African Union of Architects’ PanAfrican competition, Omisore decried that African leaders were copying the developed world without reference to the cultural values of their communities thereby promoting developments which were not only unaffordable but also unsustainable.

He therefore advised African governments to encourage and ensure research that will adopt made in Africa ideas. “If adopted, Africa’s economic wealth will grow, as capital flight will stop, investors’ confi-

dence will grow, while industries and manufacturers will experience growth and development,just as employment opportunities will be created and most especially we will have the African solutions through our educational and research institutions”, he said.

He noted that Nigerite’s award initiative and partnership with AUA has shown that the company has despite all challenges continued not only to be relevant to the Nigerian society and economy but has also taken up the added value to assist the growth of the African continent through different programmes such as the AUA competition for young architects and students to promote affordable solutions using locally available resources.

Earlier, Marketing Director of Nigerite, Toyin Gbede, an architect, had commended University of Lagos Students and the University authority for the over-all excellent performance of their students in the keen competition.

The Marketing Director who lauded AUA for inventing the competition also thanked the body for allowing Nigerite to partner with it on such laudable endeavour.

Those who emerged winners in the competition and presented with awards were: Charles Lipenga, Sharon Kobusingi, Agbaneje Ann, Aghwadoma Esiri and Fatade Francis. Others were Millisa Kacoutie, Remilekun Oluseye, Adedoyin Babalola, Akinyemi Olalekan and Ordia Efosa. Prizes presented at the occasion ranged from cash prizes to ipads.

32—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Food waste: Experts warn on threats to environment

By EBELE ORAKPO

O

N June 5, 2013, the Soci ety of Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation, SETPOM, joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2013 World Environmental Day, WED, at the University of Lagos with a public lecture.

The theme for this year ’s WED was Think, Eat, Save.

Delivering the lecture, Gbolahan Solabi, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of Rambigas Nigeria Limited who spoke on "From Farm to Table: Eating to save the Environment", noted that the continued survival of man on planet earth will depend on his ability to maintain a balanced ecosystem and sustained resource base.

The lecture, according to him, was “to sensitise the public on the global concern for food waste/loss worldwide.”

He harped on the need for “the evolution of sound management strategies so that we can leave the environment better than we met it.”

Solabi said; “the main environmental impact from food wastes is emission of greenhouse gases measured in tonnes of Carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2 eq/t). Research data shows that for every ton of food waste generated, 1.9 tCO2 eq/t is emitted.

“Global food production will increase by 50 per cent – 70 per cent by 2050 to feed world population (UNEP, 2010); about one third (33.33%) of food produced are wasted/not eaten (BIO Intelligence Service, 2010). We lose about 25 per cent of all cereal and 50 per cent of fruits, roots crops and vegetables,” said Solabi, noting that “ with the above challenges, our choices of food intake alone and our increased agricultural produce

will not save the environment.

“While global attention had been on control of food losses/ waste at both the primary and secondary phases of production, little or no attention is paid to the uneaten food or leftovers globally.”

Environmental implications of food wastes: "The adverse impacts of food waste at restaurant and household levels are virtually the same. At both levels, tertiary food production as well as consumption occur. "By 2020, food waste generation may hit 126.2 million tonnes and 239.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent," regretting that Nigeria has no statistical information on locally generated food loss at service/restaurant and household level.

“While there are substantial available data on food losses/

wastes at primary and secondary food production stages as well as their environmental implications, the same is not true for huge losses/ wastes generated at the tertiary production level.

“Apart from the negative environmental impacts of greenhouse emissions, the food wastes impact surface and ground water quality/safety adversely.”

Measures to reduce food waste in Nigeria: “Food services, restaurants and households are sectors of neglect in our nation and causes of food loss/waste are common to both sectors," he said and named food preparation, portion size served, storage, labeling & packaging, awareness, preferences, cultural tendencies, planning,

*Members, Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation at the 2013 World Environment Day seminar. Standing (in white) is Alhaji Gbolahan Solabi, guest lecturer.

43.3% land ar ea prone to deser tification in Nigeria — Mailafia

By FUNMI OLASUPO

M

INISTER of Environ ment Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia has disclosed that 43.3 per cent of the total land area of the country is prone to desertification hence, there is need to protect the resource based ecosystem.

The Minister stated this during the Flag off of the Great Green Wall, GGW programme, in Bachaka Kebbi State.

Mailafia noted that, “The Nigerian GGW programme, which is being implemented as a contiguous greenbelt from the northwest to the northeast in the frontline states will rehabilitate about 225,000 hectares of degraded C M Y K

lands, enhance food security, reduce rural poverty and generate employment for about 500,000 people in its first year of implementation”.

According to her, “40 million Nigerians were affected by desertification each year, and this poses serious threats to livelihoods of the citizens.

Recent report indicates that 43.3 per cent of the total land area of the country is prone to desertification, with the frontline states facing the greatest hazards.

“The problem is quite alarming and can cripple provision of land resources based ecosystem services that are vital for a number of development sectors. The rate of desertification in the country

is reported to be high with the attendant destruction of farmlands and livelihoods, particularly in the affected states.

Also, the country is losing about 2,168sq km of range land and cropland to desertification each year and this poses serious threats to livelihoods of about 40 million people.

“The effects of drought are being exacerbated by desertification and the threat of the Sahara desert spreading southwards is considered a major challenge that no single country can tackle it alone.

Land resources underpin the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide, and are central to sustainable national development. This is especially

true in dry land areas which are experiencing severe pressure from increasing socio-economic impacts of land use and broader global changes.

“Systemic complex issues such as land degradation and desertification, climate change, food insecurity, water scarcity and poverty in the dry lands are receiving greater social, political and scientific attention worldwide. In order to ensure an effective implementation of the Great Green Wall Program in our country, a national strategic action plan has been developed, and work plan and budget for 2013 have been approved for implementation”, Mailafia stated.

socio-economic factors and affluence as factors that promote food wastage.

To prevent/reduce food wastage, Solabi said there must be consumer behavioural paradigm shift.

Explaining, he said; “Africans generally and in particular Nigerians, have a culture of food wastage. For example, Yoruba people say Ajesiku ni ai mo ayo (food left unconsumed in the plate is an indication of satisfied appetite.) This saying is practised by the Yoruba on daily basis.

Annual food waste generation should run into million tonnes in the country among the Yoruba alone.

"Our culture encourages visitors to our homes to be fed, whether or not they want to eat. This certainly is another source of generating food waste at household level,” he explained.

He advocated educational training and awareness campaign programme, the NAFDAC approach on Fake & Counterfeit Drugs in the nation to achieve this consumer behaviour change.

In a keynote address, Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Dr. Gloria Elemo represented by Dr. Chima Igwe, Director, Department of Chemical, Fiber and Environmental Technology, said 14 per cent of greenhouse gases were associated with "growing, manufacturing, transporting and disposing of food and by reducing the amount of food wasted, we can reduce greenhouse pollution. Recycling food waste has many environmental benefits such as improving soil health and structure, reducing drug resistance, reducing the need for supplemental water, stabilizers and pesticides. Food waste can be turned into renewable energy and soil amender through anaerobic digestion," he stated.

Two students, Awoyemi Olusola and David Bamigboye received the inaugural award of SEPTOM worth N20,000. According to the organisers, the award was to enable them undertake their research studies, adding that in future, the amount will be increased.

The Dean of Science, University of Lagos, Prof.

Matthew Ilori chaired the occasion. Dr Adebayo Otitoloju, founder of SETPOM said it was formed to "provide a platform for environmental stakeholders to share best practices in environmental management."

Vanguard , TUESDAY,

— JULY 9, — 2 013

— 33

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 AQUARIUS: Those of you with secret admirers within your working area will have the needed opportunities to make the needed moves. Resist the temptation to deceive others.

PISCES: Although matters-of-the-heart may give you cause to smile broadly, if care is not taken, you would cause friction that can’t help you r case at work. This is the wrong time for unnecessary scheming within your working arena.

ARIES: Those of your who are red-blooded for romance may have an exciting and satisfying day. Happenings within your social circles must be taken more seriously.

TAURUS: Confrontation may come your way in the circle but the heavens are working favourably for you.

Some doses of romance is not too much for you on a day like this.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

A

RE you a politi cian, you need a platform to practise your brand of politics; Are you a singer, you can’t be a successful singer if you do not have a platform, perhaps, you are a footballer, you can’t play your foot-

Do you need a platform? — 2 ball well enough without a platform.

If a platform is so important, then how do we acquire one?

There are two basic ways to acquiring a

platform viz: Using other peoples own and establishing our own. Still, there are some skills that are practically impossible for you to estab-

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye”

lish your platform when you are trying to horn your skill e.g. football. Football being a team game requires other people’s co-operation for you to excel. If you want to establish your own club how do you now raise the resources?

By Lanre Kehinde

GEMINI: Provided you don’t allow your innate ability to be as diplomatic as necessary desert you, things work favourably for you to the betterment of your finances.

CANCER: Many of you will be in sentimental mood and exhibit strong romantic desire openly. But then, if care is not taken, you may be carried away to the detriment of your finances. Serious minded lovers are in for happy day.

LEO: Whatever anybody says or does, you will have both your say and way. Venus and Jupiter may tempt some of you to embrace illicit (or secret) romance within your base of operation.

VIRGO: Planets at positive angles may tempt you to join some of your friends who are already on-board of merry making train. Watch your health.

LIBRA: Minor financial success you record today can lead to something bigger and good in the near future; as good luck will smile at many and induce love of luxury, merry, making and romantic association. Genuine lovers will need to be on guard against deceit from new admirers.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

SCORPIO: Both financial success and emotional satisfaction are closed to you than before. Those of you travelling because of maters-of-the-heart are in for an exciting romantic day Those of you who are ambitious (career-wise) will succeed after few struggles.

SAGITTARIUS: Many members of your opposite sex will go out of their ways to attract your romantic interest. This is the wrong time to engage on unnecessary argument. Been your lucky day you are expected to take good advantage today.

CAPRICORN: If you priority is love, much of it would come your way as desired. But here is a better day for more ambitious in the business world. Don’t allow anybody to deceive you over money.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

What’s my horoscope?

Dear Joshua,

I want you to give me my comprehensive horoscope, especially what my special gift is.

Which day of the week was I born? Where were my natal planets and their meanings? Who am I? MD, Kano.

Dear MD, There is no space for comprehensive horoscope but what you’ll have here -under is answer to your questions/ You were born on a Thursday and your special gift is LEADERSHIP quality.

YOUR HOROSCOPE DATA Day Of Birth: Thursday Sun Sign: Virgo: Sun in 20th Degree of Virgo Moon Sign: PISCES: Moon on 10th Degree of Pisces Mercury in 16th Degree of Libra Venues in 5th Degree of Scorpio Mars in 13th Degree of Cancer Jupiter in 6th Degree of Pisces Saturn in 5th Degree of Aquarius Uranus in 2nd Degree of Virgo Neptune in 11th Degree of Scorpio Pluto in 10th Degree of Virgo North Node in 6th Degree of Leo South Node in 6th Degree of Aquarius Quality and Element Cardinal and air star signs hosted two planets each fixed and earth three each, no planet in fire while mutable and water star signs hosted five planets each.

Push-full influence = 20% Non- push-full element = 80% Final dispositor = Lucky Jupiter

Commen3

by Lawrence Akapa

34— Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Ejinrin, Iju Ishaga: A tale of two cenotaphs •Reptiles, weeds take over ADC plane crash site at Ejirin •We will fix it soon – Aviation minister

By MONSURU OLOWOOPEJO

B

ARELY a month after the Federal and Lagos state governments unveiled the IjuIshaga arcade in memory of the victims of the ill-fated Dana flight, those familiar with the flight 086 memorial Arcade, Itoikin Town, Ejirin axis of Lagos, weep over the sorry state of the monument erected in honour of the victims of the ill-fated ADC aircraft Boeing 727-231, on November 7, 1996.

It will be recalled that the one-year remembrance for the victims of Dana plane crash was done simultaneously in Abuja and Lagos by President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Babatunde Fashola.

Though issues concerning misrepresentation and omission of victims’ name and unpaid compensation to the families of the passengers and the on-ground victims were raised in respect of the arcades for the Dana crash victims, the total neglect of the site of the ADC crash site is criminal to say the least.

Ejinrin cenotaph

Neglect of the monument Sources said that the neglect of the monument erected at the riverside of the Itoikin River in Ikosi-Ejirin Local Council Development Area, LCDA, by the Federal and Lagos state governments has turned the arcade and its surrounding to a national embarrassment.

Vanguard gathered that the place has become home to reptiles and weeds.

Standing on the Itoikin Bridge and looking at the cenotaph erected few metres away, it was sad to learn that where serving military officers died had been overgrown with weeds.

When Vanguard visited the cenotaph, the path to the monument was bushy. The gates were wide opened, as its padlock was missing.

Inside the Arcade, offensive odor of urine and human excreta enveloped the air. The place has since become the restroom for commuters from Epe and Ijebu-Ode axes of Lagos and Ogun state.

Nothing apart from the faded black paint used in engraving names of the victims’ on the cenotaph and the plaque unveiled by the ex-minister of C M Y K

Lagos tri-cycle operato •103 chairmen head the branches •Pursue amendment of traffic law

T Iju-Ishaga cenotaph

Aviation, Air Commodore Ita Udo-Ime on November 7, 1997, indicates that heroes and heroines died there.

Mr. Felix Ogayemi, a resident of Itoikin Town, said “With the situation of the place, no one especially children that were born after the incident occurred, will know that such disaster which threw the nation into mourning occurred at Itoikin Town.”

“As you can see” Ogayemi said “the place has been left unattended to. With this, very soon snakes and other harmful reptiles will turn the place to their home.

“The last time the government renovated the

cenotaph was in 2010. And since then, no government official has visited the monument,” he added.

We will fix it – Aviation minister

When contacted, the Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah, in a text message to Vanguard, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would in a few days rehabilitate the 16-yearold Memorial Arcade.

“We are going to rehabilitate the arcades and other in the country. We are already discussing on the best way to quickly fix it. I can assure you that in short time, the place will wear a new look.”

HOUSANDS of tricycle riders in Lagos State, came under one body at the weekend, setting the stage for an end to years of strife that often left many of their members dead as rival associations repeatedly clashed for supremacy.

The new association will now be known as TWAN, an acronym for Tricycle Workers Association of Nigeria.

“Today is historic. We have now unified. We have amalgamated our associations,” said Comrade Abiodun Akin Shoda, Chairman of the 31-member committee set up to ease the unification process.

With the association’s first general assembly’s meeting on Thursday in Lagos, Shoda said TWAN had successfully unified the Keke Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, KORAN, and the threewheelers Beneficiaries and Operators Association in Lagos State. “The Lagos State

Government wants us to be one.

We are one now,” he said.

The new association now has 103 chairpersons across the state, said Comrade Daodu Adesoji, Secretary of the caretaker committee.

Adesoji explained that each branch of the association has at least seven units or motor parks under its control.

Caretaker committee “We have unified because there have been a lot of crises in the last seven years between both associations and some hooligans were allowed to join us to victimise our members and we discovered that the only solution to this is to bring both associations together,” Adesoji said.

He said the caretaker committee had been working with the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode

Vanguard, TUESDAY,

JULY 9, 2013

— 35

World Bank comes to rescue of Ijora Badia slum occupants

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI & ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

S

UCCOUR seems to be on the way for the displaced residents of Oke Ilu-eri in IjoraBadia East area of the state, as the World Bank, in collaboration with the state government has disclosed plans to resettle them

by August ending.

This was disclosed by the World Bank representative in Nigeria, Sateh El-Arnaout during a Stakeholders’ meeting on Badia East, at the weekend.

El-Arnaout, who commended Lagos State and Federal governments for allowing the aggrieved displaced residents to air their views concerning the process, assured that the collation of names would be completed and released by July ending while the resettlement would be done by August ending this year.

“The Lagos State Government is sincere about the provision of immediate relief to the affected people, while the building project will be on to improve the place for the residents. I will like affected people to be patient and cooperate with the state government to accomplish this gesture”, he said.

El-Arnaout added, “I commend Lagos State and

Demolition of Ijora Badiya slum

Nigeria in general for allowing freedom of speech, because the problem we are having in Turkey and Brasil now was as a result of not allowing their citizens freedom of expression.

In the ‘Resettlement Action Plan’ Badia people will soon get relief from the state government by the end of August after the list has been verified by World Bank”.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Bosun Jeje hinted that relief

would soon get to them as soon as the technical committee perfected the list of displaced people submitted to the state government by their representatives led by Pastor Raymond Oluwagbenga Tedunjaye.

He added that all the observations and amendment noted by some of their representatives, especially the 20years payment for the structure by residents after completion of the project which

they want raised to 25years will be looked into.

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Housing, Hon Jimoh Ajao, encouraged the affected people not to be despaired because the state government meant well for them, saying “No responsible government that is worth its salt in giving better welfare package to the citizens would allow them to live in slum especially when the present administration of Fashola was

ors amalgamate Opeifa, to modify Section 3 of the Lagos Traffic Law which banned tricycles and motorcycles on 457 roads across the state.

“Lagos State has understood that tricycles are not prone to accidents and they are not used to commit crimes,” Adesoji added.

Dagunduro Bose, chairperson of Ojodu Berger branch and the only female leader of tricycle operators in the state said she was happy about the amalgamation. “It takes a lot of boldness to be in the midst of men. But I am bold enough to be in their midst,” she said.

Both associations have been at loggerheads since 2004 when KORAN was registered. The three-wheelers Beneficiaries and Operators Association in Lagos State had been registered since 1998. Attempts to unify them collapsed many times and clashes among them left many people dead every year.

The new association still has one final hurdle to cross.

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Tricycles at a park in Lagos

Two months ago in April, Three-wheelers Beneficiaries/ Operators Association sued the state government to stop the amalgamation of both associations.

The association, along with a member of its Board of Trustees (BOT), Tunji Oyeniyi, its Chairman and Vice-Chairman in the state, Messrs Moses

Buhari and Dauda Ganiyu filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing the Lagos State Government of using its officials and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers to force them to join Keke Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria.

Apart from the state government, others joined as

respondents in the suit were the state’s commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, and the state’s chapter of NURTW. However, Adesoji said the suit would be withdrawn in the next two weeks. “We have agreed that in the next two weeks, we will withdraw all the suits,” he said.

working towards transforming the whole state to meet the mega city status”.

The Ojora of Ijora kingdom,.Oba Abdulfatai Oyeyinka Aromire, in his remarks, urged the state government to keep its promise in providing necessary assistance to the people, just as he appealed to the people to be patient and cooperate with the government.

In his own contribution, chairman of Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, Dr. Adesola Adedayo urged the state government to give the people the opportunity of first refusal when the housing schemem is completed and security of tenure.

Bulldozers, about a year ago, July 13, 2012, precisely, descended on the occupants of Iganmu Alawo Community in Apapa Iganmu Local Council Development Area, LCDA, and were dislodged by the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit.

Solicitor-General confirms compensation move Meantime, the state SolicitorGeneral, Mr. Lawal Pedro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, confirmed that plan to compensate the victims.

Pedro, who represented the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice at a parley with residents of Badia East at the National Theatre Complex, said this development revealed that the government was listening to the complaints of the people.

He noted that a technical committee would soon start work to ensure proper enumeration and see that no genuine claim was not attended to.

The Solicitor-General said: “The position of the government is to sanitise the place and make it habitable, otherwise it will continue to be a slum.

“The development process is in phases and the government, out of its magnanimity, has come out to say it will compensate residents who are affected.

“And mind you, most of the properties that are there are illegal which makes them ordinarily not entitled to any form of compensation”.

“That is part of the exercise the technical committee is going to do by making sure they do proper enumeration and see that the people who are really affected are adequately compensated.”

36—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Bayelsa to revive rice farms

N'Delta ethnic groups fault Ijaw on 10 federating units

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

ENAGOA—AS the 2015 date for the ban of importation of rice by the Federal Government approaches, Bayelsa State government, yesterday, said it plans to revive its ailing rice industry.

The state is also set to host an Investment and Diaspora Summits aimed at attracting foreign and local investors to partner the government with a view to harnessing the state huge natural resources.

Director-General, Bayelsa State Investment Promotion Agency BIPA, Freda MurrayBruce, who disclosed this in Yenagoa, said the state was ready for investment, adding that the government business-friendly policies had put Bayelsa on the international investment map.

She said: “The state government is ready to partner investors for projects of high socioeconomic value; employment creation and industry development.

"Bayelsa has the potential to produce rice for the entire West Africa sub-region.

“The 2015 rice import ban by the Federal Government," she noted, "would increase demand for locally grown rice by five million tons per year.

“Bayelsa has a comparative advantage for rice production due to its swampy and naturally irrigated terrain.”

BY TONY NYONG

U

YO—MAJOR ethnic nationalities in the SouthSouth region have disassociated themselves from the call for 10 federating units for Nigeria as proposed by Ijaw National Congress, INC, and have also risen against the call for Ijaw region.

In a statement, Ibibio, Ikwere, Itsekiri, Isoko and Benin ethnic nationalities of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, and Edo states described the position of INC as a Frankestein monster.

They said if the ethnic nationalities in the South-South were already suffocating under the political weight of the Ijaw in the current dispensation, the creation of Ijaw region, including their ethnic nationalities, will be a nightmare.

Speaking during a meeting at the palace of the Ntisong of Ibibio in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger Delta said: “One of the proposed 10 federating units is the Niger Delta Region depicted in the map as Ijaw region.

“The proposed Ijaw Region includes territories belonging to the Ibibio of Akwa Ibom

State; Ikwerre of Rivers State; Isoko, Itsekiri and Urhobo of Delta State; Bini of Edo State and Ilaje of Ondo State.”

They also condemned what

group, G25 Assembly, has apologised to former Delta State Commissioner for Housing and Water Resources, Dr. Alex Ideh, for addressing him as a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart in one of the national dailies.

The group, in a statement by its Chairman, Mr. Benedict Ebede, yesterday, stated that the act was an error and regrettable, adding that it was

I

TSEKIRI, under the aegis of Itsekiri Development Congress, IDC, have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to call their Ijaw neighbours to order to avoid breakdown of law and order.

In an open letter to President Jonathan entitled Please Stop this Genocidal Tendency of the Ijaw, they said the recent attack on Itsekiri was “a stage in the overall plan of our neighbour to exterminate Itsekiri, occupy and covert our homeland.”

The letter, signed by Mr. Emma Okotie-Eboh and Mr. Solomon Iwetan, IDC Chairman and Secretary, respectively, said: “In the early hours July 1, 2013, when the Itsekiri villagers were still asleep or getting ready for their daily sustenance, death and mayhem came in the form of our Ijaw neighbours.”

IDC said it was necessary to apprehend and bring to justice perpetrators of the attack so that Itsekiri would not be forced to defend themselves, which

could worsen the security situation in the country.

It said more than 10 Itsekiri villages were razed, many people killed, maimed or rendered homeless.

IDC said the chairmanship seat of Warri North Local Government Area, which is being touted as excuse for the invasion, was not the Itsekiri’s to give.

It said: “In a democracy, it is never the Itsekiri or the Ijaw that should win the chairmanship.

It is and will always be the candidate with the highest vote.”

IYC elders urge Bomadi/Patani politicians to play fair

E

LDERS of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Western Zone, have cautioned the

not a deliberate attempt to tarnish his name.

The group appealed to the elder statesman not to let the error spoil the good relationship they had already initiated.

It noted that Ideh had been a crusader for credible elections in the country and as such has been playing the role of a political father to the younger generation.

Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Basil Ganagana, and House of Representatives member representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency, Mr. Nicholas Mutu, to stop inciting youths against themselves.

The call followed the perceived unhealthy jostling over who represents the constituency come 2015.

Peter Ezonfade, Patrick Stanley and Abule Bedford, who spoke to journalists, warned that heating up the polity by making frivolous allegations and counter-allegations against each other, when

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

which led to the loss of lives and destruction of property, calling on the Federal Government to bring those behind the dastard act to book.

... as Itsekiri Devt Congr ess petitions Jonathan over attack

G25 apologises to Ideh

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they described as the unprovoked and barbaric attacks on some Itsekiri communities in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State,

they were supposed to be role models, do not speak good for Ijawland.

They said: “Fortunately, we were at the scene on June 26, 2013 in Bomadi,” stressing that the youths only exchange words and same was resolved amicably.

The elders wondered where the allegations of kidnapping and terrorism were coming from.

While maintaining their nonpartisanship, the trio held that as a socio-cultural organisation, IYC would always maintain peace and give advice to the youths, who would take over from where their leaders stopped.

By Bartholomew Madukwe (nwamad@yahoo.com)

On £3,000 bond for UK visa

U

K is simply pursuing her national interests, one of which is to protect her territory and citizens from external invasion.

And Nigerian citizens are forced to invade other peoples’ land in search of greener pastures.— Mrs Kate Nduba, Businessperson.

W

ELL, what I think is that as soon as Britain starts executing the £3,000 visa bond, the Federal Government should follow suit, even with a higher margin without any form of consultation or debate.— Miss Awodi Deborah, Broadcaster.

M

Y worry is the rationale behind this £3,000 visa bond. After plundering the economies of these developing countries for over 200 years, they want to prevent their citizens from coming into the UK.— Mr. Ogbonna Chibuzor, Navy Cadet.

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HE blame should go to our leaders, who have simply conspired to make Nigeria a hopeless territory for youths. This has forced them to take refuge in another country.

Our best brains are outside this country, working.— Mr. Duru Ifeanyi, Businessman.

T

HIS is where late Sani Abacha and Ghadaffi of blessed memories fit in, though they were tyrants in their own ways. This visa bond issue requires a radical approach, then every country will learn to respect one another.— Miss Mabel Ogechi, Student.

M

OST Nigerians in UK have constituted themselves to nuisance for the government, who have every moral right to protect its citizens. Nigerians should start having a rethink of their values.— Mrs Ifeoma Ayambuba, Businessman.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

OBONG OF CALABAR: We ‘ll appeal court ruling —Kingmakers C

BY EMMA UNA

ALABAR—THE Etuboms’ Traditional Council, the Efik King making body has said it would appeal the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Calabar, which last Thursday, nullified the processes through which the Edidem Abasi Otu was crowned Obong of Calabar.

The Efik Kingmakers, meanwhile, pledged to obey the judgment.

In a statement, weekend, by Chairman of Etuboms’ Council, Etunom Okor Duke, the council said it had no choice than to obey the decision of the appellate court.

The Etuboms’ Council noted that being capped was a mandatory requirement for anyone to be eligible to contest for the post of Obong of Calabar and that accounts for the rejection of Chief Anthony Ani, former Minister of Finance during the General Sani Abacha’s regime, who is not capped.

“Consequently, the entire Efik community and all well meaning people welcomed the decision of the court that Chief Ani is not traditionally qualified and eligible to contest the position of Obong of Calabar.”

The council added that the court judgment had settled “his spurious and vexatious claims to the position that he knows he is not fit for; this sim-

ple truth is what we have been insisting on and we shall continue to maintain it till the end of time.”

According to the Etuboms’ Council, the fact that “Edidem Okon Otu was not

excluded from participating in the new processes of the selection of Obong affirms the fact that he is truly from one of the founding fathers of the Efik kingdom, which qualifies him

to occupy the exalted traditional position.

“This vindicates our earlier stance and voting pattern, where Anthony Ani with all his resources scored only one vote against the then Etubom Ekpo Abasi Otu.”

MOU: Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (left), presenting a N500m bank draft to the Managing Director of Messrs Sivan Design D.S Ltd, Mr. Shay Chevuty, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with the company for the state’s Geographic Information System, BGIS, at Government House, Yenagoa.

Group kicks against appointing Bitchi as FUPRE VC

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—URHOBO youths under the aegis of Coalition of Urhobo Youth Organisation, CUYO, yesterday, condemned media reports credited to the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, recommending

the appointment of Professor Alhasan Bitchi as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Petroleum Resources, FUPRE, Effurun, Delta State.

It will be recalled that CUYO has been clamouring for Bitchi’s removal and the

appointment of an Urhobo descent as substantive VC of the institution which is located on Urhoboland.

Reacting to the media reports, spokesman of CUYO, Mr. Stephen Ohwokirerhuo, said the IYC was not competent to speak on behalf of the

Grange lists impediments to sustainable healthcar e deliver y

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—FORMER Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange has attributed the problems militating against the provision of effective healthcare delivering system in the country to lack of funding, political will on part of the leaders, infrastructure development of the manufacturing industries and reliance on importation of equipment, drugs and materials.

She blamed the public sector ’s supply systems for the lack of sustainable healthcare delivery in the country, saying that it had been plagued by in-

adequate financing, weak management system, lack of accountability and a devastating reduction in the healthcare workforce.

Prof. Grange, who was guest lecturer at the third College of Health Sciences lecture, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, called for the eradication of corruption, which she noted had steadily eaten into the fabric of the society.

She said that corruption in low and high places has made the attainment of sustainable health care delivery in the country unattainable

and an empty dream.

The former health minister noted that the Nigerian health system continues to be challenged by poor availability of fund, high cost and irrational use of essential medicines in the pharmaceutical sector and lack of information among health providers.

She said: “The lack of access to quality healthcare coupled with the prevalence of quack hospitals and doctors, fake drugs and substandard products, seemingly put staggering financial burdens on families and the nation was a major challenge to the effective healthcare in the country .”

Urhobo people, reiterating that “the fact that they occupy a parcel of land in Uvwie Local Government Area called Ijaw Quarter does not qualify them to interfere in matters in the Urhobo nation.

“The Urhobo people have never interfered in the appointment of principal officers in institutions located on Ijawland particularly the School of Marine Engineering in Burutu, Delta State and federal institutions in other states.

“The acting VC, Prof. Bitchi should be called to order for trying to use IYC to destroy the age-long relationship between the Urhobo and the Ijaw ethnic nationalities.”

He explained that the agitation of the group for the appointment of an Urhobo indigene as substantive VC of the university was to pave way for the accelerated development of the institution, adding that the acting VC, who he said had overstayed his tenure of six months “is a Professor of Pharmacology, who is bereft of the requisite qualification to be at the helm of a petroleum university. “

—37

Fresh hostilities resume in N/Delta

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ALABAR—THERE were strong indications that hostilities may have resumed in some parts of Niger Delta as sporadic gun shots were heard close to OML 126, the Okwori Oil field operated by Addax Petroleum, located in Cross River State.

According to an eyewitness, a fisherman, Edem Etuk: “We heard the gun shots close to the place we were fishing midday and ran for our lives so as not to be hit by stray bullets.”

He could not confirm the identity of those involved in the shooting, as he said they came to the place in two speed boats.

He said: “As we were about heading out to fish, we heard sporadic gun shots close to OML 126, the Okwori Oil field operated by Addax Petroleum, located in Cross River State. The group involved came to the place in two speed boats.”

It will be recalled that in the time past, there had been series of attacks near oil wells which prevented fishermen from carrying out their fishing businesses.

Community head sues for peace

N

EWLY constituted interim executive chairman for Egbokor Community Development Association, ECDA, in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, Mr. Astute Omorowa, has sued for peace among community members, assuring of even development of the communities under his leadership.

It will be recalled that following a peace meeting of June 24, 2013, an agreement was reached, which was endorsed by immediate past ECDA chairman, Mr. Horace Agobor and 11 other members of Egbokor community, stating that the new interim body would be headed by Omorowa.

Omorowa who was reacting to the recent calls for fresh election said: “The agreement was reached in good faith and without any duress.”

38—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Yoruba group renews calls for SNC, celebrates martyrs

SIM card registration: NATCOMS appeals to minister

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T

O mark the 15 th year remembrance of the death of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, M.K.O, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 19993 election, a group, Coalition of Yoruba Autonomy, COYA, has reiterated its call for a Sovereign National Conference, SNC, to address the imbalance in the Nigerian polity.

The group which made the call to celebrate Chief MKO Abiola, and other Yoruba martyrs who died in the quest to emancipate the Yoruba race, also made case for compensation of those who suffered incapacitation or disabilities in the protest against annulment of June 12, 1993 election.

President of the group, Ambassador Adekunle Adesokan, said: “Today is a day set aside to celebrate our martyrs, people like Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Pa Adekunle Ajasin, Pa Alfred Rewane, Pa Abraham Adesanya and several others, who died in the struggle to emancipate the Yoruba nation.

“We, in COYA, demand a truly people’s democratic federal constitution through a Sovereign National Conference, and stoppage of the superficial, ordinary, deceitful, illegitimate and self-serving amendment of the 1999 constitution, currently being undertaken by the National Assembly.

Elegbe, others for RCCG Region 2 youth convention

AGM—From left: Managing Director of Trustfund Pensions Plc, Mrs. Helen Da-Souza and Chairman of the Board, Mrs. Ngozi Olejeme at the 2012 Annual General Meeting of Trustfund PLC at Nicon Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Imo, Abia bicker over r elocation of transport firm U

BY ANAYO OKOLI

MUAHIA—THE face-off between Abia and Imo State governments escalated, yesterday, as Imo indigenes allegedly blocked routes leading to the state and stopped Abia Lines Network vehicles from entering.

Following the action of the indigenes, Abia State government, in a retaliatory move, banned Imo Transport Company, ITC, from loading in any part of Umuahia.

Imo State government had last week relocated Abia Transport Company from its loading bay in Owerri without providing an alternative, citing the need to restore the city’s master plan as reason for the relocation.

All vehicles in the fleet of Abia Transport were said to have stopped at Onu-Imo River,

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in Owerri without any recourse to the state government.

He alleged that passionate appeals made to Imo State government to rescind its decision had fallen on deaf ears.

Ndukwe also said security agencies had been mandated to impound ITC buses found operating in any part of Abia State.

He said security agencies were further mandated to prosecute operators engaging in illegal loading bays any where in Abia State.

To ensure compliance, the state government also warned landlords against giving out their property to Imo company for loading bays.

The statement warned that any landlord found violating the directive would lose the certificate of occupancy of such

Mark urges retired military officers to join politics

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

HE Redeemed Christian Church of God, Region 2 will hold a two day programme on July 12 and 13, 2013, at RCCG, Kingdom Province 28, Ojota, Lagos.

The programme, themed: “Repositioning the Youth for Nation Building” will have the Chief Executive Officer of InterSwitch Limited, Mitchell Elegbe as one of the guest speakers.

According to the Regional Youth Pastor of the church, Pastor Wale Adeduro, the programme is a major departure from regular Christian conventions as the church is using Elegbe as a case study to challenge Nigerian youths to discover and deploy their talents and skills.

Obowo, boundary of the two states and were denied entry into Imo State.

The irate Imo indigenes were said to be violent in their action as they asked Abia Line Network vehicles to return to Abia.

However to prevent the situation from degenerating, soldiers were reportedly deployed to disperse the demonstrators and maintain peace.

Chief of Staff to Abia State , Governor Theodore Orji, Mr. Cosmas Ndukwe, said in a statement that the loading bay of Imo Transport Company was shut down last Saturday, July 6, 2013.

According to him, the closure of ITC business in the state was in response to the continued closure of Abia Line loading bay

A

B U JA — S E N AT E President, David Mark, has called on retired military officers to stop shying away from participating in active politics in the country.

According to him, it is only by so doing that they can bring about change in the lives of Nigerians.

Speaking at a re-union dinner organised by Course 18th alumni of Nigerian Defence Academy in Abuja weekend, the Senate President said rather than sit on the fence and lament certain occurrences in the land, they should come on board and help bring about the needed change.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Brigadier General BB Teteh (rtd), Mark noted that with their

experience in the academy and the armed forces, the officers, including generals, air vice marshals and rear admirals, were more than qualified to seek elective positions.

He said this would enable them bring their wealth of experience to the political scene and make the scene more proactive as well as bring about sanity, since the armed forces was noted for discipline and organisation.

His words: “You should be interested in the political happenings in the country because there are many things that needs to be changed and you cannot change these things if you are out of politics. So you should get involved.”

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, expressed joy that his colleagues who joined the force

in 1975 had been able to gather to reminisce about the old days and fashion out how to contribute to the nation’s development.

HE National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, NATCOMS, has urged the Minister of Communication Technology to save subscribers' lines from being blocked.

The association, which made the appeal in a statement by its National President, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the minister should intervene by ordering the National Communications Commission, NCC, to provide a three-month final warning extension to subscribers.

Ogunbanjo, who commended the commission for the initial extension of the SIM card registration to June 30, 2013, said a lot of subscribers would be locked out due to no fault of theirs.

He said: “During the SIM registration, some registration agents were not collecting the full details needed because of the rush by the agents to register as many subscribers.

“Some registration agents were asking subscribers to pay N100 before registration, a situation that discourages subscribers.

“Some of them, even when they were agents of a particular network operator, collected other operators’ SIM cards for registration to shore up the number of SIM cards they registered daily".

He said to ensure that every subscriber was given fair consideration, the minister should use her good offices to give Nigerian subscribers more time to enable them register their SIM cards, so they could receive calls.

FG hailed on girl child education

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—THE Federal Ministry of Education, has been commended for giving unalloyed attention to the education of girls and women in Nigeria.

The Director, Centre for Women, Gender and Development Studies, CWGDS, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO, Dr. Ihuoma Asiabaka, stated this in a paper,”Destined to Excel”, she delivered at the 40th anniversary and Prize Giving Day of Federal

Government Girls College, Owerri, FGGCO. Asiabaka said: "If you take accurate statistics of women occupying very significant positions in the country at all levels and in all spheres of our national life, you will obviously see that the gender agenda is gaining momentum in Nigeria”.

She was elated that there were now female vice chancellors, professors, ministers, commissioners, permanent secretaries, politicians, soldiers, health professionals and other areas of human endeavours.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—39

LECTURE: Prof. Adedayo Fasakin, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Federal University of Technology, FUTA, (2nd left); Prof. Ola Oloidi, Professor of Art History and Art Criticism, University of Nigeria Nsukka, (2nd right); Prof. Deji Ogunsemi, Dean, School of Environmental Technology (left); and Dr. Modupe Ajayi, Registrar, at the 6th annual lecture of the School of Environment Technology, in Akure, Ondo State.

WORKSHOP: From left, Dr. Gift Minta, of the United Kingdom Medicine and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency, MHRA; Technical Officer, Quality Assurance and Safety, Essential Medicines and Health Products, WHO, Dr. Michael Deats; Senior Regional Adviser for Sub-Saharan Africa, Office of International Programmes, Dr. Beverly Corey, and Director General NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, during the opening ceremony of workshop on counterfeiting in West African region, organised by NAFDAC, in collaboration with WHO, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

LAUNCH: From left,Wasiu Abiola,Media Manager,Nigerian Breweries; Emmanuel Oriakhi, Marketing Manager,Strategy &Planning, NB; Mr. Steve Forbes, CEO, Forbes Media; Mo Abudu, Executive Chairman/CEO, Ebony Life TV; Nicolaas Vervelde, MD/CEO, NB Plc, and Edem Vindah,Corporate Media/Brand PR Manager, NB, during the launch of Ebony Life TV.

SEMINAR: From left, CEO/MD, New Horizon, Mr. Tim Akano; Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Inuwa Abdul-Kadir-Kabir and Coordinator, Lagos State, National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, during Job Fair and Entrepreneur seminar, organised by New Horizon, at National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

GRADUATION: From left: Prof. Oluwayemi Obashoro, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos; Mrs. Charity Okoli, council member, International Bible Academy, IBA; Rev. Edith Okubanjo, guest of honour/awardee; Mrs. Imelda Osuji, guest of honour/awardee, and Dr. Murphy Akrasi, President, IBA, during IBA's graduation ceremony, at the Chapel of Christ Our Light, University of Lagos.

EVENT: From left, Biswaroop Barua, Global Head, Fixed Income and Credit Products; Carol Oyedeji, Head, Consumer Banking, West Africa; Kunle Ogunbufunmi, MD/CEO, Infranet Ltd; Ajibola Adebutu, MD/CEO, J.B Farms, and Ijeoma Anusionwu, GM, Wealth Management, Priority & International Banking, at the wealth and leisure event organised

by Priority & International Banking Unit of Standard Chartered Bank, in Lagos.

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PRESENTATION: Group Head, Marketing and Communications of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Plc, Mr. Ikechukwu Kalu (2nd right) and Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy in Nigeria, Dehab Ghabread (left), during presentation of airline tickets to students of Tai Solarin University of Education, at 2013 edition of the FCMB sponsored national competition for students on youth and community development projects, involvingFCMB Sponsored Best Top 10 Team for “Strategy and Sustainable Projects.”

ASSEMBLY: From left, Mrs. Rose OnyeukwuAshinze,Manager, Reputation Builders, Barr. Jide Ologun, Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR; Mr. Bolaji Uthman,D-G, Lagos State Records & Archivers Bureau, LASRAB, and Barr. Joseph Okonmah, MD/CEO, Jasek Communication Ltd, at the NIPR Youth Assembly's mentoring and career talk for Senior Secondary School students, in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau.

DINNER: From left, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Mahesh Sachdev, and the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs. Ekaette Akpabio, during a dinner organised by the High Commissioner in Abuja, weekend.

40—Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Catholic Diocese wades into Kidnap saga

Kogi approves N175m bursary for 46,336 students

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OKOJA—THE Kogi State Government is set to disburse more than N175 million as bursary to 46,336 students of the state origin in 109 tertiary institutions across the country.

This was contained in a statement issued in Lokoja by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Yabagi Bologi.

The statement said Gov. Idris Wada disclosed this when he received the Chairman and members of the State Scholarship Board at the Government House, Lokoja.

It stated that the governor also announced that he had approved the disbursement of the amount which represented the bursary award for the 2012/2013 academic session.

“The governor is also set to ensure that only genuine students benefit from the money.

"He has also promised that government would continue to ensure regular payment of the bursary award."

CHEP makes case for aged persons

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AGOS—THE na tion’s leaders have been charged to pay more attention to the welfare of aged people.

Speaking at a seminar titled: “Take a stand against elderly abuse”, organised by Centre for Happy Elderly People, CHEP, a Non-Governmental Organisation, the guest speaker, Olaseni Soewu, lamented that elderly people in the country were neglected and exploited even by the government, especially the way the issue of their pensions were being handled.

Soewu advised the youth to do their best to protect the elderly because the youth stood the chance of learning a lot from the elderly.

Mrs. Lilian Jiringho, the coordinator of CHEP, noted that abuse of the elderly was a serious problem in the country.

NIGER—From left: The Deputy Governor of Niger State, Ahmed Musa Ibeto; Gov Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu and Chairman, Edati Local Government Area, Isa Kantigi, during the commissioning of housing estate for the local Government staff, in Enagi, Niger State, weekend.

Why Boko Haram can no longer recruit Adamawa youths — Nyako Y

OLA—GOVERNOR Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, yesterday, said his administration had kept youths in the state busy, thereby making it difficult for the Boko Haram sect to recruit them.

The governor told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola that series of awareness campaign and empowerment programmes were introduced when he took over.

According to him, “ when I took over as governor, many youths were idle and jobless.

They were roaming around, thereby making it easy for them to be lured by the sect members. But, with the emergence of empowerment programmes like the vocational training, farming skills and local apprentice-

ship schemes, many of the youths have become self-reliant.

"The programmes have helped the youths. For instance, there was this group of youths who always hanged around, hailing me whenever I passed. Today, they are no longer there.

They have found something to do. They are okay at their various centres and I am okay.”

He said some security measures had already been taken in the state by his administration before the declaration of the state of emergency by the federal government.

The governor said the cooperation his administration enjoyed from the various stakeholders, particularly the

security operatives and youth groups under the traditional institution, had helped to make Adamawa secure.

“Things have been peaceful. Before the state of emergency; the situation was under control, and we have also increased our management of the situation. Now, with the emergency, we have intensified our efforts,” Nyako added.

The governor thanked the people of Adamawa for their conduct and co-operation with security operatives since the declaration of state of emergency in the state.

He said it was a pride for the state government that the security operatives had not been provoked to the level of using their arms since they arrived in the state.

Union wants Egypt’s military to respect democracy

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

L

AGOS—NATIONAL Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, has called for the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Egypt and urge the Egyptian Armed Forces to allow democray to thrive in the country.

NUTGTWN in a statement by its General Secretary, Issa Aremu, condemned the undemocratic removal of Egypt’s democratically elected President, Mohammed Morsi from office by the military and subsequent imposition of an unelected President Adly Mansour.

Aremu who is also a Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said: “As an affiliate of NLC, we join the Federal Government, the Africa Union, the street protest-

ers in Egyptian cities and the democratic forces worldwide to condemn the undemocratic removal of Egypt’s democratically elected President, Mohammed Morsi from office by the military."

AGOS—THE Catholic Diocese of Orlu, Imo State has waded into, an allegation of poisoning and attempting to kidnap a one-time parish priest of St. John’s Catholic Parish Amaruru, Orsu L.G.A, Imo State, Rev. Father Chukwudiebere Ohachu.

The allegation was leveled against two indigenes of Amaruru Autonomous Community – Chief Nelson Okpara Janel and Chief A.C. Ojimba.

The diocese noted that the contending parties might have said or done uncharitable things against each other and thereby sued for peace and forgiveness.

This was contained in a statement of resolution signed by the Dean Regina Pacis Pastoral Region- Very Reverend Father Joseph B.C. Okorie and Reverend Father Christopher Ihenetu- Diocesan Police Relations Officer which was made available to newsmen.

“The diocese of Orlu considers this case resolved and closed; therefore no future reference should be made to this case”, the statement said, stressing that the role of the diocese in the matter was intercessory.

Consequently, in a statement by Tony Uzomah, Media Adviser to Chief Nelson Okpara Janel, the suspected persons have agreed to discontinue with the report and investigation pending with the office of the Inspector-General of Police and not to take up any legal action against the said Reverend Father Ohachu.

Bauchi commission tasks workers on commitment

BY SUZAN EDEH

B

AU C H I — B AU C H I State Local Government Commission, has decried perceived lack of commitment to duty by its staff, saying it was wrong to expect salary without working for it.

Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa, who spoke, yesterday, during a ministerial briefing at the state secretariat, Bauchi, said it had observed that some staff only came to office to collect salaries.

According to him, “it is disheartening that some staff of the commission have exhib-

ited a wrong approach towards the discharge of their official duties by coming to work only when it is time to collect salaries.

"In the year 2010, the commission took note of this menace and decided to tour 18 local government areas of the state to address the problem."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 —41

NGF, APGA condemn Yobe’s students killings •Amnesty tasks FG on security for students

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA—GOVERNOR Jonah Jang of Plateau State led faction of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, has described the killing of 28 students and a teacher at Government Secondary School, Mamudo, Potiskum in Yobe State, by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram as barbaric.

In a statement by its Director General, Earl Osaro Onaiwu, the group condemned the act, just as the Joint Task Force and all the security agencies security agencies were urged to fish out the perpetrators of the evil act The statement described it as “despicable to even attribute such wicked act to any religion,” noting that no religion will condone the killing of innocent children, as the action smacks of desperation. He sympathized with the governor of Yobe State and families of the slain children and prayed that God comfort them in this their time of mourning.

Similarly, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has urged the Federal Government to beef up security in states afflicted by terrorism and insurgency.

The party in a statement by Mr Francis Ede, the Media Assistant to APGA’s National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu, said that provision of more security in such a volatile state

Zenith, FBN, GTB, UBA, Access, Stanbic get Fitch’s top ratings

F

ITCH Ratings has affirmed the Long-term Issuer Default Ratings, IDR, of Zenith Bank Plc, First Bank of Nigeria, United Bank for Africa Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc .

Simultaneously, the agency has downgraded Union Bank Plc’s Long-term IDR due to a change in Fitch’s opinion of the bank’s systemic importance relative to peers.

Union’s Support Rating Floor (SRF) has been revised to ‘B’ from ‘B+’ due to its perceived lower systemic importance post restructuring. As a consequence, the bank’s Long-term IDR has been downgraded to ‘B’ from ‘B+’ and its National Rating to ‘BBB+(nga)’ from ‘A+(nga)’.

Access’s VR has been upgraded to ‘b’ from ‘b-’ given its larger franchise, improving performance and commitment to maintaining healthy Fitch core capital (FCC) ratios over the medium term and despite its high cost to income ratio as it integrates a large acquisition.

would reduce violence. It said: “APGA strongly condemns this diabolic attack and murder of innocent children in their boarding school. It is sadism of the worst order. We urge security agents to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime and bring them to book.

“APGA commiserates with the families of those who lost their loved ones to this dastardly, cowardly and abominable act, and pray that God Almighty will give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. We also pray for quick recovery of

those wounded in the attack.”

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has said that the Nigerian government must act to prevent attacks on schools to protect children’s lives and their right to education. Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Africa Lucy Freeman, said: “The protection of children’s lives is paramount, and the Nigerian government has a duty to ensure that the country’s educational sector is not further threatened by the killing and intimidation of students and teachers and the destruction of school buildings.

“Such attacks violate the right to life and undermine the right

to education for thousands of children in northern Nigeria.

They must stop immediately.

The Nigerian authorities must investigate these attacks and bring those responsible to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

When education institutions are targeted or attacked, the damage and resultant consequences can be major and far-reaching. Access to basic education in a country where education is mostly seen as a privilege, requires that proper structures and services are in place and that students can access adequate books and materials,” said Lucy Freeman.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, congratulating representatives of Presentation Secondary School, Awgu, winners of the 2013 edition of Ikeoha Annual Quiz Competition held at Rosary High School, Agwu, Enugu

Oyo police probe killings at Ibadan

I

BADAN – FOLLOWING the alleged killing of two persons at Idi-Ayunre/Ode Aje area of Ibadan on Sunday by some policemen, the Oyo State Police command has begun investigation to unravel the veracity of the allegation.

Two persons died while two policemen were injured in a fracas that broke out between the police and some drivers. The name of one of the deceased was given as Obisesan Ojo. State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, said he had directed one ASP Dasuki Galadachi to give him feedback after the conclusion of the investigation.

Vanguard gathered that before his death, the victim was preparing for the naming of his newly born child.

Giving more detailed account of the clash, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olabisi CletIlobanafor said” A distress call was received by the patrol team at Agugu Division that some hoodlums were extorting money from members of the public. The patrol team led by ASP Timothy Adedeji with two other officers thereafter stormed the scene and there was pandemonium and ASP Adedeji fired a shot which hit deceased.

Boko Haram, FG sign ceasefire deal Continues from Page 5 “Nigeria has been on the issue of amnesty for long and if they have agreed on a ceasefire, that is commendable. I see it as a roadmap to peace. I hope the committee does the follow-up to this very well. But the committee should go on with their negotiations and should not concede unnecessarily.”

Committee should go on with its mandate—Abubakar Tsav Former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, on his part said: “The development is very encouraging. I am happy about it and I commend the committee for doing a good job. The committee should go on with its mandate in order to achieve a lasting peace. The committee should be encouraged the more at this stage to conclude its job.”

FG must rise to the occasion—Arewa Youths Commenting on the development, President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shetima said in spite of the ceasefire, the Federal Government must address the issues that led to the insurgency.

Shetima said: “Whether they cease fire or not, the truth of the matter is that Nigerians must rise to the occasion. Last year, it was the same story we heard when they called for a ceasefire and still, they unleashed a lot of mayhem in Northern Nigeria. Also, we must appreciate the fact that the whole of Northern Nigeria has been bastardised because everybody is now a member of Boko Haram. If they call for a ceasefire, what about the remaining factions? This does not mean that the Federal Government must go to sleep, the insurgency must be condemned totally.”

How sect’s activities as-

sumed deadly dimension THE Jama’atu Allus Sunnah Lilda wati Wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram, (Western education is sin), came into existence in the 1960s but survived through the decades under various names. However, it started drawing attention to itself in 2002, when Mohammed Yusuf became its leader. In 2004, it moved to Kanamma, Yobe State, where it set up a base called ‘Afghanistan’ from where it attacked nearby police stations, killing police officers.

In July 2009, the Nigeria Police started investigating Boko Haram, following reports that the group was arming itself. Yusuf, the leader and others, were arrested and on July 30, 2009 allegations were made that Yusuf was extra-judicially killed by Nigerian security forces after being taken into custody. The development invigorated deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces and

attacks on churches, public institutions and military facilities, among others, which have led to the death of about 3,500 people.

Litany of attacks Before the clashes, many Muslim leaders, and at least one military official, had warned the authorities about Boko Haram.

Those warnings were reportedly ignored. According to Human Rights Watch, between July and December 2010, at least 85 people were killed in some 35 separate attacks in four states in northern and central Nigeria, as well as in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Attacks attributed to Boko Haram in 2011 left at least 550 people dead in 115 separate incidents.

Between January and December 2012, Boko Haram-related attacks occurred in 14 of the country‘s 36 states, including all the 12 states that have already adopted Sharia Islamic law, Plateau State and in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

42— Vanguard, TUESDAY,JULY 9, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—43

PP Imo 2015:

turn tto o Ow erri zone — Ukanacho Po return Owerri ower ’ll re

DR Osmond Ukanacho, a gubernatorial aspirant in Imo State on the platform of the United Progressive Party, UPP, in this interview argues that Imo Central Senatorial Zone should be allowed to produce the next governor of the state.

BY CHARLES KUMOLU & ANOZIE EGOLE

W

HAT do you have to say about the agitation for power shift from Orlu to Owerri zone?

Power shift among the three zones in the state which are namely; Okigwe, Owerri and Orlu is very important. It is called Imo charter of equity. You also know that Okigwe has done it, Orlu did it and it was the turn of Owerrri but they did for just a year and four months during the tenure of late Evans Ewerem.

He ruled for only one year and four months. Then he was a governor under the military.

As a matter of fact, the equity did not say it must be eight years or it must be two years or one tenure. Unfortunately Okigwe couldn’t rule for eight years. They only served for four years. It was supposed to get back to Owerri before Orlu. Of course we can see that equity is no longer there.

This time, we are saying that it has to return to Owerri for us to complete our own agreement on equity.

What do you want to offer Imo

state that is different from what the incumbent, Chief Rocha Okorocha is doing at the moment?

The incumbent has not got it right at all. When you look at Imo State since 1999, you will know that good governance is absent.

Imo is a state that produces the largest number of graduates in Nigeria and it has been like this for a long time.

So, any government that has the same feelings as I do will first think of how to absorb this number of graduates into the system through gainful employment. The rate of insecurity in Imo State is very alarming.

Infrastructural decay is also an issue that requires urgent attention. If you look at what is happening in the world today in developed democracies, you will know that the developments there were done by human beings and not spirits. And those things can be done here through good governance. So these are some of the reasons I want to govern the state. I have also lived in the West, I know what is obtainable there and how to go

•Ukanacho about it.

Given that UPP is a new party in the system, do you think it can withstand the intrigues that charcterise party politics in Nigeria?

I don’t think it would be difficult to wrestle power from APGA in the state. It is very easy, going

from my antecedents. I run a foundation generally known as Osmond Ukanacho Foundation with my own little resources. We have touched many lives in Imo State and Nigeria at large. Some time last year in Benue State, where I delivered a lecture to some disabled students in higher

institutions, we gave out more than 43 wheelchairs and 43 clutches to disabled students, we also gave out scholarships.

Those things and others we have done in Imo State, would speak volumes about us. We can wrestle power because the government is insensitive to peoples’ feelings. Governance is for the people, it is for those who cannot put food on their tables and not for the wealthy. The government we have in Imo now and Nigeria in general, is for the rich.

What are the strategies you have on ground to wrestle power from the incumbent and how far have you gone with your sensitization in Imo state?

You would be surprised when you get to the state and see the kind of crowd that is following me. People who believe in what we have done so far.

We have touched the lives of the people with our own resources. And I think that if we have a level playing ground and quality legislation that can back us up, we can do better.

There are no two ways about it.

We will unseat the government in power. Like I said, the youths are desiring to have a change.

Because, at the time in 2011 when the present government came into power, the state desired a power shift and anybody could have won that election.

DESOP ADEC is preparing Delta ffor or lif e af ter oil — Okolugbo DESOPADEC life MR Kenny Okolugbo is commissioner representing Ndokwa on the Board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC. Here, he speaks on the achievements of his commission. Excerpts:

BY TONY NWANKWO

J

UST recently you marked 100 days in office. How has the commission fared?

The Board has improved from where it used to be. The governor charged us not to give reason to support those agitating that the 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation being given to us be abolished; that we should live above board. And so far so good.

In my constituency of Ndokwa, we have been able to provide four Hillux vehicles to the security agencies – the police and vigilante groups.

The Hillux vehicles were given to Obiaruku, Kwale and Ashaka. This goes with the agenda of the governor that if there is no peace and security, there cannot be infrastructural development. You will recall that we have been having series of kidnappings. Kidnapping has been on the rise in the area and police have complained about lack of vehicles.

C M Y K

Even though the governor had provided vehicles, we are not looking at the governor alone because, we have our own funds given to us by law, which the governor has graciously not denied us of. So, we just provided these vehicles and to God be the Glory, the crime rate has dropped drastically.

Another thing is paying security, vigilantes manning these vehicles. This is being done in order to maintain a back to back security surveillance in this federal constituency of Ndokwa. Aside the vehicles, we have been carrying out free medical programmes. More than 20,000 people were able to consult doctors.

There were cases of those who had high blood pressure. Infact some had their BP at 180/190.

Some were even as high as 200, you can’t imagine that. These people could drop dead the following day and people would wonder what happened.

•Okolugbo But because of our medical intervention, we have been able to give these people who hitherto would not have had the opportunity to consult a doctor, a chance to see doctors who are able to diagnose the problem and give them drugs and free treatment.

Over 300 people were able to see consultants, not just regular doctors - consultants who operated on them. Some had cataract, glaucoma, hernia, fibroid, etc. These people may

never have had this opportunity to have their health conditions restored. Some of them had free surgeries that could cost up to N50,000 to N500,000. And there are cases of those who would need money to travel abroad.

However, we were able to handle most of the cases at the Teaching Hospital in Oghara, Delta State.

Then in terms of infrastructure, we have commissioned street lights in Mayi, Ukasani LGA. We are renovating classroom blocks all over. Any time from now we will be commissioning two blocks of four classrooms and an administrative block in Egbede Grammar School in Ukwani LGA. We have the Phase I of the Jos-Obioku Road completed and also Hospital Road.

We are now looking at the Phase II in 2013 budget. We had an inherited 2012 budget, which

the dissolved Board was not able to implement.

So, most of these contracts were only awarded in March/April.

You can see that for them to have been completed shows the commitment on our part. We made the contractors understand the importance of the speed in delivering. Hitherto, these are contracts that take two to three years to complete.

The Health facilities from Ogume to Emu to Egbede area all within 70 per cent completion.

We have projects which we are commissioning anytime from now in Namabi. We have roads in Abii, we do cottage hospital.

We have been able to buy an ambulance, because during the medical intervention, I discovered we were hiring an ambulance for about N25,000 a day, all through the 10-day programme.

Yet, we had an ambulance in the budget. If that was available, we would not have had to hire.

So, I had to fast tract it, and the Board had to graciously agree and we donated it to the teaching hospital. We have covered every area. What we have not been able to do is in the micro-credit area of empowerment.

44 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9,

2013

I know Tinubu, I know Buhari, they cannot mix – Bode George Chief Olabode George, former military governor of Ondo State and former Deputy National Chairman, People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in this interview, responds to topical issues in the polity and his party. Excerpts:

BY DAPO AKINREFON AND BASHIR ADEFAKA

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•George: Ezekwesili should stop grandstanding They want to join up with General Buhari. But the General Buhari that I know; his standing, his personality, his commitment, his belief is exact opposite to these characters here. So, sometimes I get confused that General Bu-

lenging him to come on the television for a public debate; let us talk to Nigerians. Let us debate before the people what they have done for this country.

You sound angry. Why? You know people would say

I get confused that General Buhari is sincerely talking to these men... How can water and oil mix?

,

President Goodluck Jonathan, the leader of your party is in the eye of the storm over 2015. How do you feel?

Nigeria has come this far because the concept of the PDP constitution has sustained democracy up till now. Never in the history of our nation have we been able to sustain democracy from 1999 and we are now in 2013: that is talking about 14 years. Never!

So, there is no need to pull anybody down because the man you pull down will also pull you down and so, where have you gone?

And it is there in Romans Chapter 14 that whosoever that God has given an authority, he did not get there by his own effort. Let us support him. He is our leader and it is our nation.

Some of these people who have been given opportunities to govern smaller states are now coming to say that they know more than we know they know.

When they were in government, they saw governance as a source of unimaginable income. The amount of acquisitions; the maddening amount of acquisition of the prime property, the assets of the state they were given, is mind boggling.

Every day people wake up, what you see is unbelievable. Ikoyi has now become another high rise prime area. Who owns these properties? All the land in Ajah, lands dedicated for hospitals have been converted to their personal use.

Hotels have been springing up, Local Government secretariats that had been in existence before they were born have been acquired. Hostel of the only Nursing School in Lagos State, located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, has already been acquired. And these are the same people who are asking Nigerians that, “Yes, we can perform! We would govern Nigeria well.”

Is there a semblance of democratic practice in that party of theirs? So, I chuckle when I see these first class jokers, who have been tested and have been found to be complete failure, saying that they want to go and rule Nigeria.

hari is sincerely talking to these men. It is like a movie to me. It is like a theatre house. How can water and oil mix? What he has stood for in his life and what they stand for; they cannot meet.

They are like day and night. And they have the temerity to say that they are the leader of Yoruba, they are carrying Yoruba people. I wish tehy would go back and read the history of the Yoruba people. Because, they are fake. No semblance of the real, true genuine Yoruba. They do not have anything that look like the depth, the norm, the belief of the Yoruba people. What a huge joke therefore!

I wish one day that somebody would bring him on the television for public debate. I am chal-

,

yes, Bode George is angry. No! Very soon I will be 70 years old.

What else am I looking for? Am I going to start all over again?

Can I live another 70 years before I pack up and go back to my God? No. Mine may be the only voice in the wilderness but I will continue to shout at the top of the mountain that this is a path of perfidy they are going through.

It is not a righteous way.

Now they are shouting that Jonathan has not performed and that they would push him out of government. Tinubu that was governor of Lagos State for eight years, what did he do? Even the young man that is still running Lagos now, Babatunde Raji Fash-

ola has done much better than him. Does he allow him to work? They say he is de facto leader, that is what he calls his name. All the things about these jokers in ACN are laughable.

The other one in Osun, who no longer calls himself an engineer but ‘Ogbeni’, what is his performance there? Lai Mohammed is always talking on top of his voice, talking garbage! I knew him when he came to Lagos as a Level 6 or Level 8 officer at FAAN. Today he can talk, tell stories and lies.

He said the Federal Government has done something injurious to the judiciary and to the psyche of Nigeria by proscribing Boko Haram. Are these guys genuine? How can anybody wake up and say the government has done something injurious by proscribing Boko Haram? Are they alright? Oh! Why are you creating unnecessary revolts to chase him out of government?

And I keep repeating the letter of Paul to the Roman Chapter 14 and it is very clear that he that God has appointed on His authority, he is there on the authority of God. No human being should attempt to pull him down because the curse will be on whoever does that.

The polity is increasingly charged under President

Jonathan. Don’t you fear a people’s revolution?

I am appealing to Nigerians to be patient. The challenge is the same all over the globe but we can surmount it with patience and steadiness.

When I see this woman from World Bank, Oby Ezekwesili, who comes here and be ranting about and doing all that, at the end of it I get very aggrieved because she now ends up and says, “I am not a politician.” Very insulting!

I do not know what her background is but let her come and face some of us here who are politicians. I am not afraid to say I am a politician.

Let her leave her high office and go down to the people and appreciate that the very micro unit of her contribution is nothing.

These are the jokers being promoted in the media. Elections are coming, let her come and follow us to go and canvass and face the people. Then, she will stop talking the way she is talking.

Do you know what I hate to hear? “I am not a politician!” As if politicians are evil minded people. It is our country; let them also come and join and make it well. Let her come and try and go through election to become senate president, vice president or whatever and convince Nigerians that she is better. Not gassing on the television or grandstanding, looking for cheap popularity.

We have gone on since 1999.

This is 2013; 14 years of uninterrupted democracy. It has never happened in the history of this country. Whatever anybody can say, it is a record. Thanks to our party, the PDP. Thanks to the founding fathers of PDP who conceptualized this zonal set up, Turn-by-Turn Nigeria Limited because Nigeria is a country and not yet a nation. We are grapping, we are grouping, we are struggling to make it a nation.

What problem does your party have with some opposition parties coming together in APC? APC is already an obsolete drug. Before they start they are finished. They say, “Hand over power to us.” But you are not yet tested. The little one we test-

Continues on page

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013— 45

Ezekwesili is fake– Bode George Continued from page ed you on, you are an abysmal failure; an absolute failure. We saw what you were but you are now richer than the bank. More properties than the state. That is all they can show.

Let them come to television and debate it. How many children of the poor have they benefited?

Jakande established his education for the poor people with scholar scheme for children of poor people to go to university.

He founded the Lagos State University, LASU, also so that children of the poor could access university education at ease. You now pay a minimum of N250,000 per annum to access education in that same Lagos State University. That is a quarter of a million! The palm oil seller, roasted plantain seller, akara seller, can they afford that? So, you are saying that their children should never have the opportunity?

What these jokers are doing now is for the privileged so that only the privileged can get there.

Fashola also knew how he started. Was his father a rich man?

Today, he is governor. If they had made it impossible for him to go

to school, would he have ended up being a governor?

Let them just think because, if we do not, one day and I repeat one day, the electorate will decide. We do not want what happened in Egypt or in Tunisia here. We do not •George: PDP has kept Nigeria united want any Arab spring here. No. Let there be sponsored, supported by their conpeace.

More money seems to be go- stituencies to go there. What do ing to all tiers of government, you expect? Like what is hapbut sir is there no way that the pening in Lagos State where Bola presidency can monitor the out- Tinubu just hand picks people who go to the Lagos State House flow?

What is the president’s busi- of Assembly and who therefore ness with the activities of the gov- cannot challenge him when necernor? It is the members of the essary?

They do not even have congressstate House of Assembly who can challenge the governor about his es like we do in PDP. Tell me any revenue, expenditure and what day you have seen them doing a national convention. The emperhe is doing with the money.

But we know that when the man or decides and that is the man who sits down in one room and se- says he is a democrat.

The company which collects revlects his surrogates who go to the House of Assembly, he does not enues on behalf of Lagos State allow people who are being Government, who owns it? Peo-

ple who are in charge of highway managers, who are they?

Even the agency that has the places where dead people are buried, who owns them? Now they are sand-filling the Bar Beach. Generations before them had Bar Beach. Go to what the Alpha Beach has become and see the environmental impact on those villages there. What madness! What greed!

Look at Isale Eko here! That is the only channel that takes water from the whole of Lagos Island into the Lagoon blushed with that nonsense they are doing there. Go to Parkview, they are sand-filling so that they would narrow the channel until it would meet Lekki. That Lagoon is the natural gift that God gave Lagosians. They have narrowed it now out of senseless greed. Someday I pray that when the flood or earthquake will come, he must be held responsible.

Let Tinubu deny it. It is this man that now has the temerity to speak out of his mouth and say Jonathan is not doing well and so he wants to rule Nigeria. He? I would cease to be a Nigerian. I am not joking. I

would go to Ghana or Togo and beg for citizenship because they would destroy this country. The good thing is that this nation is so massive for him to comprehend. The dynamics of this nation; he says he is carrying Yoruba people to go and join Buhari and form a national government.

They are joking because where we were in 1999 is where they just want to start from now. What a joke! What a joke!!

Sir to what extent will the crisis in the NGF affect your party?

I have been away for sometime but my opinion is that, we need to lock ourselves behind a door and tell ourselves some serious bitter truth. I am now begging them to admit that all sides are wrong: the party and the governors. And it is not a blame game now. It is a game for the future of our nation. So, it is time to calm all nerves. Let us all come back so that we can have a family meeting.

Of course you can see the oppositions are happy. They think they can use the situation to destroy our party. Which of them; any of those under ACN of Bola can talk to him?

Youths mus pay the price priceffor good things of lif mustt be ready ttoo pa pay lifee — Ogaji MR Bright Ogaji, the chairman of Oju Local Government of Benue State, in this interview with reporters in Lagos, spoke on his sojourn into politics and efforts to develop Oju.

BY LAJA THOMAS

A

S a successful businessman what informed your decision to join politics?

Nothing motivated me aside the fact that I desired to serve my people and I have the zeal and the passion to do that.

I have seen poverty and I have relatively handled money even though they may not be my personal money. I know what it means for someone to be wellfed and one to go hungry, I know the feelings of both. I have lived like a well-fed dog and I have lived like a hungry dog so I know what they both mean.

At the time I donated some transformers to Ota community, almost everyone in that community saw me as a big man whereas I was seeing myself as the poorest person. I had three generators in my house because I can't sleep in darkness. Since I feel sleeping in darkness is not good for me, I knew it is not good for people around me.

The only way I can actually

improve on that in their lives is to give them transformers. Other neighbouring communities felt those people are enjoying because they have one big man in their community. With that I decided to reciprocate the gesture to the other communities. I am from a background in which the poor refers to us as poor, that tells you how poor my family was.

I grew up in a community where almost everybody is poor but when they want to refer to the poor, they point to my immediate family. I lived with that stigma and that was how I decided from a very tender age that through hardwork and God's blessings, I will be rich and not just rich I will liberate people from poverty.

I am still praying for more of Gods blessings so I can do more for óur people. I am not into politics because I need money, infact I often use my personal

•Ogaji: I love to serve money to execute some projects in my community. I still want to do more for people and one of the ways in which we can affect lives positively is by participating in governance.

Why did you decide to start at the grassroots?

We all have a root and I think one of the best and practical ways to affect lives positively is by serving my people at the grassroots. Don't forget that a

plant grows from the root and so I decided to start from my root.

Looking at your background and present status, what is the greatest lesson life has taught you?

The greatest lesson life has taught me which I also use in admonishing people from time to time is that we should all be careful about our foundation because the Bible says our foundation matters. I took a great lesson from that and I tell people that it is only God that can make one rich.

I tell people that no condition is permanent and for the fact that you are from a poor family doesn't mean that you will always remain poor and the fact that you are from a rich family is not a guarantee that you will always be rich.

We all need to work on ourselves and continue to ask God for his blessings because it is only God that gives wealth.

Life has taught me that with God all things are possible.

What projects are embarking on to develop the council given alleged marginalisation of the area in the past?

Let us forget about what previous administrations did or

did not do. I don't believe it is necessary for me to dabble into things that took place before now because they are inconsequential to me. I want to leave the office in an enviable position. I intend to embark on massive construction of rural roads, electrification and provision of water.

It is a pity that most of the youths nowadays are not serious and they are not ready to embark on any profitable venture. They want all the good things of life but they are not ready to pay the price.

Most youths have turned themselves to professional beggars in the name of politics.

They gallivant from one politician's house to another telling lies to make immediate money.

So the best thing I think of doing is to sensitize and cosciencetise them so that their orientation about life will change.

The only weapon I can give them now doesn't end at giving them education but let them have the understanding of life that you can make a life without being a liability to anyone.

46 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

51 killed, 435 injured in fresh Egyp t clash A

T least 51 people were killed and 435 injured in clashes early Monday near the Republican Guard headquarters in the Egyptian capital, the Ministry of Health said.

Supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi had been holding a sit-in near the compound.

Reuters cited the Egyptian military as saying “a terrorist group” had tried to storm the building early Monday.

A Ministry of Defence official said that 200 people were arrested after protesters attacked the site around Sunday morning. Some were armed with guns, Molotov cocktails and knives, according to the official.

One officer was killed and six troops wounded, the military said.

However, Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and its allies accused security forces of attacking protesters. NBC

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood have been protesting near the Republican Guard headquarters since Morsi was removed from office, amid speculation he may be under house arrest at the site.

Morsi was ousted by Egypt’s military last week just one year into his four-year term in the wake of huge protests demanding that he quit.

The Islamist was replaced by an interim leader and new elections have been promised but no timeline has been announced.

At a news conference, Colonel Ahmad Mohammad Ali, a spokesman for the Egyptian military, blamed the protesters, saying they had attacked police who were “securing the area.”

“They were on top of buildings…they either fired or threw things down,” the spokesman said, adding that there

•Morsi supporters carry the body of a fallen comrade had been 42 soldiers injured, eight of whom

A

PLANE crashed and burst into flames at an airport in Alaska, killing all 10 people on board, US officials said Monday. The

F

•Mandla Mandela his culture and family while describing him “controversial” and “opportunistic”.

ammunition and the military had to defend itself,” the spokesman

light aircraft is believed to have been taking off from Soldotna Airport near Anchorage at the time, and though firefighters arrived quickly on the scene nobody could be saved.

The victims were yet to be identified, but a spokesman for familyrun Rediske Air Inc, which operated the flight, told local media its president Walter Rediske was piloting the plane. Air taxis are a commonly-used form of transport across the large, sparsely-populated state, but this is the worst civil aviation disaster to occur in Alaska for 25 years.

“We saw the plume immediately when we left the station,” fire Capt. Lesley Quelland told Anchorage Daily News on Sunday

evening.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson said airport staff saw the

10 killed at another US plane crash

Mandela’s grandson loses tribal position ORMER South Afri can president Nelson Mandela’s grandson was removed from his tribal position on Sunday over an ongoing family feud over gravesites.

The development occurred as the anti-apartheid leader Mandela remains in a critical but stable condition, spending his fourth week in a Pretoria hospital due to chronic lung infection.

Mandla Mandela has been expelled “from all rank of duties” over the family feud, said King Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo of the Thembu tribe, to which Mandela belongs.

He said Mandla, a chieftain in the Mvezo area of the Eastern Cape province, would not be allowed any involvement in tribal affairs until he apologises.

After the family feud erupted, the Dalindyebo, a cousin to Nelson Mandela, accused Mandla of disrespecting

were in a critical condition.

“They were firing live

The family feud centres on where Mandela’s three children should be buried.

Tur key again closes Is k urk Isttanbul par park

A

N Istanbul park that was at the centre of weeks of anti-government demonstrations opened for a few hours Monday, but Turkish authorities quickly closed it and fired a water cannon at protesters heading to the area for a planned rally.

The attack occurred on a main pedestrian road leading to Istanbul’s landmark Taksim Square

said. A statement by the Brotherhood-linked Freedom and Justice Party said more than 53 had been killed and 1,000 injured. “Early on Monday, supporters of the legitimate elected President Mohammed Morsi performing the dawn prayer outside the Republican Guard headquarters were massacred with heavy gunfire, live bullets, birdshot and tear gas,” the party said in a statement on its website.

Witness Al-Shaimaa Younes, who was at the sit-in, told The Associated Press that troops and police forces opened fire on the protesters during early morning prayers.

and adjacent Gezi Park.

On Monday afternoon, Gov. Huseyin Avni Mutlu declared Gezi Park reopened to the public, but warned he would not allow it to become a point for more demonstrations.

About three hours later, police asked the public to leave the park and closed it.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene

said police used shields to push some laggards out of the park, fired tear gas at a few protesters who struck a police shield, and detained a dozen people. The Radikal newspaper said those rounded up were members of a group opposed to Taksim’s redevelopment who had called Monday’s protest at Gezi.

plane taxiing towards the airport’s single runway at around 11.20am on Sunday, but nobody saw it actually take off.

BRIEFS China’s ex-railway minister to die for corruption

A

BEIJING court has sentenced China’s former minister of railways Liu Zhijun to death, with a two-year reprieve, for bribery and abuse of power, China’s state media reported on Monday, ending one of the country’s highest-profile corruption

cases in years. Liu stood trial at Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court on 9 June for accepting £6m in bribes between 1986 and 2011 and using his position to help 11 people win promotions or lucrative contracts, according to the state newswire Xinhua.

India blasts: Monks in 50 nations pray

B

UDDHIST monks from 50 countries on Monday held a special prayer inside Bodh Gaya temple for return of peace after 10 explosions that left two injured there.

Buddhist monks from

Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries participated in the one-hour prayer.

Arvind Singh, member of Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), said.

Bin Laden records still top secret

T

HE top U.S. special op erations commander, Adm. William McRaven, ordered military files about the Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout to be purged from Defence Department computers and sent to the CIA, where they could be more easily shielded from ever

being made public. The secret move, described briefly in a draft report by the Pentagon’s inspector general, set off no alarms within the Obama administration even though it appears to have sidestepped federal rules and perhaps also the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—47

Don't escalate Warri crisis, Delta SSG cautions journalists •Gunmen regret killings •‘We never threatened to blow up Uduaghan’s community' •Soldiers were compromised—NAIS •Don’t play politics with peoples lives – Group

BY EMMA AMAIZE, AUSTIN OGWUDA, EMMA ARUBI& GODWIN OGHRE

W

ARRI— SECRETARY to the Delta State Government, Ovuozorie Macaulay, yesterday, called for restraint from the mass media on the Warri crisis. He said: “First, let me start by pleading with us. You are all aware that by the grace of God I was at the centre of the resolution of the seven year old Warri ethnic crisis and I tell you that one of the factors that escalated that crisis was the reportage given to it.

“The media played a great role in the escalation of that crisis that lasted eight years. I agree, we are human beings but at times we should be able to differentiate our emotions from the discharge of our duties. I came to Warri to manage that crisis, I knew what I went through. Before you know journalists in Warri will be polarized. Some will be recruited to write for the Itsekiris some will be recruited to write for the Ijaws and the problem which ordinarily would have been solved in one week, we would spend the next one year solving it. Please we are having relative peace in the state, let us all join hands to ensure that we sustain that peace. You asked why government has not sent relief materials to the Itsekiris. There was a crisis which government was not pre-informed.

Sending of relief materials “If you are the governor of the state, is sending relief materials to people who are pursued the first step or ensuring that they are not pursued first?

This crisis happened in the last couple of days and the first step government took was to make sure that lives and property were saved, and that there should be no further carnage.

Even till last night the governor called me on this matter.

Every minute we are still discussing with security agencies giving them all the logistics assistance they need to make sure that there is no further escalation of the situation.”

Don’t play politics with peoples lives—IYDC

Meantime, the Itsekiri Youths Development Committee, IYDC, Okogho community chapter, has cautioned that no one should play politics with peoples lives.

IYDC said in a statement signed by Wisdom Keke: “Just as I appreciate the stand of some Ijaw leaders, who condemned the senseless killing of Itsekiri people and the burning of our communities, I urge all aggrieved persons and ethnic group to use dialogue as a way of resolving their grievances. Nothing can be achieved in an atmosphere of violence but on roundtable dialogue.

Whatever might have led to this senseless killing and burning of our communities is not worth it. We have lost enough lives already. We don’t want our youths to see Ijaw youths as enemies in the name of politics. Even if we are forced to do so by this act of evil and gruesome murder of our people, we should try to bury our anger.”

Civility not a sign of weakness The youth leader added: “civility is not a sign of weakness and no persons or ethnic group has a monopoly of violence,” stressing that no persons, with ambition for the acquisition of political power should play politics with the lives of fellow human beings.

Keke, who commended the state government and the Delta Water Ways Security Committee DWWSC, for their efforts so far in restoring peace to the crisis-torn Warri North and urged militias in the area not to sabotage the efforts of the security operatives.

This came as the National Association of Itsekiri Students, NAIS, has alleged that soldiers and Navy personnel stationed at strategic exits and entry points on the Benin River axis in Warri North, were compromised to pave way for the Ijaw arsonists to kill and destroy Itsekiri natives and their communities.

NAIS said that the attacks and killings had brought the amnesty programme of the Federal Government to question. It also faulted the Itsekiri leadership for its inability to

take firm stand on the unprovoked attacks on the Itsekiris.

NAIS said in a L-r: Chairman, Sapele Athletic Club centenary celebration committee, Chief Faith communiqué at Gbagi; club president, Michael Eboh; special gest of honour, Professor Wole Soyinka, the end of its and other members of the management committee during a recent ceremonial visit emergency con- to Sapele Athletic Club 1913 gress in Warri, and signed by its President, Akatakpo Omatseye hot chase for the gunmen, be- Secretary to the State Governand Secretary-General, Omag- lieved to have retreated deep- ment, when the Warri Peace be Jeffrey, that they were dis- er into the creeks after the in- Agreement was implemented appointed that after one week cident. About 12 Itsekiri natives in Warri South and Warri Southof the killings, neither the fed- were allegedly killed and no West. But why is Warri North eral, state nor local government fewer than three communities an exception since 2004? Since had sent any delegation to the razed by the mercenaries pur- then, government has been apvarious burnt communities or of- portedly agitating for equal po- plying divide and rule policy fered any form of relief materi- litical space for Ijaws in the area to acquire key positions for since the crisis erupted last themselves. Not minding the al to the affected people. political slavery and his verbal Describing the act of the as- Tuesday.

Two gunmen suspected to promises to the Egbema peosailants as equivalent to that of have participated in last Tues- ple, we gave all our votes to Boko Haram sect in the North, the communique said “it is more day’s killings, have allegedly Uduaghan without any benepainful that the perpetrators are been arrested by security fit. Have we not endured known ex-militants that have agents. Vanguard learnt, yes- enough? accepted amnesty and are fully terday, that security agents benefiting from the programme picked them up when they Warri peace largesse. The Nigerian military came to sell a 200 Horsepower agreement action on the invasion is ques- speedboat engine in Koko area “The agitation has been on aftionable because we cannot but details were scanty at press imagine having military gun- time. Spokesperson of the Joint ter the Warri Peace Agreement. boats less than 200 metres to the Task Force, JTF, Lt. Col Onye- All we wanted was the impledestroyed villages and they ma Nwachukwu did not return mentation and you should stop claim not to have heard gun calls made by this reporter to calling us criminals, because we are agitators. Since the Fedshots but only saw fire. As such, him. eral Government has interwe see their action as amountvened, we will wait and see ing to collaboration with the ERG regrets how they intend to resolve the Ijaw terrorists. incident problem. We do not have prob“The political reasons advanced as being the cause of The Egbema Radical Group, lem with JTF personnel and we their killings and destruction is ERG, the Ijaw militia alleged- respect them. They should not totally unacceptable to us be- ly responsible for the recent be used by government. We cause the people killed and crisis in Warri North Local Gov- never said we will bomb Abigcommunities destroyed are not ernment Area of Delta State, borodo, the hometown of Govthe political class. They should has lamented the unpleasant ernor Uduaghan, it is not true, have directed their war arsenal incident. It also denied saying people are just telling lies about against government agency that it would bomb Abigboro- us.”

Asked if the group had reand property.” do, the country home of the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel scinded its earlier threat to Destroyed Uduaghan, which is in the trou- bomb a flow station in Warri North, he said, “I do not know, communities bled area.

ERG said in statement signed it depends on how they treat Calling on the three arms of by its spokesperson, Ami Dada: our matter.”

He reiterated that the killing government to immediately “We regret Tuesday's attacks but of some Itsekiris and burning send relief material to the dis- the story of the killing of a famof their houses, last Tuesday, by placed persons and affected ily after Tuesday incident is not communities, including the im- true.” It was reported that on ERG was not deliberate, saymediate commencement of re- Wednesday, a couple and their ing the agitators were probuilding the destroyed commu- child from Tisun community, voked by Itsekiri boys, who came to stop their protest over nities, NAIS said “ we shall were killed.

Dada said: “We want to still marginalisation of Ijaws in henceforth take our destiny into our hands and defend ourselves make it clear to the public that Warri North.

A source gave names of the as the government security ap- we are not criminals. Those two arrested suspectes as Samparatus appears to be unable to who continue to call us criminals do not understand the uel and Atigbi, disclosing that do so.” meaning of marginalisation “one of them is a speedboat JTF chases gunmen Meanwhile, the Joint Task and injustice and they should driver and the other is handling Force, police and other securi- go to school again. We all know General Purpose Machine ty agents are, reportedly, on a that Governor Uduaghan was Gun, GPMG, for the militants.”

48— Vanguard, TUESD AY, Y, JULY 9, 2 013

Expectant mothers not visiting ANC clinics regularly — WHO

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

O

• Dr. Muhammad Aliyu Pate

FG tasks CSOs on maternal, child health

NLY half the number of pregnant women in Nigeria and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa are receiving the minimum number of four Antenatal Care, ANC, visits recommended by the World Health Organisation, WHO, to ensure the well-being of mothers and newborns.

This development, which is contained in the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, Report 2013, revealed that in 2011, only 49 per cent of pregnant women in subSaharan Africa received at least four antenatal care visits during their latest pregnancy.

In 2010, the Federal

Government introduced the Midwifery Service Scheme, MSS, and deployed over 4,000 Midwives to 1,000 health facilities nationwide.

According to the Report, health care during pregnancy can save lives, just as good quality care during pregnancy is fundamental to the health, well-being and survival of mothers and their babies.

ANC visits should include tetanus toxoid vaccination, screening and treatment for infections, and identification of warning signs during pregnancy.

During such visits, pregnant women are also tested for HIV; if positive, they receive help and guidance in living with the

virus and avoiding transmission to their babies.

The women receive intermittent treatment to prevent HIV infection, thereby averting adverse outcomes for mother and baby if infected during pregnancy.

In Nigeria, commencement of antenatal care within the first 14 weeks of gestation is widely accepted as early and booking after the 14th week of pregnancy is regarded as as late.

Good Health Weekly gathered that most women either register late for their antenatal clinics because of a belief that there are no advantages in booking for antenatal care in the first three

months of pregnancy, or as a result of the myth that antenatal care is viewed primarily as curative rather than preventive Experts say early commencement of antenatal care by pregnant women as well as regular visits, has the potential to affect maternal and foetal outcome positively. It provides education and counselling on expected physiological changes, the normal course and possible complications of pregnancy, labour and puerperium.

Calling for adoption of a population moderation management system, President/CEO, Association for Reproduction and Family Continued on Page 50

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

M

INISTER of State for Health, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, has urged the Nigeria Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, and all stakeholders committed to the advancement of the health and welfare of Nigerian women and girls, to ensure a bi-directional accountability mechanism on issues of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, RMNCH, in the country.

Pate, who made the call to Nigerian delegates at the 2013 Women Deliver Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, tasked delegates to generate data and information on RMNCH through transparent and replicable methods to facilitate evidence-based responses from the government on those issues.

During the 2-day dialogue, the Minister, who made a commitment to make maternal death a notifiable occurrence in the country, said even though much progress had been made towards improving maternal and child health, a lot remained to be done to ensure every woman in Nigeria survived pregnancy and childbirth.

He admonished the delegates to engage nonhealth sector stakeholders such as the Ministry of Water Resources on maternal, newborn, and child health issues.

They are also to engage with the coordinating mechanism of the steering group of the “Saving One Million Lives” Initiative to promote

Continues on page 50

• Pregnant women at an Antenatal Care centre. PHOTO: MDG Report 2013.

Misconduct: Lagos to expose erring health facilities

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

I

T will no longer be business as usual for health facilities in Lagos as the state government has threatened to publish the list of hospitals, medical centres and pharmaceutical stores under investigation for various professional offences.

This is coming on the heels of a call by the State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, to Lagosians to channel complaints against any health facility in the state to the Agency.

Special Adviser to the State Governor, Dr. Yewande

Adeshina who issued the threat said it had become necessary to expose health facilities under investigation by the State government to ensure that people do not fall victim of unsafe and uncertified medical homes.

Statistics show that on quarterly basis, about 15 health facilities are shut down by HEFAMAA. “We will begin to put the names of those medical homes that are sanctioned or being investigated online and publish them. Besides, we will also put the activities of HEFEMAA online to enable everyone have access to it and the Agency ’s activities,”

Adeshina said.

She spoke at the 2013 HEFAMMA Stakeholders’ meeting aimed at sustaining the quality health delivery system put in place by the state government, positing that the meeting would enable the government know areas to improve on.

Speaking to Good Health Weekly, Chairman, HEFAMAA, Dr. Omotayo Bello who stated that some safety standards were being abandoned by operators of medical homes at the expense of the citizens, called on all those aggrievedfto channel their grievances to the Agency for appropriate sanctions.

Bello noted that HEFAMMA is a body set up to licence and monitor activities of health facilities, both private and public in the state.

“We have people complaining here and there that they were not well treated in some hospitals and we have sets of punishments and rules for different cadres of facilities.

Some are closed down permanently while others are temporarily shut depending on the offence the facility committed.

“Lagosians should also come up with their complaints to the Agency and if investigation is done and the facility is found Continues on page 50

Vanguard, TUESD AY, Y, JULY 9, 2 013 — 4 9

e-Health: Experts seek promotion of hygienic practices

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

S

TAKEHOLDERS in the health sector have noted that the only way to achieve a pragmatic e-Health policy for Nigeria, is through the promotion of hygienic practices that include regular hand washing.

At the week- long 53rd Annual Conference of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, health experts called for observance of hygienic practices that would go a long way in raising the standards of health among Nigerians.

During the event organised

by Reckitt Benckiser, makers of Dettol, with the theme “eHealth and its Potentials for Improving Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria”, Dettol Representative at the Global Hygiene Council, Dr. Nneoma Idika, urged government and others to accord the concept of hygiene its deserved place.

In her presentation entitled, “The Role of Hygiene in Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria’’, Idika ,who is also Chief Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, observed that hygiene cuts across every sphere of life stressed that hygiene was important to keeping Nigerians healthy always.

“In developed countries, reducing infectious disease is achieved by programmes that integrate hygiene promotion with improvements in water supply and sanitation”, she stated.

She, however, expressed hope that going by research findings,

proper hand washing with soap had been proved to reduce diarrhoea disease by 50 per cent; respiratory infections by 25 per cent as well as eye and skin infections. In the same vein, she informed that safe disposal of wastes, surface hygiene and care of domestic animals have been adjudged potent in breaking the chain of infection transmission. ‘‘Recent studies in the United States reported that disinfectant products stopped the spread of influenza by 31 per cent. In Nigeria, regular hand washing with soap showed 30 per cent reduction in mortality due to diarrhoea infections’’, Idika said.

NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, described e-Health as a safe, secure, ethical and cost effective transmission and exchange of health data and information.

Enabulele enumerated common e-Health applications to include m-Health, Telemedicine and Electronic Health Records (EHR) even as he noted that although some medical institutions in Nigeria were currently deploying eHealth, the absence of a National e-Health Policy was making it hard to facilitate a systematic, coherent and sustainable implementation of the platform.

Continuedon page 50

Philips trains 100 health professionals in Lagos

O

VER 100 health profession als including midwives, maternity nurses, obstetricians and ultrasound practitioners are being trained at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, on foetal monitoring, infant warming, jaundice management and clinical ultrasound.

The training, being organised

by Philips Africa is part of its ongoing Cape town to Cairo Roadshow focused on Mother and Child Care towards reducing child mortality rates and improving maternal health.

With clinical education and training programmes for African healthcare professionals, the organisation, through large scale healthcare revitalisation

• L-R: Chairman, NMA, Lagos Chapter, Dr. Francis Faduyile; Dettol Representative at the Global Hygiene Council, Dr. Nneoma Idika; and Secretary, NMA, Lagos Chapter, Dr. Bamigboye Babatunde at the 53rd NMA Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference in Lagos.

projects, is improving standards of care aimed towards enabling healthcare providers to offer equitable and sustainable basic health services.

In a related development, Philips is introducing its latest ultrasound and infant warming/ thermo regulation solutions into Nigeria. They are the Efficia Infant warmer that provides reliable infant thermoregulation support for newborns creating a warm and stable environment, crucial for a baby’s immediate and longterm survival. The device is designed as an open care environment for newborn infants and provides an intense source of radiant heat energy, controlled by feedback from the baby’s skin temperature.

Philips has also introduced the ClearVue 650, a new advanced imaging ultrasound system with Auto Face Reveal facilitating the visualization of the baby’s face, possibly enhancing parental-fetal bonding.It is a lightweight and cost-effective system that supports clinicians in examining pregnant women and enhances their diagnostics and decision-making process.

“The need for energy-efficient lighting, mother and child care and the revitalization of African healthcare infrastructure are key pillars along which we develop meaningful innovations for our African customers”, says JJ van Dongen, Senior Vice President & CEO Philips Africa.

“I’m excited the Cape Town to Cairo Roadshow has started again. It is an important vehicle in our approach to enhance our understanding of local needs and growing the market.”

Abuja+12: AU set to deliver on commitments — SGF

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

T

HIRTEEN years after the famous “Abuja Declaration”, African Heads of States and and Government are set to converge for the Abuja +12 Summit on HIV/AIDS TB and other Infectious Diseases which opens in Abuja, July 1519, 2013.

With the theme “Ownership, Accountability and Sustainability of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Response in Africa: Past, Present and the Future’’, the Summit is principally aimed at taking stock of and reinforcing the commitments made in 2000 by African Heads of States to reverse the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, who disclosed this in Abuja weekend, regretted the enormous challenges of HIV, TB and Malaria in Africa.

Anyim, who recalled that the African Union organised a Summit of its Heads of States and Government on Roll Back Malaria in 2000 and the Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and other related Infectious Diseases in 2001, noted that at that meeting, African leaders pledged amongst other things to place the fight against the three disorderrs at the forefront and as the highest priority issue in their respective national development plans.

“A target of allocating at least 15 percent of annual budget was pledged towards improvement of the health sector. A follow up meeting was held in 2006 and these commitments were reaffirmed.

“Twelve years on, there is a need to take stock and assess the extent to which this commitment and targets have been achieved in order to chart a way forward.

“It is therefore important that

• Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim (left) with Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDs, NACA, Professor John Idoko. all partners and stakeholders within and outside the health sector must come together to overcome the challenges and improve the health of our people,” the SGF remarked.

On the upcoming 2013

Summit, he stated: “We expect a high level decision on reinforced government response and action to deliver on the Abuja commitments to address HIV, TB and Malaria as well as strengthening the

health systems of AU member states.”

Anyim said theme of the Summit was appropriate given that HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria remain major causes of morbidity and mortality in Africa and continue to pose serious challenges to socioeconomic development and human security in the continent.

“I have no doubt that this special Summit will go a long way to refocus attention not only the issues of HIV, TB and Malaria but also on the continuum of care along the life cycle.

“A continuum of care that acknowledges the interconnectedness of the socio economic factors in the life cycle, that goes from the home to hospital and work place empowering men, women and children for appropriate care and creating a healthy and strong Africa,” he stated.

50—Vanguard, TUESD AY, Y, JULY 9, 2 013

Expectant mothers not getting adequate care Continued from page 48 Health, ARFH, Professor Oladapo Oladipo, said Nigerians ought to be having only the number of children they can cater for.

“There are many poor people in this country. Let us look at a situation where one man has one wife and three children, and there is another who has three wives and 12 children. There will be a situation where there is transfer of burden from the latter to the former who has moderated his family,” Ladipo asserted.

Further, he noted that there is always a health risk to the woman who has too many children. “We know that fertility can relate to development because if families have fewer children per woman, then they have fewer mouths to feed.

We can see at the family level that

having fewer mouths to feed could help to reduce poverty and free more money to educate or help each child. And many analysts, including UNFPA analysts, have done research that shows slower population growth also reduces poverty at the national level.”

In his argument, Ladipo said Nigeria could endeavor to meet its National Policy on Population and Sustainable Development, NPPSD, targets and to help Nigerian families that already want to use modern contraceptives, which would increase the nation’s modern contraceptive prevalence rate, CPR. “Fertility affects health mainly because certain types of births are exceptionally risky. ‘Risky births’ are defined as

births that are too closely spaced, or when the mother is too young or too old, or when the mother has too many children. All of these could cause death or injury to the mother and child.

On challenges of family planning services in the country, he said 1 in 5 married Nigerian women has unmet need or child spacing methods or tools.

“A woman expresses desire to space or limit births, but is not using any method to do so. This is more than six million couples who are not receiving services.

Lower fertility puts less strain on our healthcare system and health workers, including midwives. Under the Low Fertility Scenario, number of midwives required would increase more slowly.”

Continued from Page 48 accountability in RMNCH. In turn, the CSO delegates called on the Minister to make maternal deaths notifiable occurrences in the country.

Through a vibrant and stimulating interactive discussion, the CSO delegates committed to generate and disseminate adequate data on maternal deaths in the country.

Consensus was reached to maintain the momentum generated at the Conference. Earlier, delegates had recognised laudable commitments have been made by the Federal Government on RMNCH but recognised need for adequate monitoring to track progress and resource flows.

Misconduct

e-Health Continued from Page 49 Chairman, Lagos State branch of the NMA, Dr. Francis Faduyile said the choice of e-Health as the conference topic was part of efforts by the NMA to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to the common man.

“With e- Health, we can have a far wide healthcare accessibility to Nigerians. It is obvious policy makers need to drive it down but we also need to educate ourselves to let our members know that there is a new thing happening. eHealth is not strange because with electronic medical records, wherever you go, a doctor will be able to see your history and know how to continue treatment”, he submitted.

Maternal health

• From left, Ronald de Jong, Executive Vice President and Chief Market Leader, Royal Philips, Abdallah H. Khamis, General Manager, Philips West Africa and JJ Van Dongen, Chief Executive Officer, Philips Africa at the Philips Cape Town to Cairo RoadShow 2013 media session in Lagos last week.

Continued from Page 48 wanting, we will not fail to punish such facility accordingly.”

“We have closed down so many hospitals this year. We expect people to call on us if they have issues with any hospital. We are concerned on how to promote quality and safety of health delivery services.”

He noted that the objective of the stakeholders’ meeting was also to look at the grey areas and find lasting solution.

Further, the Chairman noted: “State government has done so much in improving the health facilities in the state to the extent that whoever decides to go to the private hospital must definitely know that he or she has to pay because private hospitals are not free.”

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

H

ELLO Uche, I have observed how you help people and I feel that maybe you can help me too. I am a cheater and I cannot resist women. I am married to a beautiful woman and she is generous in bed. But this has not stopped me from cheating on her. I try and sometimes I succeed in controlling myself. But sometimes, I get week and succumb to temptation. My wife knows about this and is threatening a divorce. I need your help – Stanley Dear Stanley, rarely do I come across men who admit to cheating and want to change. So it is good that you are making an effort. Let me begin by saying that the desire to cheat is hard wired into a man’s system, and this includes women too. But men cheat more often because they have higher levels of testosterone in their bodies.

So the average person struggles with this same temptation but what separates habitual cheaters from others is that habitual cheaters have very little self-control. Some blame it on a lack of a strong spiritual foundation but I have seen many religious men struggle with this same problem as well. Of course religion can help because cheating is a moral issue but I think you need more than that. You need to approach this problem from every angle.

I recommend speaking to a guidance counsellor who can put you on a recovery programme designed to reshape your behaviour towards women and enable you have greater control over your natural impulses. There is no magic formula for combatting this. Cheating is a problem you will have to deal with on a day to day basis because habitual cheating is a form of addiction. Addiction is a long term battle that is never completely won because there is always temptation around the corner – Uche My wife and I went on a marriage retreat to revitalise our romance and we ended up watching an adult movie together which we really enjoyed, surprisingly. My wife has never showed interest in adult films. Anyway, we will like more of such films especially the old school ones where the women had big hair and shoulder pads.

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 —51

Federal roads in Osun Dear Sir,

O

N Thursday June 20, the House of Representatives Committee on Works visited Governor Rauf Aregbesola in his office in Osogbo. I don’t know what they discussed, which certainly could not have but centred around federal roads in the state.

The week before, Governor Aregbesola turned the sod on the dualisation of GbonganAkoda road and the beautiful interchange at Gbongan.

However, to my chagrin, I saw FERMA signboards on various spots on the road and the evidence of the patchpatch job the Federal Ministry of Works pretends to be doing on this road.

This to me is senseless.

Osun State got the licence to rehabilitate the road under former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola who could only complete the project halfway from Osogbo to Akoda, leaving the other half a death-trap.Governor Aregbesola, concerned about the condition of this important road, decided from the meagre resources of the state to fix it.

What is expected of any decent government is to commend Aregbesola and support him in every way possible.

This road has failed and it is evident that patcing it would not do because immediately a spot is patched, another spot collapses even near the patched spot. Even

with the best of efforts, what one sees on that road is one third patching, one third good portion and one third failed portion. Therefore, even with the patching, a ride on this road is always dangerous and bumpy, the greatest danger being the narrowness of the road and its inability to cope with the volume of traffic on it.

Everyday, vehicles from opposing sides run into each other while trying to avoid bad portions of the road, leading to avoidable accidents occasioning deaths and injuries.

It is therefore shocking to see FERMA still pretending to be mending this road.

FERMA is hereby advised not to waste scarce funds mending a road that is being scraped in preparation for a brand new dual carriage way.

It is foolish, unreasonable and insensitive.

Scattered all over Osun State is a sleuth of federal roads that have become impassable. A good example is the OsogboIlobu-Ogbomoso Road where at least a quarter of Osogbo residents are live. There are federal roads in Ilesa, Ife, Iwo, Ede, Ejigbo,etc begging for attention. FERMA is advised go to these bad roads and spend scarce federal funds on these, and not on a road being reconstructed by Governor Aregbesola on behalf of the people of the state.

Mike Opatola,Osogbo, Osun State .

Jega and new party registration Dear Sir,

I

WANT to call the attention of the Chairman Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega to the ongoing registration of New political parties in the country.

What is worth doing at all is worth doing well, if new Political Parties are to be registered, they are supposed to be registered and named and the public aware of this before August 2013.

We should realise that we practice a three tier of government in Nigeria (The Local Government, The State Government and the Federal Government). To my better understanding, the Local Government Election is slated for next year (2014) and every political party is to be represented at the poll.

It will not be in the interest of any political party to file in representatives less than six months to the election because adequate nomination of parties candidates needs to be done at the party level.

May I at this juncture

in darkness.

Felix 07057464301

Division in the PDP

IT is too premature to celebrate the military ’s dislodging of Boko Haram forces from some of their strongholds in Borno State and other parts of the northern states under emergency rule.

The Federal Government should realise the hydraheadedness of the sect and should sustain the onslaught on it if the country is ever to enjoy peace.

In addition, the fight must be combined with unveiling the identities of their collaborators, especially the politicians funding them or acting as go between the zealots and their sponsors.

Francis 08030582233

Governors must sign death warrants Kudos to President Goodluck Jonathan for telling state governors what to do

about criminals on the awaiting death list.

We need to waste two lives to save ten. Let governors who understand the need for this append their signature to death warrant papers because it is better to kill a person than ten later, after all they are not the judges who found them

,

Boko Haram and emergency rule in northern states

The problem with the PDP is that some members believe they are bigger than the party.

This will continue to cause crisis in the party. It is a shame that the party which prides itself as the biggest in Africa lacks fairness and justice.

Johnson 08039220749

Edo cults crisis I don’t see why any sane

It is too premature to celebrate the military’s dislodging of Boko Haram forces from some of their strongholds in Borno State and other parts of the northern states under emergency rule

,

guilty. It will help to sanitize human should be a member of our society at large. an anti- social cult which Dele 07044092117 derives pleasure in causing mayhem in the society. It PHCN, FG and shows the extent to which our successor companies society has generated.

Emmanuel, Edo State.

President Jonathan should speed up the privatisation Edo cultists and killings process of Power Holding It is unbelievable that some Company of Nigeria(PHCN) Nigerians could do this to to succession companies. their fellow countrymen.

Nigerians are tired of living Something drastic needs to be

equally advised that the National bodies of the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC) should take it as a point of duty to conduct all elections in the country be it Local, State and Federal election very serious. What happened during the last Local

UK’s visa policy

government election where every State of the federation were responsible to the conduct and supervision of the Local Government election should not repeat itself. This gives room for electoral malpractices.

The Local government election is the grassroots election and this forms the foundation of every electoral conduct. When the foundation is not solid, then what do we expect in other tiers of government.

Adequate conduct and monitoring of this (Local Government) election is highly needed.

It is in our collective interest for Prof. Jega to release the final list of legitimate political parties for the 2015 elections.

Hon. Ogunlewe, Wasiu A Yinka

Dear Sir, F it had gone as planned, Nigeria, India, Ghana, Pakistan,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would have by November post N723,000 before being allowed as visitors to UK. But, why the sudden and drastic decision by the British government to impose this tariff? answers to this are not far fetched.

Our image as a nation and people is under threat! Two years ago, Abddulmutalab a Nigerian stumbled into a flight and was ready to bomb the air craft before he was caught pants down and of course, he is languishing in prison now. Just few weeks ago, two young Nigerians in Britain, killed a British soldier and were ready to do more until they were arrested and jailed. .Looking at events in the past and the present, Nigeria image already been battered both home and abroad. So, slamming the visa policy on Nigeria and others should not be surprising.

Nigerians in our quest to be smart now pose security risk not to home alone but to other countries of the world.

What we should be thinking as a country and as an individual now is how to redeem our battered image.

Sunday Alifia, Ibadan, Oyo State.

I

done to prevent the country from sliding into barbarism.

The whole saga should be thoroughly investigated because I have a feeling that some powerful politicians could be patrons of this evil cult.

Anonymous,Benin City.

CBN and polymers notes It was alleged that, the Central Bank of Nigeria intends to revert the existing polymers naira notes to paper.

This is a welcome development because as it is presently, there is a raging war in market places and in commuter buses as a result of the terrible state of our polymer notes. Our streets are

littered with unhealthy polymer notes. The CBN for health reasons revert from polymer note to paper notes.

Segun 08039240765

Children and danger of cell phones Giving children cell phone is equivalent to withdrawing them from the school of knowledge to school of frivolity.

Parents and guardians should therefore withdraw this innovation from children, especially secondary school students and not to keep it at their disposal until they are through with their WASSCE and other external examinations.

Nkemakolam Gabriel, Port Harcourt, 08072257360.

SAYINGS OF OUR ELDERS 1.You have to know when to stop and let go of somethings for they say "a stubborn fly follows the corpse to the grave"

Simon

Adewale08056180103, Lagos State .

Send us your Sayings of Our Elders. They must be African sayings or proverbs. Biblical or English proverbs are unacceptable. You will be paid N100.00 for every saying published.

Address your sayings to: The Co-ordinator, Sayings of Our Elders,Vanguard Media Ltd., PMB 1007, Apapa,

52 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

We played fantastic football — Olodundare

BY JACOB AJOM

A

LTHOUGH he was on the bench all through the match against the Elephants of Ivory Coast, Super Eagles attacker, Dele Olodundare could not stop relishing in the 4-1 victory his colleagues handed the visitors at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna on Saturday. ”We were just marvelous,” Dele started. “We played fantastic football against Ivory Coast today and hope to consolidate, when we go there for the return leg.”

He said he was not

OSE Mourinho will use former striker Didier Drogba as a template of how to behave as a professional when he tries to coax the best from the younger players in his squad, the Chelsea manager said.

The Ivory Coast international, now with Turkish team Galatasaray, scored 157 goals in 341 appearances for the Londoners after being bought in 2004 by Mourinho from Olympique Marseille in the Portuguese’s first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.

“I think Didier Drogba, as a man and as a professional, is a good guy to be looked at as a very special player in the history of this club,” Mourinho told Chelsea’s monthly magazine.

“I can use Didier as a profile to persuade the young boys to follow me because he did follow me from day one.”

Drogba helped Mourinho win back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 and also scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester United at Wembley in

BY UDEH UCHE T Jude Girls Second ary School Bayelsa successfully defended the Nestle Milo Secondary Schools championship title they won last year in a commanding fashion.

In the final played at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos at the weekend, the champions defeated Government Secondary School, Gboko, Benue State by 26-18 points.

S

bothered for serving out on the bench for as long as the player in his place continues to justify his position in the team. “It doesn’t bother me one bit because the player in my place is doing very well. In fact, I am even happy sitting on the bench watching him do what the coach instructed him to do.”

The Sunshine Stars striker admitted that the Ivorians were tough opponents but was sure of the CHAN 2014 ticket after the second leg.

“Yes, they were tough, but we are their betters.

I can’t see them stopping us in Abidjan.”

Mourinho uses Drogba as a model J

2007.

Mourinho, who on Monday took his first training session in his second stint at Chelsea after the players reported back following their close-season break, described the Ivorian as a “fantastic example” for any young player.

“He was playing in France and nobody really knew a lot about him when I asked the owner (Roman Abramovich) to buy him,” the Portuguese explained.

•Drogba

Nestle Milo Basketball: Lagos, Bayelsa win In the boys category, International School, UNILAG emerged champions after a comprehensive 56-47 point victory over St Joseph’s Secondary School, Benue State.

The Bayelsa girls deserved their victory as they dominated proceedings from the onset. The first quarter of the exciting game ended 7-2 in their favour. The story was the same in the second and third quarters as they scored 11-7 and 1815 points respectively.

Enyimba explain Ezeji, Nwanna signings

P

CONTEST . . . Super Eagles attacker Daniel Akpeyi (L) vies with Ivorian defender Fousseny Coulibaly during their 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualification match in Kaduna. Nigeria defeated Ivory Coast 4 – 1. Photo: AFP

REMIER League club Enyimba FC have justified their decision to bring back former stars Emeka Nwanna and Victor Ezeji. Both players, who were present in the hay days of the club, were recently recruited before

the resumption of the second round of the Premier League.

Assistant coach Imama Amapakabo said that the team’s attack has been the only department yet to gel this season, so something drastic had to be done.

Ronaldo to retire at Real Madrid C

RISTIANO Ronaldo will spend the rest of his career at Real Madrid, according to club president Florentino Perez.

The Portuguese forward, 28, has recently been linked with a return to Manchester United or a move to big-spending French club Monaco.

But Perez said: “You can be absolutely certain that Cristiano will retire at Real Madrid.”

He added Real have not made a bid for Spurs’ Gareth Bale, or received an offer from Arsenal for Gonzalo Higuain.

Argentine striker Higuain has been heavily linked with a move to the Gunners since saying he wanted to leave the Bernabeu at the end of last season.

But Perez insists Arsenal are yet to make a bid for the 25-year-old.

“We don’t want Higuain to leave,” he said.

“What’s more, no-one from Arsenal has come to us and made us any offers at all for him. There are no offers on the table.”

Though Higuain’s fu-

ture remains uncertain, Perez believes Ronaldo, who has scored 201 goals for the club in 199 games, will be at the Bernabeu beyond the end of his current contract, which expires in 2015.

He said: “Ronaldo wants to retire at Real Madrid, and we want him to retire here, just like [Zinedine] Zidane and so many other great players did.”

Wales international Bale, meanwhile, was reported to be the subject of a planned £85m offer from Real after scoring 26 goals for Spurs last season.

•Ronaldo

FIFA U-20 WC: Football fans hail Black Satellites the streets and drivers 3-1 in the group stage.

F

OOTBALL fans in Ghana on Sunday hailed the country’s U20 football team, the Black Satellites, for their 4-3 quarter-final victory over Chile after extra time in the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey.

Many fans poured into

tooted their horns to celebrate the hard-fought victory.

“We thank the Almighty God for this victory,” said one fan.

Ghana won the match with almost the last kick of the match to set a semi-final date with France which beat them

Ghana went ahead in the match but fell behind 2-1 at half time. A determined Ghana side then plucked the equaliser to push the match into extra time but fell behind again before equalising and then scoring the winner in added time of extra time.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013 — 53

Siasia hails Eagles win over Ivory Coast F

PREDATOR: Super Eagles attacking midfielder Sunday Mba evades an Ivorian defender before firing in his first goal during the 2014 CHAN qualifier at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna. Nigeria won 4-1

ORMER Nigeria coach Samson Siasia has showered encomiums on the Super Eagles for whitewashing the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire 4-1 in the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier that was played at the weekend.

Sunday Mba scored a brace while Mohammed Gambo and Ifeanyi Edeh both added one apiece.

Impressed Siasia said: “I think the players did well against Cote d’Ivoire most especially scoring four goals. This will really count in the

NOC names Igali Technical Commission Chairman

N

IGERIA Olympic Committee has named President of Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Hon Daniel Igali as Chairman of its Technical Commission.

President of NOC, Engineer Sani M. Ndanusa announced the appointment with the tacit approval of the Board and Exco members of the NOC during their meeting at the Boardroom of the NOC, National Stadium, Surulere.

The Board and Exco members also allowed him the opportunity to come up with some other members to get the Commission functioning.

“We know you are loaded but can still carry this load of Technical Com-

mission Chairman”, Ndanusa said to a rapturous applause from Federation Presidents.

“Igali is an ex-athlete, a Paragon who capped his time as an athlete with an Olympic Gold medal. He is an Ambassador. He is a Politician as a member of the Bayelsa House of Assembly. He is wearing many caps but merits the caps”, Ndanusa said attracting more applause from the hall.

The President of the NOC urged Igali to use his wealth of experience of reposition the Technical Commission of the NOC preparatory to the 2014 Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, Scotland among other interna-

Keshi

Continues from BP in Kaduna, Sports Vanguard inquired from the Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi whether the expected return of his sacked assistants would materialise soon.

“I do not know when they will be recalled,” Keshi said. “As I speak, I do not know the thinking of the NFF regarding this issue. We only hope they will be recalled soon so we can continue with the project we started.”

When asked whether

he was missing Okpala, Keshi chipped in, “ yes we miss him. Each time we sit together or in our technical meetings, we remember him. In fact, we are missing all of them that are not here and we hope that they will rejoin us soon.

“You know your country, they behave weirdly. We always talk about Okpala and hopefully, he will be back.” Valere is still in the team but Stephen Keshi pays his allowances.

tional competitions.

Responding, Igali said that he was humbled by the appointment and promised to navigate the murky waters to bring out the best for Nigerian athletes with the co-operation

of other Federation Presidents.

“I ‘m comfortable with the position but I seek the co-operation of all Federations for a harmonious working relationship”, he said.

return leg in Cote d’Ivoire.

“The question is how many days did they spend together to get this result, it’s just five days or so. This is a good team and they played collectively as a team.

“The team has done well and Stephen Keshi has done a fantastic job on these players and we are proud of them. We can only hope for the best

•Siasia in the return leg in [Abidjan]."

Eagles will get better —Agbim

S

UPER Eagles g o a l k e e p e r, Chigozie Agbim, has hailed the performance of his teammates after their resounding 4-1 win over the Elephants of Ivory Coast, even as he disclosed his displeasure at the goal he conceded.

The former Golden Eaglets star told supersport.com in Kaduna that despite the win, the goal that he conceded was the only dark spot in a near

perfect match.

“The game was okay.

Although we did pretty well, we conceded a sloppy goal when our defenders went to sleep.

“We switched off at the wrong time and we paid for it, we have learnt our lessons and we will not make such mistakes again,” Agbim said.

Coach Stephen Keshi was visibly angry at the goal and Agbim confirmed that indeed Keshi was disappointed.

We won’t be defensive in Abidjan —Okonkwo

BY JACOB AJOM

S

UPER Eagles d e f e n d e r, Chibuzor Okonkwo has said that when they take on the Elephants of Ivory Coast in the second leg of the African Nations Championship qualifier in Abidjan they will go all out for

•Igali

Arsenal

Continues from BP made and instantly rejected.

Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Suarez and it remains to be seen if Arsenal take their interest further as manager Arsene Wenger continues to finalise a deal for Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain.

Real are expected to emerge as the most serious test of Liverpool’s resolve not to sell Suarez unless they receive an offer in the region of the £50m which saw

Fernando Torres move to Chelsea in January 2011.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers remains relaxed about Suarez’s situation and the striker has yet to indicate to the club that he wishes to leave.

The Merseyside club’s stance has always been that they have no desire to part with Suarez - and even if Liverpool’s hand is forced by the player’s own discontent they will not be pushed into a deal and will hold out for the maximum price.

an outright win.

Speaking to Sports Vanguard at the Super Eagles’ African Continental Hotel camp in Kaduna, Okonkwo said, “ we scored 4-1 here today, nothing stops us from beating them again in their home. We are not going there to defend.

We w i l l a l s o a t t a c k and go for goals. We will play that match as if the first leg had not been played yet.”

Okonkwo who was

part of the Samson Siasia team that failed to qualify for the same competition in the past believes this is the right time for the home-based Super Eagles to make their mark in the competition. “Now we have à perfect team with very fantastic players that can make it happen. We have all it takes to be in South Africa and by God’s grace we will be there.”

Friendly Continues from BP and abroad for the Mandela Challenge in Durban, South Africa and of course you know that game is coming three weeks before the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Malawi so it’s not a game he is going to toy with.

Ahmadu told futaa.com Bafana Bafana will take

on reigning African Champions Nigeria in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Wednesday, 14 August 2013 while they will also clash against Burkina Faso (who placed 2nd in the 2013 AFCON) at the FNB Stadium on Saturday 17 August 2013.

54— Vanguard, TUESDAY,JULY 9, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013—55

C M Y K

VANGUARD, TUESD AY, JULY 9, 20 13

FIFA U-20 W/Cup: Tomorrow's fixtures

France Iraq

vs vs

Ghana Uruguay

4pm 7pm

Liverpool reject £30 m Arsenal bid for Suarez for striker Luis Suarez.

L

IVERPOOL have turned down a £30m bid from Arsenal

We miss Okpala, says Keshi

BY JACOB AJOM

L

AST week, speculations were rife that the Nigeria Football Federation had sanctioned the return of some members of Super Eagles technical crew, assistant coaches Sylvanus Okpala and Valere Houndenou who were laid off by the football house in an unprecedented downsizing exercise. A day after the team handed a 4-1 defeat to the Elephants of Ivory Coast

Continues on Page 53

•••Invites 24 players for Bafana friendly

S

ECRETARY General of the Nigeria Football Federation Barrister Musa Ahmadu has hinted that Coach Stephen Keshi will be inviting 24 players for the August 14th friendly against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

According to the Federation scribe, a full squad with a healthy mix of tested professionals and their local-based counterparts will be rolled out for the Mandela Challenge in South Africa.

The full squad will play.

Coach Keshi will invite 24 players; tested both home

Continues on Page 53

•Okpala

STOPPED: Super Eagles galkeeper, Chigozie Agbim cuddles the ball as Ivorian attacker jumps over him during the CHAN 2014 qualifier at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna. Nigeria won 4-1

Suarez has been at the centre of transfer speculation since saying in May that it would be a “good moment for a change”, and admitted it would be “difficult to say no” to Real Madrid.

The Spanish side had been expected to lead the pursuit of the 26year-old Uruguayan.

Liverpool refused to comment on reports of Arsenal’s move and have previously insisted Suarez is not for sale.

However, it is understood an approach was Continues on Page 53

•Suarez

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Promise (6) 5 Unmarried (6) 8 Lawyer (8) 9 Temper (4) 10 Jewel (3) 12 Strict (5) 15 Sick (3) 17 Abroad (3) 18 Vase (3) 19 Newt (3) 20 Change (5) 21 Faucet (3) 22 Possess (3) 23 Observe (3) 24 Hill (3) 26 Thick (5) 29 Regret (3) 33 Stupefy (4) 34 Huge (8) 35 Passionate (6) 36 Condition (6)

DOWN 2 Deposit (5) 3 Fall (4) 4 Precise (5) 5 Absolute (5) 6 Standard (4) 7 Lawful (5) 10 Salute (5) 11 Engine (5) 12 Endure (5) 13 Consumed (5) 14 Tend (5) 15 Bury (5) 16 Slip (5) 25 Exterior (5) 27 Choose (5) 28 Sneer (5) 30 Normal (5) 31 Formerly (4) 32 Discharge (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Glue 4, Wan 6, Sick 8, Ration 9, Denial 10, Tee 12, Throb 14, Petty 15, Mined 18, Accede 20, Idiocy 24, Women 26, Under 28, Night 30, Bet 32, Morose 33, Odious 34, Here 35, Tin 36, Lees.

How to Play Sudoku

DOWN: 2, Leash 3, Epitome 4, Want 5, Nude 6, Since 7, Chaotic 11, Ewe 12, Tea 13, Bid 16, New 17, Dim 19, Console 21, Den 22, Initial 23, Yet 25, Ode 27, Evoke 29, House 30, Bent 31, Torn.

TWO WEEKS TO LIVE

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lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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