FG withdraws ultimatum to ASUU

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62033

MANDELA: World leaders pay tribute P.9

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N150

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Forget Presidency in 2015, Maku tells North

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FG withdraws ultimatum to ASUU •Shows proof of lodgement of N200bn varsities' fund •Calls on ASUU to suspend strike A •Explains why it issued ultimatum to lecturers

BY HENRY UMORU

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR MANDELA

BUJA—THE Fed eral Government, yesterday, soft-pedalled on the ultimatum given to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to go back to class or lose their jobs.

The government said it

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COLUMNISTS:

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AKINTOLA OMIGBODUN •P.24

Mr & Mrs

MEMORIAL FOR MANDELA—Below left: Mandela's widow Graca Machel(R) and his daughter Makaziwe attend the memorial service of South African former president Nelson Mandela at the FNB Stadium (Soccer City) in Johannesburg, yesterday. Top right: Mandela's former wife Winnie Mandela (C) and daughter Zindzi (R) arrive for the service. Top left: A cross section of world leaders. Below right: Archibishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu kisses Winnie Mandela at the event. Photos: AFP.

ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR: Mixed reactions NELSON MANDELA: P.11 A Tribute greet Tambuwal's criticism of FG 15

2— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

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C M Y K

4— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

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POCKET CARTOON

TRAFFIC HORROR—Traffick gridlock on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos, yesterday. Photo:

Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

FG withdraws ultimatum to ASUU Continues from page 1 took the decision not to enforce the ultimatum because it had recorded substantial compliance.

According to the Federal Government, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has confirmed that a sum of Two Hundred Billion Naira (N200 billion) agreed with ASUU

at a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on the November 5, 2013 has been fully paid into a Revitalization of Universities Infrastructure Account.

Addressing journalists, yesterday, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Instead of losing we can learn from our failures and faults.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

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IVE with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon.

Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is— Mary A. Radmacher Mr. Albert Einstein was right: If you feel you need to go one way, even when everyone else is going the other way, do so, do so to make positive changes in your life and for this world. I guarantee you that you will never regret that decision. Believe in yourself, other people will also believe you in time.

If you have clear goals and you believe you can reach them, then your mind has the highest possible amount of receptivity to elements that can help you reach your goals. Thus you’ll detect them quickly, even the subtle ones, and you’ll be able to employ them.

When you approach a goal with disbelief, you feel anxiety and your thinking gets clogged by it, which makes finding good solutions to reach that goal less probable.

On the other hand, self-belief makes you relax and think clearly. It stimulates reasoning, memory and, above all, creativity. This makes it more likely that you’ll find good solutions to reach your goals.

In particular, you’ll be able to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions that work really well.

Okupe who showed to newsmen the CBN letter which was signed by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Tunde Lemo and addressed to the Accountant-General of the Federation, confirmed that the sum of Two Hundred Billion Naira was the balance in the account as required.

Okupe who noted that what the Federal Government was interested in was how to resolve the six-month-old crisis peacefully in the overall interest of all concerned, said: “Right now, the issue of ultimatum is not a matter for discussion anymore. There has been substantial compliance nationwide. If I say you must return to work on the 9th and 70% of the people that I am talking to have returned to work, that is substantial compliance.

“What becomes of the remaining 30% who did not return to work, are issues that we do not want to stop the wheel of progress in sorting out this resolution. We are not interested in witch-hunting, we are more interested in compliance and in the resolution of the crisis.”

Why FG issued ultimatum The Presidential aide stressed that government was forced to issue the ultimatum which it was very serious about against the backdrop

that it had explored all avenues which did not produce result. He, however, said that government was not interested in witch-hunting any individual, but needed to protect the individuals and the state.

He said: “On the issue of ultimatum, government was serious when it issued the ultimatum but government was forced to issue that ultimatum because every other avenue had been explored to no avail. I said it before that governments worldwide, when pushed to the wall, take steps that may be draconian but sometimes they have to be taken in order to protect the citizens and the states they govern.

“Beside, this government is not grandstanding and flexing muscles, it was the media that presented it as if the Federal Government and ASUU were in a face-off. That is not entirely very true; there is no face-off between the Federal Government and ASUU. “ASUU may be grandstanding but the Federal Government is more interested in the resolution than in any form of confrontation with any union whatsoever. Our interest is to ensure good governance, orderliness and peaceful co-existence nationwide and among all sectors of the economy and education is not left behind.

“Many senior Nigerians, institutions and organizations, highly placed Nigerians including labour unions,

NLC, TUC, and royal fathers have intervened and have pleaded with government to soft pedal on the issue of the ultimatum.

“Secondly, as of yesterday’s evening, reports available to government confirmed that there is more than substantial compliance by many lecturers in many departments in many universities and this has encouraged government also to mellow down.

“I know that in the University of Lagos for instance, in the Faculty of Law, out of 100 lecturers, 70 have signed up; in Arts and Science, sixty something percent or so reported for duty and this happened virtually in all the universities in the country, OAU, Ibadan, all over.

So, this was the trend, this was what happened all over the nation yesterday.

“Because of the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians and because the lecturers themselves took government seriously and recorded substantial compliance with the order to resume work on the 9th, government in pursuance of a good and quick resolution of this crisis is more disposed to accommodating ASUU and encouraging its members to ensure that the universities are open and our children can go back to school and the tension and pressure among parents and students will reduce.”

Okupe shows CBN account document Okupe produced the confirmation letter from CBN confirming the lodgement of N200 billion in an account titled the “Revitalization of Universities Infrastructure” at the apex bank.

The letter with reference number GVD/ DGO/GEN/MP/05/151 was addressed to the Auditor-General of the Federation and specifically

for the attention of one J.O.Otunla and was titled: “Confirmation of the Execution of your Mandate for the Credit of Account No...Revitalization of Universities Infrastructure Account.”

Signed by Tunde Lemo, Deputy Governor (Operations), the letter stated: “I write to confirm the execution of the following mandates by the Central Bank of Nigeria for funding of the above mentioned account as follows: Mandate FD/LP2013/ 40/1/30/DF 129,300,000,000.00 Mandate FD/F124/Vol XII/120/DF 20,700,000,000.00 Mandate FD/LP2013/ 40/1/DF 50,000,000,000.0 “I wish to further confirm that the available balance in the aforementioned account is N200,000,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Billion Naira Only).

“Please, accept the assurances of my best regards.”

ASUU should end strike now Okupe who recalled that the leadership of ASUU had claimed that there was no evidence of lodgement of the said money to warrant calling off the strike, stressed that now that the evidence has been provided, ASUU has no further legitimate reason to continue with the strike.

He added that, “The ASUU president did mention I think on Thursday that if there is proof of payment that they will call off the strike immediately. I hereby show the proof of payment to all Nigerians, not only to ASUU and to let the people know that when we say that this administration has no credibility issue, we mean it."

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Trader arraigned over alleged car theft

BY ONOZURE DANIA

Chief, 2 others arrested for robbery

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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KURE — THREE per sons, including a chief, have been arrested by the Police in Ondo State for robbery.

Vanguard gathered that the three suspects, in November

this year, invaded the house of one Mrs Esther and robbed her of a Toyota Camry car.

Other items stolen were two mobile handsets and jewellery.

On the receipt of the complaint, the operatives of SARS

swung into action and one Chief Sunday Boboye, the Ajagun-Ode of Ode community, Akure; Akeem Bakare and Ramoni Ismaila were arrested.

The police image maker, Wole Ogodo, said they had

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AGOS — A 45-year-old man, Adeola Adelawal, was yesterday arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate Court in Ikeja, over alleged stealing of a fairly used car worth N800,000.

The defendant who resides at 12, Shomade Street in Ikorodu area of Lagos, is facing a one-count charge of stealing preferred against him by the police.

The defendant who is a trader was docked before Magistrate A.O. Akinde.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Chinalu Uwadione, told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offence on May 22, 2013 at about 10.am on Ikorodu road.

He said the defendant stole a fairly used Honda Accord car, with number plate JN 897 AAA, engine J30A41144465 and chassis IHGCM66503A094209 belonging to one Alani Sulaiman.

According to the prosecutor, the offence is contrary to section 278 and punishable under section 285 of the criminal laws of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2011.

Earlier, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.

Fake, counterfiet, substandard, expired and unwholesome products being destroyed by the South-West region of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, at the Sagamu dump site in Ogun State, weekend. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye.

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AGOS — TWO security men, Samson Obroh, 55 and Joshua Iyeye, 20, were yesterday remanded to Kirikiri Prison by an Ikeja Magistrate Court pending the legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, over alleged robbery and rape.

The defendants who reside at 4a, Atanda Akinremi Street, Orile-Agege and 16, Puposhola Street, Lagos respectively were ordered to be remanded in prison by Magistrate A. O. Akinde.

The defendants and others at large, committed the alleged offence on November 19, 2013, at about 1 a.m at 13, Ben Olakunle Street, Fagba in Iju Ishaga area of Lagos State.

Alleged cultist remanded over murder

BY ONOZURE DANIA

9 docked for stealing dogs in Katsina

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ATSINA — THE Police in Katsina State, yesterday, arraigned one Ngwana

Lar and eight others accused of stealing two hunting dogs and causing grievous hurt to

Two security men remanded in prison over robbery, rape

BY ONOZURE DANIA

all confessed to the the crime.

Ogodo said it was AjagunOde that used to supply the gun and the customized number plate they used while taking stolen vehicles to a dealer in Ado-Ekiti.

He said after the matter was reported, the vehicle was traced to Ado where one Akinyele Gbenga, the receiver, was arrested.

Ogodo said the receiver sold the vehicle to Ogundare Oluwole for N720,000.

Oluwole, according to Ogodo, in turn sold the vehicle to one Dare Akomolafe at Ikere Ekiti The police spokesman said the car and two locally-made barrel guns were recovered from Ajagunode.

He said “the police will go into the root of the matter and ensure that those involved are punished.

The suspects, according to sources, may have been docked yesterday.

The defendants are facing a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery and stealing and rape, preferred against them by the police.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Chinalu Uwadione, said the defendants while armed with a locally made pistol, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, robbed one Abiodun Ahmed of one Nokia phone valued at N14,000, jewelleries, N25,000; a radio set valued N15,000 and N4,200 cash.

Uwadione told the court that the defendants also raped Abiodun Ahmed.

The prosecutor further noted that the defendants also robbed one Juliana Akinlade of her N400, two TV sets valued N100,000, laptop worth N80,000, two Nokia phones

valued N100,000 and a wedding ring worth N800,000.

According to the prosecutor, the defendants raped one Juliana Akinlade.

He said the offences are contrary to section 1 (2) (a) (b) of Armed Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. 398 Vol. XXii, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 as amended.

The offence is also punishable under section 285 (1) of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

Earlier, the defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Their plea was not taken as the magistrate ordered that they be remanded pending the DPP’s advice.

She, however, adjourned the case to January 23, 2014.

the dogs’ owner.

The Police prosecutor, Inspector Babangida Shehu, told the court that the accused allegedly stole the dogs belonging to one Aliyu Sule of Karau village in Mashi Local Government Area in the state.

Shehu said the owner of the dogs had pursued the accused, who came from Plateau, to Mani road where he met them boarding a vehicle with the animals.

He told the court that when Sule asked for his dogs, the situation led to a fight, and he was subsequently injured.

The prosecutor said the accused were standing trial for criminal conspiracy, criminal tresspass, theft and criminal force.

The offences are punishable under Sections 97, 263, 342 and 386 of Northern States Federation Provision Act, Cap 345 of Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Kabir Shu’aibu, granted the accused bail but said the surety must be a reliable community leader residing within the court’s jurisdiction.

He adjourned the case to December 31.

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AGOS — JUSTICE Kudirat Jose of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, yesterday, remanded a suspected cultist, Rasheed Bello, in Kirikiri prison over alleged murder of one Busurat Ogunlaja and for also being a member of secret society.

The defendant is facing a two-count- charge boarding on conspiracy and murder.

The prosecution counsel, Kester, told the court that Rasheed and others at large committed the alleged crime on February 3, 2011.

He said the defendant and his accomplices who are members of Aye Confratanity murdered the deceased at 8, Odofin Street, in Epe area of Lagos.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges against him but is plea was not taken as the judge ordered that he be remanded.

However, counsel in the matter asked Justice Jose for a trial date.

She adjourned the case to February 24, 2014.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—7

Residents protest further demolition in Sango, Ijoko

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA — HUN DREDS of residents and traders in Ijoko area in AdoOdo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, yesterday, protested against the plan by the state government to further demolish their houses and shops to pave the way for the ongoing road expansion in the area.

The protesters who carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Please don’t demolish our lives”, “We have no other means of survival”, “Stop further demolition of our houses and shops”, said they had suffered so much and lost a substantial part of their property and investments to the initial demolition exercise.

They, therefore, pleaded with Governor Ibikunle Amosun not to embark on further demolition of structures in the area so as not to ruin their lives.

The state government had, two months ago, demolished hundreds of houses in the area for the expansion of the Sango-Ijoko road.

The protesters, however, said Governor Amosun, who visited the area two weeks ago, ordered the contractor to further extend the initial limit of the road and extend the demolition by additional eight metres.

Residents appeal to Gov. Amosun One of the affected residents, Mr. Bola Akinbiyi, a retired civil servant, said he had lost virtually all he laboured for to the initial road expansion.

Akinbiyi, therefore, appealed to the governor to have a rethink on his fresh order.

He said: “I have 24 shops, they have demolished eight and with the new marking now, they are going to demolish the remaining 16 shops, then I have no hope.

“I am a retiree and this is where I live. I trained my children with the proceeds I collect from my tenants. Some of my tenants have paid and they have no place to go. That is why we are appealing to the government to stop further demolition of buildings along Ijoko road.

“The road should be built within the space created by the first demolition exercise instead of extending it. They did not even explain to us why they are doing another demolition, we believe the first demolition was done by the contractors.

“We plead with our good governor, we know he is work-

Farmer, 70, arraigned for alleged assault

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The protesters, yesterday. ing for the progress of the state, but individual progress is important too. We are pleading with him to have mercy on us, especially the people that have shops.

"We have over 1,000 people that have shops here, where are they going to move to? So, they should help us to protect our means of survival.”

Also speaking, another resident, Toyin Akinloye, appealed to the state government to stop the planned demolition.

Akinloye claimed she lost eight shops during the initial round of demolition.

She, however, said that they were in full support of government’s plan to expand the road, adding that a fresh round of demolition of their structures by eight metres would negatively affect their businesses.

“We are okay with the first

demolition exercise, but we are surprised that within a month, the government came back and re-marked our buildings,” she said.

Another victim, Mr. Frederick Chukwu, said the initial demolition of the houses and shops in the area had affected their livelihood.

Chukwu said further demolition would lead to a complete loss of their means of livelihood.

He said: “We need help from government on this Ijoko road.

These rounds of demolition would be too much. We are appealing to the government to help us because if they demolish everything, we’ll have no means of survival.

“Government should not further demolish our buildings.

Many have died as a result of shock over the loss of their property. Let the government stop demolition because the

people’s lives will be ruined.”

Govt reacts Reacting to the allegation, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, who expressed doubt that the protest actually took place, said if the protest had taken place it must have been instigated by the opposition.

He said: “You need informed response? Is that not so? However, you have been in Abeokuta all day, so, when did you go to Sango-Ojodu? Let us also be sure that it is not some people who are floating this.

"I cannot imagine this because just this morning I was told of the tremendous turn-out of people from that area coming to take compensation. I was just saying let us even send pictures and story to the correspondents. Well, let me check first with the Ministry of Works and get back to you.”

An accident scene at Car Wash bus-stop along Egbeda-Idimu Road, Lagos involving PSP truck with number plate, Lagos MUS-867 XE, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

KITIPUPA (ONDO) — A FARMER, Festus Olagunloye, 70, yesterday, appeared before an Okitipupa Magistrate’s Court in Ondo State, charged over alleged assault of a woman with a cutlass.

Olagunloye, who lives at 7, Temiloluwa St., Ayeka, Okitipupa, is standing trial on a one-count charge of assault.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Zedekiah Orogbemi, told the court that the accused committed the offence at 1.30 p.m. on November 14 at 9, Teminu St., Araromi, Okitipupa.

He said a misunderstanding ensued between the accused and the complainant, Roseline Inumisan, over an undisclosed issue which enraged the farmer causing him to strike her with a cutlass on the right hand.

The prosecutor said the attack resulted in the woman sustaining an injury on the hand.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mr Olalekan Awodeyi, granted the farmer bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case to December 18.

Three remanded for stealing yam, cocoa

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DO-EKITI— AN AdoEkiti Magistrates’ court has remanded three men, Joseph Linus (23), Sunday Emmanuel (25) and Peter Kehinde in prison custody for allegedly stealing yam and cocoa.

The Police prosecutor, Cpl. Olasunkanmi Bamikole, told the court that the accused persons committed the offence on December 2, at about 12. 20 p.m. at Odo, Ado-Ilawe Road inAdo-Ekiti.

He alleged that the accused unlawfully stole 150 kg of cocoa seeds, valued at N60,000, property of one Johnson Friday.

He added that the accused also stole 32 tubers of yam valued at N15,000, property of one Sikiru Ishola.

According to him,the offence contravenes Section 390(a) of the Criminal Code Cap C 16,Vol.1, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

The accused pleaded not guilty while their counsel, Mrs Stella Okafor, prayed the court to grant them bail, promising that they would not jump bail.

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

BY LUKA BINNIYAT & EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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ADUNA— THE Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, yesterday, told the north to forget the presidency in 2015, saying President Jonathan Goodluck will recontest to enable him consolidate on his

2015: Forget Presidency, Maku tells North transformation agenda.

The minister, who reeled out many multi-billion naira projects cited in the North since 2007, argued that there was no Nigerian leader that had committed so much to the

development of the North within such a short time.

He said this yesterday at a town hall meeting broadcast live on local media stations in Kaduna as part of activities lined up for the Good

Governance Media Tour of Kaduna State.

Maku, who expressed worry over the constant attacks on Federal Government and increasing agitation for power shift to the North, wondered

FOR LAR: Members of the House of Representatives waving handkerchiefs during the valedictory session in honour of late Solomon Lar at the National Assembly, Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan.

RIGHTS DAY: Ban Ki-moon tasks govts on violations

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH & IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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HE United Nations Secretary-General, Ban KiMoon, yesterday, called on all countries of the world to uphold the ideals of human rights.

He made the call in a statement to mark the 2013 International Human Rights Day, which also marks 20 years of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in Vienna in 1993.

This was coming as Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, reiterated its determination to protect citizens’ rights, especially women and children, who are being molested daily.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, yesterday, alleged that over 1,400 suspects were currently being detained illegally at various military camps in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

Describing prolonged detention of suspects without charging them to court as “unacceptable,” it urged the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Chief of Defence Staff to grant its members access to all the detention facilities within the

three northern states.

Also, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State (SAN) pledged total commitment to protection of citizens’ rights in the state, including the rights of the disabled, while the wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, called on stakeholders to work together to make the state’s goal of ensuring respect for human rights a reality.

Mrs Ajimobi, in a statement by her Special Assistant, Media, Mrs Yejide GbengaOgundare, said it was a major vision for the present administration in Oyo State to ensure that the rights of all citizens, especially the disadvantaged members of the society, are protected.

Leading rights activist and former President of the NBA, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, said he was sad that across the globe economic rights of people were still being trampled upon, while the gap between the rich and the poor increased.

To make the world a better place, he said, the rising gap of inequality and imbalance between the haves and havenots must be closed drastically.

Ki-moon in his message said: “Promoting human rights is one of the core

purposes of the United Nations, and the organisation has pursued this mission since its establishment.

“Then, as now, the key to success is the political will of member states. It is states, in the first instance, that are obliged to protect human rights and prevent violations at a national level, and to stand up when other states fail to live up to their commitments.

“This is not always easy and over the past 20 years we have seen genocide and many other appalling and large-scale violations human rights and humanitarian law.

“Improving on how the UN system prevents and reacts to impeding catastrophes is at the heart of a new initiatives. The Rights Up Front Action Plan aims to ensure the UN system and all staff recognise the central place of human rights in the organisation’s collective responsibilities.”

The NHRC Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe represented by the acting Coordinator, SouthWest zone, Mr. Barnabas Ibe, reiterated the commission’s determination to fight and defend women’s rights and children who are exposed to domestic rights violation.

He noted that a lot of rape incidences against minors are reported daily, which he said call for concern.

Ibe, who spoke after a walk round Ikeja area of Lagos State, said: “For us in Nigeria, we have to contend with a lot of rights violations ranging from economic and social deprivations, domestic violence, discrimination against women, child abuses and neglect to even human trafficking, kidnapping and senseless bombing and killing of innocent citizens.”

He said no nation was insulated from human rights violations, noting that efforts must be made to put mechanisms in place for victims of human rights violations to have effective remedies.

To mark the day, Lagos State government organised a talk shop. The state AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, who represented the governor, said a predominant goal of the state is to ensure respect for human rights, especially for disadvan-taged members of the society.

He called on the Federal Government and other states in the federation to take a cue from the Lagos State Special People’s Law 2011.

what the previous administrations did to develop the region.

Maku said: “There has been huge denial that President Jonathan is developing the North. Not even since Gowon’s days has any past administration impacted so much on the North than Jonathan’s administration within such a short time.

“I challenge anyone to a debate. The evidence is clear that the Yar’Adua/Jonathan’s administration paid utmost attention to the North. It has been proved that it is not only Presidents from the North that will develop the region.

“The story has changed.

Power will not reside only with one side of the country for too long again because we are in a democratic era.

“Gone are the days when one section of the country believes it is born to rule. Under a democracy, every part of Nigeria must taste the Presidency.

“Today, it happens to be an Ijaw man from the Niger Delta region. And, please let’s be fair to each other. Is there anyone who is President in Nigeria that will not want to go for a second term?

“Even as a northerner, if I am the President, nothing will stop me from contesting for a second term. It is the same for Jonathan.

“He is mentally, physically and morally fit to go for a second term, and he will.

“So those saying that power must shift back to the North are wasting their energy and resources, because under a democracy, no part of a country has a monopoly over power.”

... lists Jonathan's contribution to North

Maku then listed President Jonathan’s contribution to the development of the north to include the dredging of rivers Niger and Benue; revitalisation of the comatose railways; the first ongoing AbujaKaduna standard guage rail line; investment in agriculture; construction of 100 Almajiri schools; and revitalisation of dams among others.

He said: “What have the past leaders done on Ajaokuta?

The river dredging projects are aimed at developing the North after 50 years of its conception.

“The rail transport collapsed until the present administration came on board.

The number one project of this administration is the N135 billion Abuja-Kaduna standard guage rail line.

“If we are talking about developing the North, there is a new beginning and design by this administration to do so.

North took power and did nothing for its 35 years in power.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—9

World leaders, Senate celebrate Mandela “His fight reached way beyond his nation’s borders and inspired young men and women to fight for independence and social justice.”

China’s VP

China’s Vice President, Li Yuanchao, said through a translator: “Mr. Mandela was the pride of the African people.

“He has dedicated his entire life to the development and progress of the African content.”

His long walk finally over—ANC President

Many responded around South Africa and outside the Johannesburg FNB Stadium venue of the memorial service held for former South African President, Nelson Mandela.

zHe was a saint from God— Senate zThe world lost a mentor— Ban Ki-moon zWe're celebrating a life of legacy— Cameron

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU & JOSEPH ERUNKE, with agency reports

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LOBAL leaders, who were at the memorial ceremony for former South African President, Nelson Mandela, yesterday in Soweto, were unanimous in their tributes to the late anti-Apartheid hero, who they described as a gift to humanity.

The United States President, Mr. Barack Obama, described Mandela as a giant of history.

Speakers at the FBN Stadium venue of the service were given three minutes each.

This came as the Senate, yesterday, paid glowing tributes to Mandela, saying the deceased was in a class of saints sent by God to make a difference in the world.

Liberator of the 20th century— Obama

Obama said: “To Graça Machel and the Mandela family; to President Zuma and members of the government; to heads of states and government, past and present; distinguished guests, it is a singular honour to be with you today, to celebrate a life like no other.

“To the people of South Africa, people of every race and walk of life, the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us. His struggle was your struggle. His triumph was your triumph.

“It is hard to eulogise any man— to capture in words not just the facts and the dates that make a life, but the essential truth of a person.

“Their private joys and sorrows; the quiet moments and unique qualities that illuminate someone’s soul. How much

harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation toward justice, and in the process moved billions around the world.

Born during World War I, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by the elders of his Thembu tribe, Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century.

“Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistance movement— a movement that at its start had little prospect for success. Like Dr. King, he would give potent voice to the claims of the oppressed and the moral necessity of racial justice.

“He would endure a brutal imprisonment that began in the time of Kennedy and Khrushchev, and reached the final days of the Cold War. “Emerging from prison, without the force of arms, he would, like Abraham Lincoln, hold his country together when it threatened to break apart.

And like America’s Founding Fathers, he would erect a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations.

“The questions we face today are how to promote equality and justice; how to uphold freedom and human rights; how to end conflict and sectarian war.

“These things do not have easy answers. But there were no easy answers in front of that child born in World War I. Nelson Mandela reminds us that it always seems impossible until it is done.

“South Africa shows that is true. South Africa shows we can change, that we can choose a world defined not by our differences, but by our

common hopes.

“We can choose a world defined not by conflict, but by peace, justice and opportunity.

“We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. “

Ban Ki-moon

The United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon said: “We join together in sorrow for a mighty loss and the celebration of a mighty life.

“Nelson Mandela was more than one of the greatest leaders of our time. He was one of our greatest teachers.

“He taught by example, he sacrificed so much and was willing to give up everything for freedom, equality and justice. His compassion stands out most.”

Tutu

Former archbishop of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu said: “We have come here and we are mourning a little bit. Mostly we’re saying ‘God, we think you are not a bad God. “You gave us an incredible gift.

We have three presidents of the United States and 75 heads of state. A friend in India wrote to us to say, ‘India is observing five days of mourning'.”

Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron said: ”We were told it was appropriate to wear a black tie. But when you come and you hear this great noise and this great atmosphere of celebration, it is clear that people here in South Africa want to say goodbye to this great man.

“To commemorate what he did; also to celebrate his life and celebrate his legacy.”

An inspiration — Rousseff

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said: “He also was a source of inspiration for similar struggles in Brazil and across South America.

“His long walk is over, he can finally rest,” African National Congress, ANC, Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa, said in an opening address.

On several occasions, Ramaphosa felt forced to admonish boisterous sections of the crowd for chanting during the speeches.

President Zuma

Similarly, South African President said: ”In his honour, we commit ourselves to continue to build a nation based on democratic values, human dignity and democracy.”

Senate

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday, paid glowing tributes to late Mandela, saying the deceased was in a class of saints sent by God to make a difference in the world.

The upper legislative chamber which observed a one minute silence in honour of Mandela, resolved to send a delegation to the government and people of South Africa to for a condolence visit.

This came following a motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, PDP, Cross River Central, and 107 others on the death of the late Mandela.

Leading the debate on the motion, Senator Ndoma-Egba noted that it was necessary for the Senate to honour the late Apartheid hero, noting that during his a lifetime, the late former President Mandela dedicated his life to the emancipation of the oppressed.

He also noted that during his tenure as President of South Africa, Mandela invited several other political parties to join the cabinet just as he set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses.

He said: “His administration introduced measures to encourage land reform, combat poverty and expand healthcare services.

“His government focused on dismantling the legacy of Apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty, inequality and fostering racial reconciliation.

“His sterling qualities endeared him to his people.

He is held in deep respect

within South Africa and as well as gained international acclaim for his activism which earned him over 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

“His message of reconciliation, not vengeance is a great source of inspiration to the world.”

He described Mandela as the hero of the century who deserved to all the recognition and eulogies being bestowed on him.

Ningi, Nwaogu, others

Speaking on the motion, Senate Deputy Leader, Abdul Ningi, PDP, Bauchi South, said Mandela made a landmark difference in promotion of interracial relations among humanity.

He said: “His preoccupation was the entire humanity.

Mandela is in a class of saints, who were sent by God to make a difference in the world.”

Also contributing, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, PDP, Abia Central, noted that the late Mandela became a name that brought hope and aspiration to the entire black race and tasked African leaders to emulate the attributes of Mandela in the governance of their various countries.

Senator Enyinanya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South, noted that the virtues of Mandela would only be replicated when leaders at all levels offered selfless service for the benefit of the people.

He said: “With Mandela’s example, each and every one of us must think of Nigeria as one entity then it would be possible to emulate him.”

‘No Nigerian of Mandela’s calibre’

Senator Adegbenga Kaka, APC, Ogun East, regretted that Nigeria lacked leaders of Mandela’s calibre, adding that people were not ready to make sacrifice.

He said: ”We have men who could be like Mandela in this country but they lack the courage to push through their ideals.”

On his part, Senator Wilson Ake, PDP, Rivers West, said: “He chose the spirit of humility, contentment, forgiveness and sacrifice. Our leaders should emulate him.”

Senator Abubakar Bagudu, PDP, Kebbi Central, said: “African leaders, aspiring leaders and all of us here should demonstrate the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation in all of our dealings.“ On his part, Senator Ayogu Eze, PDP, Enugu North, noted that Mandela showed that the “world will always be better off when we sit together and discuss how we can live together peacefully.”

Senate President, David Mark, who presided over the tribute session, tasked leaders to see governance as an opportunity to impact positively on the people.

10—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Fashola employs 2 physically challenged as traffic Wardens

BY MONSURU OLOWOOPEJO

L

AGOS — GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, employed three wardens including two physically challenged, to join in traffic management.

Meanwhile, activities at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa were halted by the members of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, CDHR, who stormed the State House of Assembly to challenge the law-makers over what it described as antipeople laws emanating from the house.

Fashola while announcing the jobs of the three former voluntary traffic wardens at the launching of the state law enforcement training institute and graduation ceremony of 3, 311 officers of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA and Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, said that the graduation was part of the reform of the law enforcement agency.

FAAN assures passengers of seamless travel

BY DANIEL ETEGHE

T

HE FEDERAL Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, yesterday, assured air passengers across the country of seamless travel experience during the forth coming festive season.

Disclosing this development to newsmen, General Manager Public Affairs FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati noted that adequate arrangements were already on ground to ensure that passengers have a seamless travel experience devoid of any discomfort.

According to Mr. Dati: “The authority has made adequate arrangements to ensure seamless passenger facilitating at all our airports during the forthcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations.”

I inherited total decay in aviation sector, Oduah tells Senate

By JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU & JOSEPH ERUNKE

A

BUJA—MINISTER of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, yesterday, told the Senate Committee on Aviation that the aviation sector was in total collapse when she assumed duty as minister, saying she had repositioned the sector to meet global standards.

This came as she said investigation into the crashed Associated Airline was still ongoing even as she disclosed that the ministry had established a black-box laboratory centre in the country.

Oduah said rather than being crucified over some challenges still in the sector, she deserved commendation as her efforts helped to give the country’s aviation sector a face-lift to meet modern challenges.

The Aviation Minister said this when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation.

She insisted that the aviation sector was in a deep rot when she took office in July 2011.

The minister said: “The sector was dilapidated, unmanned and highly unprofessional” when she took a facility tour on assumption of office in July, 2011.

Princess Oduah disclosed that the nation’s airports were characterised by obsolete, unserviceable and unavailable safety and security before her

assumption as minister.

The minister was invited by the committee to explain the possible causes of the incessant air accidents in the aviation sector in recent times as well as her role in the controversial purchase of two bullet-proof cars, which value was put at N255 million.

But she did not comment on the controversial bullet-proof cars.

Playing a video tape of the crashed Associated Airline before members of the committee to see,

Oduah called for understanding, saying the concluded investigation would unearth the problem that caused the air mishap.

According to her, what was operating then was an unsafe working condition for airport staff, especially those of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN. “There were several abandoned control towers all over the nation.

We had 154 abandoned control

projects all over. There were also several runways without runway lighting.

“There were massive leakages of agencies’ revenue due to manipulation of manual revenue collection process.

“There was also further loss of revenue due to several lopsided so-called ‘concession’ agreements skewed against the government and public interests”, she added.

HANDING-OVER: From left, Hon. Funmilayo Tejuosho, member of Lagos State House of Assembly; Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Commissioner for Work and Infrastructure; Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Oba Lateef Dauda, Onitire Itire, cutting the tape, and Mr. Babatunde Adepitan, Chairman, Mushin Local Government, during the handing-over of 16 roads in Mushin Local Government Area, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

Lagos warns against burying corpses in residential areas

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

L

AGOS — LAGOS State Government, yesterday, warned residents of the state to desist from burying their dead in their compounds and comply with laws prohibiting burial of family members on private property located within their community.

According to the government, such practice poses a major challenge for government to relocate such corpses in the

course of future road expansion and reconstruction projects in such areas.

Meantime, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has disclosed that over 200 roads had been constructed across the state within the last one year.

The state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat gave the warning on burial to residents at Mushin Local Government Area of the state, shortly before Gov-

13 years after sack: Group wants Akele reinstated

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

A

s part of activities mark ing the World Human Rights Day, a group has appealed to former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu for intervention, and incumbent Governor Babatunde Fashola, to waive the angers of yester years and reinstate labour leader, Mr. Ayodele Akele sacked by the state government 13 years ago.

Akele, who was then the chairman, Council of Industrial Union, was sacked in 2001

for leading a protest for better working conditions and demanded a payment of N7, 500 minimum wage to Lagos State civil servants.

Speaking to newsmen, yesterday, the facilitator, Akele Reinstatement Campaign Organisation, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, said the platform which comprised 50 civil society groups, was prevailing on the state government to reinstate him in his due position even if he would be retired immediately as this year would have marked his statutory 35 years in Lagos civil service.

ernor Babatunde Fashola, finally, handed over 16 completed networks of roads in the council totaling 10.127 kilometres.

Fashola in his remarks,

appealed to residents to shun the culture of trading on roads and walk ways and other forms of activities that constitute nuisance on the roads.

19,000 benefit from SURE-P in S-West

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

THE FEDERAL Government has said no fewer than 19,000 persons in the South West part of the country have so far benefitted from Community Services Women and Youths Employment, CSWYE, project of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE P. Speaking through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, in Oyo State, during a sensitisation and appraisal tour of the CSWYE project of SURE P, for the South West Geo Political zone, beneficiaries recorded man hours work output of 27, 550,000 in the past one year.

A statement by Prince Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director, Press/Public Relations, Ministry

of Labour, quoted Chief Wogu as assuring Nigerians that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, was committed to job creation as well as empowerment of women and youths for self reliance.

Chief Wogu, who recently led a high powered delegation on CSWYE project of SURE P, to the Governor of Oyo State, South West Geo Political zone, said: “I want to re assure all the people of Oyo State and Nigerians at large that, the promise made by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to create jobs for Nigerian youths is being successfully implemented through the CSWYE project.”

According to him, other five states in the South West Geo Political zone had also benefited from the project with a total beneficiary figure of 19,000 with man hours work output of 27, 550,000.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—11

Corruption: Mixed reactions greet Tambuwal’s criticism of FG

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & DAPO AKINREFON

M

IXED reactions, yesterday, trailed remarks by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal that the executive arm of government was paying lip service to the fight against corruption.

Tambuwal, who spoke as a guest speaker at the 2013 International Anti-corruption Day, organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Abuja, on

Monday, also alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was very corrupt, adding that the anti-graft body had never accounted for huge sums of money it received from donor agencies.

Overhaul EFCC — Agbakoba Commenting on the issue, leading rights crusader and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba advised President Goodluck Jonathan not take Tambuwal’s statement in bad taste but rather see how he can

deepen the anti-graft war.

Agbakoba said though he cannot verify or vouch for the accuracy of Tambuwal’s claims, he said it was a profound statement coming from the fourth man in government. “If I was the president I think I will be concerned whether the anticorruption strategy or policy is working. For a long time, I have always advised that the anticorruption strategies are weak.”

“What I took from the speaker’s statement whether it is true or not is that the government has to

completely overhaul the EFCC including considering whether to unbundle it because what Nigerians want to see is that people who steal our money go to jail. The Jonathan government needs to take the anti corruption programme a lot more seriously,” he said.

Jonathan hasn’t done enough— Adebanjo On his part, Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo said the President has not done enough to discourage corruption.

Fayemi presents N103.8bn budget to Ekiti Assembly

BY GBENGAARIYIBI

ADO-EKITI — THE Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, yesterday, presented a budget proposal of N103.882 billion for the 2014 financial year, with water supply taking the lion share.

The budget, christened 'Budget of Stability and Growth,' is to be sourced from statutory allocation, Value Added Tax, VAT, Excess Crude proceed, Internally Generated Revenue, External Grants, MDGs Conditional Grant scheme, reimbursement on federal roads, ecological fund, bond, FAAC augmentation and transfer from prior fiscal year.

Presenting the appropriation bill, the Governor stated that a total of N52,776,226,693.19 representing 51.8 per cent of the proposed budget will be spent on capital projects while N50,106,166,739.81 representing 48.2 per cent is for recurrent expenditure.

Governor Fayemi, who also gave a review of the budget performance since 2011 to date, explained that N4.136 billion has been earmarked to boost water supply in the state in response to the demands by many communities during his town hall meetings which was concluded two weeks ago.

He disclosed that the World Bank has also approved $50 million to support water and sanitation in 2014 while N500 million has been set aside to meet other requests arising from the town hall meetings.

Fayemi said: "We have invested over N1.2 billion in water production in the last three years with over 157.3 kilometres of water pipe laid in 2011 alone.

Three water schemes were completed and commissioned in Efon-Alaye, Okemesi and Ido-Ile, while two other schemes in Ipole-Iloro and Erinjiyan Ekiti are nearing completion. About four billion cubic meters of water have been produced and distributed

through the water schemes to the various communities in the state during the last two years.

While identifying infrastructure development as a priority to his administration, the Governor stated that the balance of proceeds from the bond secured by the state government would be expended on infrastructure, hence a sum of

N17,220,000,000 of the entire budget has been set aside for recurrent and other capital projects under infrastructure.

In his remarks, Speaker of the State Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin commended the Fayemi-led administration on the implementation of the 2013 budget, saying though not

implemented 100 percent was impressive and has made the state witness a greater performance which birthed some landmark projects and programmes.

Present at the budget presentation were deputy governor, Prof Modupe Adelabu, traditional rulers, and others.

VISIT: Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); his Imo State counterpart, Rochas Okorocha (3rd left); APC Deputy National Secretary, Mallam Nasir El-rufai (2nd left); National Women Leader, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor (left); Ogun State APC Leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba (3rdright); APC Chieftain, Chief Audu Ogbe (5th right), and others, during APC National Mobilisation Committee’s visit to Osun, at Government House, Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday.

APC chieftains storm Osun, warn against rigging in S-West

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO — THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led federal government has been warned against manipulating the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti and Osun states.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, gave the warning yesterday in Osogbo against the backdrop of allegation that the PDP led government was planning to repeat what happened in Anambra State Governorship Election.

This was the submission of the chieftains of All Progressives Congress APC during a rally by National Mobilization Committee of the party in the state on the future elections.

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, former National Chairman of PDP, Chief Audu Ogbeh, former Minister of FCT, Mallam El-Rufai, former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode were few personalities that spoke at the rally attended by mammoth

crowd and APC. faithful.

The former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode while speaking warned the PDP-led Federal Government against infiltrating the southwest region of the country with its rigging machineries in the next governorship election in both Ekiti and Osun States.

He said the progressives have decided to come together to form a formidable party which is not just a tea party, warning that rigging will not be allowed in Yoruba land.

Bamidele denies defection, says he was never in APC

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE — A governorship aspirant of the Labour Party, LP, in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday, denied defecting from any political party.

Opeyemi, who was formerly of the defunct ACN, spoke at a public lecture organised by Ondo State journalists to mark their press week.

Other speakers include Senator Femi Ojudu, Senator Boluwaji Kunlere and Kayode Ajulo.

Opeyemi, who was reacting to the implication of him dumping the defunct ACN said: “Let me set the record straight today. I did not defect from any political party to the Labour Party as being insinuated. “ I was a member of the ACN,

a very loyal and committed member and a National Director for three years.

“But along the line the leadership of the defunct ACN went into talks with other parties and they discontinued with the ACN and that marks the end of the party. “ For two months I was without a party and we consulted across the state on the way forward and

that gave birth to Ekiti Bibire Coalition. “ Ekiti people wanted us to form a political party, we consulted and later took a decision to join a progressive party, the LP. “ We then decided that we were not registering with the newly formed APC but LP. “With the merger with other parties, the ACN seized to exist in this country.

His words: “That is his (Tambuwal) own view and I have my own views. I am not going to fault or endorse it. I will not say he encourages corruption but the President has not done enough to discourage corruption.”

Tambuwal should start from the House – Mbagwu Also speaking, Chief Cliff Mbagwu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and management consultant, said that Tambuwal cannot exonerate himself or the National Assembly because he is part of the government and has the onerous duty of boosting the anticorruption war.

His words: “The speaker is part of the government even though he belongs to the legislative arm.

If the executive arm cannot fight corruption then the speaker also has some blames. Part of his duty is to fashion the legal framework to fight corruption. He is incharge of lawmaking. Besides, the House of Representatives itself is corrupt. Oversight function is now a source of income for the lawmakers as they intimidate ministers and agencies of government for money. If he is not acting the script of the opposition, let him start the anticorruption war from the House. I agree with him that we are not fighting corruption but the problem is not with the executive alone. Let’s have the legal framework.”

Tambuwal lacks experience – Babatope Former Minister of Transport and PDP chieftain, Chief Ebenezer Babatope berated the Speaker for making such remarks, saying he lacks experience.

“He (Tambuwal) is a young man and he could learn from experience. He is not supposed to have made that kind of statement. Does he not know that some House of Representatives members were picked up for corruption? What did he do? The young man lacks experience. He is a party man and what he has done is wrong. As a party man, he must learn from experience, he must be calm. What evidence does he have to say that the president is not fighting corruption? Or does he want the president to go jail his cabinet members to show that he is fighting corruption? He should not play into the hands of those that want to destroy him. He is a young man who should build his party squarely and allow his party to dictate what is going to be his own political future. At the rate he is going, he may fall into the wrong hands.”

He is trying to score political points –Afenifere To the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, the Speaker was only trying to score political points.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin, in a telephone chat with Vanguard, said: “It is an indictment on the government that he is standing as the number four man. If he really means what he is saying, he should not have waited for the time of decampment before making such statement. If he had done it that way, we would have taken him more seriously.

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Omo-Agege emerges UPC Chair

Lack of reliable data bank impedes devt —Oshiomhole

BY FESTUS AHON

U

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—GOVER NOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has identified lack of reliable national data bank as an impediment to national development.

Oshiomhole stated this, yesterday, when he granted audience to a delegation of the Nigeria Insurance Trust Fund, led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive, Alhaji Umar Abubakar, at Government House, Benin City.

The governor said: “The crisis we have is the problem of not having a reliable national data bank and until we fix that, we will continue to have serious challenges managing schemes like this and dealing with fraudulent people who take advantage of certain gaps to perpetuate certain practices which make management of social security very difficult.

“In other countries, if you have any transaction, the first question is what your social security number is and with that your data and everything can be accessed, for all sorts of purposes.

But these are huge challenges and I know that part of that we tried to address, when I was there trying an update on membership contribution.

“I imagine the challenges you are dealing with. The more products you have, the bigger the challenges that arise from implementation of goals. I think one of the major problems I see is that there was not enough communication between NSITF, state and local government on the essence of this particular aspect of employee compensation.”

Earlier, Abubakar said they were in Edo State to update the governor on their new products and solicit his support to woo other state governors to patronise the employees’ compensation scheme.

VISIT: Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State (left), new Commander 32 Artillery Brigade, Nigerian Army Corps, Brigadier General Abba Mohammed Dikko (right), and Lt. Col. Ibrahim Abass, during the Commander's visit to the governor's office, Akure.

STRIKE: DELSU mgt, ASUU sing discordant tunes

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

A

SABA—LECTURERS of Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, have defied directives by the authorities to resume academic activities.

The authorities had issued a statement announcing Monday this week as the resumption date for 2012/2013 second semester academic activities in the university.

But the local ASUU leadership ignored the directive.

As a result the school has remained shut.

According to ASUU Chair-

man, Dr. Emmanuel Mordi: “ASUU-DELSU is pained that our dear students will, regrettably, against our wish, have to remain at home instead of receiving lectures in the various campuses of Delta State University.

“Lectures will resume when the Federal Government demonstrates good faith, transparency and integrity, by ensuring that the November 4, 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is endorsed by a designated Federal Government official, preferably the Attorney General of the

Federation, the president of ASUU, and a witness, in order to guard against government’s usual practice of disowning its own documents on flimsy excuses.”

Mordi, therefore, enjoined students to disregard all radio, television, and newspaper announcements inviting them back to lecture halls.

Registrar and Secretary to Senate, Mr. E. Udjo, had said in a statement that lectures would resume (Monday December 9, 2013) adding that “second semester examinations would begin on Monday, February 3, 2014.”

.... As strike continues in UNIPORT

P

ORT HARCOURT—UNIVERSITY of Port Harcourt chapter of ASUU rose from a meeting at the ‘Abuja’ campus of the university, yesterday, with a resolution to continue the strike The university campus looked deserted when Vanguard went round.

Chairperson of the union, Prof. Antonia Okerengwo, who spoke with Vanguard, said the strike would continue “We sang our solidarity song today at our congress. The hall was full.

Lecturers were at the meeting,” she said.

Some students who spoke with our reporter, said they were around to see if the lecturers were

ready for them.

They said they were resident in Port Harcourt. “We just came

around to see if things had taken shape in the school. Some of us live in Port Harcourt, so we

will be going back today.

Our friends in other states will depend on us for information on resumption,” they said.

G H E L L I — FORMER Secretary to Delta State Government, SSG, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, has been elected National Chairman of Urhobo Political Congress, UPC. His emergence was sequel to a motion moved by Chief Mike Adiotomre and seconded by Chief E.D.O Obofukoro, which was unanimously adopted by all members of the group.

Speaking after his emergence, Omo-Agege said: “ My charge to the Urhobo nation is that the people should come together, work very hard, stick together and refuse to allow themselves to be balkanized or be deceived. The Urhobo nation should speak with one voice so as to be able to take their rightful place in the committee of ethnic nationalities within Delta State come 2015. The only vehicle to that political Jerusalem is UPC.”

Agege Catholic parish holds vigil

T

HE Archbishop in Agege Deanery will, under the leadership of the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, hold a vigil with the theme Maranatha “Come Lord Jesus”.

The Lagos Archdiocesan Advent pilgrimage which is celebrated by the Archbishop in Agege Deanery, is slated for December 13, at St Sabina Catholic Church Idimangoro, Agege.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—13

Ogoni pickets P-H Refinery, Eleme Petrochemical over non-implementation of UNEP report

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME & EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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ORT HARCOURT— PEOPLE of Ogoni in Rivers State, in their thousands, yesterday, picketed Port Harcourt Refinery Company and the Eleme Petrochemical Company, threatening to keep them shut until the Federal Government implemented the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, Report on oil devastated Ogoniland.

The protesters were led by the Ogoni Solidarity Forum, OSF, and Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP. The siege disrupted access and exit to both firms and worsened traffic congestion in the Eleme axis of Port Harcourt.

President of MOSOP, Mr. Legborsi Pyagbara, said they chose December 10, set aside as Human Rights Day, to embark on the protest.

He said: ”We are here today, in commemoration of the Human Rights Day, and Ogoni people are using this day to express their disapproval of Federal Government’s inac-

tion in the implementation of the UNEP report. So, we are doing the activity as part of global a process.”

Similarly, Fyneface Dumnamene, Project Officer, MOSOP, said: “The youths will sleep at the gates of both companies tonight. We are not afraid of anybody. The lives of Ogoni people are more valuable than the money Feder-

al Government is making from the refineries.

“By tomorrow, there will be no access for anybody because the protest will be extended to other companies in Ogoniland, including the fertiliser company. So, they should get ready.”

Celestine Akporbari of OSF said: “We gave the Federal Government 90 days to

implement the UNEP report but nothing has happened.

What they are seeing today is just a little of what is to come.

We are heading for total shutdown until the Federal Government considers the UNEP report as not only important, but the right of Ogoni people.”

MUSIC CONCERT: The Apostolic Faith Church's regional choir performing at the 2013 regional camp meeting music concert in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Oil workers protest planned sale of refineries

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

O

IL workers yesterday, in Eleme, Rivers State, protested Federal Government’s planned sale of the four public refineries, threatening to declare a nationwide strike should government go ahead with the planned sale.

Under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and their Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, counterpart, the oil workers said government should rather carry out a comprehensive turn around maintenance on the refineries for optimal performance.

They vowed to continue to oppose the planned sale because it was anti-Nigeria and anti-people.

Earlier, NUPENG, at its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Okrika, where it vowed to resist the planned sale of the refineries, insisted that the oil workers would not hesitate to shut down the sector if reason failed to prevail on the government.

President of the union, Achese Igwe, told newsmen that he was shocked that Nigeria, as the 6th largest oil

producing country, would contemplate selling off its refineries, arguing that they would declare a national strike

against the move.

He urged the Federal Government to take steps towards making the refineries func-

tion optimally, adding that the government should address the issue of casualisation in some of the multinational oil firms.

Edo PDP empowers to 34-yr-old widow

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

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ENIN—EDO State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, in Benin, donated two sets of wheel chairs, cash and two bags of rice to a 34-year-old widow and mother of one, Mrs. Juliet Oni. Presenting the items, which included N100, 000 cash to Oni, a former student of Business Administration, at the University of Benin, Edo PDP chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, called on government and other individuals to come to the aid of the less privileged in society.

Orbih, who lamented the lack of opportunities for the likes of Oni, charged commercial banks to avail the underprivileged, of low interest loans, for them to engage in income generating ventures.

He said: “In our effort to create a situation where she can support herself and her child, we have supported her to set

up recharge card sales outlet, but in doing so, the challenges of movement have constituted another issue.

“From what we gathered, this is the first time she is coming out for a long time and has developed wounds because of staying in a particular place for a long time, and in this regard we have

engaged the services of a doctor to help take care of that.

To boost her sale too, we are supporting her with N100, 000, but more importantly, our role here today is to call attention to her plight.

“We call on government and well-meaning individuals who are ready to serve humanity to come to her aid.”

Delta monarch inaugurates c’ttee for Nzekwue’s installation

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HE traditional ruler of Onicha-Ugbo, HRM Obi Victor Chukwumalieze I, has inaugurated a special committee, to plan for the installation of Chief Henry Nzekwue as the Ezeji of Onicha-Ugbo.

At the inauguration, the committee chairman, Chief Madu Nwayorbuije, enjoined members to see their election to serve as an honour for the socio-economic development of the community.

He expressed happiness with the caliber of persons elected and pleaded with the secretary, Alex Odiokoh, and other members to work hard to achieve the desired goal.

Responding, on behalf of the committee members, Tony Mekwunye, thanked the chairman and promised to use the Ezeji chieftaincy title installation ceremony to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the people of Onicha-Ugbo.

Delta community crowns monarch after 67 years

BY AKPOKONA

OMAFUAIRE

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ARRI—HISTO RY was made, yesterday, at Ellu Kingdom, in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, when a new king was crowned after 67 years of being without a king, after Delta State Government presented a staff of office to the new monarch.

The new king, HRM, Othuke Murphy Urugbezi, Ogwara I, the Ovie of Ellu Kingdom, was presented the staff of office by Delta State Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuama, on behalf of the governor.

Utuama, in his speech, appealed to the new monarch to carry out his duties transparently and judiciously.

The deputy governor commended the process leading to the coronation and presentation of staff of office to the monarch, just as he advised the monarch not to do anything that would make his subjects doubt his ability to uphold the sanctity of their tradition.

He urged the people of Ellu Kingdom, in particular, and Deltans in general, to take advantage of the state’s microcredit programme, saying taking advantage of such programme would help improve the domestic capacity of the people.

He said: “I urge you to key into the policy of Delta Beyond Oil, which means we must key into agriculture, industries and other areas apart from oil. I want to use this opportunity to urge all sons and daughters of Ellu Kingdom to take advantage of the various programmes of government, particularly the Delta micro-credit programme, to improve on your domestic capacity.

“I have no doubt that the institution is very significant to Ellu people and that is why they have all been working hard to make this day a reality and it has indeed come to reality.”

14—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Medical schools to have simulation centres by 2015

BY LAIDE AKINBOADE

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BUJA—ALL medical schools in Nigeria will from 2015 teach through simulation in regional centres across the federation.

Visiting Professor to the National Universities Commission, Professor Eugene Okpere, revealed this at a stakeholders meeting on enhancing medical education through the utilization of new technologies.

He said the meeting was to sensitize university stakeholder, seek their opinion on the adoption of the new technology in medical education.

When journalists asked about the readiness of universities in the country, he said NUC organised the meeting to sensitize provost of medical schools, vice chancellors, chief medical directors and others to get their opinion on the new technology.

He said: “The National Universities Commission has recognised that its high time we organised this stakeholders meeting to ensure that all provost of medical schools, vice chancellors are carried along on the new technology.”

Aba residents get free medical service

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BA—THE Oganiru Ndigbo Foundation has concluded plans to offer free medical services to residents of Aba in Abia State during this Christmas season.

To this end, 15 medical doctors from different fields, led by United Kingdom-based Dr. Chin Akano are expected to participate in the free medical service.

Other medical personnel from Nigeria and Igbo in Diaspora would also participate in the exercise.

Speaking to newsmen in Enugu yesterday, the chairman of Enyimba Retreat Committee for the group, John Kalu, said patients with surgical cases orrequiringlongtermcarewould be referred to Abia State University Teaching Hospital at Abawithgeneroussupportfrom the medical mission team.

Chime budgets N93.2bn for 2014

BY TONY EDIKE NUGU—GOVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State , yesterday, presented a budget estimate of N93,287,000, 000 for the 2014 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly .

The estimate represents over N9 billion or 11 per cent increase over that of the current year which is N83,773,203,408 (Eighty-three billion, seven hundred and seventy three million, two hundred and three thousand, four hundred and eight naira).

Governor Chime, who presented the estimate tagged, “Budget of Actualisation” to the lawmakers at the State House of Assembly complex , said it was made up of N39, 342,549,163 as recurrent expenditure, representing 42 per cent of the budget size, while N53, 944,450,837 was for capital expenditure, representing 58 per cent of the entire budget.

He said the government expected a recurrent revenue of N57, 490,114,000 which it intended to realise through internally-generated revenue estimated at nine N9,190,114,000 ,representing 16 per cent and its share of Federal Revenue put at N48,300,000,000 or 84 per cent.

Works and infrastructure received the highest sectoral allocation of N15.623 billion and this, according to the governor, is to enable the government actualise its ambition of ensuring that all

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on-going urban and rural roads and other infrastructural development projects are completed and commissioned before the end of the 2014.

The Education sub-sector came second with N5.78 billion covering allocations to the Ministry of Education, State Universal Education Board, the Post-Primary School Management Board, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Institute of Management and Technology, IMT, College of Education (Technical), State

Scholarship Board and the Science & Vocational Schools Management Board.

According to the estimate, rural development and health received N4.7766 billion and N4.124 billion respectively, while agriculture got N3.857.55.

The governor said the sum of N2.613 billion was set aside for urban and rural water supply, while adequate provision was also made for the payment of the state counterpart fund contribution in order to be able to access the World

Bank-assisted funds for the Community and Social Development Projects, CSDP. Receiving the proposed estimate, speaker of the state House of Assembly, Eugene Odo, thanked the governor for raising the profile of the state with his pace-setting and enduring achievements, even when the state’s income was among the lowest in the country.

He expressed satisfaction that the budget covered the development imperatives of the state and assured that the House would give it speedy attention.

BRIEFING: From left: Mr. Popoola Ajayi, Director, Centre for Democracy and Social Economic Right, Mr. Olarenwaju Suraju, Chairman, Civil Society Network Against Corruption, and Mr. Ayodele Akele, during the briefing on the reinstatement of Ayodele Akele to the Lagos State Civil Service, organised by Akele Reinstatement Campaign Organisation, ARCO, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

Confusion as INEC holds meeting on vacant Oguta assembly seat

BY CHIDINKWOPARA WERRI—THE meeting called in Owerri by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to address the vacant Oguta state assembly seat was marred by palpable confusion and rising temper from stakeholders yesterday.

In her welcome address, Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mrs. Selina Okoh, explained that she called the meeting to find a solution to the non-representation of Oguta people in the state House of

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Retreat

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INCENTIAN RETREAT Centre, 1, De Paul Close, Yakoyo-Ojodu, Lagos, will commence its three-day end of year retreat today.

The event which begins at 5p.m., will feature healing, deliverance, stations of the cross, mass and vigil. It will be conducted by Catholic Priests.

Assembly.

Okoh also said she had a letter of undertaking, which all the participating political parties in the envisaged election must sign.

According to the REC, the letter will reassure INEC that the participating political parties, their candidates and loyalists will ensure a hitch-free and

violent-free bye-election.

It was also her submission that apart from signing the document, INEC equally expected the stakeholders to agree on a suitable date for the bye-election.

Palpable confusion set in when Mrs. Okoh said she would first clear from her superiors in Abuja before she

could confidently mention the booths and wards where the expected bye-election would be conducted.

The charged atmosphere was further aggravated when the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, asked if All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was still in the race.

Anambra poll: CNPP demands apology from Jega

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

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BUJA—CONFERENCE of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, yesterday asked the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, to apologise to Nigerians over the flawed voters’ register he used to conduct the recent governorship election in Anambra State.

The CNPP, which made the demand via a statement by its

National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, in Abuja, said instead of Jega apologising over the dubious voters’ register, he heaped insult on the sensibilities of Nigerians.

The CNPP quoted Jega as informing participants at the quarterly meeting with political parties in Abuja that “Let me use this opportunity to categorically affirm that while our Register of Voters is not perfect, it has requisite integrity

and it compares favourably with any Register of Voters on our continent. It is certainly not as bad as some are strenuously trying to make it appear.”

The statement read: “CNPP had thought that after wasting over N80 billion in the Voters’ Registration exercise Professor Jega should be apologetic, remorseful, introspective and circumspect for underperforming and producing less than perfect register of voters.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—15

, Nelson Mandela: A Tribute

In Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, South Africa finally found the man who gave the lead to the people of South Africa in all their “human varieties” to resolve the intractable challenge of apartheid regally and heroically

BY EMEKA ANYAOKU

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N the gallery of world states men of the 20th century, Nelson Mandela occupies an exceptional position. His name will be forever linked with the struggle of the South African people to end apartheid, the coping stone of the racism and the injustices to which they had been subjected for so long.

However, this is not the heart of the matter. What sets Mandela apart in world history is the charity with which he led the struggle against apartheid and at the rendezvous of victory, successfully barred the way to any form of recrimination or racial vainglory on the part of the victorious majority.

It was the end to which every step Emekanot Anyaoku in his long and eventful journey told them.” would be one in his honour to had been directed.

We briefed Mandela on the dis- provide him with an opportunity I will leave it to his countrymen cussions at the Nassau Common- to engage with major business and comrades who were by his wealth Heads of Government companies with interests in side in the heat and dust of the Meeting that had led to the ap- South Africa. My wife and I struggle, to tell the world of the pointment of the EPG and its man- hosted the dinner on 5 July 1990 unique qualities of leadership he date. He listened attentively, and at the headquarters of the Royal brought to bear; and confine my- expressed wholehearted support Commonwealth Society. Nelself to only what I saw of him as for the mission. However, in the son, and his former wife, Winnie we worked together to achieve a same breath, he stressed that attended, together with the repnegotiated end to apartheid es- while he personally supported the resentatives of 42 major compapecially in the wake of his release objectives, he could not speak for nies operating in South Africa. from prison in February 1990. the ANC. On another one of his visits to At the beginning of 1986, I visOnly the leadership in Lusaka London, at the end of a lunch I ited South Africa with the Com- could speak on behalf of the party, hosted for him in my residence, monwealth Eminent Persons and he hoped we would go there Mandela made the following Group (EPG) appointed by Com- to seek the party view. This epito- remarks which again epitomised monwealth leaders to bring about mised Mandela’s unique humil- the special person he was. In a negotiations between the apartheid regime and the opposing political parties.

Mandela was still in prison at What sets Mandela apart in world Pollsmoor, and it was there that history is the charity with which he we met him. He had been incarled the struggle against apartheid cerated for 23 years, but the years of incarceration appeared to have and at the rendezvous of victory, left no mark on his spirit that I successfully barred the way to any could detect. A number of other form of recrimination or racial things also struck me about him: his personality was both warm and vainglory on the part of the victomagnetic; he exuded a natural rious majority and effortless authority; and although already well into his sixties, he remained ramrod straight ity and modesty. The world might reminiscent vein, he spoke in spite of his unusual height.

Here, I concluded, was one of regard him as the embodiment and about the divisions within South nature’s true aristocrats. I knew conscience of the struggle but he African society that the Second and felt that we were in the pres- insistently saw himself at that mo- World War had brought about, ence of a special being, and so ment and always, as no more than and the contrasting positions bewhen later I came to write about an individual within the party, tween his father’s generation him, I recalled William Hazlitt’s deferring to the party leadership and his own.

The older generation was amessay on ‘Mind and Motive’ at every turn.

In July 1990, four months after bivalent as to which side to supwhere he paid tribute to those “who walked by faith and hope,” Mandela had finally been re- port. In their view, there was who “live in the midst of arrows leased from prison, I assumed of- nothing to commend the white and of death” but on whom the fice as Commonwealth Secretary- South African Government General. In May of the same year, which was supporting Britain world has no hold.

The apartheid regime’s Minis- during Mandela’s visit to Nigeria, with the Prime Minister General ter for Prisons, Kobie Coetsee, had we had begun to plan on how to Smuts in the in the forefront of requested that he and his officials work together to ensure the suc- the war effort. They could not be present at our meeting with the cess of the negotiations between overlook the fact that they had inmate, Nelson Mandela. It was the South African Government and taken Britain’s side in the Angloleft to the two EPG Co-Chairmen all other political parties. Over that Boer war only to have their hopes and myself first to ascertain period, a warm friendship devel- of a better deal betrayed.

Mandela observed that his Mandela’s reaction to the request. oped between us leading to his I still remember the magisterial writing the Foreword both to my own generation took a different position. As they viewed the confidence with which he told us: Memoirs and to my biography.

It was in that May that we agreed situation, the stakes involved in “Let him and his team be at our discussions because there is noth- that my very first official dinner in the Second World War were ing I will say to you that I have my first week in office in London, much greater than any local

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grievances, however protracted, and for this reason, they worked and prayed for a British victory. The higher good, not the parochial advantage: that was what always guided Mandela.

In December 1991, the long expected and hoped for negotiations between the Government and the political parties were finally launched at Kempton Park in Johannesburg within the framework of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). I sent a small but high powered group of senior Commonwealth Statesmen to the inauguration, not only to show support for the process, but also to underscore the importance that the Commonwealth attached to the success of the negotiations.

However, just as the talks were beginning to make progress, a wave of violence broke out in many parts of the country, including a massacre of no less than six supporters of the ANC at Boipatong.

Following discussions with Mandela in Dakar, Senegal where he had been invited to an OAU summit meeting, I hurried back to South Africa to negotiate with the State President F. W. de Klerk and the leaders of the opposition political parties, for international observers to be sent to the country.

As a consequence, the Commonwealth, the United Nations, the European Union and the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), in effect the entire International community, sent observers to contain and help end the violence.

If the violence had been allowed to subvert the negotiations, it would have been the end of everything that Nelson Mandela and his generation had worked for. To be sure, the struggle would have resumed, but in those circumstances it would have been practically impossible to keep it within the old, established moral perim-

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eters: non-racialism and minimum violence.

These were values that the ANC leadership had worked so hard to inculcate into black South Africans over the years, values that had been overwhelmingly accepted.

The South Africa that might have emerged from such a renewed struggle would be one reared on dust and ashes and Mandela did not care to think of such a society.

In this affirmation, the real Mandela stood out. It remains an unforgettable image in my mind and, I am sure, in the minds of many others who were present at the Union Buildings amphitheatre in Pretoria on May 10, 1994 to witness Nelson Mandela take the oath of office as the first democratically elected President of South Africa. I still remember the tears of joy that rolled down the faces of so many at that wonderful occasion.

At the end of apartheid there were voices within the country that wanted some of the egregious racist criminals, in the days of apartheid, to be tried and punished.

They may not have put their demands in terms of Nuremberg, but that was clearly the spirit of what they were asking for.

The decision to replace a Nuremberg-style process with a Truth and Reconciliation process was a dramatic exemplification of the best of a national leader, allowing his head to see further than his heart when confronted with an intractable moral problem. The world has been several shades saner and safer for that rare example of statesmanship.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, another South African, Olive Schreiner said that “the problem which this century will have to solve is the accomplishment of this interaction of distinct human varieties on the largest and most beneficent lines, making for the development of humanity as a whole.”

Olive Schreiner saw a special role for South Africa in contributing to bring about this “interaction of distinct human varieties” and concluded that on the power of South Africans “to solve it regally and heroically depends our greatness.”

In Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, South Africa finally found the man who gave the lead to the people of South Africa in all their “human varieties” to resolve the intractable challenge of apartheid regally and heroically.

Nelson Mandela was a rare human being. What an honour and privilege it is to have been associated with him.

Hamba Kale, Madiba. Go well, and may your succession never end.

Chief Emeka Anyaoku was Commonwealth Secretary-General (1990-2000).

16—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

VALEDICTORY SESSION FOR SOLOMON LAR AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, ABUJA, YESTERDAY. PIX: GBEMIGA OLAMIKAN.

Former governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye condoling with Solomon Lar’s widow, Professor Mary Solomon Lar. From left: Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal discussing with the daughter of late Solomon Lar, Hon. Beni Lar and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, during a Valedictory session in honour of Solomon Lar, at the National Assembly, Abuja.

Former Senate President, Dr. Ken Nnamani (left) and Hon. Bimbola Adaramola.

Former Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi (left) Hon. Binta Garba.

Senator Victor Lar (left) and Senator Barnabas Gemade, former Senate President, at the event.

Lar left his footprints on the sands of time —SAMBO

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH BUJA—VICE President, Namadi Sambo yesterday said that the former National Chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and Walin Langtang, late Chief Solomon Daushep Lar had left his footprints in the sands of time and will be greatly missed.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the Vice President on Media, Alhaji Umar Sani, said that Sambo spoke during the Memorial Lecture and Tribute in honour of Chief Lar at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, as part of the activities leading to his interment.

This was even as Lar’s wife, Professpor Mary Lar, said that the last wish of her husband was that Plateau State and the country at large live in peace.

However, according to Sambo, Lar who was popularly known as the Emancipator, left several legacies in his numerous national assignments; especially his developmental strides in his home state of Plateau, where

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he was the first executive governor from 1979 to 1983.

He said Chief Lar will be fondly remembered for his mantra, “leaving the state better than we met it,” and asked the Plateau State Government to “consolidate on his legacies by adopting his popular adage “leaving the state better that we met it” as a state

policy.

“Nigeria and Africa have indeed lost an icon, a true son of the soil and a formidable figure in the struggle for the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria and Africa.

“He was a shining example of love, truth and righteousness.

No doubt, Lar was a political

titan and a man of the people whose legacies shall stand the test of time,” he added. He expressed delight with the several eulogies that had been pouring out since his death.

The memorial lectures were delivered by the Catholic Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev.

Mathew Hassan Kukah, and Professor Isawa Eliagwu.

Other speakers at the event included the Senate President, David Mark, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal as well as the Governors of Katsina, Nassarawa and Plateau states.

I still remain a PDP member —SOKOTO DEPUTY GOV

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OKOTO—THE Sokoto State deputy governor, Alhaji Mukhtari Shagari, has said that he remains a loyal member of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in spite of the defection of Governor Aliyu Wamakko to the All Progressives Congress, APC. Shagari spoke in Sokoto Monday, while addressing newsmen.

The deputy governor was originally chosen as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in 2007, before he was made to become Wamakko’s deputy in an effort to enable the party win the election in Sokoto State.

In Bauchi State, a similar incident played out in 2005, when

the then deputy governor, Alhaji Mohammed Gadi refused to leave the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP, for the PDP, with Governor Isa Yuguda,

leading to misunderstanding with Yuguda.

The development later led to Gadi’s impeachment from his position.

However, Shagari said that he had been a loyal and supportive member of the PDP since 1998 and would remain so.

‘Kaduna refinery turnaround maintenance‘ll the company in He, however, added that the boost revenue’ visited Kaduna.

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ADUNA—THE Management of Kaduna Petrochemical Company has said the proposed turnaround maintenance of the company will raise its annual income to N1trillion The group managing director of NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu disclosed thiswhen the National Good Governance Tour Team

He said that the company is gearing up for a another turnaround maintenance by the original builders, Chiyota of Japan after the last maintenance in 2005.

This he said had been approved by the Federal Government to ensure that the company operate at the installation capacity.

petrochemical company has fully come back on stream after 15 years of stagnation and that the present leadership of the company had sustained operation of fuel units with 1,403 staff personnel.

According to him, the company had since resumption of operation sustained supply of products to most northern states of the country.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 —17 “Whether the knife falls on the melon, or the melon on the knife, the melon suffers.” African Proverb.

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PDP: Tough times ahead informed critique of the administration.

This, language and stuff, is from a man who knows what he is talking about. He is not nPDP, although the defectors will love to have him in their ranks. He hasn’t denounced his party; just his leader and the manner corruption is becoming its biggest achievement, an issue every Nigerian weeps over. He says the minds of 98% of Nigerians who believe that Transparency International was too generous to Nigeria for not making it the most corrupt nation on earth permanently.

It cannot be easy for the President to have people in the position of the Speaker speak in this manner. This is not about executivelegislature conflict, an issue which is inherent in all democracies. Language like these are damaging blows, and they are more damaging when you are already under a lot of stress. Governors are raising their voices over the sharing of national revenues, basically alleging lack of transparency and even hinting at some illegality. Non – PDP governors say they have evidence that they are being deliberately short-changed in disbursement of revenues, and the motives are patently political. With more governors now joining the ranks of the opposition, the demands for answers on the management of the national economy, generation and allocation of resources and responses to corruption will be more difficult to ignore.

Ignoring all these simultaneous setbacks is one option which the PDP has. It can ignore the defected governors, put up a brave face, and try to engineer the emergence of alternatives to them. This will be a very demanding and expensive venture. While it may have the resources, handling the matter of undermining the defecting governors as an Abuja project is fraught with difficulties. How will it deal with the long lines of competing members who are already taking up semipermanent residence in Abuja and setting up structures in many parts of their states ready to be anointed as PDP leaders? What

BY NASAMU JACOBSON

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KNEW him in 2005 when I accompanied the then Etsako Central Council boss, Pascal Ugbome, on a visit to his Asokoro District, Abuja, residence. He was then President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Special Adviser on Project Monitoring and Evaluation. That first meeting, as brief as it was, made a lasting impression on me as he came across as very simple, humble, intelligent, accommodating and rather too friendly for a man of his stature and status. I thought it was uncommon to find such a complete gentleman as Professor Julius Ihonvbere among the very high in our society where barely concealed arrogance of power reigns supreme.

A couple of years later, I was to become his admirer and supporter when he ventured into the murky waters of political adventurism in the quest for the governorship of Edo State. For me, Professor Ihonvbere was a fit and proper person to occupy the highest political office in our state judging by his antecedents. He had been invited by President Obasanjo from the Ford Foundation, New York, United States of America, to join and bring new impetus to his government. With a war chest no other aspirant could put together, Prof. Ihonvbere prosecuted his ambition with the full support and backing of the people.

He was, however, to receive his ‘baptism of fire’ in the hands of the rulers when, on the eve of the 2006 gubernatorial primaries, a candidate was handpicked by his party leaders leaving him in the lurch. The gubernatorial primary election was a sham.

Undaunted, Professor Ihonvbere continued to ingratiate himself into the hearts of the people through his care for

•President Goodluck Jonathan strategies do you adopt to separate defecting governors from the millions who may defect with them? How do you stop more PDP governors from defecting?

The PDP also has the option of ignoring

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OLLOWING the meeting with party leaders and PDP governors as well as two former PDP governors who reaffirmed their full and final defection, President Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have summoned an emergency meeting of top guns of the party on Monday night. If there is an equivalent of a war cabinet, you could say the President chaired one, in the circumstances under which the party finds itself. It is logical to assume that the meeting received reports on the insistence of five nPDP Governors to stay with their new party, the APC. It is also likely that a critical review of the state of the party in the light of the loss of five governors would have been undertaken by people who should know what it means. It is not difficult to guess that champagne bottles were not opened in celebration at the end of the meeting.

All in all, these are not the best of times for the PDP. Hear what the N0.4 citizen, a loyal member of the party said while complaining over the appearance that President Jonathan’s administration encourages corruption. “A list of manifestation of corruption, especially in the public sector of Nigeria is legion, ranging from direct diversion of public funds into private pockets, contract overpricing, bribery, impunity, nepotism, general financial recklessness, fraudulent borrowing and debt management, public assets stripping, electoral fraud, shielding of corrupt public officers, among others.”

In case you think the Speaker of the House of Representatives was reeling out generally – familiar permanent residents, here is what he says specifically about Jonathan’s portion: “Take the subsidy probe, the pension, the SEC probes and recently the bullet proof cases. After the House of Representatives did a diligent job by probing and exposing the cases, you now see something else when it comes to prosecution. In some cases, you have government setting up new committees to duplicate the job already done by the parliament. Take the bullet proof cars case. The NSA, with all the security challenges confronting the country, should not be burdened with a job that can be handled by the anti-corruption agencies... By the action of setting up different committees for straight-forward cases, the President’s body language doesn’t tend to support the fight against corruption.”

There is a clue in these comments which suggest why the Jonathan administration tried so desperately to stop Tambuwal from emerging as a Speaker. Lai Mohammed, the spokesman of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, cannot, with all his dexterity in the language, better Tambuwal in this

Boko Haram, ignore calls for higher levels of openness over the state of the nation’s economy and ignore the opposition.

Or, the PDP can take a very hard look at itself, and ask why everything appears to be coming unstuck. If it does that, it may realise that the damage of the nPDP defection is very serious indeed. Apart from the possibility that the nPDP have left the door open for others to walk out, and the PDP is making no efforts to prevent them from doing so, it needs to look at the geo-political impact of their action. The PDP is now very much a minority in the North, and its size will very likely shrink as more politicians realise that it will sink with their ambitions. APGA is tightening its grip in the South East, playing the ethnic card with complete lack of inhibition. If PDP drops a pin in the South West, it is more likely to rest on the head of an APC supporter than hit the ground. APC is making it difficult for PDP followers in much of the North to show up with their traditional demeanor. There are potentially successful attempts to build bridges between Muslims and Christians in the North to prevent the traditional exploitation of ethno-religious cleavages.

The opposition could make much of the North a no-go area for the PDP. With the West, much of the East and large portions of the South-South in the opposition, the PDP could be obliterated in a credible election in 2015.

It will be unfair, however, to assume that someone, somewhere in the strategy circles of the PDP is not thinking all these scenarios through. If President Jonathan and the PDP have not already given up on designs to continue to rule the country, it will be reasonable to expect some resistance against its damaging slide. The

The opposition could make much of the North a no-go area for the PDP; with the West, much of the East and large portions of the South-South in the opposition, the PDP could be obliterated in a credible election in 2015

the roots of all its current problems. It can ignore the quarrel over the propriety of a Jonathan candidature in 2015, and hold up Governor of Niger State, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu as evidence that it is no longer an issue in most parts of the North.

It can ignore the issues over the emergence and conduct of party chairman, Alhaji Babanga Tukur, particularly now that his worst critics are in the other camp. It can ignore the legion of evidence that the administration is soft on corruption, and re-hash the refrain that corruption did not start with, and will not end with Jonathan.

It can ignore the Speaker, ignore ASUU, ignore crude oil theft, ignore reports of the committee on Stella’s cars, ignore clamour for facts behind the Apo killings, ignore

,

party can re-invent itself, literally. It could come to terms with the fact that it is running its course, and improve its intraparty democracy, re-engage Nigerians and assure them that it is serious about fighting corruption and insecurity. It could show appropriate respect for democratic values and the electoral process, and work hard to win elections, rather than rig them.

It may even acknowledge that it has massive issues around its leadership which could cause serious problems for it and the nation. Who knows, it is possible that the PDP will even take its place among Nigerian political parties and fight for supporters and voters on the records and credibility of its leaders, and nothing more.

OPINION Will Julius Ihonvbere run? both old and young, male and female, market women, youths and farmers. Most people had thought that the governorship ticket which eluded Prof. Ihonvbere in the past would be taken for granted in 2012. It was not to be.

And the man changed platform. As it is usually said, all that is now history.

When Comrade Adams Oshiomhole appointed Prof.

Julius Ihonvbere as Secretary to the State Government in November 2013, many people at home and abroad hailed the Governor for appointing the right person to the right position. Those who knew him well said he would bring to bear on his duties his vast wealth of experience as an intellectual and leader of men. I do not think Prof.

Ihonvbere has disappointed.

The social media networks seem to be engaged in an agenda of promoting the perceived political interest of Prof. Ihonvbere towards 2015. A facebook post last week asked users’ comments on: ‘’Prof. Julius Ihonvbere for Senate 2015’’. The various comments that followed that post are as diverse as the backgrounds of the posters and reflect the new pastime for many whose only need and use of the social media is venting their frustrations on other users and not the idea or issue in discourse. Majority of the comments were positive remarks on the integrity of Prof. Ihonvbere. My comment was simply that ‘’I will comment in the newspapers’’, which is what this is about.Recently, I came across a gift of a book which I had received from Prof. Ihonvbere at our first meeting in his Abuja residence in 2005 but which I was unable to find

the time to read until now. The book, titled ‘’THE BEST IS YET TO COME: Portrait of a Scholar-Activist’’, is edited by Kayode Fayemi (now Governor of Ekiti State) and Pita Agbese and contains essays in honour of Prof.

Julius Ihonvbere. Many of the essays eulogise Prof. Julius Ihonvbere’s scholarship and scholarly achievements not only at the University of Ife and University of Port Harcourt but also at his alma mater University of Toronto, Canada and in the USA especially at the Ford Foundation.

But by far the one that interests me most, perhaps not being in the same intellectual pigeon-hole like Prof.

Ihonvbere, is the piece written by Dr. Kayode Fayemi who captured very eloquently the activist in Prof. Ihonvbere, a quality required more than anything else for successful navigation of and survival on the political minefield. Dr. Fayemi said of Prof. Julius Ihonvbere: ‘’Julius Ihonvbere is a born leader of people. In his quest to improve the human condition, his life has been nothing but a dedication to people of all races, genders, classes, creeds and religions, and the defence of humanity and the common good.’’

But for Dr. Fayemi, not many of us who lived in Nigeria in the era of military dictatorship when the late Maximum Ruler reigned, would have known the role Prof. Ihonvbere and Dr. Fayemi played in the fight to get late Gen. Sani Abacha to jettison his transmutation ambition fuelled by the five leprous fingers.

•Mr. Jacobson, a public affairs commentator, wrote from Benin City, Edo State.

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 DECEMBER 10 has been World Human Rights Day since 1948. The pursuit of human rights was one of the tasks the United Nations gave itself when it was founded three years earlier, on a mission to save the world from wars and their brutalities.

The damage the world wars did and the human abuses that trailed them were front burner issues at the United Nations. How has the world fared since then? What do human rights mean today?

A world that accepts segregation, discrimination, denial of liberties and inequality of human beings is what has overwhelmed the rights struggle since 1948. In 65 years, the world has become more tolerant of rights abuses. A memorable example is the support the apartheid regime in South Africa got from world powers, the supposed leaders in human rights. For a piece of investment in the country’s mineral resources, they supported a country that elevated the superiority of one race over the others to official policy.

Other not so obvious acceptance of human rights abuses are the alliances world powers maintain with oppressive regimes for economic and political advantages. In those instances, human rights are consigned to the back seat.

Human right abuses are flourishing in Niger-

Human Rights As Rhetoric ia, just as the Human Rights Commission, and other agencies that play to protecting human rights approximate their work to rhetoric. They make all the speeches, attend all the conferences, but fail woefully in dealing with institutionalised abuses.

Some examples of abuses that are common in Nigeria: · Discriminatory laws against women · Discriminatory standards for accessing opportunities · Detention of suspects for years without trial · Environmental abuses · Unrepentant abuse of children, the weak, the elderly

· Torture of suspects in detention · Extra-judicial killings · Denial of constitutionally guaranteed liberties like association and free speech · Denial of participation in the affairs of government · High cost of accessing justice · Neglect of ?The security and welfare of the people? which according to Section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution, ?shall be the primary purpose of government.?

A combination of abuses and crushing economic policies result in the excruciating poverty that is visited on Nigerians. Who would save them from rights abuses?

Government officials make the most flowery speeches about human rights. However, many abuses are rooted in their policies that place the majority of the people last. The deceit entailed in being responsible for people’s affliction and making a rigorous lamentation of their plight is another overlooked human right abuse.

The World Human Rights Day for Nigerians should serve more purposes than speeches and ceremonies. The authorities should implement policies that would enhance constitutional rights of Nigerians to better life, which capture the essence of human rights.

OPINION

By ABUTU ADOLE

C

REATING jobs, enhancing economic competitiveness, tackling security challenges and providing quality food for the ever growing population are the teething issues slowing down the country’s quest for an accelerated development.

Solutions on how to tackle and address these challenges were succinctly captured recently

by Prof. Turner Isoun in his book entitled Why run before learning to walk which chronicled activities of the science and technology sector in Nigeria between 2000 and 2007 when he presided over the affairs of the ministry as minister.

The launch of the 630-page book was witnessed by a cream of professionals, especially from the academia, the political class, key players in the economy and members of the international community, was adjudged by all as a huge success for various reasons.

One of which was the fact that in achieving the feat narrated in the book, Isoun took some bold steps, broke away from convention method of thinking within the box. According to Prof. Nimi Briggs, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt: “Isoun broke the box to achieve results.”

Another fact was that three days after the launch, the book sold out. This is unprecedented in Nigeria's history considering that the book is about science, technology and innovation and not an autobiography of a dead or living politician, a business mogul or a money bag.

The launch was devoid of the usual fanfare where praise singers and people come to glorify themselves or others and not issues that are typical of such events in the country

How science, technology can transform Nigeria yet it was a success because those that matter the most, especially the sector to which the book spoke to, were present.

The book was a success not because of who was or was not present at the launch but as a result of the character of Prof. Isoun.

Isoun as described by various speakers at the launch is first and foremost an achiever, a scholar of repute, a dedicated leader who carries along his colleagues, one who believes in the efficacy of science and technology and a firm believer in the ability of Nigerian scientists to deliver.

No wonder therefore it is on record that he served the longest as the Minister of Science and Technology, ranking him as one of the ministers to have served the longest in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

So how did he break the box?

Isoun presided over the science and technology sector in Nigeria when the nation began the deployment of high technologies to fast-track economic development. Such technologies include space which has a whole chapter dedicated to it in the 10 chapter book, nuclear, biotechnology and ICT. “When we started the space programme for the country, the question everyone even those from the West were asking us is, why are we going into space when we cannot solve our common problems; people are hungry, etc.

But that didn’t stop us. People of all cultures are equally endowed by the Almighty Creator, and have severally contributed over time to what we refer today as science and technology. Therefore, science, technology and innovation had never been the preserve

of any community. Thus, over time, nations, communities or peoples world over, with passion to develop and excel had always copied the best ideas from those who had temporarily been ahead of them, internalised those ideas, improved on those ideas and forge ahead,” Isoun noted.

Testimonies Dr Kevin Oruma, Executive Director of the Kenya based African Technology Policy Studies Network said that the launch of the book by Isoun has changed the global discuss on how Africa is viewed by other continents.

“The book is a clear testimony of an African scientist who has demonstrated the zeal that Africa and Africans can do it. He even went further to document his participation in the policy process; this is uncommon and should be acknowledged,” Oruma said.

For Prof. Oyewale Tomori, the president, Nigerian Academy of Science, with the book Isoun has demonstrated eloquently that “we can employ high technology as a strategic tool for our development.”

He went further to add: “To continue to use high technology as the wheel of our development, all aspect of our nation, from political will, commitment, and attitude must run in tandem. No aspect must be learning to walk, while the others are running.”

Tomori said that with the book, Why run, before learning to walk, Isoun has epitomised the very reason for setting up the Nigerian Academy of Science.

Dr David Okongwu, a former director general of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP, the book

is not only a masterpiece but a tour de force.

“One of the beauties of this book is that it is not fiction or simply an eye witness account.

It is a report by an author who had a vision to initiate a policy, articulate and develop it, and had the sagacity to have colleagues and government share in the vision; supervised the successful execution of the programme and had the results fully documented.”

Okongwu who reviewed the book noted that it demonstrated and justified the great need for Nigeria to do things differently and adapt a paradigm shift in future efforts in technology transfer and on science, technology and innovation. “What comes out quite powerfully from this book is the issue of our understanding of conventional wisdom and the global politics of science,” he added.

Prof. Soji Adelaja, a distinguish professor in land policy at the MSU said that the book was a testimony to the visionary effort by Isoun to place Nigerian science into the future. “In my opinion, we spend too much time thinking that the solution to our issues is to go back to solving problems that are no longer relevant. This book, Why run before learning to walk suggests otherwise.”

Adelaja said.

Prof. Nimi Briggs, emeritus professor and former vice chancellors of the University of Port Harcourt, said that the book was a road map Nigeria needed to try having witnessed failure in the implementation of various developmental policies initiated by government since independence. *Mr. Adole, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013— —19

, T

IME was about 10:30 pm Nigerian time and the BBC’s Hard Talk was on the screen on this dark night of December 5, 2013. I had only minutes before finished writing my original copy for the column this week. Many minutes into Hard Talk and as Steven Sakur ’s usually hard-hitting questions elicited rapid responses from his guest, this time an American senator of Hispanic origin (I cannot recall his name), the programme suddenly went off the screen and the image of two BBC newscasters, a male and a female, came on as they announced that South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma was about making an important announcement. There was live picture of President Zuma as he walked to the podium. He tested the microphone and I knew either one of two things had happened even as I closely studied his body language for clues of the news he was about to pass. The thought that flashed through my mind at that moment was this: Nelson Mandela is dead or decision had

been taken to take him off life support (which he was rumoured to be on) and his death was just a matter of time. But Zuma smiled and made eye contacts with some people around him while testing the microphone. He was calm, absolutely unhurried, which gave me hope that Mandela was still alive. But then he began speaking and he didn’t keep his listeners in suspense as he announced within his first few words the passing of the world’s most revered political leader, statesman and South Africa’s first Black and postapartheid president, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

I was up for the next four hours or thereabout surfing channels for more news on Mandela as live pictures of people gathering around his Johannesburg home in celebration streamed in. This would be followed by live transmission of tributes from Barack Obama, David Cameron, Ban Ki-Moon, among several world leaders. People at the United Nations headquarters stood in silence for a minute to honour

,

Mandela. And so the round-theclock report on Mandela went on throughout the night into the early hours of the morning with more and more people joining the crowds around his home. Flags in South Africa were ordered to fly at half mast. David Cameron ordered the flag at 10 Downing Street to fly at half mast. And it could be expected that the same thing happened in many parts of the world in memory of the man who went from villain to hero, prisoner to president. In four days time Mandela would be accorded a full state funeral befitting a hero of his calibre. Perhaps not since Mahatma Ghandi has a world leader’s death elicited the type of universal emotion generated by the passing of Nelson Mandela.

Mandela was a moral as well as a political force.

H

e was a hero’s hero, one whose legacy of generosity and forgiveness of those who dishonoured him and his people did not leave him an embittered man.

The FG–Innoson Motors job creation partnership

BY CHUKWUDI ENEKWECHI

G

RADUATE and non-graduate youth unemployment has over the years become a cankerworm that continues to hamper government’s efforts at creating wealth and eliminating poverty in Nigeria.

Yet no solution was found until recently. It is consoling, therefore, that the Federal Government has designed a unique method for finding a lasting solution to the problem by partnering with the private sector in creating jobs for our teeming youths.

Recently, it was reported that the first made in Nigeria vehicles manufacturer, INNOSON Group, is partnering with the Federal Government by building technical schools where mechanics and technicians can be trained to acquire the necessary skills in the latest automobile technology and innovations with a view to equipping them for the challenges ahead.

Obviously, this is a laudable move as the bubbling economies of China, Asia, Japan and Europe started by equipping their energetic youths with requisite skills and know-how in the area of science and technology.This vision has today elevated their economies to great heights, and as a nation Nigeria must toe this line to free its citizens from the stranglehold of poverty arising from unemployment and lack of skills.

INNOSON Vehicles Manufacturing Plant has in its bid to support the Federal Government’s job creation efforts employed over 20,000 Nigerians at its different factories and other ancillary outfits across the country. With their expansion to other African countries, many Nigerian youths are being offered employment opportunities and the multi-faceted effect of this patriotic act to the affected families and the society

cannot be overemphasized.

It is equally remarkable that the federal and state governments have realised the vital role that a conglomerate like INNOSON Group can play in alleviating the plight of job seekers by patronising the company.

The policy by the Federal Government of insisting that all ministries, departments and agencies must patronise INNOSON locally made vehicles is novel and laudable considering that it is the only way to keep the needed jobs at home, rather than creating jobs for youths of other countries by permitting the importation of foreign made vehicles. It is common knowledge that unemployment is the greatest problem facing Nigeria today.

The feat accomplished by the INNOSON Group as the manufacturer of the first made in Nigeria vehicles, and multi billion dollars investment they have made demonstrates unparalleled confidence in the Nigerian economy under President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a clime where many seek the easy way out by turning our landscape into a dumping ground for all manner of imported vehicles, the courageous move to invest here can only but bolster the confidence of foreign investors to explore the opportunities in Nigeria .

Since government alone cannot create enough jobs for our teeming populace, and as most countries in the world are now shifting their focus to private sector –driven economies, it is only desirable that Nigerians need to reorientate themselves towards patronising locally made vehicles.

By doing so, we restore the national pride and support local industries, and reduce capital flight. This will no doubt boost the local economy as more jobs will be available

The world had anxiously awaited news of Mandela’s passing. He gave sufficient notice of his passing having been in and out of hospital in the last six months of his life. He had sought cure for a lingering lung infection he first contracted while in prison breaking rocks on Robben Island.

In a sense, the corruption of apartheid, of Robben Island where Mandela contracted tuberculosis and lost the sharpness of his sight to the poisonous dusts of hard rocks he had to break in prisonthe hell of apartheid finally did for Mandela. But he was in every sense a survivor who, in his own words, beat the Afrikaners at their own game- but this with an uncommon generosity of spirit and forgiveness of his enemies. He did his best to promote unity among South Africans across racial divides and left South Africa a united society ready to face the future without the recriminations of the past. If South Africans fail to uphold the Mandela legacy of forgiveness and togetherness it wouldn’t be for want of a good example.

In a July 10 piece in this space, I had paid tribute to Mandela. This was at the height of fears that the Grand Old Man of South African politics and world number one citizen would probably not make it out of hospital. I was just over a week in South Africa on a two months sabbatical at Rhodes University located in the South African Eastern Cape, region of Mandela’s birth. Rallies, marches, symposia and prayers were still being held across the country in celebration of Mandela’s 95th birthday and for his quick recovery. Barack Obama’s visit to South Africa at this time was overshadowed by news of Mandela’s health. Amid this

,

Finally the cock crowed for Madiba

Mandela has done more than we could honestly expect of one man; he deserves his rest; a true son of Africa, he was one of the originals that pointed at the greatness of Africa

There is an urgent need for the National Assembly to put the necessary legislations in place to protect local vehicles manufacturers; the surest way of achieving this is to adopt the National Automotive Policy

,

for our young graduates, and the much needed skills acquisition drive will be realised within the shortest time possible.

It must be stated here that no society has ever developed technologically by depending on foreign products; rather it is through bold moves by such companies like INNOSON Vehicles Manufacturing Ltd that countries develop rapidly.

Just imagine for a moment a situation where we have such big vehicles manufacturing plants like INNOSON in the 36 states of Nigeria. There is no doubt that they will reduce unemployment drastically over a period of time. Therefore the federal, states and local governments must ensure that the policy of patronising only locally made vehicles like INNOSON is vigorously pursued and sustained to help Nigeria attain its avowed development goals in concrete terms.

A

vailable statistics show that the total import of vehicles to Nigeria in 2012 alone was about 400,000 units with the new ones numbering 100, 000, and 300,000 used ones, at a total value of USD3,451 billion.

Furthermore, automobile importers account for the second highest users of foreign exchange in Nigeria, with the attendant capital flight as well as

outpouring of emotions the Mandela family was being torn apart by a bitter family feud. With intervention by the courts and appeals from South African leaders like Desmond Tutu the feuding family would find a way round their differences and give up the front page of South African newspapers for others.

There were periodic reports of recovery, of Mandela being in stable but critical condition. He would be moved home to continue his treatment in due course, and it all looked like he would remain in this state for a long time to come.

Until early last week when his daughter hinted that he was on his death bed and in his last days. Just appropriately after family disagreements had been either settled or allowed room for peaceful resolution. The occurrence of the word ‘death bed’ in Mandela’s daughter’s speech had a sinister ring that told me the Mandela family had finally reconciled themselves to the death of their patriarch. Six months during which there was no major improvement in Madiba’s health was enough for the family to say their adieus. Her comment told me that it was just a matter of time before news of Mandela’s passing travelled round the world. And it happened within the week of her initial comment. Jacob Zuma broke the news to an expectant but nonetheless shocked world. As Obama noted, Mandela has done more than we could honestly expect of one man. He deserves his rest. A true son of Africa, he was one of the originals that pointed at the greatness of Africa and the oneness of all human beings. Safe trip. Rest well Madiba!

engendering inflation in the economy.

Therefore, to save over 500,000 jobs which importation of vehicles costs Nigeria, is it not more prudent to concentrate our resources and energy in supporting local vehicles manufacturers like INNOSON Group that have already shown the capacity to provide jobs locally for our people?

To realise this, there is an urgent need for the National Assembly to put the necessary legislations in place to protect local vehicles manufacturers.The surest way of achieving this is to adopt the recent Federal Government National Automotive Policy, which seeks to provide the necessary incentives and enabling environment for local industries to thrive. Failure to do so will further encourage foreign companies and their Nigerian partners to continue to use Nigeria as a dumping ground for imported vehicles, thereby stifling local production and creating jobs for youths of other countries.

With the introduction of the new National Automotive Policy, the industry is on an irreversible progression movement, and no effort should be spared in order to sustain the tempo. It is remarkable that with mere adoption and announcement of the policy, many key players in the industry are now thinking inwards, and restrategising as examplified by the INNOSON Vehicles Manufacturing Company. Talk of backward integration.

This is a welcome development, for whereas the importation bazaar was not adding value to the economy, the new approach would provide the elusive industrial jobs for our citizens.

This is aptly demonstrated at the various manufacturing plants of the INNOSON Group, where boys and girls are seen operating different production machines.

This will not only enable them to have the necessary skills, but will accelerate the much desired technology transfer and put Nigeria on the global map like Malaysia, China, India and many others.

•Mr Enekwechi, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

20—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,

DECEMBER 11 , 2013

AYETORO-IBUDO LAND TUSSLE:

Traditional ruler sues for peace ...as family appeals judgement

BY BOSE ADELAJA

I

T has been a recurring decimal of unrest at AyetoroIbudo, by Itele, Ado-Odo Ota local government of Ogun State leading to the destruction of properties worth millions of Naira and many lives lost. Also, many residents were rendered homeless while others were forced into exile.

During one of the numerous attacks carried out by hoodlums wielding dangerous weapons, the royal father of the town, Chief Abiodun Odutala, had his traditional home destroyed, while scores of people were maimed.

The memory of that attack has continued to haunt residents of Ayetoro-Ibudo, many of whom still live in the fear of the unknown. Economic activities have also been partially paralysed in this ancient community, thus robbing many of their source of livelihood.

Some non-indigenes had on account of this fled the town to seek refuge elsewhere.

Although the State government has waded into the matter, but this has not allayed the fear of residents that the hoodlums might strike again.

History has it that Ayetoro-

,

For a judgement to tell us that we are tenants to somebody to whom we have not been paying tributes is not acceptable to us

(1)Chief Abiodun Odutala (m), Madam Folasade Odutala and Madam Rabiatu Odutala. the family is entitled to a customary/statutory Right of Occupancy in respect of the vast area of land in Ayetoro-Ibudo.

The court also declared null and void all sales, leases or purported sales or any other forms of alienation made by people other than Adogun-Itele family.

The judgment also referred to the Odutala family as mere customary tenants, while any sales of landed property by them has been rendered null and void.

Inspite of this, the traditional

ruler of the land, Chief Abiodun Odutala, has appealed to his people to allow peace to reign, saying his family is out for peace.

At a press conference jointly addressed by the three eldest children in the family, the traditional ruler said the Odutala family has appealed the judgement describing it as a rape of justice.

Showing VM a copy of the notice of appeal, he said it was filed at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan where his family

appealed for stay of execution of judgement. The appellants are Mr Abiodun Adeniji Odutala, Madam Ola Adeniji Odutala and Madam Agbebeke Adeniji Odutala. The notice of appeal stated thus: “Take note that the the 1 st to 3rd defendants Appealants being dissatisfied with the judgment of Hon Justice O.A. Onafowokan J. delivered on the 8th of October, 2013, hereby appeal to the Court of Appeal upon the grounds set out in Paragraph 8 and will at the

hearing of the Appeal seek the reliefs set out in Paragraph 4...”.

Odutala said the ground of appeal is that the learned judge erred in law in holding that the appellants, Bada Odutala family, are customary tenants to the respondent family, the Adogun Atele family without oral and documentary evidence to back the same.

The traditional ruler who said his family was dissatisfied with the judgement, however, appealed to the people of the community to remain peaceful and be law-abiding saying: ‘’On our part we shall continue to be law-abiding and pursue our matter legally until we get our right back. We believe that the judgement has robbed us of our right and we are ready to pursue the matter legally to the highest level in this land”.

Odutala said Ayetoro has been in existence for about two centuries having been founded by the Egba Warrior known as Ajagunna between1836 and 1842. For a judgement to now tell us that we are tenants to somebody to whom we have not been paying tributes is not acceptable to us,” he said.

He commended the people in Ayetoro-Ibudo for maintaining peace, urging them to continue the good spirit as, according to him, the law through the court is there to protect all law-abiding residents of the community.

Tribal ‘war’ averted as cart pusher plunges into canal

BY BOSE ADELAJA& AZEEZ SANUSI

,

Ibudo, mostly inhabited by the Egbas, has been in existence for two centuries after it was founded by a warrior popularly called Ajagunna between 1836 and 1842.

The genesis of the crisis in Ayetoro-Ibudo has been traced to two families laying claims to the ownership of the land. The case between Adogun-Itele and Odutala families has just been decided by the High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode which gave judgement in favour of the Adogun-Iteles.

In the ruling, statutory occupancy was given to the Adogun-Itele family. In this wise,

W

HAT could have been a tribal war was averted yesterday after an unidentified cart pusher was allegedly pushed into the canal by a tricycle on the Oke Afa bridge at Isolo in Lagos. According to eye witnesses, the tricycle collided with the truck of the victim, believed to hail from the Northern part of the country, while trying to avoid a sports utility vehicle, SUV on the bridge.

The driver of the tricycle was said to have ridden off, while the driver of the SUV also escaped leaving his car behind. A good Samaritan who attempted to rescue the cart pusher was, however, mistaken for the driver of the car and was almost beaten to coma by some Northerners before he was rescued by bystanders who explained to the irate Northerners that the guilty driv-

er had actually fled the scene.

Meanwhile, chairman of the community of truck pushers and scavengers in the area identified as Seriki, informed that the seriously injured cart pusher had been taken to the Isolo General Hospital where he is presently on admission. His intervention ensured that the matter was peacefully resolved as he successfully calmed the Northerners who were threatening a showdown with bystanders for stopping them from killing the suspected offender. The timely intervention of men of the Okota/Isolo police station prevented the SUV from being burnt by the mob. The car was subsequently taken away by the police.

As at the time of filing this report, two policemen were on ground to curtail any form of violence.

“The railings of the bridge have virtually off and accidents

of this nature will continue to take place if the government does not carry out the necessary repair works,” a bystander said while expressing his displeasure at the state of the bridge. It will

be recalled that several people drowned at the same Oke Afa in January 27, 2002 following a bomb blast at the Ikeja Military Cantonment.

*Section of the Oke Afa canal bridge

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 21

B & E DATA

FG to empower 50,000 graduates in 2015

BY HANNAH ISIBOR

T

HE Federal Government has stated that it will empower 50,000 graduates by the year 2015, with quality work experience under the Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS. GIS is one of the Social Safety Net (SSN) projects of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Employment Programme (SURE-P).

Speaking at a SURE-P forum in Lagos, Dr. Peter Papka, Project Director, GIS, said the Federal Government aims to provide Nigerians with quality temporary work experience that will make them stronger candidate for job opening in the labour market through one year internship placement.

According to him, the programme also aims at engaging not only the youth but also encouraging firms to come and appreciate the opportunity that the scheme has to offer.

Papka said government is creating a platform where these graduates will go into organizations; acquire the right kind of skill that will make them employable by the firms themselves or other business enterprises.

He said: “Basically, it is to help improve on the skill that a graduate require to make him an individual with a difference and to be sure that within this one year the grad-

uate is efficiently skilled and empowered to go and be on its own and to be employed” He added that in this instance, Government is no employer of Labour, but what government seeks to do is to create enabling environment

for the private sector to do business and to deal with issue of unemployment in the country.

He however said that for any firm to be part of the scheme, they must be legitimately registered, making

sure they are doing the legitimate business in terms of manpower, having facilities at disposal where graduate can be able to acquire proper skill.

He maintained that they are putting in place online employability skill training, say-

ing that, “ we have discussed with stakeholders in the different sector of the economy to agree on the kind of skill that these individual can be trained on and once they have run the online training, they are certified”.

From left: MD/CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, Bola Adesola, CEO, Digital Jewels, Adedoyin Odunfa, Chairman, IBFC Agusto, Tofarati Agusto and MD, IBFCAgusto Training Limited, Titi Olujobi at the e-Learning product Lunch of IBFCAgusto in Lagos.

Lagos plans ttoo boos ish ffarming arming boostt ffish

By MONSUR OLOWIOOPEJO

F

ollowing discovery of in adequate markets as the major key challenge impeding government’s efforts especially in Lagos in local fish production, Lagos state government has concluded plans to build more markets to existing ones aimed at boosting fish farming.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state, disclosed while addressing hundreds of crowd and sea food vendors at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Lagos Sea Food Festival, held at Lagos Bar Beach, Victoria Island axis of the state Fashola who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said that the addition of more markets were parts of the state

government activities to boost local fish production to one million tones before 2015. According to him, “Today, Lagos state is known as one of the South West States blessed with the largest coastline of over 480 kilometers. And we all know that water comes with various opportunities especially sea foods.”

He added “for a start, we have invited all the fish farmers in the state to the festival to show case their products.

And to give them the desired opportunity they craved for in their chosen field. We know that even if we give them the required tools, if they don’t have the right avenue to sell their goods, production would still be hampered.”

The governor explained “This is one of the numerous activities designed by the

present administration to tackle poverty in the state through creating enabling environment for all the sectors in the state.”

Fashola, who also presented a total cheque of N1 million to the first three participants in the Pepper soup competition, while the overall winner, Mr. Oluwatobi Samuel was presented with a cheque of N500, 000, the first and second runner-up carted away N300, 000 and N200, 000 respectively. The governor continued “Today, we have seen that whatever talent one has, it is useful and this was evident with the pepper soup competition.”

Fashola assured residents that the state government “ will continue to assist the youths in the state discover

their talents.” He how0.65 106.05 ever, charged the youths saying “While 2,820.00 +58.00 we are ready to do this, youths should also look 16.59 -0.1 inwards and come up with innovative ideas for the state. I can assure you that the state 111.41 +0.43 government will promote such idea. We 111.41 +0.43 know that investing in such idea will make CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING youths become entrepreneurs.”

DOLLAR 154.73 155.23 155.73 Speaking earlier, Commissioner for Ag- STERLING 253.1692 253.9873 254.8054 211.5623 212.246 212.9296 riculture and Coopera- EURO FRANC 172.7283 173.2864 173.8446 tive, Mr. Gbolahan La- Y E N 1.5149 1.5198 1.5247 wal, noted that the CFA 0.3017 0.3117 0.3217 236.7001 237.465 238.2299 state’s 480 kilometers WAUA 25.6051 of coastline and larger RENMINBI 25.4397 25.5224 RIYAL 41.2525 41.3858 41.5191 percent of the resi- KRONA 28.356 28.4476 28.5392 dents of coastline are in SDR 237.4641 238.2315 238.9988 CBN Exchange rate as at 10/12/2013 the fish value chain.

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

How no claims bonus works (2) Continued from last week Where applicable Given our knowledge and understanding of the types of motor insurance covers in the market viz: i. The Comprehensive ii. The Third Party Fire and Theft and iii. The Third Party Only It is important for all insured motorists and the general public at large to appreciate that the reward system of No Claim Bonus is only applicable under the Motor Comprehensive Insurance cover. Hence, only insured

By Dr. Wole motorists that have bought Adetimehin, a Comprehensive cover can Managing Director, earn and enjoy the No Claim Jully Insurance Bonus or Discount.

Brokers and The current trend and perImmediate Past ception of no claim bonus President, Chartered Lately, the objectives and Insurance Institute of reasoning underlying the Nigeria, CIIN system of rewarding and encouraging insured motorists by granting No Claim Bonus are not just being portant arm of the market have distorted, but virtually eroded. been overwhelmed by the atIn practical terms, no insurer tractive and non – resistible talks of, or applies the No premium discounts offered in Claim Bonus in the motor the market, to the extent that insurance any longer. Rather, it is now common knowledge all prospective motorists are that a first time motorist withoffered an over bearing or out any driving experience or extraordinary premium the much needed road sense discounts sometimes up to can earn the highest premium 60% or even more. This is discount possible in the mooften done out of desperation tor market which negates the by insurers and their market- standard motor underwriting and rating ing representaprinciples. tives to win or Challenge to capture an inIt is high time industry operacreased size of industry operatives the motor insurtors’ rise up to It is high time ance market. industry operaThis latest de- the challenges tors’ rise up to velopment has in confronting the challenges no small mea- their market by confronting sure adversely promoting their market by affected the capromoting pability of insur- standardization standardizaers to meet their of applicable tion of applicontract obliga- underwriting cable undertions as they and rating prinwriting and rathave deprived ciples, ing principles, themselves the while strict adequitable rights to earning commensurate premium for the motor risks they are bearing. This also explains why insured motorist can only earn a flat premium discount year in year out and throughout the life/span period of keeping or maintaining their motor comprehensive insurance cover. Example abound in the market as there are instances where first time buyer of a comprehensive cover are offered 50% premium discount which he keeps enjoying as longer as the comprehensive cover is sustained.

Also, the insurance buying public that constitute an im-

herence to market ethics should not be compromised.

An appeal to the Insurance buying public is to always ensure courteousness in their purchase decisions and be weary in seeking the cheapest motor insurance cover as it may not necessarily offer the much sought – after protection.

The biggest challenge to all operators in the insurance market is to be able to offer and deliver their products and services to the ultimate satisfaction of the Insurance buying public at the most equitable premium.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO insuranceandyou@yahoo.com

Fake marine policies to ease out next year —NIA

By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

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achieved so far from the first module has led to the implementation of the second module in marine business.

He noted that the Association is collaborating with security agencies such as the Vehicle Inspection Office, VIO, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC and the Police to ensure the successful implementation of the project in all parts of the country.

The Head, NIID, Mrs. Bola Omole in her paper on insurance database said that the database in 2013 has uploaded 1.65 million vehicle insurance policies as against 300,000 it uploaded in December 2011.

She explained that since the deploying of 25 gadgets to

Ogun State for verification there has been high patronage of genuine motor insurance policies by the people.

She, however, identified lack of government buy in, lack of enforcement and low awareness as some of the challenges confronting the performance of the NIID project.

She urged government at all levels to enforce this laws that have been established by an Act, adding that is the duty of the government to enforce laws.

Omole added that lack of adequate awareness about the project has also contributed to the low performance of the NIID, adding that most vehicle owners are not aware of the existence of NIID.

he Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA, said it is putting modalities in place to ensure a smooth take-off of the marine insurance module of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database, NIID, by first quarter of 2014.

The marine module of the NIID aims to eliminate fake marine insurance policies that are in circulation in the maritime industry.

The Director-General of the Association Mr. Sunday Thomas stated this at a one day seminar organised by NIA for National Association of Insurance Correspondents, NAICO, in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

It will be recalled that the motor module of the NIID has been in operation for over three years now and it has reduced the volume of fake motor insurance policies in circulation.

T h o m a s applauded the performance of the motor module since it was introduced into the country, adding that the s u c c e s s From left: Managing Director of BGL, Mr. Albert Okumagba; NIA DG, Mr. Olorundare Sunday Thomas and Director, Inspectorate Division, National Insurance Commission, Mr. Barineke Thompson exchanging views during the WAICA Educational Conference in Lagos.

Public misgivings on insurance due to ignorance —Jos Monarch

T

he Gbong Gwom of Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, has said that much of the public misgivings about the insurance industry in Nigeria are due to ignorance and lack of proper understanding of insurance mechanism as a tool of risk management by the people.

The Monarch made this observation in Jos, the Plateau State Capital, when the management of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), led by the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, paid him a courtesy call.

The Gbong Gwom Jos also noted that the misgivings may have been due to the activities of a few operators that had engaged in sharp practices in the past but said that such practices were not peculiar to the insurance industry.

“Just like any other sector of

the economy, the activities of a negligible few may have given rise to such negative perception. But that was not enough to overlook the good the industry has to offer the people.”

“The people will derive more value from the services of insurance as the industry grows”, the Monarch said.

He therefore appealed to insurance operators to be more forthright in their dealings with the public so as to erase the negative perception of the people about the sector.

He therefore advised NAICOM to embark on aggressive public enlightenment campaigns to educate the people about the benefits of insurance.

He also invited the Commission to organize one of such enlightenment campaigns in Jos.

The Monarch said, he will not only support the campaign but would also appeal to the State Government to align with the insurance literacy awareness drive of the Commission.

Earlier in his remarks, the Commissioner for Insurance had told the Monarch and his chiefs that the era of insurance companies collecting premiums and not paying claims was over.

He said any policyholder who believes he has been wrongly treated by an insurance company should feel free to approach the Commission for redress. He added that NAICOM not only has the power to regulate but also has what it takes to discipline any erring insurance company, including revocation of its operating license.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 23

BRIEFS STI puts in place effective operational mechanism

Stories by ROSEMARY ONUOHA

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he Alternative Investment arm of Old Mutual Investment Group, said it will stake $50million under the Nigeria Infrastructural Development Fund effect from next year.

It also said it will spend part of its $5 billion investment fund mapped out for Africa in the country ’s power sector.

Rojie Kisten, Head of Capital Raising of Old Mutual Infrastructural Investment who disclosed this to Journalists in Cape Town, South Africa, also said the country is interested in investing in low housing scheme in the country. She however said Nigeria will benefit in the second phase of the scheme which is expected to take off in the year 2016.

She mentioned other areas of investment interest in Nigeria in its long term plan as agricultural sector, railway sector, among others.

Also speaking, Head of Alternative Investments of the Group, Mr. Paul Boynton, said the Nigerian economy is going to witness massive growth from the privatisation going on in the energy sector and there is need for the private sector to be involved.

Boynton said that Alternative Investments is one of the largest alternative investment managers in

S

From left: Immediate past president of WAICA and MD, Sterling Assurance Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Fatai K. Lawal, AIO Secretary-General, Ms. Prisca Soares and Deputy Chairman of NIA, Mr. Godwin U.S. Wiggle during the WAICA Educational Conference in Lagos recently.

Energy infrastructure to get $50m boost Africa, with assets under management of approximately $5 billion as at October 2013 and manages investments in private equity, infrastructure, mezzanine debt and a range of impact funds.

According to Boynton, the

company builds capabilities that generate invetsment outcomes with higher returns than traditional asset classes or with lower correlation to traditional asset classes, which results in diversification benefits for clients portfolios.

He said, “We leverage our

respected brand, depth of experience and expertise as well as our extensive network of strategic relationships to produce attractive deal flow; execute projects professionally and timeously; continously add value as well as focus on sustainability.”

South-West tops pension compliance list —PenCom

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he South-West Zone which comprises Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo and Osun States is the leader among others as far as compliance with the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) is concerned.

For instance, all of the states in the geo-political zone have enacted the Act to establish the Contributory Pension Scheme for Civil Servants while almost all have commenced the implementation of the scheme which guarantees pleasant retirement for their workers.

Among the states, Lagos State is the most outstanding as it was the first state in the federation to embrace the scheme.

According to the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Lagos enacted the law that enabled it to start implementing the scheme in 2007.

“Indeed, the choice of Lagos State to host our SouthWest Zonal office stemmed not only from its pre-eminent

position as the economic nerve centre of the country but was also justified by its record of being one of the pioneers in implementation of the CPS, having enacted its law in 2007”, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, Acting Director-General, National Pension Commission, disclosed during the opening of the Lagos zonal office of PENCOM in Lagos recently.

The state had fully implemented the CPS with a total of 45,730 employees registered and pension contributions remittance of N46.50 billion as at July, 2013. Furthermore, the state had issued retirement benefit bonds of N18.9billion to its retirees and these bonds have been fully redeemed and proceeds paid into the employees’ individual RSAs; while 2,242 employees from the state have retired under the scheme as at August, 2013.

In the case of Osun State, it adopted the CPS and enacted its law in 2009. It had also made significant progress in

its implementation of the CPS, having so far registered 45,106 employees under the scheme.

It had also remitted N4.15 billion as pension contributions, while the sum of N1.90 billion had been remitted into the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account. However, the state is yet to renew the Group Life Insurance Policy for its employees in 2013 and had also not carried out an actuarial valuation to determine accrued pension rights of employees.

With regards to Ogun State, it adopted the CPS and enacted its law in 2007. It had also made significant progress in its implementation of the CPS having so far registered 24,902 employees under the scheme and remitted N10.90 billion as pension contributions, while the sum of N3 billion had been remitted into the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account held at the Central Bank of Nigeria. However, the State is yet to put in place a Group Life Insurance Policy

for its employees.

Ekiti State enacted its law on the CPS in January, 2011 and has also 37,676 employees registered under the scheme.

Ekiti has conducted an actuarial valuation to determine pension liabilities under the old scheme and put in place a Group Life Insurance Policy for its employees. However, the State is yet to commence remittance of pension contributions into employees RSAs with PFAs. Oyo State has enacted its law on the CPS in January, 2010.

However, it is yet to commence the full implementation of the CPS. Ondo State has only drafted a Bill on the CPS, a copy of which had been reviewed by the Commission and comments duly forwarded to the State. Notwithstanding the zone’s leading role, Anohu-Amazu appealed to the states in the Zone that have not completed necessary processes for full implementation of the CPS to renew their commitment.

overeign Trust Insurance Plc, STI, said it has put in place a very effective and efficient operational mechanism going forward.

In a statement, according to its 2012 annual report, the company with a shareholders’ fund of N3.1 billion said it was able to underwrite a gross premium of N7.5 billion, representing a 17.09 per cent growth increase over a sum of N6.4 billion recorded in the previous year.

“What this portends is that the company ’s performance indicates proficient utilisation of resources during the year under review and the trend is likely to continue in that regard in subsequent times,” the statement said.

The Return on Capital Employed, ROCE) is put at 47.04 per cent while Gross Revenue on Capital Employed, (GROCE) stood at 2.39 per cent.

LeapFrog Investments exits Ghanaian insurer to Prudential

L

eapFrog Investments, a specialist investor in financial services in Africa and Asia, has successfully exited from leading Ghanaian insurer Express Life, selling its majority stake to Prudential Plc for an undisclosed sum.

LeapFrog’s lead partner in Ghana, Doug Lacey, said, “Our experience with Express Life demonstrates the value of specialist fund managers who can source promising investment opportunities in emerging markets and work closely with these companies to create customer and shareholder value. And now we see that they become attractive to global players also committed to building sustainable and impactful businesses.”

When LeapFrog invested in Express Life, the company was reaching some 60,000 people. Today, the company reaches over 730,000 people, most of them first-time users of insurance and savings products.

24 — Vanguard,WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Transcorp reduces liabilities by N7.3bn, forecasts N7bn profit by 2013

By PETER EGWUATU & NKIRUKA NNOROM

T

ranscorp Plc has reduced its contingent liabilities by N7.3 billion following its reorganisation scheme, even as it projects a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of N7 billion for the year ending 2013.

The Managing Director, Transcorp Plc, Mr. Obinna Ufudo, who disclosed this at the company’s fact behind the figures to the capital market community in Lagos said, “ Transcorp is now back to profitability having identified its problems. We have been able to resolve 10 cases from 16 cases that were outstanding and impeding on our business. Right now we have about a billion naira contingent liabilities and have settled over N7.3 billion, thus allowing management to focus on growing business.”

According to him, “Transcorp’s performance has been transformed from a loss of N8.88 billion loss in 2007, to a profit after tax (PAT) of N1.257 billion in 2011. This was improved in 2012 with a PAT of N2.527 billion, and by the end of September 2013, Transcorp recorded a profit before tax of N5.1 billion for the first three quarters of the year.”

Speaking, the Chairman of Transcorp,

Mr. Tony Elumelu, said, “Transcorp represents the new Nigeria—dynamic, globally competitive, transparent and founded on good governance. We promised our investors that they would reap the rewards of their patience, and now we have built a company that is not only sharing the tangible fruits of our labour, it is also a vehicle for all Nigerians to gain access to the opportunities that our country offers.”

Elumelu further stated: “Transcorp is one of the few ways through which institutional investors can obtain diversified access to Nigeria’s key economic sectors, from power and hospitality to oil and gas and agriculture.

Transcorp’s investments benefits key sectors across the Nigerian economy. In the agribusiness space, the company is making new investments in food processing subsidiary Teragro, following its recent attainment of global certifications in international safety standards for its juice concentrate products.

In the hospitality sector, Transcorp has commenced the refurbishment and expansion of the award-winning Transorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. In oil and gas, the company expects to see production start on oil block OPL 281 next year.”

Demonstration school wins SEC’s national quiz competition

S

tudents of Demonstration School, College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, have emerged winners of the grand finale of the 2013 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) “Catch ‘em Young” Capital Market National Quiz Competition for secondary schools. The finale held during the just concluded third Annual Capital Market Committee Retreat (CMC3) in Abuja.

The school, which earlier won the South West zone of the competition, beat five other secondary schools that represented five other geo-political zones in Nigeria to clinch the first prize of the fourth National Quiz Competition which started early in November with 275 secondary schools drawn from all over the country participating. During the grand finale of the competition, which was broadcast live on the network service of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Demonstration School scored a total 40 marks to emerge winner. This was against

the 37 marks scored by the first runner up and winner of the South-East zone, Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje, Anambra State. The winner of the North-Central zone, Divine Academy, Itakpe-Okene, Kogi State, scored 36.5 marks to emerge second runner up at the finale.

Other participating secondary schools at the finale were the winner of the SouthSouth zone of the competition, Federal Government College, Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, which came fourth. Rumfa College Kano, which beat all other schools in the North West zone of the country, but came fifth at the finale and Federal Government Girls College, Bauchi which placed sixth at the finale. These schools scored 30, 25 and 20 marks respectively.

This fourth edition of the SEC National Capital Market Quiz Competition for secondary schools started with the elimination series in all the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

For parents of university students A

university student graduating from a four-year programme would be expected to have acquired the body of existing knowledge that would serve him/her in his/her workplace. The graduate would also be expected to have developed the abilities to resolve problems that come up in the workplace. The body of knowledge grows by the day and there have been suggestions in some countries that a four-year programme is not adequate for someone to acquire the basic knowledge for registration as a professional engineer. There is the belief that, in addition to the period of practical experience, the graduate should also obtain a master’s degree to qualify for registration. Given the competition for available jobs in Nigeria, a master’s degree is also considered as giving an advantage to someone seeking an entry-level position. There is also in most professions a requirement for one to develop by acquiring knowledge throughout one’s working career. Put simply, the body of knowledge one should acquire for one’s profession is not static.

There are periods such as the present when the teachers are not available in the public universities.

The private universities also use some teachers that are available for specified periods. What can parents do to encourage their wards to acquire the knowledge the wards would require?

Educational resources are available on the internet at no cost to the user from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Cambridge, USA. The MIT OpenCourseWare, OCW, was introduced in 2002 and MIT OCW makes the course materials that are used in teaching almost all of MIT’s subjects available on the web, free of charge. The web address is http://ocw.mit.edu and parents should direct their wards to this address.

Currently, courses that cover both undergraduate and graduate levels and all 33 academic departments are available on OCW. The departments are Aeronautics and Astronautics, Anthropology, Architecture, Athletics Physical Education and Recreation, Biological Engineering, Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Comparative Media Studies, Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Economics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Engineering Systems Division, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Health Sciences and Technology, History, Linguistics and Philosophy, Literature, Materials

,

From left: General Manager/Head, Listing Sales and Retention, Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Mrs Taba Peterside; Chairman, Omatek Plc, Dr. Timothy Farinre; Executive Director, Business Development, NSE, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri and Group Managing Director/CEO, Omatek Plc, Dr Florence Seriki, at the Facts Behind the Figures of the company, in Lagos.

Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Media Arts and Sciences, Music and Theatre Arts, Nuclear Science and Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Science Technology and Society, Sloan School of Management, Urban Studies and Planning, Women’s and Gender Studies, Writing and Humanistic Studies.

There are also OCW Scholar courses for independent learners. These courses contain enhanced materials than in the corresponding MIT course with the content arranged in logical sequences for self-paced learning. Subjects covered are Fundamentals of Biology,

The body of knowledge one should acquire for o n e ’ s profession is not static

,

Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Computer Science and Programming, Introduction to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science I, Single Variable Calculus, Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Physics I: Classical Mechanics, Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics III: Vibrations and Waves, Engineering Dynamics and Probabilistic Systems Analysis. There are also courses for secondary school students in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry and Physics and which courses adequately cover the requirements of the Scholastic Aptitude Tests.

MIT and Harvard University have set up edX which offers tuition-free online classes to all comers using an open-source teaching platform developed at MIT. The classes include video lessons, discussion forums as well as virtual laboratories where students can carry out simulated experiments. The University of California at Berkeley and the University of Texas system have joined edX.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—25

DIARY Select ICT events zTelecom CEM World Congress 2014 April 2014, Venue TBC, London

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya

zhong Kong ICT Expo 13 – 16 April 2014 Hong Kong. z Cards & payment Asia holds in Singapore 23-24 April 2014. zTransport Networks for Mobile Operators 2014 13 – 14 May 2014 London. zCritical Communications World 27-29 May 2014 BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand

Preview

New inventions shaping life and living

See through the skin with "Eyes-on"

... As ITU, MTN, ISPON mourn

HE Eyes-On Sys tem features a head-mounted display that uses vascular imaging technology to let doctors and nurses “see” the veins beneath the surface of the skin.

While technology to image veins has been in use for some time, previous iterations required the staff to carry around a separate, stand-alone device. In contrast, the Eyes-On system is self-contained and easier to use, and the head-worn display allows staff to keep their hands free.

According to Frank Ball, Evena Medical President and CEO “Studies have shown that up to 40 percent of IV starts require multiple attempts to locate and access a vein, which not only wastes valuable nursing time but also delays therapy and causes patient discomfort and dissatisfaction.”

I N S I D E C M Y K

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

A

S the late former presi dent of South Africa, Nelson Mandela goes home Sunday, many would remember him for several reasons.

He can easily be remembered as a no nonsense lawyer, human right activist,freedom fighter and chief opposer of apartheid rule. These were the injustices he fought against, got imprisoned for ,gained freedom from, and died last weekend at the age of 95.

He may also be remembered as a boxer, fashion impresario, lover of beautiful women /kids and a wonderful family man.

Mandela’s ICT passion

But there is an undying passion for technology in Mandela that many people never knew. That passion explained why the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, flew its flag at half-mast in its headquarters in Geneva, immediately his death was announced.

Revoke spectrum license of dormant CDMA oper at or s, operat ator ors, GSMA tells NCC

,

T

The Hitech side of Mandela His dynamic leadership attitude radiates a calculus-minded human model, one that only a Software Knowledge Super architect can codify

ITU is the international body for telecom regulation and policy formulation around the world. Dropping its flag half way at the announcement of the death of any individual, usually prescribes that the person has impacted greatly on technology or telecommunications.

Speaking the ICT language

From available statistics, Mandela influenced Africa’s technological advancement both as president of South Africa from 1994-1999 and even after he had left office. Man-

BlackBerry enterprise service 10 hits market

,

dela was about the only noticeable African president at the opening ceremony of ITU Telecom World in Geneva in 1995 who truly spoke the real ICT language. When he was given opportunity to speak, he identified new media and ITU as two inseparable agents to the advancement of African and indeed world technology, when he said: “We need a vast expansion of our communication and information network and ITU, as the principle driving force behind international policy, technological development, cooperation and skills transfer, is an indispen-

sable agent in this regard.” Again, in1998, President Mandela lobbied the ITU to hold the regional edition of ITU Telecom Africa, in Johannesburg. To back the invitation, Madela challenged the ITU that if the event held, “it will allow our nation to take its place in a forum of critical importance to Africa’s future. And it is an opportunity to give practical expression to our desire to be fully part of the rebirth of our continent, As the information revolution gathers more pace and strikes deeper roots, it is already redefining our understanding of the world. Indeed, the speed of technological innovation could bring the ideal of the global village sooner than we thought possible. For the developing world, this brings both opportunity and challenge.”

Continues on Page 27

Sambo pushes for local content, frowns at impor importtation of ICT products

26— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Ekolist website debuts in Lagos

By IYABO AINA

A

nother fast rising free advertising website Ekolist debuted in Nigeria ICT arena last week.

Ekolist is described as free classified website in Nigeria.

Speaking at the launching , CEO and founder of the site, Mr Emeka Igwebuike said ‘’Ekolist is a unique advertising website which allows you to advertise products and services for free, with over hundreds of thousands of users and 2,000 adverts . It is quite popular with small business people and buyers too.

Ekolist is a new free classified advert website in Nigeria, whose vision is to provide a reliable platform for people to broadcast their goods and services to Nigerians and the world.

Also Mr Peter Okali said ‘’We are the machinery with which Nigerians can use to showcase their products to not just Nigerians but to the entire world.

We aim to achieve our vision through a platform that is freely accessible, user friendly, interactive and customized for users to create an easy way for people to easily place, find and connect to the thing they are looking for ‘’.Established in 2013 , Ekolist offers its users a simple and user friendly experience through its wide-range of services and adverts.

Besides placing free adverts, pictures. visitors to the site can also find cars for sale, houses for rent, flats for rent, local services, and much more, all in their local area.

There is also provision for bloggers and political and social analysts to place their opinions for people to read and comment on.

LG debuts with hitech air conditioner

BlackBerry enterprise service 10 hits market

B

lackBerry has an nounced enhancements to its award-winning multi-OS enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution with the release of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (BES10) version 10.2 globally.

This is even as its customers including Morgan Stanley, Boeing, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Secusmartare currently participating in the BES10 version 10.2 Early Adopter and Beta programs, and are running the new version in a test environment.

Currently, customers have installed nearly30,000 BES10 commercial and test servers around the world. Organizationscontinue to choose BlackBerry because it is the most prov-

en and trustedenterprise mobility management (EMM)solution, supporting iOS, Android™ and BlackBerry smartphones. That is why Secusmart, a leading expert in the field of highly secure mobile voice and d a t a communication,uses BES10, and chose to be an early adopter of version 10.2.

“Secusmart’s needs an EMM solution that can enable our workforce to be more productive and connected, while maintaining our strict security standards and not compromising on our end user experience,” Dr. Hans-ChristophQuelle, CEO of Secusmart, said, adding that , “BES10 provides the necessary functionality and security for our employees and has tru-

delivering comprehensive management and security for devices, apps and content across iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices, all easily managed through a single console. Backed by industry leading global support services, BES10 offers a seamless, scalable and cost-effective way to truly mobilize businesses, enabling organizations to balance enduser and corporate needs without compromising security.

With EMEKA AGINAM

Revok vokee spectrum licence of dormant CDMA oper at or s, GSMA ttells ells NCC operat ator ors, Intercellular,and Visafone is today struggling to survive even as the GSM operators are coasting home with huge profits.

By RICHARD UDOFIA

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G Electronics, last week, added new Hitech Air Conditioner to its fleet of commercial air conditioners in the Nigerian market.

The new Commercial Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) solution, according to the company, was a way to boost its LG business to business in Nigeria, where the demand for energy-saving and efficient technology is growing rapidly. LG’s Multi V IV, the company’s recently introduced Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system, was also a technology in energy efficiency, thanks to the integration of some sophisticated new technologies. LG said it built on the advanced capabilities and efficient operation of the Multi V III to have the new product effectively minimize energy loss under partial l o a d conditions and reduces defrosting times via a c l e v e r continuous heating function. It also improved the system’s wintertime heating capacity by as much as 27 per cent in comparison to previous models. The Multi V Water IV is LG’s latest water-cooled airconditioning solution and particularly well suited for high-rise HVAC applications.

LG’s fourth generation inverter compressor enables the Multi V Water IV to offer the wide operational range . Another superb feature of the Multi V IV is its continuous heating system, which maintains a pleasant indoor temperature without any heat loss from defrosting.

ly exceeded our expectations. We’ve benefitted tremendously from BlackBerry’s single, secure multi-platform connectivity model to mobilize our business and empower our employees to be more productive and better equipped to serve our customers.”

Recently named the Best Mobile Device Management Software for 2013 by UK enterprise IT publication V3, BES10 is the only enterprise mobility management solutioncapable of

Dr Juwah, NCC EVC

By EMEKA AGINAM

F

or efficient spectrum management in the Nigerian growing telecoms industry, the Chief Regulatory Officer of GSMA, Tom Phillips, has urged the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to revoke spectrum license of dormant Code Divisional Multiple Access, CDMA, operators in the

country.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, spanning more than 220 countries, and unites s nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.

The CDMA market inluding players like MultiLinks,Reltel, Starcomms,GTE,

Active subscribers: Philips in a telephone interview recently with Vanguard Hi-Tech to discuss the GSMA report on sub-Saharan Africa mobile network growth said that the regulatory authority, NCC should have a round table meeting with the CDMA operators and ask them to show evidence of active subscribers in their network after which license of any operators that does not meet the benchmark should be revoked.

He said that spectrum is a scarce national resource adding that efficient spectrum management was paramount to promoting investment and connectivity.

Without mincing words, he noted that spectrum should be assigned to those operators that have previously demonstrated an ability to use the spectrum efficiently; Assign spectrum on economically efficient methods: “New spectrum should be assigned using economically efficient methods that balance the so-

cio-economic benefits with the capital expenditure required to deploy advanced networks, and should, as a matter of priority, be assigned to those operators that have previously demonstrated an ability to use the spectrum efficiently.

“With a number of existing spectrum licenses coming up for renewal across the region, regulators must establish a transparent and predictable process for granting spectrum licences and renewing spectrum usage rights in order to allow operators to plan their investments. The renewal of spectrum usage rights should also be based on recovering administrative costs and promoting investment instead of maximizing short-term fees” he explained.

Technology neutrality: Similarly, Peter Lyons also of GSMA who spoke recently during NCC organized annual consultative on Engineering and emerging technologies in his presentation titled: ‘Impact of Spectrum Infrastructure sharing on spectrum management’ said that the Commission should exercise princi-

Continues on Page 34

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—27

Slot opens centre in Ikorodu A

L-R:Vice President Namadi Sambo; Min Of Communication Tech Mrs Omobola Johnson, Ag Dg,Nitda, Dr Ashiru Daura and Prof Pat Utomi,Keynote Speaker at the Enigeria 2013 Conference In Abuja

‘Nigerian subscribers lose N1bn daily on call drops’

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

I

t was revealed last week that Nigerian telecom subscribers put together are unknowingly losing about N1bn on daily basis to call drops due to poor telecommunications services in the country.

However, the loss also has a tripod effect, touching both the economy and the telecom operators as well.

The Nigerian economy in this instance is said to be losing a whopping N730 billion on annual basis while the operators also bear a net loss of about N1bn.

These statistics were released last week, by a Lagos based back-end services provider, Back-

Up Networks Limited, at an industry event in Lagos. Speaking on the economic losses associated with poor telecoms services, CEO of the company Mr Monday Ogbe, argued that everybody suffers as a result of poor QoS including the consumer, the service providers and the economy as a whole.

Analyzing a typical loss to these tripod sections, Ogbe said that both the consumer, the service provider and the economy experience an average bad 10 minute call as a result of bad quality of service per day.

So in his analysis, “for 100 million subscribers experiencing 10 minutes of poor QoS at N10 average failure rate, the

net loss to subscribers is N1 billion per day.

“Also, providers’ inability to service 100 million subscribers with potential 20 minutes calls due to consistent 10 minutes downtime equals N2 billion. But with less than N1 billion earned as a result of poor quality repeat calls, the net loss to service provider equals N1 billion. As a result, the Nigerian economy losses N2 billion per day as a result of net losses from the consumers and the operators income, bringing the total losses in a year to the economy within 365 days to an estimated N730 billion as a result of poor QoS/QoE.” However, Ogbe noted that to address the

The hitech side of Mandela Continues from Page 25

ITU, MTN, ISPON mourn

Already, notable Information and Communications Technology, ICT, institutions and companies have regretted Mandela’s death, describing it as the passing away of one of the strong pillars of world Information Te c h n o l o g y .

Last week, the ITU, through its Secretary General, Dr Hamadoun Toure joined the bereaved family, the Government and people of South Africa, in mourning Mandela. Toure said “I have personally looked up to Mandiba for inspi-

ration, as nothing in the world could ever daunt him or hold him back from his life’s mission to free his compatriots from the yoke of apartheid.

“His towering personality will leave a lasting impression on me, and the world will forever enjoy the legacy he has left behind in an atmosphere of peace, humility and forg i v e n e s s . ” Toure recalled that Nelson Mandela was known for his embrace of technology as a catalyst for change and development. “As President of South Africa, Mr Mandela was a strong supporter of ITU. He underlined the importance of communication and access to information to human beings around the world, and stressed the need to

work towards eliminating the divide between information-rich and information-poor countries. ”Even as late as 2009, Nelson Mandela was still in support of the work of ITU. Speaking via video link at the opening ceremony of ITU Telecom World 2009, he underlined that information and communication technologies are the single most powerful tool we have for human progress and urged participants to support efforts to connect the world and bridge the digital divide”.

“ITU will remember Mandiba’s advice, and we shall continue to strive in our efforts to connect the world in the spirit of this great son of South Africa and of the world,” Toure added.

problem of QoS for the users of over 121 million active phone lines in the country, Back-Up Networks has come up with web-based solution, c h r i s t e n e d idonporto.com portal, which arms customers to test by themselves which network is performing well and view result online.

The portal, according to Ogbe, provides empirical data that operator can also use to correct the problem, saying if an operator fails to monitor the portal to make necessary correction, there is tendency for it to lose subscribers, who will be willing to port to another n e t w o r k .

MTN

Meanwhile, telecommunications giants,MTN Group, at the weekend,also condoled with the Mandela family, and the people of South Africa on the loss of Madiba Expressing how the company felt over the demise, MTN Group President and CEO, Mr Sifiso Dabengwa, said: “Former President Mandela leaves behind a rich legacy of reconciliation, world peace and the triumph of the human spirit over all adversity. He embodied the spirit of human rights and dignity in the way he lived his own life,” Dabemgwa added that “His 50-year fight, including 27 years in jail, helped bring democracy and freedom to our coun-

S a way of deepening the distribution of mobile gadgets across Nigeria, Slot Systems Ltd recently opened its 12th store in Ikorodu,Lagos State and 35th in the country.

According to Slot's Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo,Ikorodu is a dream come true,which is in line with our plans to bring our service to the doorstep of our customers.

He stated that the new retail shop at Ikorodu was strategic and located at the centre of the town with the people in mind.

He applauded the initiative of the Fashola 's administration for creating a conducive business atmosphere in the state.

He aslo stated that there are plans underway to open new outlets in the second quarter of next year. This he said, will also help to boost the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) of the economy.

On what Slot's is all about, Ezeigbo explained that Slot is about quality devices and though they are playing in the local market but their products are of international standard and their customers understand that.

Said he : "We quite recognised that times are very hard and that was one of the reasons that we insist on selling the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) type approved phones. At Slot, we talk and sell quality devices.

"We don't just sell devices,we sell value and we can say, Slot is unique among retail mobile shops because we sell peace of mind."

Slot's boss also disclosed that the company would celebrate its 15th years of success next month He explained that the company has lied up series of activities to show appreciation to customers ,who have stood with the company in the last 15 years.

Slot's CEO also disclosed that the company's online portal is now available. He said, the portal was meant to fast track economic growth as well as help its teeming customers to deliver goods anywhere across the country.

He tasked Nigerians to make use of that portal for their online purchase.

MD/CEO, SLOT systems, Mr Nnamdi Ezeigbo, flanked by his wife/ED Operations, Mrs Nkechi Ezeigbo(left) and Head of Ikorodu office of SLOT at the opening of SLOT centre in Ikorodu.

try. Even after 27 years of prison and hardship, only one thing counted for him: creating a democratic, prosperous future for all the people of the new South Africa. This combination of humanity and unique statesmanship made his true greatness manifest for the entire w o r l d , ” Dabengwa said the dawn of South Africa’s democracy in 1994 coincided with the founding of MTN and today, MTN operates in 22 markets across Africa and the Middle East, with more than 200 million customers.

ISPON

Perhaps, it was the President of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, Dr Chris Uwaje, that capped the the Madiba ICT passion:

“Mandela represents and demonstrates perhaps, the most complex and greatest Software – out of Africa – that the human mind had ever envisioned, conceptualized, structurally defined, strategically codified and wholeheartedly delivered for the application and benefit of human progress. Madiba is “Knowledge Magic’ pure and simple. This is why ISPON mourns his unforgettable demise. ”ISPON recognizes Madiba as a great reservoir of concentrated knowledge, an embodiment of constructive logic and an unrivaled master-software algorithm.

His dynamic leadership attitude radiates a calculus-minded human model, one that only a Software Knowledge Super architect can codify. IS

28 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

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32 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

F

ormer Super Eagles de fender, Bright Omokaro has advocated the need for a thorough preparation for the Super Eagles in the buildup for the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Omokaro said yesterday in Lagos that through such a calculated approach, the Eagles would be well prepared for the global football fiesta.

He added that the Stephen Keshi tutored team should go about their preparations, with the playing pattern of their group stage opponents in mind.

Nigeria was drawn alongside Argentina, Iran and BosniaHerzegovina in Group F in the draws that were conducted in Brazil on Dec.6.

Omokaro emphasised the need for early preparations to enable the team make an impact in the biennial football tournament.

“To me as a footballer, I don’t think Argentina is much of a threat if necessary preparations are put in place.

“We have talented players and we can win if we are determined and well prepared, let them eliminate that norm of fire brigade approach to international competitions and we will be fine,” he said.

Omokaro, who was also a member of the Super Eagles squad that won a silver medal at the 1988 AFCON in Morocco, charged the Eagles to work hard on team tactics.

“Argentina goes back to the drawing board to fortify those areas that are lacking and this is what we need to start doing from now.

“At the technical level, we need to start now to prepare because this is the right time if we want to make a mark during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil,” Omokaro added.

Brazil 2014 World Cup

Argentina not a threat if . . . — Omokaro

2014 CHAN: Keshi laments exit of stars S

*Keshi

uper Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has said it will be a big task to raise a formidable squad for the CHAN after several players moved overseas.

Keshi said he and his technical staff will now have to work harder to get a good team in three weeks for the competition, which kicks off on January 11.

“We need to do a lot of work on the team. Most of them have gone, we have to get the team to go to South Africa and do well in three weeks. We must be ready. It is a big problem, but we must prepare well and be ready,” Keshi said on radio.

The home-based Eagles have lost the services of the likes of Godfrey Oboabona (Rizespor, Turkey), Izu Azuka (Kahranmanmaspor, Turkey), Alhaji Gero (Sweden), Gomo Onduku (Romania), Tony Okpotu (Libya), Chibuzor Okonkwo (Libya) among others.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) general secretary Musa Amadu has disclosed the team for the CHAN will not break for the Christmas holidays.

The team are likely to train in South Africa for at least 10 days before their opening group game on January 11 against Mali.

Hosts South Africa and Mozambique are the other teams in Nigeria’s first round group.

B

eaten in Amsterdam on the penultimate Group H match, Barcelona need just a point against the already eliminated Celtic to ensure first place.

The match will takes place this evening at the Camp Nou. Few could have foreseen an upset on the cards at the Alianz Arena last time as Barcelona themselves were the last to predict they would be stunned by some Dutch courage.

Without the absent Lionel Messi, Tata Marino’s men looked far from their silky passing, smoothing running and confident selves.

South Africa’s Thulani Serero and Danny Heorsen put the Amsterdammers in the lead just before the break, only to see Xabi’s penalty at the restart make it a more respectable 2-1 loss.

But their previous tally of points still left them at the top of the table and they need just a draw at home to ensure they oust the chasing pack of Milan and Ajax to first place.

“We are the best team in the world but we always have to improve,” Alex Song was quoted as saying by AS. “Rival teams learn quickly, they work very hard to beat you but you can’t win a match before you play it. We have to show that we are the world’s best side and we have to win all of our games.

“It’s not a crime to lose a match; it’s not as if it’s an emergency. We are fully aware that we lost, we are professionals, we have great players in the squad and all of us have to start focusing on the games to come.

“We have taken a look at what

Kano Pillars hun for more succes

K

ano Pillars defender, Ikechukwu Gabriel has declared that they are hungry for more success next season following the gifts showered on them by the Kano State Government for defending the league title.

Gabriel is adamant the rewards of cars and cash would motivate them to do more for the club, and that they will not relent in their efforts to make it a hat-trick of NPFL titles next season.

He acknowledged that their back-to-back title wins have been hard-fought, and they know it would even be more difficult to replicate the feat next season.

“The rewards by the Kano State Government have been quite timely and it has really inspired us to do more for the club next season,” Gabriel said.

“It shows our efforts are being appreciated, and that is the tonic every sportsman needs to build on their previous performance.

“We know we’ll be the target of the rest of the premier league next season, but we are prepared for the challenge.

“We’re determined to do more for the government and people of Kano State who have supported us tremendously.

“It wasn’t easy last season, but we were able

to keep our and Bayels “The team of experien Gabriel a in the CAF been learn

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 33

Barcelona aim to finish top happened and been critical with ourselves; now we have to look to the future and correct our errors. That’s what we do every day in training.”

For Celtic, there is little left to play for. Already eliminated from the competition they will have little more than

ngry ss

r heads to fend off the likes of Enyimba sa United. m is virtually the same, so we have a lot nce to fall back on.” also believes they can make an impact F Champions League if lessons have ned from this year’s early exit.

pride to chase when they take on the mighty Spaniards.

But memories of last season’s 1-0 win at home will undoubtedly bode well for Neil Lennon’s side, and they can only draw inspiration from that success to carry them through their final 90 minutes at this stage.

. . . As Xavi, Iniesta,Tello return after injuries

S

panish national foot ball squad and FC Barcelona (Spain) midfielders Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta will be able to play in Barça’s UEFA Champions League group stage match against Celtic F.C. (Scotland), Barcastuff reports.

The two players have recovered from their injuries and are included in the team roster for the aforementioned game. In addition, Barcelona forward Cristian Tello likewise will be able to help the reining Spanish La Liga champions.

Chelsea target £10million defender

C

helsea are looking at buying Saint Etienne defender Kurt Zouma for £10million in the January transfer window, according to The Mirror.

The 19-year-old is sought after by many of Europe’s top clubs, according to the article, and is especially popular with the Blues because he is eligible to play in this season’s C h a m p i o n s League.

Jose Mourinho is particularly keen to sign a defender in January as Chelsea’s back line has looked vulnerable at times this season.

The Chelsea boss is beginning to lose patience with the error prone Brazilian David Luiz and he realises that John Terry will not be playing for very much longer either.

Zouma has starred in more than 50 matches for the French side, despite still being a teenager.

The article claims that he will make the breakthrough to the French national team shortly and may even go with them to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

However, he is currently suspended for 10 matches after a horror tackle.

The challenge left Thomas Guerbert with two breaks in his leg and means

MATCHES TODAY AC Milan v A Madrid v Austria V v Barcelona v Chelsea v Marseille v Napoli v Schalke v

Ajax 8:45pm FC Porto 8:45pm Zenit 8:45pm Celtic 8:45pm S Bucuresti 8:45pm B Dortmund 8:45pm Arsenal 8:45pm Basel 8:45pm

*Zouma

that Chelsea won’t see him in action again until after the January transfer window shuts, which leaves Mourinho with a difficult decision to make.

Chelsea’s title rivals Manchester City are also keen to sign the player, according to the newspaper, with both clubs believing him to be one of Europe’s outstanding young defenders.

City struggled for centre backs for a long spell this season when Vincent Kompany was injured and are keen to sign someone who can go straight into the side, the paper claims.

Napoli v Arsenal: Gunners to progress with tense score draw T

he final round of Champions League group games is upon us and Jamie Dickenson has taken a look at the Group F clash between Napoli and Arsenal...

In the final round of group games in the Champions League, Arsenal travel to Napoli hoping to maintain their position at the top of Group F. The Gunners have a three-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund and Napoli and know they will progress to the knockout stages if they avoid a heavy defeat in Italy.

If Dortmund win at Marseille - which they are as short as 1.46 to do - Arsenal must not lose by three goals or more to make it to the last 16. However, that appears a tall over for the hosts given Arsene Wenger’s side have lost just once away from home this season (a 10 loss at Manchester United) and have recorded 2-1 wins at both Marseille and Dortmund in this competition.

Napoli aren’t in the best form either, having lost three of their last five games and twice gave up the lead at the weekend during a 3-3 home draw against Udinese. Rafa Benitez’s side are third in Serie A though and will have star striker Gonzalo Higuain available to face Arsenal after he missed the 2-0 defeat at the Emirates in October.

*Ozil

34— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER 11, 2013

Revoke spectrum license of dormant CDMA ...

CDMA...

Sambo pushes ffor or local cont ent, frfrowns owns content, at impor oducts importtation of ICT pr products

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

T

he Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo says the posture of high level of ICT consumption, which Nigeria currently retains, was inimical to the economy.

The Vice President was speaking as the special guest of honour at the 2013 edition of eNigeria held in Abuja yesterday.

Sambo said, while the country appears to be fully abreast with technological advancement and global innovation but evidence abound that the nation still retains the posture of high level of ICT consumerism, a posture he said has plagued the country’s IT landscape with a paradoxical economic deficit and a negative balance of trade, as the economic value generated locally with the imported technologies used by Nigerians is far below optimal.

To this end, he said that the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration would make concerted effort aimed at creating the required enabling environment to mainstream local content in information technology deployment in order to create job opportunities for youth as well as increase the GDP of this nation. ‘‘While the country appears to be fully abreast with technological advancement and global innovation but it is glaring that the nation still retains the posture of high level of ICT consumerism. This posture has plagued the country’s IT landscape with a paradoxical economic deficit and a negative balance of trade as the economic value generated locally with the imported technologies used

by Nigerians is far below optimal . ‘‘It is imperative to emphasize that President Goodluck Jonathan, administration will make concerted efforts aimed at creating the required enabling environment to mainstream local content in information technology deployment in order to create job opportunities for youth as well as increase the GDP of this nation,’’ he said.

As part of the federal government’s quest to enhance local content capability, Vice President Sambo said the fed-

NCC FORUM SPECTRUM SHARING: From left:ngr. Austin Nwaulune, Director, Spectrum Administration, Nnamdi Nwokike, Director, Corporate Planning, Ikechukwu Itanyi , Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Dominic Nwator , Commissioner, and , Prof. H. Nwana, CEO, Ex-Group Director, Ofcom UK at the NCC annual consultative forum on Engineering and emerging technologies held recently in Lagos. Photo BY EMEKA AGINAM eral government through NITDA had ensured the successful transfer of the management of the Nigerian domain name, CCTLD, now being managed locally by NITRA as the first step.

In addition to this, he said that federal government is also providing support for the establishment of Internet Exchange Points, IXPNs across the six geo-political zones.

The IXPNs were established to keep local internet traffic local and reduce the usage of bandwidth. It encourages more accessibility at reduced price and enables additional applications with considerable

multiplier effect on the national economy.

In the same manner, Sambo said that NITDA is addressing the issue of Internet penetration through the establishment of Rural Information Technology Centres, RITCs, and provision of ICT infrastructure for institutions of learning.

According to him, the RITCs are reliable vehicles for providing public access to ICT and services to rural and underserved communities.

He tasked stakeholders in the industry to work with federal government to reduce the volume of capital flight leaving the country annually as a result of im-

portation of software and hardware.

On the event, the Vice President said the theme of this year edition of the programme ‘’ICT Local Content Development in Nigeria: The Journey So Far.’’, is apt and could not have come at a better time for brainstorming than now that similar effort in the oil and gas sector is yielding result.

As part of federal government’s resolve to address the issue of unemployment and other salient issues in the economy, he said that President Goodluck Jonathan led the initiative by signing into law, the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry

Continues from Page 26 ples of technology neutrality in order to improve the economic and spectral efficiency of frequency assignments subject to the use of technologies that can technically co-exist without causing interference with existing services.

According to Peter, efficient and quality networks require telecoms providers to design and manage their own networks, adding that government’s role should be to intervene only to safeguard competition and manage scarce spectrum resources.

“Access to public property and rights of way should be provided under favourable terms and conditions State intervention to build or manage networks is not an effective or efficient substitute to private sector-owned and managed networks, it is an option of “last resort” ( with clear, demonstrable evidence of market failure).

Transmission monopolies: He said that access should be made available to competitors on commercially reasonable terms and conditions that are transparent and non-discriminatory.

More supportive policy needed in Africa: For the Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, realising the longer-term potential of the mobile sector depends on a transparent and enabling policy environment for the industry itself and for associated verticals.

Spectrum Harmonisation: While some governments have recognised the importance of harmonising spectrum across the region, Philips noted that much work remains to be done to fully allocate harmonised spectrum, in particular the 700MHz and 800MHz (Digital Dividend) bands.

He said that accelerating the analogue to digital television switchover and freeing up Digital Dividend spectrum bands for mobile broadband would significantly boost economic growth in the region.

“Broader economic analysis predicts that mobile broadband adoption would generate up to US $197 billion in additional GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2015 and 2020 and help fuel the creation of 16 million new jobs across a variety of sectors” he explained.

Taxation Taxation as a proportion of the total cost of mobile ownership, he said was s higher than the global average across Sub-Saharan Africa countries, reducing the affordability of mobile services for end users.

Ruf ai mak es case ffor or br oadband, sat ellit ufai makes broadband, satellit ellitee combo for last mile access

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

C

hief Executive of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Engr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai at the 2013 e-Nigeria conference on local content hosted by Nigerian IT Development Agency (NITDA) recently in Abuja, made case for the use of satellite communications to deliver last mile broadband services.

Rufai in his paper titled “Satellite based broadband in Nigeria, prospects and challenges” , noted that Africa remained the least wired continent in the world today in terms of robust telecommunications infrastructure and systems to cater for its nearly one billion population.

For him, that underscores the reason for high demand in the form of communication satellites and variants of terrestrial wireless systems more than in any other continent for the sole purpose of bridging its digital imbalance,

luxury of broadband. complementing the group of ”And in a country where over 70% inadequate terrestrial ICT of its population resides in the infrastructure in the rural areas, rural areas, the limitation of swampy and landlocked access to broadband via terrains and playing a cable may be critical role of delivering bridged via ICT readiness in un-served c o m m u n i c a t i on and underserved areas. satellite and in this He provided statistics that case, NigComSatin Nigeria, there was a 1R which could combined landed serve as conduit to submarine optic fibre improve access capacity of over 10 terra bit •Ahmed Rufai links.

Sadly per second (Tbit) but only NigComSat-1R is about 0.5Tbps gets to the today grossly h i n t e r l a n d .

He added that “besides, Internet u n d e r u t i l i s e d . penetration stands at 33% while broadband ”The effect is that huge capacity of cable penetration is put at 6%, 72.25% of access broadband is left at the shores thereby is via wireless networks, mainly GSM encouraging capital flight which is put at while the remaining 27.75% access is via $450m yearly spent on bandwidth purchase other media networks. 2G mobile from abroad”he added. coverage is 65% while 3G is only 35% and Rufai emphasized that Communications this is concentrated in urban areas. So Satellite is the answer to meet short and technically only urban areas enjoy the medium term plans of the National Broadband Plan.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 35

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36—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

•Jonathan: Proposed single term and backed away from it

•Ekweremadu: Re-ignited it

Double jeopardy for Single Term T

HE hitherto settled debate on two terms for the president and governors has lately been revived

by Senator Ike Ekweremadu's single-term proposal which he says will calm all the agitations that accompany the quest for re-election. Whatever gains inherent in it, his proposal has been met with suspicions of mischief. Is it?

I

T was one of the most contentious issues that stirred the polity at the onset of the Jonathan administration. The president, apparently peeved by the contentions that normally shadow the quest for reelection, had in July 2011 proposed a single term tenure for executive office holders at the federal and state levels.

The proposal for a single term for executive office holders according to the president was to put a halt to the tension that normally accompany the quest for re-election by incumbent governors and presidents.

"President Jonathan’s commitment to a single term for the President and Governors is borne out of a patriotic zeal, after a painstaking study and belief that the constitutionally guaranteed two terms for Presidents and Governors is not helping the focus of Governance and institutionalization of democracy at this stage of our development.

A longer term for lawmakers would also help to stabilise the polity,” his spokesman, Dr. Rueben Abati had said.

Besides the acrimony, he also cited the cost of conducting elections as another incentive for adopting a single term for the president and governors.

However, no sooner had the president’s proposal been made, critics from all sections of the country flayed it, describing it as a subtle attempt by Dr. Jonathan to elongate his tenure as it was perceived that he could become the first beneficiary of the single term; meaning his stay in office could last till 2020 or thereabout.

The criticism against the proposal was despite assurances from the presidency that Dr. Jonathan would not be a beneficiary.

"The President makes it clear that his push for a single tenure for the office of the President and that of the Governors is not borne out of any personal interest. The proposed amendment will not have anything to do with him as a person; what he owes Nigerians is good governance, and he is singularly committed to this. Besides, it is trite in law that the envisaged amendment cannot have a retroactive effect.

This means that whatever singleterm tenure that is enacted into law by the National Assembly will take effect from 2015.”

His proposal nonetheless, the president still failed to push a bill through to the National Assembly Committees on the review of the constitution.

Sources close to the seat of power disclosed that the president apparently changed his mind. However, that did not stop

the Senate Committee on Constitution Review in pushing the plan for a single term for the president and governors.

At the end of its deliberations at a retreat in Lagos last April, the Senate Committee on Constitution Review adopted the proposal for a six year single term for the president and governors across the country.

The committee’s report also stipulated that the incumbent president and governors would not benefit from the proposal.

Given that supporters of President Jonathan had at that time already set their eyes on a second term for the incumbent

,

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

together. While the incumbent apparently saw Ekwereamdu’s recommendations as a way of cutting off four years from his tenure, pro-north political stakeholders also opposed it believing that it was a way to stop the north from having its own two terms.

Besides, the Ekweremadu committee was also criticized in some quarters of working surreptitiously to stop Jonathan and promote the alleged presidential aspirations of the president of the Senate, Senator David Mark.

It was no surprise that when the Senate voted on the

The proposal for a single term for executive office holders according to the president was to put a halt to the tension that normally accompanies the quest for re-election by incumbent governors and presidents

president, it came as a shock to the presidency. Sources disclosed that the presidency was taken aback by the boldness of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu led committee in proposing a single term in which President Jonathan would not be a beneficiary.

The Senate Committee’s prescription for a single term remarkably drew the president and his enemies from the north

,

recommendations, that the single term prescription was voted out in favour of the two term tenure.

Many believed at that time that the matter was settled. But not so for Ekweremadu and those who believed that the prescription was the best for Nigeria.

Ekweremadu brought back the issue for consideration last September at an international experience sharing conference on

media and elections in Abuja organized by the National Union of Journalists in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP. At that conference where Ekweremadu was present he again brought to question the decision of the Senate to throw away the single term proposal taking into consideration what he said was the increasing tension arising from the heated campaigns for re-election.

“Governance has taken the backstage. We have turned Nigeria into an election nation in perpetuity. After election, mandate delivery should follow and those already elected deserve some breathing space to do their work, while the media and the public should hold them accountable to their promises. On the other hand, those elected into offices should also concern themselves less about the next election, knowing that only one good term deserves another.”

“This unnecessary overheating of the polity over 2015 ambitions and contestations also brings us to the question of the appropriate tenure of office for our elected executives. Did we throw away the single term as recommended by the Senate Committee on Constitution Review in a hurry? I leave further probing of this poser to you.”

Pressed on the issue again during a session with newsmen in Lagos penultimate Saturday, the Deputy President of the Senate reiterated his call for a single term for the president and governors. He, nevertheless, admitted that he probably took for granted the opposition from the incumbents such as the president and the governors who want a second term.

As a way of mollifying the opposition, he thus suggested a transition period for the institution of the single term between 2015 and 2017 in which those presently in office as president and governors would have their tenure extended by two years up to 2017.

Ekweremadu had said:“If you look at what is going on in Nigeria, both the new PDP, APC are based on the issue of succession. We believe strongly that that matter (single term) is something that could be revisited.

But I think some of the mistakes we made in our recommendation was when we said incumbents would not benefit from it and I think there was then some kind of coalition of forces to defeat it.”

So apparently as a way of mollifying the opposition from the incumbents, he said: “I believe that the one way it could work is...now people have been elected for four years, now

Continues on page 37

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 —37

Confab:

It's time Nigerians talk

— Adebari, 1st black Irish mayor

making money but these days, people go into governance, and it is all about what they can get from the government they are going into. It is sad that we have lost our value system.

Going into governance is not about what you can make out of it, it is all about what you can give to the people.

You cannot exonerate the leaders. When you have good leaders, you will definitely have good followers. If you have bad followers, you will end up having bad leaders, but not until,we are able to get the leadership right.

We the followers also need to be alert to our responsibility as well. It is the leadership that provides the way forward for a nation and when you do not get that leadership right, that nation has a long way to go. People will just be moving around in circles.

M

R Rotimi Adebari is the first black African Mayor in Ireland. Adebari was elected in 2007 as the Comhairle Chontae Laois County Council. Adebari was a guest speaker at the Ogun Day celebration held recently in Abuja. In this interview the council man posits that it is imperative for Nigeria to convene a national conference to address the multifarious problems that have so far besieged the country. Excerpts

BY DAPO AKINREFON

W

HAT brought you to Nigeria?

I came into the country to deliver a lecture. I was invited as a guest speaker on infrastructure and development in Ogun State as an opportunity for investors.

What is your assessment of the state of infrastructure in Nigeria?

Nigeria is far behind compared to where I am involved in governance in the Republic of Ireland. Infrastructure here has been neglected for a long time.

But I have to say that we all grew up to see infrastructure in place in the country but right before our eyes, we discovered that due to lack of maintenance, the infrastructure began to loose their importance as they were not being maintained. And then, the roads that were good before became death traps for our travelers.

The institutions like the hospitals that were meant to be places where people are looked after, became a shadow of what it used to be. And the same thing happened with our educational institutions.

We still have a long way to go but I have to say though, that some states are making efforts,

there is no doubt about that and that is one of the things I have come to talk about.

It is happening but it ought to happen on a larger scale because that is the only way that we can attract investors, that is the only way our local investors can get their businesses off the ground.

What steps did you take to improve on the infrastructure in your council after you were elected?

When we are talking of infrastructure in a country, it does not come cheap, it is expensive.

When you are talking of cost like that, it might be difficult for governnet on its own to bear that cost.

So, what we do over there for instance is what we call the Public Private Partnership, PPP. The governnet enters into partnership with private institutions. They provide infrastructure that government is unable to provide and what that means is that such infrastructure will be in the care of the private investors for a number of years before it reverts to the state.

But the important thing is that, that infrastructure is out there for the people. We built some schools in Ireland though the PPP. Some roads were constructed using the PPP as well and that is one thing

•Adebari: Let us talk I think Nigeria should be looking into, they should partner with the private sector. One good thing about the private sector is that they minimize waste.

not good for the nation. At some point, I think we were getting it right in this country but just suddenly, things began to nose dive.

It is alleged that the decay in infrastructure is attributable to corruption? Do you hold this view?

There is no doubt about that.

We all know that one problem that Nigeria and a lot of African countries are battling with is corruption. Corruption has caused us a lot in this country because what you discover is that project costs have been inflated and when such happens, that is

What do you think is responsible for that?

What is responsible for that is greed. The greed in our people these days is unbelievable, it is all about money and what people can get from any situation they find themselves in. It is no longer about service to the people. The leaders we had in the past were purposeful for this country.

They were ready to work for this country, they were ready to serve this country. It was not about

Double jeopardy for Single Term Continues from page 36 let everybody complete the four year tenure for which they have been elected and we can through the doctrine of necessity do some kind of transition of two years in which case, those who are now present occupants like the president and the governors who are finishing their term, could now do another two years that will end in 2017.”

“You see, some of those who are fighting the president, I hear that their complaint is that if the

president gets a second term when they are gone that they may start chasing them.”

“Now if we agree that that could be a way to solve the problem, after two years both the president and those other governors will now exit and the fear will not be there and I believe it will bring down the temperature of politics.”

Once his proposal came out it was met with swift condemnation from nearly all quarters.

It was not surprising as many saw it as a plan by the presidency

to get another term in office by the back door.

Presidency officials including presidential adviser on political matters, Ahmed Gulak have refused to speak on Ekweremadu’s new proposal.

Gulak had before now led the attack against Ekweremadu’s proposal for a single term that would stop Jonathan from attempting a second term.

Many Nigerians are also suspicious of the fact that Jonathan could benefit from the extension of his tenure to 2017

NOTEPAD Advantages •Calm the tension associated with re-election.

•Focus president and governors on achieving a legacy within a specified period •Allow faster rotation of office among geopolitical zones.

•Would give 2 year gap between elections for executive and legislative offices.

Disadvantages • No incentive for diligence by office holders • Proposal is no solution to nation’s problems •Conceived for selfish reasons to allow tenure extension

as his critics claim that they can not endure him for another two years after 2015.

However, given the direction of the polity, those critics some say, may be living in a fool’s paradise given the political configuration and the powers of incumbency upon which the president could muster to force himself into a second term which would last till 2019.

Another advantage of Ekweremadu’s proposal which the criticism has largely overshadowed is the fact that the adoption of a single term in 2017 would enable the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to have a break in conducting elections as it would put the elections for president and governors at different cycles with that of legislative houses at the federal and state levels.

I am sure you are aware of the proposed national conference, would you say it is a step in the right direction of addressing the leadership question?

I think it is a step in the right direction. There are so many thoughts over this, some are thinking the time is not right.

Some are of the opinion that it should not happen at all but I think it is very important.

Look at all that is going on in the country, we will be deceiving ourselves if we say things are going well. Things are not really working as they should be and when things are not working as they should be working, the ideal thing is to go back to the drawing board. The ideal thing is for us to call ourselves round a table.

I think as a country, it is high time we do that. There have been a lot of problems in the country because if we do not discuss it and we sweep it under the carpet, we are not helping the situation. So, I think it is a good decision and in the right direction.

We can strengthen our relationship if we stay together. I love to see this country stay together as one but then, we have got to get things right. If this has to be so, one of the things they should talk about is the federalism we are practising.

At the moment, the federalism we are practising is too centre concentrated. All these need to be addressed. And again, we are not practising true federalism but ideally, if we are practising true federalism, we will know that states develop at their pace.

There is no reason why we cannot develop at our pace in this country. It is either we do it as a region or a state basis, so be it but all these can be discussed at the meeting. A conference like this, will afford Nigerians to sit and restructure the country and put it in the right path.

38—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11 11,, 2013

Five babies delivered at ongoing Holy Ghost Congress STORIES BY SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA

M

RS Ruth Kehinde Posu, 25, leaves at New Site around Festac Town in Lagos. She is a member of Living Faith Ministry aka Winners Chapel and was particularly keen on going the current convention of the church at Ota because there was no money for such a venture.

She was nine-month pregnant but had no inkling of how the baby would be born as there was no money even to buy the initial required baby things.

Somehow, she followed some persons to the ongoing Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God where she was delivered of a bouncing baby boy, yesterday.

The baby weighed 3 kg.

Mrs Posu is one of the five women who had been delivered of babies during this Holy Ghost Congress.

Narrating her story yesterday, the 25-year-old lady expressed gratitude to the church leadership and particularly the nurses who took her in without even baby pants.

The story of Mrs. Tubi Omolara, 28, was also very intriguing. She travelled from Akute in Ogun State with an abounding faith in God to deliver safely after she had been told by three other doctors that her baby was too big to deliver normally.

She said: All hospitals, I went to had only one verdict for me; and that my baby was too big and so I should prepare for a Caesarian session. Much as I want the baby, we were not preparing for a CS for several reasons."

"So on Monday, the pain was becoming severe, I called my pastor and told him I won't go for a CS and immediately he recommended that he would take me to the camp and at about 6.00 a.m. yesterday I was delivered of a baby boy."

The baby weighed 4.5 kg to confirm the fears of the earlier doctors. Mrs. Omolara wishes to christen her baby, Oluwasegunfunmi (God had given me victory).

Mrs Itoro Udoh, 34, is a resident of the Redemption Camp whose baby girl arrived at about 9.00 p.m. on the first day of the congress. This is her second baby, she weighed 3.5 kg.

According to her testimony, there were lots of prophecies about the baby before she was born successfully at the Redeemed Maternity at the camp on Monday. She narrated that several persons had prophesied that she was going to have a still

Mrs Tubi Omolara with her baby. Photos: Lamidi Bamidele

birth but at each of the occasion, they dismissed such prophecies while asking their pastors and other brethren to pray along with them.

She said: "But yesterday (Monday) when I was admitted here, it was like the prophecy was going to come to pass because I just couldn't push even as the nurses were urging me to do so. I was completely out of breadth and it was like I was going but through God's intervention, the baby came out successfully."

As a result of the circumstances of her birth, if given the chance, Mrs. Udoh would want to christen her baby, Highly Favoured.

The story was not different for Mrs. Oluwasusi Oluwaremilekun, 27, who travelled all the way from Ibadan in

Mrs Oluwasusi Oluwaremilekun Mrs Itoro Udoh

Oyo State even when she was overdue for delivery. She worships at Royal Priesthood Parish in Ibadan and she had been told that her baby would delay in coming.

She had visited some hospitals in Lagos and the story is similar until she was directed to the Redemption Camp. Initially she was worried, wondering what would

happen if the baby decides to appear in a public bus; but to God be the glory that did not happen and she was delivered safely at about 2.00 a.m. yesterday morning, bringing the number of babies born so far to five. Three boys and two girls.

In unison, all the four women (the first one had been dis-

Mrs Ruth KehindeBosu

charged before we got there) paid glowing tributes to the staff and managers of the maternity home. They commended the vision of setting up a maternity in different parishes of the church were women go for anti-natal and delivery free of charge.

One woman was waiting for her turn as at the time of this visit.

S-African CJ at the Congress, as Adeboye preaches holy living

C

HIEF Justice of the Re public of South Africa, Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng was one of the star attractions at the opening ceremony of the ongoing 16th Holy Ghost

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS Today's Events MORNING SESSION 9.00 a.m. - 10.00 a.m. Prayer & Intercession 10.00 a.m. - 10.30 a.m. Praise & Worship 10.30 a.m. - 11.30 a.m. Talk & Prayers - 'Beyond Human Understanding' 11.30 a.m. - 12.00 noon. Offering 12.00 noon - 1.00 p.m. Ministration AFTERNOON SESSION 4.00 p.m. - 4.15 p.m. Praise, Worship & Prayers 4.15 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. Offering 4.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. TALKS & DISCUSSIONS a) Christian courtship & Marriage b) Basic Principles of good management c) Parenting in the Internet age d) Covet the best gifts e). Special Talk: (Ministers only) EVENING SESSION 6.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m. Prayer & Intercession 7.00 p.m. - 8.00 p.m. Praise, Worship & Choir 8.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. Greetings & Annoucement 8.15 p.m. - 8.35 p.m. Special prayers One - 'Prayers for the Education sector' 8.35 p.m. - 9.10 p.m. Talk One - ' With signs following' 9.10 p.m. - 9.30 p.m. Special prayers Two: 'The singles, the widows & the apparent barren' 9.30 p.m. - 10.00 p.m. Greetings 10.00 p.m. - 10.30 p.m. Offering 10.30 p.m. - 10.50 p.m. Choir Ministration 10.50 p.m. - 12.30 p.m. Talk Two - 'Deliverance Ministry'

Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God taking place at the Redemption Camp on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He was among the several delegations from different parts of the world including Japan, Germany, USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, South Africa who graced the opening ceremony of this year's Holy Ghost Congress with a theme, 'The Overflow'.

Three spiritual heavyweights including the chief host and General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, spoke at the opening night on Monday, with Pastor Adeboye urging the gathering to live holy lives without which, according to him, they would be said to have run the heaven race in vain.

The topic of his first message at the ongoing congress was 'Beyond Salvation', in which he admonished Christians to remain steadfast in their worship of God, saying that next year will determine the destinies of individuals, families and several nations of the world.

"The coming year is a very crucial one for every citizen of the world," he said, adding that Christians and indeed everybody should prepare adequately and pray with sincerity of hearts. The man of God did not, however, say the consequences if his listeners fail to heed his call.

According to him, Chris-

tians' acts of service in the church and benevolence to the less privileged in the society cannot guarantee their passage to heaven, stressing that the only guarantee was holy living.

Illustrating with different sporting activities in the secular world, the man of God reputed to have actively participated in boxing in his formative years, said salvation should not be regarded as sprint, instead it should seen as a marathon which requires a lot of patience and due preparation.

He maintained that the Christian life is a process which takes endurance to finish, urging Christians to steadily move from salvation to sanctification which can therefore move the converts closer to the end points of the race.

Earlier, the Secretary General of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, Prophet Emmanuel Kure took the opening prayer while the president of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Ibadan, Bishop Francis Wale Oke took the first talk of the day entitled "I will bless The Lord at all times."

In between the different segments, there were high powered praises and worship of the Almighty God for His continued mercy and abiding love towards the church as well as the entire nation as a whole by participants.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 —39

His dad keeps on hitting my bum

I love my Aunt - and her husband!

Dear Bunmi, I am I6 years old and currently sleeping with my auntie’s husband. They have three children but are always arguing. We’ve been kissing and romancing before we started sleeping together. When my aunt and her husband are together, we act as if nothing is going on, so no one suspects anything yet.

Unfortunately, I’m now falling in love with him. I know he will never leave my aunt because she is like the bread-winner of the family and owns the house we live in. I love my aunt and I’m grateful to her for letting me live with them. Should I end this affair? If I do, should I tell my aunt the type of man he’s married to?

Brenda, by e-mail.

Dear Brenda, Your mother should have taught you never to sleep with other women’s husbands, even when you’re not related. Society has this rule because it helps to protect marriages and vulnerable, gullible young girls like you. After months of secret smooching, you finally succumbed to your increasing desire to have sex with your aunt's husband, exactly as he’d hoped and planned. You’ve convinced yourself this is somehow okay because, in the same way as most couples, your aunt and husband sometimes fight.

You excuse your aunt’s husband's bad behaviour by telling yourself that he needs to find comfort elsewhere. Now that you’ve

had sex with him, feelings of love are well inside you because when a woman has sex with a man she is fond of, a sense of love almost inevitably follows.

Falling for a man who is married or otherwise unavailable, is a trap a woman needs to avoid at all costs. Tell the man that enough is enough and he can’t have more. Resist the temptation to hurt him and his wife by telling your aunt about the affair because you can’t and never will share what they share.

This problem has been given a lot of space because I get loads of this type from naive and easily used young girls. A man already happily married with a family will never leave his cushy surrounding to move in with a juvenile.

His divorce makes me feel guilty Dear Bunmi, Three years ago, I fell in love with a senior colleague in the office who was married and had three children. I knew it was wrong to get involved with him but he was such a considerate lover that I couldn’t help myself. He later found a new job and left his wife shortly after, not because of me, but because he’d been unhappy about her constant affairs.

We’re now living together and planning to get married but my friends are insinuating that our marriage is doomed to fail, because ‘ what goes around comes around.’ That the whip used to thrash the first wife could well be used for me. They believed that even our intentions were good, our actions were terrible and I’m now worried that I don’t deserve to be happy with him.

Lelia, by e-mail, Dear Lelia, What goes around comes around is nothing but a cliche, not a fact of life. If things were that simple, nobody would ever make a bad decision because the consequences would be cutand-dried. But here is a fact of life: people make mistakes. Your man’s first

marriage was a mistake, which led him into your arms. Assuming all is well in your relationship, his having cheated once does not necessarily mean he would cheat on you despite what your friends believe.

It’s obvious his fidelity is not what worries you at the moment, but guilt feeling that leads you to believe you don’t deserve happiness because you were once the ‘other woman.’ Well, here’s

another fact of life: good or bad, people rarely get what they deserve. When guilt sets in, shut it down by thinking about how happy you are together. Tell your busy-body friends to stick their nose somewhere else as he did not leave his wife for you. It’s not as if you stole him from her. What is wrong for one person can be right for another. Hopefully, you will both get it right this time around.

My mother-In-law is a bitter woman Dear Bunmi, I thought I had a good relationship with my mother-in-law, but I noticed she started becoming cold towards me when I had my second child, who is a boy.

My husband is her only child and doesn’t want to hurt her feeling by talking to her. She’s fallen out with virtually everybody in the family. She’s divorced from her husband because he had children by another woman.

Whenever there is a family event, she insists she wouldn’t attend if her exhusband is invited. They have been separated for over 20 years!

I see her ending up as a sad, old, lonely and bitter

woman. I just feel sorry for her and wish I could help her.

Aminat, by e-mail.

Dear Aminat, Your mother-in-law has been allowed to get away with her selfish behaviour for a long time and changing that is almost impossible.

You can’t confront her either since your husband will not back you up.

Your children need their grandfather and you should include him in their upbringing, it’s her choice if she decides to stay away. As much as possible though, show her you care for her, but don’t let her get under your skin.

Dear Bunmi, I know I get on well with my boyfriend’s family. We’ve been an item for a few years now, but at a recent party, his dad tried to kiss me after giving me a playful smack on the bum. We’d all had too much to drink but I told my boyfriend about it right away. In the morning, I didn’t make an issue of it as it looked as if both father and son had forgotten all about the incident.

Thinking it was a one-off, I put it all behind me, but some time later, he made another pass at me. This time, we were both sober and I was indignant. He apologised and promised it would never happen again. I was stunned by his behaviour, to say the least. I know I should have mentioned it to my boyfriend, but I was too shocked to think straight. How should I handle this?

Uju, by e-mail Dear Uju, Honesty might be the best policy but I don’t believe it applies here. Telling your

boyfriend now would achieve nothing. He’s bound to be terribly hurt, leading to a fullscale warfare within the family.

Father vs son. Husband vs wife.

Even boyfriend vs girlfriend.

It must be horrible trying to fend off the advances of a drunken old leech and, even though you should alert your boyfriend again that his dad is not to be trusted, the fact that he did nothing the first time should be a restraint For now, you should keep quiet and see if your boyfriend’s dad can keep his promise. If he can’t, you have to say something, either to him or your boyfriend.

Then again, if you tell your boyfriend, it may come down to being your word against his dad’s and who will he believe?

No son likes to doubt his father.

You need to confide in someone you know you can trust. Getting if off your chest might help you put it behind you and move on.

Don’t forget, however, to give this old git a final warning. Tell him if he does it again, you’re going to tell his son and wife.

Telling your boyfriend now would achieve nothing. He’s bound to be terribly hurt, leading to a full-scale warfare within the family. Father vs son. Husband vs wife. Even boyfriend vs girlfriend.

I need to tell her how I feel Dear Bunmi, To my bewilderment, I recently discovered I’ve fallen out of love with my girlfriend of over two years. We met as I was leaving the university and she was coming in. She’s still the same nice lady I fell in love with, but my thoughts towards her are no longer amorous. I still like her but love-making has become tedious and I don’t want to continue giving her the impression that we’re still an item. How do I let her down gently?

Walter, by e-mail Dear Walter, Don’t feel guilty about falling out of love with your girlfriend because this happens all of the time. We can’t help who we fall in love with or when we fall out of love. The most important

thing is not to prolong the evil day. Be brave and tell your girl that it’s over. This may be scary, but it's much more decent than to say it on the phone, by email or worst of all, in a text.

Break the news directly. Don't beat about the bush or offer to 'try again.' If it's over, it's fairer to say so and make a clean break.

Don't be angry with her either.

It may make you feel better to blame her for the split, but it will hurt her more. Insist on 'no contact' for at least three months.

Hanging around an ex you've just dumped will make it harder for her to get over you and move on with her life. If possible, ask a member of your girl's family or a close friend to support her, at least, for the first few days after you've left her.

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

40— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

N

o

nation can effectively develop its public infrastructure when it is deeply steeped in the rot of contract review as apparently institutionalised in Nigeria today.

It is a common belief mong Nigerians that contracts awarded by all the three tiers of government are blatantly inflated or more pleasantly put, reviewed upward to the point of incredulity.

Although, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Works has witnessed a renaissance under the leadership of Mike Onolememen, an architect, and seems to have waved goodbye to the era of uncompleted and abandoned projects, the issue of upward review of contracts which oftentimes doubles the initial contract sums, has remained a sore which has refused to be healed.

Nigeria has recently become a huge construction site and this is impacting positively on the nation’s economy. It has elevated the ability of transporters and allied operatives in the various genres of industrial and economic activities in Nigeria to access the remotest parts of the country within the shortest time possible.

Some of the projects have however become synonymous with upward reviews and this has cast a dent on the achievements so far recorded.

Why contract for Abuja -Lokoja Road reviewed upwards

Vanguard Features VF recalls that the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P recently decried the 170 percent rise in the AbujaLokoja highway contract. The road project which was awarded for N42 billion in 2006 has risen to N116 billion.

Section three (Abaji to Kotonkarfe) and Gitto Construzioni Generali Nigeria Ltd for Section four (Kotonkarfe to Lokoja).

Ningi frowned at the upward review of the contract and queried the Ministry for allowing it.

Decrying the increasing cost of road construction in Nigeria, Ningi stated that what obtains in Nigeria does not happen in other African countries.

Onolememen in his explanation told the Committee that the original contract was awarded without the requisite designs. He blamed the review on the project consultant whom he said, did not take appropriate technicalities into consideration before approving the road design.

“This was because, government at that time awarded the contract without giving time to the parties involved to do proper planning and design. This led to inadequate quantities, improper detailed specification design and insufficient site and geotechnical sub-soil investigations,” he said.

The Minister said the construction work on these four major roads and two bridges have reached advanced stages and expressed optimism that the Abaji- Lokoja road would be inaugurated by the end of next year.

“It was discovered that extensive unsuitable underlaying soils ranging from swampy Fadama, high water table, fine water chalk, clay and black cotton soils in some sections of the proposed new carriageway were not given adequate precautionary measures at the time the contract was awarded. This resulted in the failure and collapse of some sections of the new road, thereby creating the need for detailed sub soil investigation, removal of unsuitable materials, additional extensive surface, sub-surface drainage and use of

Upward review of contracts would not have arisen if the contracts were well packaged from onset and both parties respected the terms of the agreement

,

Angered by this development, the Committee Chairman, Abdul Ningi summoned the contractors handling the project and Onolememen to appear before it.

The four contractors are Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Ltd for section one (Zuba junction to Sheda Village), RCC Nigeria Ltd for section two (Sheda junction to Abaji Road), Bulletine Construction Ltd for

,

specialised materials. These new understandings under the President Jonathan’s administration also necessitated the upward review of the rates so that a good job could be delivered to Nigerians,” he said.

The project was initially intended to be completed in two and half years but five years going as at 2010, the project was still docile as a result of poor funding. He stated that the

Contracts review and the rot in roads infrastructure

By JUDE NJOKU & FAVOUR NNABUGWU government only released N26.3billion in five years out of the total N42.55 billion.

Other factors that hit the project negatively, he explained included astronomical rise of the costs of construction materials like cement, reinforcement, bitumen, diesel and cost of labour. Apart from the Abuja Lokoja Road, numerous other roads in the six geo-political zones have had their contracts reviewed upwards.

Ibadan- Ilorin Road, others also reviewed upwards

The Ibadan-Ilorin Road project for example, was originally designed to be executed in 1994 by AIC Limited at the cost of $210 million (that was N4.689 billion, at N22.33 to a dollar then). It was to be an African Development Bank,

ADB, financed project, but the Federal Government rejected the ADB facility. The contract was subsequently awarded in three segments: Ibadan–Oyo, which is 45 kilometres was awarded to PW Construction Company for N15 billion; Oyo to Ogbomoso, another 45 kilometres was awarded jointly to PW and Reynolds Construction Company, RCC, Limited, for about N15.2 billion while the 45-kilometre Ogbomoso–Ilorin was awarded to RCC in 2001 for N15.7 billion.

Two years later, the joint venture, JV, companies, that is, PW and RCC asked for 37 per cent variation in cost.

Government however conceded 15 per cent variation, which was rejected by the JV partners. This led to the cancellation of the contract. But six months later, RCC alone got the same contract, (Oyo–Ogbomoso section), for N47.5 billion. A British firm of quantity surveyors reportedly submitted that the middle section of that

road was inflated by about £130 million or N32.5 billion. Now, the entire road is costing N78.4 billion or $490 million. It has also taken about 13 years instead of 33 months. This road is one of the major links between the South-west and the North.

It is also somewhat a signature of the pattern of road construction, particularly by the Federal Government of Nigeria, where lack of funding causes delay in project implementation and encouragement of contract variation with likely underhand dealings and eventual poor job delivery.

The story of the Abuja Airport Expressway and Outer Northern Expressway, ONEX, project is similar to that of Ibadan–Ilorin Road. The project involved the expansion of the expressway to 10 lanes and the rehabilitation of the existing roads. It was awarded at a cost of N257 billion to Julius Berger, JB, Dantata and Sawoe, and Gitto Construzioni Generalli, CGC, Nigeria Limited. But the

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,

DECEMBER 11, 2013

years ago, is said to account for about 50 per cent of the economic transactions being conducted in the country, and it is believed to be the busiest road in West Africa and possibly Africa, with a volume of traffic estimated at 250,000 average daily traffic.

Another road under construction with huge economic importance is the East–West Road, a 338km dual carriageway linking Warri, Ughelli and Patani in Delta State to Eket and Oron in Akwa Ibom State through Kaiama in Bayelsa State, Mbiama, Ahoada, Port Harcourt and Ogoniland in Rivers State. This road, now to cost N347 billion, was originally awarded at the cost of N138.9 billion in 2006 under President Obasanjo. So far, sections one and Two of the road, which were awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited in 2006 at N138.9 billion, were reviewed upwards to N245.7 billion.

Section 1 of the road was initially awarded for N64 billion, but was reviewed to N112 billion following “redesigns and insufficient materials from the bill of quantities.”

Section Two of the road project had an original amount of N74.7 billion was later reviewed

upwards to N133.7 billion.

The third section of the road, which is 99 kilometres was awarded to RCC at N56 billion, an amount that was reviewed from an initial N44 billion. About 115km out of the 338km of the dual carriageway has been completed to asphaltic binder level while 220 kilmetres earthworks had also been done.

The pace has been a source of concern to those who wonder whether the contractors will meet the December 2014 date.

A construction expert’s view

Reacting to this development, the Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, NIQS, Mr. Olayemi Shonubi explained that upward review of contracts would not have arisen if the contracts were well packaged from onset and both parties respected the terms of the agreement.

Mr. Shonubi posited that in the last three years, prices of construction materials and foreign exchange have been fairly stable, hence there should be no reason for the rash of upward review of contracts as being currently witnessed in Nigeria.

— 41

The construction cost expert who noted that the only unstable factor is the cost of transportation of bitumen from the refineries, opined that the only reason why a contract should be upwardly reviewed is the inability of the government to fulfill its contractual obligations to the contractor. “Assuming the contract duration is 20 months and due to no fault of the contractor, the completion deadline is extended, maybe because the Government is not releasing funds as and when due, the contract will be reviewed upwards because for every additional month the contractor spends on site, the government must pay,” he said.

Noting that contractors dwell on claims to make their profits, he warned against making room for them to exploit this lapse.

The Lagos NIQS chairman who picked holes in the statement credited to the Minister of Works that the contract for the Lokoja-Abuja road was awarded when the design had not been completed, explained that these upward reviews would have been avoided if the expertise of quantity surveyors was utilised in costing the projects when the contracts were originally packaged.

When FG launched ‘avoid dirt, be clean campaign’

BY CALEB AYANSINA

T

Onolememen, Minister of Works contracts were allegedly inflated.

The dualisation of Lokoja– Benin Expressway, estimated at nearly 250 kilometres was awarded at a cost of N65 billion in November 2012. This was an extension work of the ongoing Abuja to Lokoja Expressway.

These are not the only roads where the cost raises concerns.

The dualisation of the Kano– Maiduguri Road, formerly a single lane road, was awarded in 2006 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the cost of N172 billion. But in 2011, when the contract was

supposed to have been completed, it was re-awarded at a cost of N285 billion. Currently, the 553km road is at 50 per cent completion.

Similarly, the recent flag-off of the reconstruction of the 127.8km Lagos–Ibadan Expressway awarded at a cost of N167.8 billion, to Julius Berger and RCC has elicited mixed reactions from Nigerians.

While JB is to handle construction work from the Lagos end to the Sagamu interchange, RCC will take charge from there to the Ibadan end. This road, built over 35

he myriad of challenges affecting environment due mainly to the poor attitude of Nigerians towards environmental sanitation, is giving the Federal Government food for thought.

Against this backdrop, the government recently flagged-off a campaign tagged ‘avoid dirt, be clean ’ to ensure a clean and healthy environment for all Nigerians.

At the launching in Abuja, the Vice President, Arc.Namadi Sambo said “the lack of personal commitment to hygiene and sanitation, harmful practices and the penchant to disregard environmental standards and regulations have made our citizens vulnerable to the attack of diseases, while also impacting negatively on the environment.

“Consequently, we are faced with the challenges of flood, erosion, desertification, deforestation and climate change among others.”

Represented by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, the Vice President maintained that the federal government “is vigorously implementing policies and initiatives aimed at achieving environmental sustainability”, but “negative attitude of our people is hampering the progress”.

Sambo maintained that the past flood disasters experienced by the nation “ would have been minimal if people had been more conscious of the right attitude and behaviour towards the environment.”

Commending the National Orientation Agency, NOA for championing the campaign, he expressed confidence that “if the programme is faithfully implemented, it will go a long way to create desired national awareness and stimulate positive attitude and behavioural change that will bring about personal hygiene, enhanced environmental sanitation and effective management of our environment.”

The Director General of NOA, Mr Mike Omeri explained that “the World Waste Bin, WWB is an interactive waste bin designed to communicate with its users and mobilize them towards knowledge based environmental care.

“It is a communication tool which has elements that provide consistent regular environmental orientation and re-orientation for communities that need to know about becoming ecofriendly green spaces.”

According to him, “This will also create a projected minimum of 26,000 jobs for our teeming youths. We are making arrangements to integrate these marshals into the Subsidy Re – Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the federal government to provide stipends for our volunteers.”

Omeri called on all “Nigerians and all communities to acquire these World Waste Bins and assume ownership of the process while calling on governments at all levels to entrench sanitary programmes in the plan for infrastructural development.”

42—Vanguard, WEDNESD AY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 WEDNESDA

Adetutu Adedeji, 38, laments:

Everyday of my life I feel the pain of polio STORIES BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

A

DETUTU Adebukola Adedeji is lively, vibrant and intelligent. She exhibits an aura of enthusiasm that is as infallible as it is infectious. An encounter with her is an unforgettable experience. The 38-year-old who was diagnosed with polio at the tender age of one, is an

are many things your contemporaries do that you cannot. You face serious discrimination.

Discrimination

Adetutu loves doing facial modelling. During her National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, programme in Akwa Ibom State, she refused to be labelled among the physically disabled. After the

they keep mute. They look at me like a nobody. They are scared of responsibility and commitment that comes with a disabled spouse. I hate to see the way I am so I don’t take a full photograph. Also, there is a lot of sidetalk and wagging tongues as to why I’m yet to get married or have children.

Companies are put off when they see my legs. A friend once said to me ‘Tutu, if I had a company I wouldn’t employ you.’

That tells you how bad is the case.

I wish my parents had immunised me. The awareness now is better than way back then.

Pain of polio

“Before my father’s death, he was arranging for me to undergo correcttive surgery. But a month before the time, he passed on. I was so devastated. Sometimes, in the middle of night, I wake up and ask myself if I would spend my whole life like this?” Everyday of my life I feel the pain of polio; the pain of being physically challenged. I am ashamed of the way I look so much that I don’t take full photographs. I prefer portraits only. I saw a model in a magazine who was an amputee yet shewas still modelling but who will give you a chance here?

Stop polio

• Adetutu Adedeji, ability in disability.HND graduate in Business Ad- NYSC programme, she ministration and Management appoached a modelling agency from Lagos State Polytechnic. but was surprised at the cold reWhen she was just over one ception. year old, Adetutu began running “The man in charge looked at a high body temperature, and me with disgust. The way he rewas taken to one hospital in garded me was so bad. I love to Surulere in Lagos. She was given be a presenter but anywhere I an injection and something ob- go, after the initial warm recepviously went wrong because tion, as soon as people see the ever since, she has been paraly- condition of my legs/limbs, sed in both limbs. they just turn me down.

“My legs are crippled and I use “I have had to beg many times crutches. I have never walked or just for opportunity to prove myexperienced the sensation of self but no one listens. People walking on my own ,” she noted say horrible things to me. They as a matter of fact. say things like ‘I can‘t work with “I remember that I crawled till someone like you’ and “you can’t the age of 11 or 12. I am a strong do it’. But there is a lot I can do if person, I had to train myself. I only given a chance. I love chalremember someone once asked lenges , but responses are always if I blame my parents for my pre- horrible. dicament. I feel like answering in “If you have a physical disabilthe affirmative. I feel like saying ity, you are treated like an outyes, I blame my parents because cast. At the bus stop, people when I was young they could stare at you as if you are an alien. have taken me for surgery. Now, On the home front, it’s also I go for therapies because of my tough especially with your exage. But I’m not giving up.” tended family members.

Adetutu confirms that being My extended family members physically challenged is not a bed ask why I am not married and I of roses, but the struggle contin- reply by asking: ‘If you are a man ues. “Apart from the pain there will you marry me like this? ‘ And

Adetutu regrets that polio is deadly and weakens the limbs, makes them so tiny or curved backwards. She knows polio causes the body to be bigger than the limbs which are almost always dead. In an appeal, she urged government to continue to spread the message of immunisation to prevent more people falling victim.

Strength from within

Adetutu recalled a time at the National Stadium, Surulere when dhe was being encouraged to join the paralympic team. “I got very angry. I prefer to take part in amputee modelling or broadcasting, not sports. I draw strength from within. I am mobile. I don’t give room for pity and I have self-confidence,” she asserted, while admonishing government and society not to abandon the disabled.

“Please give the disabled jobs because we have capacity. Unless you give us opportunity you’ll never know how much capacity we possess and what we can do. “I go to orphanages and encourage people there. I tried script writing once, but the editor discouraged me so I stopped.

I have been involved in customer service in the corporate sector. I am not a loafer. I thank God for all I can do and how I inspire people. I am challenged but I thank God for strengthening me.”

Rotary is kicking polio out of Nigeria for good — Dr Tunji Funso, Chairman, Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee

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HE world is almost free of the crippling, incurable and fatal infectious disease known as poliomyelitis (polio).

As efforts to reach every child with a range of life-saving vaccines reach a peak, one organisation that has relentlessly pursued the dream of global polio eradication is Rotary International. It has a simple strategy – Prevent infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.

Dr. Tunji Funso, Chairman, Nigeria National PolioPlus, describes this as a “mission possible”. Funso, who is also Past District Governor, Rotary Nigeria, says with consistent vaccination, the world would soon be free of polio just like it did with small Speaking about the essence of eradication, Funsho asserts: “We are 99 per cent on our way to eradicating polio but as every long distance runner knows, it is that last mile that is most difficult and requires bringing out not only physical resources but mental as well.

“Rotary is passionate and committed to the annual

• Dr. Tunji Funsho. issue and also strive to raise $500million funds to support Rotary’s global efforts in this direction.”

On World Polio Day, October 24, Rotary organised a charity cycling event tagged Rotary Bikea-Thon to highlight the strategic importance of raising awareness level, collaboration and embracing the oral vaccinations to aid complete eradication of the virus in Nigeria and globally. The event tagged the “ThisClose

For as long as polio exists anywhere in the world, no child is free from polio no matter where they live programme which serves as a good platform to generate interest and increase awareness towards total eradication of polio..

Currently, Nigeria requires one billion doses of the oral polio vaccine annually and we are striving to raise $500million for the total eradication of polio in Nigeria alone.

“We are working with various partners this year, we are therefore partnering Cycology, a foremost cycling club in Lagos to remind everyone of this important

campaign” featured Rotary Club members, Cycology Riding Club members and others in an exhibition ride.to remind all of the commitments and dire need to rid the world of polio.

“Everyone needs to join hands with others as polio free areas stand a great risk of infection as long as there are still cases of infection in any other location.

For as long as polio exists anywhere in the world, no child is free from polio no matter where they live,” Funsho remarked.

• Participatnts in the first Rotary Bike-A-Thon event held in Lagos to mark the World Polio Day 2013.

Vanguard Vanguard,, YOUR LUCK TODAY

GEMINI: THE Moon makes an ingress into your star sign and INFLUECES YOU TO BE COME AGGRESSIVE which is capable of bringing unnecessary argument and avoidable confusion. To before warned is to be fore armed.

CANCER: EARLY morning blues will affect many people today (yourself inclusive) but luckily for you, things will go according to your plans. And you will need to be more careful with money.

LEO: THE moon fluctuates early in the morning. And if care is not taken you would promise more than you can actually deliver to the resentment of others. Yet, you’ll win.

VIRGO: BEHIND-the-scene-activities are sources of avoidable trouble especially before mid-morning period when influence of the moon’s fluctuation will last. Avoid inordinate ambition.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

Some people have a way of using things especially where there are no laws r e g u l a t i n g individuals usage of such a product. One such product abused in usage in our

Phone Etiquette society today is the mobile phone.

We answer phone calls virtually everywhere. It is not unusual for some of us to be driving and

TERROR MUDA

still be answering calls. And this has caused several accidents on our roads. The other day, a promising relationship was

in “Never say goodbye”

terminated because the young man discovered the lady stored his name with the acronym “Food” meaning she only needs him to satisfy her hunger.

Stop abusing the mobile phone today.

By Lanre Kehinde

LIBRA: IT’S important you don’t allow your thought for and/or about the future derail your plans for the present so that success will not elude you. Romantic attractions along your career/business lines may become stronger sooner than you think.

SCORPIO: EARLY morning blues will affect many people around you meaning that not everybody-morning period especially along your career/business lines.

SAGITTARIUS: MAKE sure you perfectly understand what you are doing within your working arena before mid-morning period or else costly mistakes would be made. Be tolerant.

CAPRICORN: TOMORROW is your day. Therefore you are advised to leave some important decisions and/or action till tomorrow when the heaven will smile at you. Your love life is favoured.

AQUARIUS: TOMORROW will prove more challenging.

Thus, if there are things you should do now, you better don’t contemplate procrastination as you are likely to be fully stretched tomorrow. Watch with you tell others early in the morning.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Pretty Lunatic’

By Andy Akman

PISCES: AS the moon fluctuates early in the morning some people may promise more than they can actually deliver. And if you take them for granted, you would be disappointed.

ARIES: CERTAINLY some people will get on your nerves yet you must not over-react at least because of the immediate future. Truly thus is the wrong time to gamble with love.

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,

How do I succeed?

Dear Joshua, KINDLY analyse my star and tell me about myself especially my luck. I want to know about my love life, social life and how to become successful in life. I have seen people who are close to me became big success without much struggle from them. Would my own be like them too?

Toyin- Epe. Dear Toyin, You are different to those you said came by success: in your own case you will need to work hard and earn success.

It is important you watch and take practical precaution about inability to hold on to your gains for long. Some times unexpected assistance use to come your way at 11th hour.

Your being friendly with the influential personalities especially WOMEN will help your finance greatly speculative (and) venture is not the best for you.

Your magnetic personality makes it difficult for members of your opposite sex to the betterment of your love life.

Luckily for you, you know how not to allow your rugged/ rigid personality to harm your love life; you are a sweet lover, although can be argumentative some times. Love happiness indicated for you.

If you can analyse both your environment and social situation, you will have more to gain from social activities more than it’s attendant pressure.

You will need to drop unnecessary rebellious approach when dealing with your social life; although what looks like radical approach can earn you a few number of friends who may not be in position to assist you.

Many people love your gentle approach and will be willing to assist you especially the more influential personalities.

Once again women can be helpful here If you expect easy success, you would be frustrated because Saturn-the planet of delay, frustration but greater reward after much struggles, was with the sun (basic-self-hood) when you were born. Thus it will not allow easy success. And at the same time will not deny you whatever you deserve.

The same Saturn will reward you with RECOGNITION WOMEN, children and younger people can enhance your prospects. Colours RED, WHITE and pink are good for you.

Sleeping North/South axes with your head to the North is good for you.

43

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 TAURUS: THE Moon fluctuates as it moves out of your star . That is why you will need to guard against confusion likely to be caused by others.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 —

VIRGINIA

HOME & ABROAD

dadadekola@yahoo.com

By Lawrence Akapa

44—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

VBN targets SMEs with software

Delta awards contract for second int'l airport

V

BY FESTUS AHON

ODACOM Business Nigeria, VBN, said its software solution, Software as a Solution, SaaS, will help Small Medium Enterprises, SMEs, in Nigeria benefit from improved efficiency and productivity through collaboration.

The company said the software, an enterpriseclass IT solution, will also help organisations lower the costs of running and maintaining office communication software, so they could focus on growing their businesses.

Speaking of the new product, Vodacom Nigeria’s Portfolio Manager, Mr. Abu Etu, said SMEs in Nigeria could now benefit from improved efficiency and productivity through collaboration, whether remotely, on-site or onthe-move, while enjoying significant cost savings.

He said the solution includes Hosted Exchange, Hosted Lync and Hosted SharePoint.

U

GHELLI— DELTA State Government has awarded contract for the building of a second international airport at Osubi, near Warri.

Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuama, announced this at the All Saints’ Cathedral Church, Ughelli, during a thanksgiving service for the victory of Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo in the October 12 Delta Central Senatorial byelection.

He said Warri, as the commercial headquarters of the state, needed an international airport.

While noting that the state government was committed to its completion, he assured that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration would finish strong in 2015.

Utuama said he would work in harmony with Aguariavwodo to ensure that more federal projects were cited in Urhoboland.

Speaking with newsmen after the thanksgiving service, Senator Aguariavwodo said: “Urhobo people would get what they deserve in the scheme of things; we just have to be patient.

“We are working hard. What belongs to the Urhobo people will surely come to them.”

On the revitalisation of the

Transition

ailing Delta Steel Company, DSC, and the completion of the railway project, Aguariavwodo said: “There are a lot of stakeholders involved in the

revitalisation of DSC. “I am in touch with them and we are working hard. Whatever that needs to be done for the company to come alive again will be done. As for the railway project, I can assure you that it will be completed.”

Earlier in his sermon, Bishop

From left— Captain Patrick Therrien, being received by Chief Executive Officer, Jed Air, Captain Nogie Meggison; Gregory Vipond and Engr. Alex Clark on their arrival with a Dash 8-300 Turboprop aircraft of Voyageur Airways, Canada, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, yesterday.

Delta lawmaker, supporters dump DPP for PDP

T

HE member representing Ughelli Constituency II, in Delta State House of Assembly, Edoja Akpodiete, has dumped Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, for Peoples Democratic Party PDP. Akpodiete, who defected with thousands of his followers at the

residence of the PDP Vice Chairman in the South-South zone, Dr. Steve Oru, at Ughelli, likened his journey to the biblical Saul who was on his way to Damascus.

He, however, said he thanked God that he never got to Damascus before he was converted.

Traders laud Lagos govt on crisis resolution

T

M

HE traders that were forced out of Aguiyi-Ironsi Market, popularly known as Ladipo Market, in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State, because of leadership tussle, have returned and commended the efforts of the government at bringing peace to the market.

ADAM Christiana Idanwekhai, 81, is dead.ShediedNovember21.

She is survived by children, among whom is Mrs Angela Okparanyote, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

Interment is December 13 at Jattu, Edo State.

One of the traders, Mr. Okechukwu Imoh, said he lost a fortune under the former leadership, adding that the idea behind the struggle was to give equal opportunity to all the traders to pursue their legitimate duties and aspire to the leadership position of the market union.

According to him, traders who were denied the right to enter their shops were over 100.

He said: “We prayed, toiled, begged and sought the assistance of the local government authorities, and God came to the rescue of the traders.”

He said: “The essence of democracy and politics is the people. My people at whose instance I am at the Assembly have all decided to peg their tents on the camp of PDP and so I have no option than to follow them.

“It is their decision and I cannot be at cross purposes with them so I am on the same page with my people.”

He assured that joining PDP attracted no untoward consequence as “DPP is in factions and under such circumstance it is constitutional for an elected member to decamp to any other party.”

Dr. Oru said PDP was the only political party with spread from the grassroots to the national level.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

of the Ughelli Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Cyril Odutemu, told politicians to bear fruits and shun politics of sycophancy.

He stressed the need for the revitalisation of DSC and creation of employment for youths.

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

On Nelson Mandela's death

G

OD gave and has taken back. Glory be to Him who made the universe. He will give Mandela peace just as Mandela gave millions of black and white South Africans peace. Even foreign nationals knew peace under Mandela.— Miss Ruth Fayire, Worker.

A

FRICA has lost its greatest son. We will not see his likes again in the African continent.

Despite spending 27 years in jail during his anti-Apartheid struggle, he still did not seek a second term as President of South Africa.— Mr. Egonu Christian, Engineer.

I

know that Nigerians will begin to name their children Mandela.

In fact, this will be a very good development.

What a pity. Well death is a necessary end for everyone. Madiba, may your gentle soul rest in perfect peace with God.— Prince Agoms Ezue, Student.

H

E did not have a Swiss bank account. He did not embezzle. It didn’t take him up to four years to transform South Africa.

Well, our leaders in this country should better take a cue from Mandela’s lifestyle.— Mr. Odife Ugochukwu, Student.

T

HE great Iroko has fallen. He was a man of tremendous moral courage, who changed the course of history in Africa. South Africa is what it is today because of one man, Nelson Mandela. Rest in peace, Madiba, sir.— Mr. Kingsley Obidile, Businessman.

I

T is the end of an era and the beginning of another, propelled by men like Madiba.

Nelson Mandela, yours is the height of greatness. History will never forget you. May your soul rest in peace with the Lord.— Miss Anasithesia Ezeka, Secretary.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—45

83% HIV women have no access to PMTCT, says NIMR

Delta community alleges marginalization

O

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA & RACHAEL MORDINAT

D

ESPITE the giant strides recorded in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, preventing from mother to child transmission is still very low.

This was the position of the Director-General, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, Professor Innocent Ujah, at an event to commemorate 2013 World AIDS Day. Represented by Dr. Oni Idigbe, former DG and Coordinator, Research and Planning, NIMR, he stressed the need to improve that aspect of prevention.

He said: ”We are still at the level of 17 percent coverage for women who need prevention of from mother to child transmission, PMTCT. It means that about 83 percent of women who need PMCT have not been able to access it.

So, we still need to work to increase the reach.”

On the way forward to HIV free generation, Professor Suleiman Akanmu, Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said to have a free HIV generation meant to have zero stigmatization and discrimination, adding that these were the two major things that discourage people from coming out to be tested.

He said: “Stigmatization and discrimination also allay HIV positive persons from going to access drugs.

Once you access your drugs you can be treated, and treatment is a major part of prevention."

ECOBA Lagos branch holds annual dinner

E

DO College Old Boys Association, ECOBA, Lagos branch, will hold its annual dinner and dance December 15.

The event, billed to start at 5pm, holds at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja and will have as it’s chairman, Mr. Andy Olotu, Managing Director, Schlumberger Nigeria Limited, a 1971 graduate of the college. Host will be Senator Victor Kassim Oyofo, chairman of ECOBA Lagos branch.

BRIEFING: From left: Mr. David Ogunniyi, Sales Manager, 3M Minnesota and Manufacuring Nigeria Limited; Mr. Gregory Peter, Director and General Manager, 3M Minnesota and Manufacuring Nigeria Limited and Mr. Bimbo Olaniyi, Business Development and Operations, Safety & Protection Management Solutions Ltd, during a media briefing to launch 3M conspicuity reflective marking for vehicles, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

AMALGAMATION 1914 TREATY: Group vows to challenge Nigeria’s sovereignty

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, KUNLE KALEJAYE, & NKIRU NNORUM

A

FRESH test to Nigeria’s sovereign status is afoot as Movement for New Nigeria has stated its intention to challenge the legality of the 1914 Amalgamation ordinance which gave birth to the Nigerian state.

The amalgamation ordinance is expected to expire on December 31, 2013, as MNN is set to take a legal action to ensure that a new union treaty was negotiated and entered into by the various nationalities that make up the country known as Nigeria.

Participants at Vanguard Conference Hall said the legal basis of Nigeria’s existence will expire on December 31, 2013 and “ we ought to agree either to extend it or not. Yet some people are hoodwinking Nigerians and drawing billions of naira to prepare for a bash in a union that may not exist beyond December 31, 2013.”

The Secretary General of MNN, Mr. Tony Nnadi, said: “Contrary to the false impression being peddled by some people that “the basis of Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable, we want to state categorically that such assertions are wrong and mischievous display of ignorance, especially by those who feel that they are benefiting from the illegal contraption of the colonist and jihadist expansionists, whose interests collided in the process of the scramble for territories and resources, belonging to Lower Niger Region.

“When the 1914 Amalgamation Ordinance was proclaimed, there was no evidence to show that the people or and the inhabitants of the territory called Northern and Southern protectorates were ever consulted to discuss and consent to live together as one country

and under one constitution.

“We have carried out extensive research works in all leading British libraries and beyond. We have not seen any document supporting such action.”

He said the mission to Nigeria was to use military power to intimidate and subdue any resistance from the natives and to use fear and ignorance to wield the natives together. These, he said, were far from an altruistic motive to build a new nation that will harness the energy and resources of its people and territory to develop into a prosperous nation.

He said: “As a military man, Lugard’s mission to Nigeria on his posting from India, was to ensure a mili-

tary conquest of the new country and to use force to quell any rebellion that might arise from the amalgamation ordinance, Nigerian nationalists opposed all the constitutions that came from 1914 to 1954, but the British were smart as to keep the colonial ordinance of amalgamation away from the nationalists to avoid a possible legal challenge and confrontation."

He said while the idea of the proposed national conference by the Jonathan administration was desirable and welcomed, the time had come for Nigerians to take a second look at the legal basis for the existence of Nigeria as a corporate entity.

Dickson to pipeline vandals: Leave Bayelsa or face dire consequences

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

ENAGOA—GOVERNOR Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, yesterday, advised pipeline vandals to leave the state or face dire consequences.

Speaking at Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area during his thank you tour to the area, Dickson said government was disturbed by the alarming rate of oil theft and its effects on the state and nation’s economy, stressing that stringent measures would be taken to stop it.

The governor, who was accompanied by the first civilian governor of the state,

Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the deputy governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah, (rtd), top government functionaries, captains of industry and a host of others, disclosed that necessary security apparatus was being put in place to curtail the act.

He said a crack taskforce would be set up to clamp down on the perpetrators of the criminal acts, warning that anybody caught in the act would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

While soliciting the support of people in the area in ensuring security of lives and property, the governor disclosed that his administration had invested a lot in security as it was the only way to attract local and foreign investors to the state.

GBE-IJOH people in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, have decried their perceived lack of political and economic empowerment and development and have alleged marginalization by the present administration in the state.

A statement from OgbeIjoh Youth Network, OPN, by its Chairman and Public Relations Officer, Godspower Benakiegha and Adolphus Pere, respectively, said except for the efforts of Mr. Daniel Mayuku, the member representing Warri South at the state House of Assembly, Ogbeijoh people would not have had any trace of development.

They claimed that OgbeIjoh people, especially the youth, had suffered marginalization and lack of political and economic empowerment under the present administration, despite being a major oil producing community.

They threatened not to support any of the candidates who failed to attract developmental projects to Ogbe-Ijoh during future elections, in view of the insensitivity and neglect by the government.

Madam Shaka for burial

L

ATE Comfort Kimikakiyen Shaka, of Erhuwaren, in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, and mother-inlaw to the chairman of Delta State Council of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Williams Akporegha, will be buried this Saturday .

She died on September 1, 2013, at the age of 98.

A statement by Comrade Akporegha said lying-instate and church service will take place at her compound.

This will be followed by interment.

Late Madam Shaka

46Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

GOC 81 Div lauds media on fight against terrorism

BY ONOZUREDANIA

T

HE GENERAL Officer Commanding 81 Division, Major General Obi Umahi, has said the media, by its nature, plays an important role as a partner in the fight against terrorism in the country.

He said that media relations were dynamic as they were people-oriented and a key component to winning and influencing the support of the citizens, which is needed at all times to succeed.

Umahi, who spoke during the media workshop of the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information for the Directorate of Army Public Relations, urged journalists to work in close relation with the military to attain national objective since both were stakeholders.

He said: “We, therefore, appeal to the press to join hands with the military to see to the end of terrorists in this great country of ours.”

Chellarams to unveil school of entreprenuership at UNILAG

L

AGOS—TO mark 90 years of successful business operation in Nigeria, Chellarams Plc through its MTC Foundation, has concluded plans to unveil a school of entrepreneurship at the University of Lagos and a vocational training school for heavy machinery to support the Federal Government’s efforts to tackle unemployment.

This was made known at a briefing in Lagos to announce the road map for the month-long event by the Group Chief Information Officer, Dr. Harbhajan Bath.

The primary education support programme would involve Chellarams donating to schools across its branches in Lagos, Abuja, Onitsha, PortHarcourt and Kano. Pupils of schools selected would be provided with milk and school supplies.

Recreational facilities would also be provided to the selected schools in Isolo and its environs.

Elechi calls for scrapping of ASUU A

BY PETER OKUTU

B A K A L I K I — GOVERNOR Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State yesterday called for the disbandment of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU in the country, following its alleged antecedent of sabotaging the effort of governments in the area of education and provision of infrastructural facilities to institution of higher learning.

The governor made the call during an interactive session with members and executives of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ. He described ASUU’s action as a sabotage of the education sector and the corporate existence of country; stressing the need for the union to always consider the future of students while taking steps to contribute its quota towards the improvement of the education sector.

He said: “The major victims of this strike are not government but the students and things are not what they should be.

“ASUU is due for proscription; the way they are going is sabotage to the existence of the country. When I travelled I heard that lecturers had resumed in EBSU; my plan

was that if any lecturer is to resume he or she is to renounce their membership of the union.

“At a point in time, history must change if not we will keep drifting; in EBSU, it is still a case of no work no pay.”

On Ebonyi indigenes who

were disengaged from Abia State civil service, the governor noted that the state had no covenant with the affected workers that they would be reabsorbed into Ebonyi State civil service.

He noted that what was necessary was for the state to ensure that their

retirement benefits were duly paid to them.

It should be recalled that over 80 Ebonyi indigenes who were disengaged from Abia State civil service had staged a peaceful protest at Government House, Abakaliki, and other relevant government agencies in the state in 2010.

BUDGET: Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State (left)and Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly. Hon. Eugene Odo, shortly after presenting the 2014 budget estimate in Enugu.

Leave law enforcement agencies alone, Okorocha begs politicians

O

BY CHIDINKWOPARA

WERRI—IMO State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has appealed to politicians to avoid undue interference with activities of law enforcement agencies in the country.

Okorocha made the appeal in a message at the opening of a stakeholders interactive forum organized by the Ministry of Police Affairs in Owerri.

The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Anthony Anwuka, said law enforcement agents had the capacity to check the security challenges confronting Nigeria.

Okorocha stressed the need for equity, justice and fairness in the affairs of the nation and commended the security agencies for their efforts in reducing crime in Imo State.

He pointed out that what was needed to effectively confront insecurity in the country was the political will among the ruling class.

Welcoming the participants earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Dr. James Obiegbu, whose address was delivered by a legal adviser in the Ministry, Mrs. Tolu Austin-

Odigie, said the participants were expected to make recommendations that would be useful in developing a more

enduring policy on public safety.

Vanguard gathered that the stakeholders forum was being organised across the six geo-

political zones of the country by a ministerial committee to articulate a national policy on public safety and security.

Alleged N458m bribe: You must apologise to Agbaso, Imo PDP tells Assembly c’ttee

BY CHIDINKWOPARA

O

WERRI—THE leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Imo State, has called on the Simeon Iwunzeled House of Assembly panel to apologize to the former deputy governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, or resign honourably from the House.

The party’s position was communicated to the public in a press release signed by the state legal adviser, Chief C. O. C. Akaolisa, and made available to newsmen in Owerri.

The PDP’s demand followed the clean bill of health given to the former Imo State deputy governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the N458 million bribe scandal that had been rocking the state.

Imo PDP said that the ad-hoc committee of the State House of

Assembly had been exposed for what it really was, a hired agent for dirty job.

While commending EFCC for clearing Agbaso of any wrong doing over the allegations of bribery, the party was, however, not very happy with what it called “the vituperations of Governor Rochas Okorocha against the EFCC over same issue”.

The party expressed regret

that Okorocha could not understand the true meaning of the EFCC statement before saying all manner of things against the anti-graft agency.

He said: “He needs to be tutored to realize that he has lost the moral foundation, character and dignified manhood to accuse any person of any wrong doing as the mud of the Agbaso/JPROS episode will certainly take a long time to wash.”

Mr Charlse Afini dies at 56

M

R CHARLES AFINI, the chairman Utieyin Reshola, Sapele branch from Koko of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State is dead, aged 56.

He passed on, November 17, after a brief illness in Sapele.

A statemen by the family said he will be buried December 13, in his home town Koko in Warri North

Local Government Area of Delta state.

Late Charlse Afini

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 47 ,

MEETING: From left, Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa; Oncologist, Eko Hospital, Professor Kofi Duncan, and Head of Public Partnership/Diaspora, Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Bola Olowu, during the inaugural meeting of Nigerian-American Medical Foundation International, in Lagos.

COMPETITION: MTN Songstar ultimate prize winner of a Porsche Cayenne, Patrick Mathias, receiving the key to his car from Mr. Michael Collins (a.k.a Don Jazzy); Mr. Larry Annetts, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN, and Chris Ubosi, Managing Director, Mega Lectris Limited, during the app musical competition final presentation, at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

AWARD: From left, Senator Marafa Garba, Senator Smart Adeyemi, CON; Senator 'Gbenga Ashafa, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, and Sen.ator Bukar Ibrahim, CON, during the conferment of special award AWARD: Dr. Mike Uyi of the Global Peace Movement on Senator Ashafa for his contribution towards housing development in Nigeria, by the Media Option International, (left), and Victor Elias, PA to Aviation Minister, who Communication Limited, at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. represented the minster, at an award ceremony in the United Kingdom.

COMMEMORATION: From left, Phil Nneji, Ify Awagu, Abiola Laseinde, Marian Jones, all EXCO members of International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, during the commemoration of International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, in Lagos.

FUNERAL: From left, Mrs. M.I Ogwuda; 1st SWAT Commander, Engr. Peter Ogwuda, and Business Development Manager, Rock City FM, Mr. Lekan Oluponna, during funeral service for late Princess Teniade Omoworare, at S.S. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Lagere Ife, and reception at Himton Event Centre, Ile-Ife, Osun State. Photo: Sola Oyelese

ANNIVERSARY: From left, Group Chief Information Officer, Dr. Harbhajan Batth; General Manager, Administration and Corporate Affairs,Prince Yomi Ogunsanwo, and Group Chief Executive Officer, all of Chellarams Plc, Mr. Aditya Chellaram, during the 90th anniversary of Chellaram's service to Nigeria.

C M Y K

BRIEFING: From left, Mr. Taofeek Gani, Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Publicity Secretary; Mr. Opeyemi Ahmed, National Coordinator, The Ambassadors; Alhaji R. A. Yusuf, Chairman, Council of Elders, and Mr. Bello, at the quarterly briefing of The Ambassadors, in Lagos.

VISIT: Mr. Jacky Hathiramani, Chief Executive Officer, Dana Group (left); Mr. Muhammed Sada, Minister of Mines and Steel Development (right), and Mr. Isa Ahmed, AGM Admin, Dana Steel Limited, during the Minister’s visit to Dana Steel Limited to review the performance of the steel plant, in Katsina.

48—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

ICPC indentifies panacea for corruption

AUTO CRASH:

Another ASUU member buried in A'Ibom

BY PETER DURU

M

AKURDI —THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has identified attitudinal change among Nigerians as the panacea for increasing cases of corruption in the country.

Head of the Benue State office of the ICPC, Mr. Hassan Mohammed spoke, yesterday, in an interactive session with stakeholders to mark the 2013 International AntiCorruption Day in Makurdi, the state capital.

Mohammed noted that “corruption is a thing of the mind and if the war against corruption in Nigeria will be won, it will take the cooperation of a Nigerian project to ensure that the cankerworm is completely eliminated from our body polity.”

Salvation Army donates to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS

L

AGOS—THE Salva tion Army, Nigeria Territory recently joined other organisations in Nigeria to mark World AIDS Day, to remind the world that the pandemic is still very evident, and to call for caution in the lifestyle of individuals.

The event which took place in Lagos, with the theme, Getting to Zero, invloved a rally along Ikorodu, Onipanu and the Palm Grove areas to educated the populace about HIV/AIDS. Speaking to newsmen during the occasion, Major Bessie Udoh, Project Officer, HIV/ AIDS Unit, advised participants to avoid casual sex and stick to one partner.

Six orphans whom either one or both parents had died of AIDS-related diseases were given educational support grants at the event.

INAUGURATION—From left: Messrs Naphtali Dachor, Khalid Musa and Daniel Ageno,

taking Oath of Office as permanent secretaries before Gov. Tanko Al-Makura (R), at the inauguration of new Nasarawa State permanent secretaries in Lafia, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

Sultan inaugurates committee on Islam in modern times K

ADUNA – THE Sultan of Sokoto and PresidentGeneral, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday, in Kaduna, inaugurated a Fatwa Committee to advise Muslims on whether it was right to eat with fork or spoons.

“It (fatwa committee) will look into areas of modern times and Islam. It would be saddled with interpreting, for example whether it is Islamically right to eat with fork, spoon or not,’’ the JNI Public Relations Officer, Mallam Umar Zaria, explained after the inauguration.

Altogether, 13 committees were set up by the Sultan, with northern emirs as their chairmen.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Sultan said that the purpose of setting up the standing committees was to ensure unity among the various Muslim groups in the country.

His words: “The work of Islam should be taken seriously, as our religion has problems and we should fight towards embracing peace and unity amongst ourselves to achieve what has been there before.

“I urge the appointees to tighten their seat belts as they accept this task to serve in the different committees, and make sure that you discharge you duties diligently.’’

The Secretary-General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu in his speech also said that the JNI had gone a long way in propagating the ideals of Islam, unity of the Ummah as well as protecting the overall interests of Muslims in the country since its inception in 1961.

“In order to achieve the

enormous aims and objectives of the JNI, the organization carefully studied the happenings locally and globally and formerly formed 11 standing committees, headed by our distinguished emirs, with a representative from each of the states of the federation including Abuja.

The 13 Standing Committees are respectively chaired by the following: Central Fatwa Committee headed by Sheikh Sheriff Ibrahim Saleh; Central Da’awah and Mobilization Committee.

Saleh is globally acclaimed Islamic Scholar, with deep knowledge of Islamic laws Other committees include, Central Education and Youth Development headed by the

Emir of Yauri, Dr. Zayyanu Muhammad Abdullahi and Central International and Hajj Affairs committee headed by the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera.

Others include, the Central Finance and Investment committee headed by Ambassador Ibrahim Yerima Abdullahi; Central Establishment and Disciplinary committee headed by the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubair Jibril Maigwari II; Central Research and Planning committee headed by the Emir of Kazaure, Alhaji Najib Hussaini Adamu and the Central Health Committee headed by Etsu Shonga, Dr. Halilu N. Yahaya.

IDA lauds FG on roads reconstruction

BY IKENNA ASOMBA

L

AGOS—THE Infrastruc ture Development Agency, IDA, has commended the Federal Government for awarding the reconstruction of some major highways in the country, saying that this would stimulate economic growth in the country.

The roads include the N80 billion Enugu- Port-Harcourt expressway and the multi-billion Naira Benin-OreShagamu road as well as the Abuja-Lokoja road.

This was contained in a statement signed by the National Coordinator of IDA, Mr

Johnbull Adaghe.

IDA which said that its main objective was to promote rural development by ensuring the “provision of roads, bridges, power and water in underprivileged locations and among other vulnerable ones,” further said, “we laud the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan on the recent award of the Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway for reconstruction.

The Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway will impact on the economy of the Nigeria because of its strategic connections.

Late Prof. Ufot Ibanga

BY EMEKA MAMAH

L

AGOS—ANOTHER member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof.

Ufot Ibanga, who died on his way to attend a meeting aimed at finding solutions to the six months national strike by the union, has been buried.

Ibanga, a former Dean, School of Postgraduate studies, University of Jos, died in an auto crash at Hawan Kibo on Jos – Keffi Road on July 8, 2013, while on his way to Abuja to honour an invitation by the National Universities Commission, NUC, on the ASUU strike.

The former ASUU official taught Sociology at the university. He was buried in his village, Ikot Akama, Oruk Anam Local Government Area, of Akwa Ibom State, weekend.

Revival Assembly holds 23rd convention

L

AGOS—THE Re vival Assembly Ministry will hold its 23rd anniversary and annual fire convention on December 14 and 15 at the church headquarters- Revival Miracle Cathedral, Cocoa Road, Ogba-Ikeja, Lagos.

The theme of this year’s two-day event is REJOICE. It will kick off on Saturday with an early morning worship service called Morning Glory and continue in the afternoon with evangelism. The climax of the convention comes up on Sunday with celebration service.

The convention will be hosted by the founder and general overseer of the ministry, Apostle Ansalem Madubuko.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 49

50—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

The price of migrating without genuine int entions (2) intentions

BY VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU

A

S concerned Nigeri ans continue to make passionate appeal to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan for speedy intervention on issues concerning Nigerians who are serving various jail terms in China prisons, the Nigerian Ambassador to China, Ambassador Wali on his part, has continued to warn immigrants against fake documentation.

Vanguard Consular Advisory gathered that shortly after the recent visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to China, Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of China, Ambassador Wali told pressmen that in many situations than not, the issue of improper and fake documentations have become a major challenge to the embassy in tackling cases of imprisonment of its citizenry in Chinese prisons.

The Ambassador explained that these immigrants submit false identification and those jailed only become manifest after they must have been sentenced, for the fact that they have migrated with false iden-

•Prisoner tity, which may have declared them ‘Ghanaians’ or ‘Malawians’.

He also noted that those jailed found it extremely difficult getting the attention of the Nigerian embassy in solving their respective problems.

Although Amb. Wali was said to have expressed concern over the ugly situation, he was quick in urging all those who wish to migrate to several countries abroad to ensure that they declare their presence to the missions in their various countries of abode, so as to enable the embassies have well document-

ed information about their itinerary in and about countries they have migrated to.

While also calling for a proper orientation and or perhaps sensitization of Nigerian youths back here in Nigeria, to desist from indulging in false application processes, a source who simply identified herself as Eni, is challenging the Nigerian government to ensure that the embassies are not left alone to handle the magnitude of the problems involving a great number of Nigerians in foreign prisons.

Her words, “I am challenging

the Federal government of Nigeria to assist our embassies in different countries abroad in the fight to cut down on the number of Nigerians who are serving jail terms in different countries abroad, especially in China.

Although, the problem is not peculiar to Nigerians in China alone, I particularly feel sad with the magnitude of the problem which is now beyond Nigerian embassies alone.

This is now a national issue, and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the image of Nigerians abroad is restored, through consistence orientation of young Nigerians in familiarizing them with the laws, rules and regulations of countries they intend migrating to.” She also explained that when these youths are properly educated, the country would have quickly succeeded in averting some of the disgusting experiences, which unbelievably, mar the future of young Nigerians.

Still peeved with the ugly situation, she therefore urged the youth to endeavor in various levels of capabilities in ensuring that they avert incidences that could land them in prisons while in foreign countries. This, she said, would enable them develop a mindset that would make them have a rethink on the inevitable consequences of sojourning to foreign countries in an event whereby they have no concrete arrangement. Her position was shared by Udoka who said, “The government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan should buckle up efforts in ensuring that it establishes a mechanism,

which would hinder the processes of traveling out of the country, without proper commitment, through provision of essential infrastructures.”

He also pointed out that “Nigerians, for quest of bourgeois life, get trapped into drug-related crimes and fake identity, and unfortunately, over 80 per cent Nigerians in foreign countries are languishing in foreign countries prisons and have been refused judgment.

Although the situation is embarrassing, I feel that owing to China-Nigeria relationship in various sectors of both countries economies, Nigerians should be given first consideration when it comes to issues relating to faulting the law. In real terms, one should expect the Chinese government to accord Nigerian mission the respect of informing them of any criminal activity involving a Nigerian, before dragging the offender into prison. After all, one would not be wrong to ascertain that Nigerians take the lead in growing China’s economy,” stressing that, “ the benefits of cutting down on malicious treatment to Nigerians by the Chinese are enormous, as it will further open doors for more investment opportunities.

To this light therefore, it has become a matter of utmost priority for the Federal government of Nigeria and other responsible bodies to map out plans that will properly address youth migration and ways to retrieve those who are serving jail terms abroad, for a better bi-lateral co-operation.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 51

52— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 53

54— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 55

56 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Left: Col. Tony Nyiam, Mrs. Nkiru Nnorom, Mr. Amba Binebi, Barr Tony Nnadi and Hugo Odiogor.

Prof. Nwabueze, FRA, gave us unitary constitution Continued from yesterday

A

S I was saying, from the perspective of the people who indeed matter most, this is the first time the instrument of state power is not under the control of those who believe that they are born to rule. This is the first time in Nigeria ‘s history and that chance should not be missed.

The seventh point that supports why we should convey a national conference now is that prior to this era, there are not many example for us to learn from, but now, the examples of the return of of Ethiopia is there for us to follow. When I was in UK, I was with Ken Saro-Wiwa; he was one of the people that educated the present crop of persons who became leaders of Ethiopia today.

In other words, here was a Nigerian who contributed to what is now called a federation in Ethiopia. You can see that the unitary part of Ethiopia is gone.

Remember that Ethiopia used to be a place where you find people who are malnourished, but now Ethiopia economy is one of the fastest growing economies because after so many years of fighting, they conveyed a national conference and they now have what is called ethnic federal system.

The misleading view that a country cannot have a national conference when

there is parliament system in place has been disproved by the recent examples of referendum of the resolution of Kenyan National Conference.

If you remember, Kenya had inter-ethnic crisis before the last two elections in which a lot of people died. After that crisis, they went through a national conference. The resolution of that national conference was subjected to a referen-

All the arguments as to whether we should have a conference when there is a parliament does not hold water.

For those who don't like the word ‘sovereignty', for them I would rather say let them choose the word ‘People National Conference.’

The other point on why we need a conference now is that the world is fast becoming a global village. It would be foolish for any

,

Barrister Tony Nnadi

thing that you can label.

The process which the president has put in place will inherently lead to a Sovereign National Conference because once the conference is started and the outcome is subjected to a resolution and the resolution is subjected to a referendum, like I pointed out earlier, there is no where in history where a parliament stands on the way of that resolution by the peo-

Sarduana told us in 1960 that Nigeria is now the estate of their great grand father and that the Middle Belt will be a willing tool in their hands and the South will be conquered territory

dum, accompanied by truth, Justice and peace reconciliation. Today, it has moved from a unitary country to a proper federalism.

When people say that we cannot have a conference while we still have a parliament in place, I find it very ridiculous because if Kenya can just do it recently, I don’t see why we cannot do it.

For those who want to know, we can also learn from the British parliament,which is the mother of all parliaments, for not standing in the way of a referendum of the Scottish for a national conference. So, there are examples for us to learn from.

,

country not to follow the universal good governance practice most especially as it can be seen that the countries that have domesticated the practices are fairing very well. Examples are, Rwanda, Botswana and Ghana.

The last point on this is the luck of having a listening president, which is the first time the Commanderin-Chief of the Armed Forces, who is both the Head of State and the head of the federal government, has initiated a national dialogue process in which there are pressing needs for people to deliberate on.

As for me, sovereignty will always be earned by anybody. It is not some-

ple.

That is why I said thatwhat we need is a people's national conference and I bet to see anybody who would stand on the way of the people.

All these discussions have to be seen from the point of view of the mission of this proposed national conference because we cannot be discussing these things if we do not want to anchor it on the vision of we want Nigeria to be.

And of course, those who are capable of seeing this vision are people who have given serious considerations to the appropriate political structure that can keep a diverse nation like ours united and prosper-

•Elder Fred Agbeyegbe ous.

Going by the experience and the comments during my participation in the advisory committee, the vision of Nigeria which they are expressing is a country in which democracy and federalism are anchored on the principles of liberty, justice, fairness, love, truthful conduct, equality, selfless public service and social well fair.

If we follow this vision, some of the problems we are having will not arise.

Arising from this vision is what we called a mission statement. That is what Nigerians are saying that their mission statement would be. The aim of the planned conference is to serve as means to an end.

That end is to return Nigeria to a democratic federal order which promotes a sustainable well being of our diverse people.

Clearly, for this mission to be attained, it has to be a people driven national conference. The objectives arising from this; is that it has to give the different

groups in Nigeria the opportunity they have long sought for so that they can negotiate among themselves on how they want to co-exist forever.

The conference has to create the enabling time for the resolution of problems which have been on for decades and have challenged the foundation of the Nigerian state.

It has to profer lasting solution; the problem solving has to be from their root cause and it has to be accompanied with a South African, North Ireland or Kenya type of truth, peace and justice resolution reconciliation initiative.

The various ethinic nationalities have to freely confess to those things they have done to wrong other poeple for us to start to heal our people. You saw how people came out in South Africa to confess to what they did to others. This conference has to be accompanied by a phase whereby

Continues on page 57

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013—57

We must get the CONFAB modalities right

Continues from page 56 we must all come to confess.

The Fulani man has to come forward and confess to what he has done to the other people. The other people have to come forward and confess what they did to the Fulani man.

This is the process to follow so that we can begin to heal the wound, otherwise we will be pretending.

The other point is that this conference has to provide to the people of the various ethnic nationalities in Nigeria their inalienable right to self government within the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We had self governance in those early days of our existence and that is the basis that true federalism works.

The lack of room in the 1999 constitution for self determination by the people of the federating ethnic nationalities is the cause of crisis in the polity.

For example, the root cause of the militant challenges we have been experiencing in the Niger Delta is as a result of this.

If you do not allow the people to determine how they would be governed, you leave them with no choice other than violence. This is why we think and believe that this conference will give people that choice.

The other point is to restore fiscal federalism to Nigeria, so as to encourage wealth and job creation by the federating states.

The present system in which the state executives go every quarter in sharing of mobilised revenue is unhealthy. In fact, some of the money is taken illegally from the people, because if you say what is below someone's land is not his own, but belongs to someone else, that is by all means stealing and you use the constitution to justify the stealing of people's

illegitimately collect people's property and make it legitimate. For instance, the whole idea of inland waterways, there was a dispute and somebody wanted to claim a land. The late Major Adeleke wanted to claim the Osborne road and when he tried and failed, he went to do a development that he was going to claim the land. But when people saw that the land was very important, they passed a law that is called inland waterways.

They did so to the point that even the land in your own village is owned by somebody called the federal government.

This is an example of how politicians in uniform use the opportunity to create advantages for their people. In other words, what their people lack, they use bye-law and decrees to grab; by Land Use degree, the act that established the inland waterways and by the petroleum act that say the petroleum resources under somebody’s land does not belong to him.

I just had an experience where my governor in Cross River was just crying out that everything that

,

•Fred Agbeyegbe

resources.

We need to free our people from the bondage of over centralisation of public finance and the disincentive for people to be productive and creative.

There are lots of incentive for public officer to go the way of graft in the existing economic political structure. So once you centralise money from the states, some of them would be taken illegitimately from the people, the money becomes no man’s money because people are encouraged to steal money as they are doing.

We need to encourage healthy rivalry in the geopolitical regions. Each federating region needs to be encouraged to leverage on the areas they have competitive advantage. It is this type of intra-national competition which has facilitated many successive democratic processes to be able to attract inward investment The other point is that we need to free the majority of Nigerians from internal congnisation so that they can fully actualise their creative productive potentials. The executive of

•Col. Tony Nyiam the states or local government in the existing order are denied the local capacity to launch local initiative on their own with the exception of Lagos State. The federating units have been reduced to core dependents of the federal government, which is an unhealthy development, which breeds indolence and lack of creativity on the part of Nigerians.

All am saying is that my former colleagues in uniform since 1979 immediately plotted and planted a system whereby they can

alogue MODALITIES AND STRUCTURES Mr. Fred: It is true that the existing establishment has no room for what we are talking about. Local government areas, states, zones, regions are all man made creations. The situation we are in now is that for the first time, the ethnic nationalities are going to have an opportunity to decide firstly, to belong to a country. Secondly, how they will live in that country; how they are going to co-exist and thirdly how they will look after the interest of their own prosperity.

Nigeria is not God’s creation, but a creation of a roguish British representative called Lugard, who put together the people's lands and resources of a multitude of people across a rather long range of land and God is wise to name it Nigeria. When God creates a country, he provides certain things for that country, what is called blood relationship, they have mythologies that is common among them.

•Mr. Hugo Odiogor, Moderator That makes life easy for them because they think alike because they do not have traditions and customs that are contrarily one to the other and they have natural boundaries and God gave them the resources with which to manage their affairs primary for their own benefits. But because man does not leave on his own, they have to co-habit certain areas with other people and where that happens, they come together with those other people to work out how they would live together and make contribution from their God given gifts, resources and societal devel-

realised that those rights are not been exercised by the owners and it has caused so much troubles, we must start from a position where all those abuses of right are eradicated.

The only way to do that is not only to rely on those man-made institutions which were created deliberately to proffer advantages for those who do not have. That is to say baking the cake is not a priority,

For Prof. Nwabueze to suggest that he would draft one constitution, in one corner and then take it to the conference, like it happened in the 1977 Constituent Assembly , is heresy in law

comes out of the state is taken by the federal government. These are the fraudulent things that are going on. When people accuse me of hating some certain people, all I am asking for is to stop short changing my people. Allow my people control the resources that they have and they would pay their due taxes and I think it is a much efficient system to go by.

Moderator: What are the modalities for us to have a fair representation because people say that we have different nationalities, so how do we gather all of them to this conference to be able to have a meaningful dialogue. So, I want you to give me a clear guide of what we should we looking at for us to achieve a meaning di-

,

They have language that is common among them. In a great number of cases, they all serve God through the same medium.

opment so that the union can protect them again foreigners and intruders.

Nigeria is a typical opposite of God’s creations.

Therefore, now that it has

•Barr. Tony Nnadi sharing it is what it is all about.

Continues on page 58

Continues tomorrow

58—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Nigeria: A troubled federation that needs people's dialogue Continues from page 57 Therefore, I took the trouble to write a book on the subject matter. The book is entitled: “The Need and Modalities for a Sovereign National Conference.” I took that task simply because all the talks that it is not possible to have a sovereign national conference, none of them is supported by reasons other than that there is too many people. How do you get them to come and talk, Who is nominating who is coming and so on and so forth.

In that my book, I have

,

If the presumption that Nigeria has suffered so much is coming mainly from the government of the day, why should we trust the government of the day to supervise this type of exercise?

set out the historical development of how Nigeria came about and in my little knowledge ,the international law principles applicable to a minimum standards the rights of commu-

•Mr. Marshal Kunoun nities created by God and from there to follow the history of Nigeria from colonial time to independence and thereafter the military intervention and the separation of the rights of the people right through to the 1999 constitution, which is the codification of the separation of the right of the people till date. From that experience, I worked out what is in my view the best modality for Nigerians who because of their past are distrustful of one another, to come and see how, if possible, they can still continue with Nigeria as an

level where: a. Federating units are equally represented. b. Federating units submit their unit constitutions evidencing what sovereignties they are ceding to the confederation of the federating units. c. Equal number of representatives of each federating unit are constituted into committees for evolving a Draft Federal Constitution from the constitutions of the federating units in attendance. d. The emergent Draft

entity, rather than wanting to fall back upon their God given right, to tear Nigeria into pieces. That is to say; that those people who are saying, don’t talk about it or we want to create no go areas are those who want the injustices in Nigeria to continue.

If the presumption that Nigeria has suffered so much is coming mainly from the government of the day, why should we trust the government of the day to supervise this type of exercise? Why should they believe now that the government of the day does not want to continue in their

,

predatory tendencies like Col. Nynag has been saying, they can have access to resources that belong to other people. So, the modalities that I have created as part two of my book goes into how it is possible without government interference at all except in two areas.

1. President Jonathan has now realised that there is need to talk.

2.Create the environment.

The issue now is how do you create the environment?

PROPOSED MODALITIES FOR A FEDERATED NIGERIA FROM THE GRASS ROOTS The structured modalities herein envisions a Nigeria federated from the base; its alchemy being the ethnic nationalities, their lands and their resources. In doing that, it is pertinent to recall a truism that was given prominence in 1981 by a co-mixed ethnic nationalities group in their quest to exercise to the hilt and coalesce their separate rights to self-assertion and determination.

They proclaimed that: “ethnic self-determination is the cornerstone of true federalism.” Nothing has happened since 1981 to diminish the raison detre behind that truism and it remains, even today, the medicamateria of this part of this work. It is expected

•Source: Movement for New Nigeria therefore that the FEDERAL REPUBLIC that would emerge from the Sovereign National Conference shall start from ethnic nationalities that are land contiguous discussing one with the other to form what would eventually end up as federating units and the federating units would federate to become a federal republic.

THE RATIONALE FOR GRASSROOTS BASED FEDERATED NIGERIAN STATE 1. The ethnic nationalities are the owners of the land, rivers, waterways and resources in their land mass with all the sovereign rights over them.

(The colonialists truncated those rights and kept them for themelves. When they left, soldiers and the 1999 Constitution further deprived them of the exercise of their sovereign rights by leaving the power to exercise them in the people in Abuja. The tail never wags the dog; it is the other way round.

In conclusion, it must be reiterated that any plan to leave out the ethnic nationalities from an SNC or to base federating units upon existing structures, be it local govrenment, state or zone created by past leaders forced upon them either by sham elections or display of instruments of coercion: i. Is a plan to leave ethnic nationalities as slaves to be dictated to continuously ii. Is a plan to dictate which people should be in any unit in order to contin-

ue to control the sovereign rights of the ethnic nationalities.

2. As owners of the land and resources and the owners of the sovereign rights over them, the ethnic nationalities are the ones to decide: i. Whether they still wish to be part of Nigeria

•Barr. Tony Nnadi ii.

Who and who they want to live with in any unit iii. What rules for living together is acceptable to them iv. What sovereign rights they want to cede to a federating unit v. who and who should represent them where and when.

(Professionals, experts and eminent Nigerians are members of ethnic nationalities; they can only come into reckoning if chosen by their ethnic nationalities to represent them at any level. Any professional, expert or eminent Nigerian not chosen by its own ethnic

nationality to represent them, has no place at a Sovereign Nationality Conference).

3. There should be two federating levels: Level I: The ethnic nationalit(y) (ies) level where: a. Ethnic nationalities decide for themselves which other ethnic nationality(ies) they are not only land contiguous with, but also wish to found a federating unit with; b. Ethnic nationalities meet and agree to belong to the same federating unit c. No authority or body or individual shall be in a position to dictate criteria, be it of economic viability or otherwise for a federating unit. d. After the meetings and agreements across ethnic nationalities lines, they: i. Agree on a name for their federating unit ii. Produce a Constitution evidencing their agreement as to how they wish to live together iii. Choose their representatives that will attend the Level II SNC. e. The number of units emerging from such agreements should be the number of units that will federate into a federation of federating units. e. Before being submitted to Level II, the Constitution of a federating unit shall be subjected to a referendum of the ethnic nationalities in the unit where the votes of each ethnic nationalities therein shall count as ONE (1).

Level II: ii. The federating units

•Mr. Ambah Binebi Constitution constituted from the constitutions of the federating units, shall; First: Be submitted to a referendum in each federating unit where the votes of each ethnic nationalities therein shall count as ONE (1) and be approved by a simple majority and; Second: Be submitted to the “YES” VIVA VOCE (VOICE VOTE) of a Constituent Assembly made up of two (2) representatives of each ethnic nationality which is a member of a federating unit and two (2) representatives of each federating unit.

1. The committees of the federating units at Level II shall cede no power to the federal constitution that is not ceded to the federating units by the ethnic nationalities .

5. Agreements are to be reached by persuasion and there shall be no room for voting.

6. There shall be no government involvement, except for the purposes of funding from the present national purse.

These modalities are spelt out in my book. It has to be done under the watchful eyes of the United Nations.

We would need the United Nations to come as the supervising authority for this discussions.

Continues tomorrow

V anguard anguard,, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 59

BRIEFS U.N plans first aid airlift to Syria from Iraq as winter bites

Mandela: World leaders pay tribute W

ORLD leaders from around 90 countries, along with tens of thousands of South Africans, are paying their tributes to Nelson Mandela, iconic former South African president, at a memorial service in Johannesburg, recalling his contributions for reconciliation across political and racial divides.

In his address at the ceremony at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium yesterday , Barack Obama, the United States president, called Mandela, who died last Thursday at the age of 95, the “giant of history” and described him as a leader who “moved a nation towards justice”.

Speaking under rain yesterday , Obama said that Mandela earned his place in history through struggle, shrewdness, persistence and faith, comparing him to Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln.

“There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s (Mandela’s clan) struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people,” he said, stabbing his finger in the air.

“Nothing he achieved was inevitable. In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, persistence and faith.”

Zuma booed Jacob Zuma, the South

OP Western diplo mats are visiting Kiev as police move to break the blockade of Ukrainian government buildings by pro-EU protesters.

US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met leading opposition politicians and was due to have talks with President Viktor Yanukovych.

The Ukrainian leader met EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

He has announced the government is resuming talks on the EU association agreement at the heart of the unrest.

By suspending negotiations just before the deal was due to be signed at an EU summit last month, Mr Yanukovych plunged Ukraine into uncertainty.

HE United Nations’ first relief airlift to Syria from Iraq will deliver food and winter supplies to the mostly Kurdish northeast over the next 10 days with the permission of both governments, U.N. aid agencies said yesterday.

The airbridge, using

Ilyushin-76 commercial cargo planes flying to Hassakeh from Arbil in northern Iraq, will begin tomorrow . Up to 12 flights are scheduled through Sunday, said Amin Awad, director of the U.N. refugee agency ’s Middle East and North Africa Bureau.

Egypt: Rights groups demand probe into killings of Mursi's supporters

R World leaders at the memorial service for Mandela, yesterday.

African president, was booed and jeered before his speech at the memorial as in a major public humiliation in front of leaders six months before national elections. Many South Africans in the ten thousandsstrong crowd emptied their seats of the stadium during his address.

Zuma said that everyone had a Madiba moment in their life as Mandela “touched their lives”.

“That we are Madiba’s

compatriots and that we lived in Madiba’s time is a reason for great celebration,” he said.

At a landmark moment at the ceremony, Obama shook the hand of Raul Castro, leader of long-time Cold War foe Cuba, in an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations which have been at loggerheads for more than half a century. Castro smiled as Obama shook his hand on the way to the

podium to make his speech at the commemoration, indicating that such antagonisms have been put on mute yesterday.

In his speech, Raul Castro, quoted his brother Fidel Castro, former Cuba leader, and said, “Mandela will not go down in history for the 27 years he spent behind bars... but because he was able to free his soul from the poison that such unjust punishment can cause.”

Obama, Castro shake hands as crowd boos Zuma

U

.S. President Barack Obama shook hands with Cuba’s Raul Castro at a memorial for Nelson

Mandela yesterday, a rare gesture between the leaders of two ideological camps that reflected the

Ukraine crisis: Western diplomats bid to end stand-off

T

T

However, Mr Yanukovych appears to have again stressed the need to strengthen economic ties with Russia, which strongly opposes the EU agreement.

Several people were hurt overnight as riot police advanced on protesters.

But no action was taken against the main opposi-

tion camp on Independence Square, where about 2,000 protesters remained on Tuesday morning, huddling around braziers to keep warm, Reuters news agency reports.

On Sunday, at least 100,000 protesters turned out, demanding the resignation of the govern-

President Yanukovych (centre) discussing the crisis with his three predecessors as leader of Ukraine.

anti-apartheid hero’s spirit of reconciliation.

But the peace and harmony did not stretch to South African President Jacob Zuma, whom the crowd at the rain-soaked Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg booed and jeered as he prepared to give his closing address.

Mandela’s death on Thursday at the age of 95 has diverted attention from a slew of corruption scandals in Zuma’s administration, while underscoring the gulf between South Africa’s first black president, a towering figure of the 20th century, and its fourth.

“Mandela had a vision.

Mandela lived that vision,” said Funeka Gingcara-Sithole, 31, who was in the crowd. “But what Zuma speaks, he doesn’t live. He should do the honourable thing and resign.”

Zuma’s reception was a marked contrast to the rock-star welcome for Obama, one of about 90 world leaders bidding farewell to Mandela in Johannesburg.

IGHTS groups urged Egypt’s army-backed government on Tuesday to investigate mass killings of protesters by security forces during the dispersal of Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in August after Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was deposed.

Interim authorities

have pressed the crackdown on dissent since then, jailing thousands of Mursi supporters and outlawing the Islamist movement that propelled him to power last year in Egypt’s first freely contested presidential election.

The army ousted Mursi after mass protests against his rule.

Suicide bomber kills 11 at Shi’ite funeral in Iraq

A

suicide bomber killed 11 people and wounded 20 at a Shi’ite Muslim funeral in a city northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said, as Iraqi insurgents pursue a campaign of deadly attacks.

The bombing took place in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) from of the capital at a funeral for a group of Shi’ite shep-

herds who had been killed by unidentified gunmen outside the city.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but suicide bombings have been a favored tactic of Sunni insurgents linked to al Qaeda and who are widely blamed for this year’s surge in violence that has mostly targeted civilians.

Luxembourg gets homosexual PM, deputy PM

L

UXEMBOURG swore in Xavier Bettel as its first openly gay prime minister on Wednesday, paving the way for the introduction of social reforms such as same-sex marriage.

On Wednesday December 4, openly gay talk show host, Xavier Bettel (pictured left) was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Luxemburg, while another openly gay man, Etienne Schneider, (pictured

right) was made his deputy, making Luxemburg the first county in the world with gay men filling the top two spots in its government “People do not consider the fact of whether someone is gay or not.

Sometimes it’s not easy because you have some conservative persons, but there are always less and less and less. I think people vote for my character and they vote for my full party.” Bettel said.

Xavier Bettel PM r and Etienne Schneider, deputy PM

60 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Edited by: Emma Nnadozie emmadozie@hotmail.com 08023145281, 08111813021

•The suspect

•The bucket bearing the skeleton of the dead girl being recovered from a pit.

•The victim

How I raped teenager to dea

By CHIDI NKWOPARA, Owerri

T

he Police in Imo State, recently, rounded up the brain behind the death of a 12year-old girl, Ifunanya Favour Iberi who was declared wanted two months ago by arresting a 34-year-old man identified as Samuel Chukwunyere.

Police

•Confession of 34-yr-old serial rapist “You must please, assist us find our missing daughter.”

Search for suspects Seeing the depth of grief boldly written on the faces of Ifunanya’s parents, the Imo

This very suspect is a serial killer, serial rapist and is responsible for the missing and death of many of our young girls, not only in Imo State but in some parts of the country

,

,

alleged that the suspect was responsible for raping the teenager to death and dumping her lifeless body in a deep well.

The missing little Ifunanya was last seen by members of her family on Sunday, October 13, 2013, when she could not return to their house after her day’s routine activities.

Apparently worried by the scaring development, her parents immediately alerted the Imo State Police Command. Their passionate appeal to the Commissioner of Police, Katsina was very simple.

State police boss assured them of his determination to get to the root of the matter.

Katsina mobilized his men and went after the fleeing criminal. Not long after, a 34year old artisan from Amaenyi, Nkwerre, Chukwunyere, who lives at Umulolo village, where the missing girl hailed from, was apprehended. This man quickly fled the community when he noticed that he was being linked with the sudden disappearance of little Ifunanya. The suspect was rounded up few days ago by the police when he quietly

returned to the village.

Confession of suspect In an interview with Crime Alert, the suspect confessed that he actually lured the innocent victim to his house and raped her to death. He also disclosed that he lured the girl to his place because he told her that he bought her a phone, adding as soon as they got to his house and on noticing that the place was lonely, he quickly grabbed the young girl.

His words: “I forced her. I tried to use her through her private part but my own thing could not enter. I now turned her and she started shouting.

I now held her well, well. I don’t want anybody to hear her voice. I now started using her through her anus. In the process of using her through the anus, she now shouted and I now held her back again, using her. In the process of using her, she now gave up.”

The suspect also explained how he dumped the remains of his young victim inside a deep pit near his residence to avoid being traced by anybody. “I now asked myself how will I manage to hide the corpse of this girl. I now rock my brain and rock my brain

and the shovel that I have there cannot dig the ground.

This ground sef na stone ground. I cannot dig it alone.

I now searched around my place here and I saw that pit there (pointing to the location of the pit) and I now say let me come and put her inside that pit, so that the place will be enough to hide it. Nobody will know. I now rolled her with some cloths. After12 to one o’clockin the midnight, I now brought her to this place and now throw her inside the pit.”

H

e also confessed that this was not his first rape case, especially as Crime Alert gathered that several girls in the area had previously fallen victim to his nefarious act.

The State Police boss later took Crime Alert to the scene of crime where the skull of the little girl which was already severed from her body and other decomposing parts believed to be her remains were lifted from the pit, which contained greenish water.

Police boss speaks Speaking to Crime Alert at the scene of the crime, the State Police boss explained

that after committing the alleged sordid crime, the suspect threw the lifeless body of the young girl into a nearby well and vowed to bring him to book.

“His arrest and subsequent interrogation encouraged detectives to move to this place where this very horrendous spectacle was again discovered. It is a clear case of sunset at dawn. She may have gone but her soul is seriously crying for justice and this is what I will surely do,” Katsina promised.

Continuing, the Imo police boss said that apart from this sordid incident, investigations also revealed that “this very suspect is a serial killer, serial rapist and is responsible for the missing and death of many of our young girls, not only in Imo State but in some parts of the country.”

While describing the suspect as “an unrepentant killer ”, the CP also said that “the man has been involved in many reported cases of ritual-related murders since 2004 till the time he was arrested. Investigations into the matter is on-going to unmask all those behind the dastardly act. I am hoping

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

— 61

Edited by: Emma Nnadozie emmadozie@hotmail.com 08023145281, 08111813021

Mother Theresa ‘resurrects’ in Lagos

Rescues sick female tenant thrown out by landlady

and conscience told me otherwise. I became frustrated and angry at the situation.

By EMMA NNADOZIE

T

ath

that pathologists will equally ascertain the real cause of the death of the innocent girl.”

How suspect was arrested He recalled that the police had painstakingly been on his trail for about two months since little Ifunanya was reported missing by her parents.

Giving a graphic account of how the suspect was e v e n t u a l l y apprehended, the CP explained that soon after the girl was reported missing, the suspect quietly escaped to Aba, Abia State.

“He later sneaked into Nkwerre when he thought that the search for the missing girl had died down. He was, however, wrong because the Ambush Squad of the Command quickly arrested him on getting wind of his return to base.

It is sad to note how people can be very heartless. On noticing that the innocent girl had died in the process of raping her, the suspect carefully but shamelessly threw her remains into a nearby pit.”

Encounter with the landlady “This young woman is not mental, nor destitute and yet slept on the street,in the open for 24 hours, putting her life at risk of rapists or ritualists, anything is possible these days in our society. Her crime-she is a very sick woman in need

Police reaction o, I headed to the nearest police station to look for a solution,because (I don’t live in Lagos. I came to Lagos for other business). I then went to Mancenter Police station. After narrating the incident to the police woman behind the counter, she was very sympathetic and immediately took me to the D.P.O. But, to my amazement, the so-called D.P.O. who was busy on the phone buying under wears at the station, did not even allow me to finish my story, he quickly and arrogantly dismissed me with the word, “this is not a police business, besides, this is not a welfare office.” I asked what do I do or where then do I go to for help since I’m not resident in Lagos?

One of the officers told me to call 199,I dialed the number believing to get the response I needed but MTN told me this number does not exist. So, with no help from the police, I headed to the Lagos state Secretariat, Alausa, for assistance. It was from there I was given an emergency number(112) to call.

S

•Fumilayo, inset Gov. Fashola

of medical attention, but instead of her land lady or her room mates offering her the assistance she urgently needed,she was thrown out of her room (which has been paid for by Fumilayo ) until the end of the year by the very same woman who is eager to collect her rent but not eager to assist her in time of need simply because her land lady,lacks the Alausa to the rescue maternal instinct of “To my amazement, a young a mother and have girl’s voice came on the line no conscience as a with a soft, polite voice and human being. asked me what was the emer“I was on my way The good Samaritan — Hajia Binta Bakari gency and I narrated the story to the market and she promised that an amaround 10:30 am bulance will be dispatched imwhen I noticed a mediately. After several phone woman lying by the To my amazement, the calls from me and also from the road side, I quickemergency response unit, Fumso-called D.P.O. who ly asked my driver was finally taken away to was busy on the phone ilayo who she is? He told the hospital. Now, the question me that she has buying under wears at I asked is, what do we do with been lying there the wicked landlady?what does the station, did not since yesterday. I take to go the extra mile to even allow me to finish itsave asked my driver to a life? After all, ain’t we turn back and let supposed to be our brothers my story, he quickly me find out why. keepers? Well, thank God that and arrogantly disWhen I interwe have a government in Lamissed me viewed the people gos state that cares about the around there,I was welfare of its citizens,God bless told that her landSo, I asked to speak to the landlady the government of Governor lady threw her out but instead of the landlady, a maid came Fashola and his entire cabinet from the hostel. I out and told me that she was asked to go for coming to the rescue of went to the hostel to and get herself treated before coming back Fumilayo.” inquire, I was told to the hostel which she did, and later reby the security turned only for her to get ill again. guard that there “I even offered to pay for her transport was no body to esfare if the landlady could instruct any of cort her to her vilher staff to do so. But after about 5 -10 lage after Shagamu minutes, the maid came back and said because the taxi he they are very busy and there is no spare got was not willing staff that can escort Fumilayo to any to take her with out where,the only solution is to leave her any escort or relathere to die. But my maternal instinct tion.

• The rescue ambulance

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a

o adherents of the Catholic faith, Mother Theresa is associated with kindness and giving help to the helpless. In fact, her selfless services during her era turned her into a matyr and resulted in her canonization by Pope John Paul 11, after her death. Last week in Lagos, Mother Theresa resurrected in a middle-aged woman, Hajia Binta Bakari, who came all the way from Jos, Plateau State and was driving through AdeniyiJones in Ikeja when she noticed a lady lying helplessly on a foam, just by the major road, beside Asogbo Estate.

She quickly ordered her driver to stop and on inquiry, she was told by sympathetic onlookers that the lady was thrown out of her apartment by her landlady because she was sick. This is in spite of the fact that her rent had not expired.

Hajia Bakare who was in a hurry to finish her business and fly back to Jos there and then, abandoned all her engagements and sought a way of helping the sick lady.

She was scorned, berated and even ignored by some of the people she approached including the Police until she proceeded to Alausa where the welfare department quickly listened to her pleas and rescued the dying lady.

She narrated her story to Crime Alert.

“I woke up this morning with lots of positive things going through my mind,like thank God its Friday and the weekend is here again,but that’s for me, Not Fumilayo who woke up this morning not in her usual comfortable bed,but on the street with no bed, no laughter from her room mates in the hostel where she used to stay.

Why did Fumilayo find her self on the street? That is the baffling questions that came out from residents of Ashogbon Street, off Adeniyi-Jones, Ikeja, Lagos and other passersby.

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62 —

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2013

2014 W/Cup: Super Eagles will do well in Brazil — Umeh

BY JACOB AJOM

T

HE first Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chief Mike Umeh has described the 2014 World Cup draw which pitted Nigeria in Group F alongside Argentina, Bosnia Herzegovina and Iran as fantastic.

“When I first heard Nigeria and Argentina in the same group, my heart skipped a bit but when the other two countries were mentioned, I felt relaxed and I believe, Nigerians couldn’t have asked for more,” Umeh said, in a chat with Sports Vanguard after the draw.

He was sure of the capacity of the Super Eagles to deal with their group opponents, saying, “I am particularly happy that we will meet Iran in

our opening match. If we are able to beat them and work hard against Bosnia, we will square up against Argentina in the final group match.”

He dismissed the notion that Bosnia might pose a bigger threat than is being anticipated because of the numerous stars the country has across Europe. “We equally have our players in European clubs and we are going to Brazil as African champions. We believe in what we are doing and we have a very good coach in Stephen Keshi who knows what he is doing.”

Umeh said the Federation is already taking steps to ensure the Super Eagles do well at the Mundial. “We have already been working and the technical committee will fashion out a very good programme that will spell

out what should be done at each stage of our preparations,” adding that

the key to success is early preparations.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES AC Milan A Madrid A/Vienna Barcelona Chelsea Marseille Napoli Schalke

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

Ajax FC Porto Zenit Celtic Bucuresti Dortmund Arsenal Basel

8.45 pm 8.45 pm 8.45 pm 8.45 pm 8.45 pm 8.45 pm 8.45 pm 8.45 pm

Vieira: Arsenal lack leadership

V

IEIRA was Arsene Wenger ’s midfield lynchpin from 1996 to 2005, part of the “Invincibles” who claimed the 2003/4 Premier League title

•Echiejile

Echiejile demands pay rise P

ORTUGUESE club Sporting Lisbon have reiterated their desire to retain the services of Nigeria international Elderson Echiejile.

Sports daily A Bola writes that the leadership of the Archbishops has approached the left back several times over a

contract extension but the Super Eagle has continued to rebuff their advances.

African champions Nigeria has qualified for her fifth World Cup, with Echiejile almost certain to play in his second Mundial and put himself in the shop window barring injury or severe loss of form.

From the foregoing, the 25 - year - old wants Sporting Braga to offer him improved wages before he puts pen to paper on a new contract. It should be noted that Elderson Echiejile’s contract expires in June 2014 and he can sign a pre - contract with a new team as early as next month.

without tasting defeat.

Arsenal have failed to win a major trophy since Vieira’s 2005 exit and the former France midfielder said Wenger’s side are still craving more talismanic figures.

The Gunners top the Barclays Premier League by five points but World Cup winner Vieira still believes they would benefit from greater guidance from their senior squad figures.Vieira said: “I think when you look at Arsenal they play fantastic football, but you need to win games playing badly and I don’t think Arsenal are capable of that at the moment.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2013 — 63

Delta boxer emerges first Alampasu, Awoniyi beat Agbim's NYG: female champion in boxing record D CHAN 2014

N

IGERIA’S Super Eagles on Tuesday k i c k - s t a r t e d preparations for next year ’s African Nations Championship (CHAN), in the Federal Capital, Abuja with a training session at the FIFA Goal Project site of the National Stadium.

Remarkably, all 30 players invited for the encounter had arrived camp by Monday evening as directed by the Nigeria Football Federation and the technical crew and they all took part in the training session, except for Ejike Uzoenyi, who had a slight fever and was asked to rest for the day.

In the absence of Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, his assistant, Dan ‘the Bull’ Amokachi, led the session under the early morning Abuja sun and was assisted by Hyoudonou Valere and Ike Shourunmu. He told the players that only the best will be selected for the tournament that starts January 11 in South Africa, as there will be no sentiments in selection between the old and the new players in camp.

Incidentally, new invitees and members of the Golden Eaglets team that won the cadet World Cup recently in the UAE, goalkeeper Sunday Alampasu and teammate Taiwo Awoniyi, were the first to arrive camp on Monday, before skipper of the side, Chigozie Agbim arrived. Agbim had been the first of all the players to arrive camp at previous campings.

Tuesday ’s morning training was very tactical and spartan, as the coaches tried to assess the quality of players that have been invited. It lasted a little over two hours and at the end of the session, Amokachi expressed joy at the players output.

Keshi is expected to join the rest of the squad on Thursday morning. He has been away in Brazil for the World Cup draws and to also select a camp site for the Super Eagles ahead Mundia 2014.

•Alampasu

•Awoniyi

I’m against setting a World Cup target for Keshi — Minister

N

IGERIAN sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi has said he is against setting coach Stephen Keshi a World Cup target as it would put him under “unnecessary” pressure.

Nigeria have been drawn against familiar foes Argentina, debutants BosniaHerzegovina and Iran in Group F of the World Cup with pundits tipping Nigeria and Argentina to qualify from the group.

Nigeria have not gone

past the second round of the World Cup since their debut in 1994. ”What I wish for is for us to win the World Cup and I think that is what every Nigerian wishes for,” the sports minister said. ”But for talks of setting target for coach Stephen Keshi, I don’t think that is necessary because it would put him under unnecessary pressure.”

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Aminu Maigari has also

A

S dozens of world leaders are gathered in Johannesburg to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, President of Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Engr Sani M. Ndanusa has paid glowing tribute to the former South African icon for choosing sports as an instrument to unite people in peace and friendship.

In a condolence letter to the President of South African Olympic Committee, Ndanusa said that the world over have learnt a lesson of humility, love and friendship from the Great Madiba who chose sports over violence.

The NOC President’s letter was coming just as International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach called on all 204 National

boxing champion.

David David from Cross river state moved into the semifinals of the male boxing event without throwing a punch as the on-going National Youth Games (NYG) holding in Abuja, enters day three.

David booked his place after his opponent Yusuf Rasheed, from Oyo state failed to show up for the fight, on medical ground.Musa Jazuli representing Kano state also had his semifinals place sealed without a punch after Ayobami Kasali was walked-over in the match, which took at the Abuja National stadium, Velodrome.

FCMB COPA Lagos Kicks off

B

•Bolaji Abdullahi spoken in the same vein after another top official was reported to have said Keshi has been given a semi-final target at Brazil 2014.

Ghana to set up World Cup committee will set up a NOC mourns Mandela!

GHANA World Cup committee

for next year’s finals in Brazil as the Black Stars make a third successive appearance.

The yet-to be constituted members is to oversee the preparations of the team, raising funds and other logistics for their campaign.

Organizing fans to the tournament will be key for the committee with the trip to Brazil reported to be expensive. ”We are going to set up a team and a committee to look at the entire preparation for this World Cup,” Sports Minister Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah revealed. ”We have gone twice, this is our third experience and therefore we need to learn lessons from those two experiences and ensure that this third time we drive better leverage and learn from our past experiences.

ELTA state boxer, Okoro Vwerosuo on Tuesday became the first female boxing champion as events at the National Youth Games (NYG) enters day three.

Vwerosuo punched herself to victory in round three of the only bout in the female 54 weight category at the expense of Kalu Kasarachi from Abia to become the first female to be crowned champion in boxing.

The female weight category witnessed nine bout with four taking place in the 51 and 57 weight categories each, while the only fight in 54 kg produced Vwerosuo as the first female

Olympic Committees around the world to honour Nelson Mandela by flying their flags at half-mast on the day of his funeral on Sunday, December 15.

Calling Mr Mandela a great friend of sport and a hero of humanity, President Bach said all representatives of the Olympic Movement should be inspired by the example set by Mr Mandela and proud of the important role sport played in his life and the rebuilding of South Africa.

Engr Ndanusa harped on Mandela’s remarkable fight against oppression, and his love for all noting that the outpouring of emotions and respect by the world showed that Mandela was an acclaimed man of peace.

EACH soccer fiesta, Copa Lagos kicks off this week with global attention shifting to Nigeria – all for the right reasons.

The destination of choice for family entertainment that provides a platform for youth, adult, (male & female), recreational and competitive players to compete in a fun and exciting environment is Lagos.

Powered by banking giants First City Monument Bank Limited, Copa Lagos is an international Beach soccer tournament which offers the very best of sand football – loaded with excitements.

In the next few days, the world will stand still for Nigeria and its Copa Beach brand of sand football as some of the biggest names of the popular game in the world, flock the city of Lagos in search of fun in the sunny Eko Atlantic city.

Nigeria has never had it so good. Copa Lagos is a well-organised invitational

beach soccer tournament that is now the toast of the entire world. Like every successful tournament in the world, a world class financial institution, FCMB backs it to the hilt.

Organised yearly in Lagos by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSW), sponsored by FCMB and endorsed by FIFA, COPA Lagos brings together friends, families and corporate organisations in an atmosphere of conviviality thus creating bonding and great networking experience.

Since FIFA officially recognized beach soccer in 2005 by hosting the first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the game which provides Family entertainment that provides a platform for youth, adult, (male & female),recreational and competitive players to compete in a fun and exciting environment, has become a must- see.

Saintfiet Continues from BP ability,” he told BrilaFM. Nigeria find themselves in Group F along with Argentina, Iran and debutants Bosnia & Herzegovina after Friday’s draw in Costa de Sauipe, Bahia.

The Super Eagles open their World Cup campaign against Iran on June 19 in Curitiba followed by the June 21 game against BosniaHerzegovina before facing South American giants Argentina in their final group match on June 25 in Porto Alegre.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

Brazil 2014 World Cup:

Saintfiet tips Eagles for semis F

ORMER Malawi coach Tom Saintfiet backs Nigeria to reach the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and adds that the Super Eagles could become the most successful African team at the world cup next year.

“I really do believe that Nigeria can be the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup final as Ghana couldn’t make it to that stage at the last edition in South Africa 2010.

“I believe in Nigeria’s

Continues on Page 63

SEEING DOUBLE: CR7 Ronaldo poses with his wax figure at the Wax Museum of Madrid. Photo: AFP

CHAN 2014

•Alampasu, Awoniyi beat Agbim's record — P.63

SURE BET: Super Eagles players in joyous mood. Former Malawi coach, Tom Saintfiet has tipped them for the semi-final of Brazil 2014 W/Cup.

•I’m against setting a World Cup target for Keshi — Minister • P.63 QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Dupe (5) 5 Relish (6) 8 Bowl (5) 10 Sudden (6) 11 Imitated (4) 14 Corsair (6) 15 Fluctuated (7) 18 Obtain (3) 19 Colour (3) 21 Adroit (4) 23 Bar (5) 24 Insect (4) 27 Performed (3) 29 Jump (3) 31 Dog (7) 32 Staggered (6) 34 Eat (4) 35 Evoke (6) 38 Loaded (5) 39 Rescind (6) 40 Heron (5)

DOWN 2 Centre (3) 3 Reviled (6) 4 Faucet (3) 5 Break (4) 6 Swerved (6) 7 Soften (6) 9 Guided (7) 12 Hog (3) 13 Fruit (4) 16 Atmosphere (4) 17 Satan (5) 20 Inferred (7) 22 Confront (4) 25 Cast (4) 26 Courteous (6) 28 Performing (6) 30 Enclosure (3) 33 Dale (4) 36 Shelter (3) 37 Wrath (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Endure 5, Thug 8, Argue 9, Cad 10, Pipe 11, Rasp 12, Event 13, Second 16, Tern 18, Noon 20, Sty 22, Sat 23, Gin 24, Glee 25, Item 28, Dented 30, Trial 32, Gain 33, Bend 34, Eat 35, Dealt 36, Died 37, Rented.

DOWN: 1, Excuse 2, Dedicate 3, Repent 4, Prevented 5, Turning 6, Heat 7, Gape 8, Ape 14, Desirable 15, Don 17, Rat 19, Ointment 20, Sly 21, Yearned 26, Meddle 27, Edited 29, Aged 30, Tide 31, Let.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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