Budget 2013: Presidency vs NASS

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61730

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Capital Oil boss, Ifeanyi Uba, to spend 14 days in Police custody •P. 7

CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT:

N-Assembly 'll resist moves to erode its •P. 6 powers

N150

AMCON to sell nationalised banks in 2014 •P. 6

BUDGET 2013:

Presidency vs NASS •NASS playing to the gallery —Okupe •Know your limits, Mark tells Okupe •He is an overzealous official —Tambuwal

BY HENRY UMORU

BUJA — THE Presidency, yesterday, sharply rebuffed the reprimand of President Goodluck Jonathan at the presentation of the 2013 budget at the National Assembly, Wednesday, asserting that Senate President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal played to the gallery in their pronouncements.

The Presidency described the public disagreements with the President as discourteous.

It also described as blasphemous, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s insistence that the Presidency comply with the

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Mr & Mrs

...LIVING IN FLOOD CAMP: A family having a meal of bread and water at the Adankolo Flood Victims Camp, Lokoja, Kogi State. (INSET): President Goodluck Jonathan carrying a four-day-old baby delivered by Mrs Esther Omashi (left) at the camp, yesterday. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 14.

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POCKET CARTOON

Presidency versus NASS Continues from page 1 House resolution that Ms Arumah Oteh be sacked from the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe at a press briefing in Abuja in a point-by-point rebuttal of the assertions of the two leaders of the National Assembly, said the country was on course under the sterling economic management of President Jonathan contrary to the impressions of the two presiding officers of the National Assembly.

Mark and Tambuwal in separate reactions cautioned Okupe to know his limits, warning him that it was not his job description to make enemies for the president.

In a swipe at Mark over his claim that the National Assembly would not act as a robot in its treatment of the budget, Okupe while noting that the president had never treated the legislature as a rubber stamp, said: "Yesterday, the president delivered the 2013 budget speech, making him the first president in several years to do so three months ahead of the commencement of the new financial year.

“What was clearly a master presentation was nearly marred by unnecessary remarks by the leadership of the National Assembly. That was neither the place nor the occasion for such; after all, Mr. President was the special guest of honour and a distinguished visitor to the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly.

Normal legislative courtesy demands that such a visitor be allowed to perform his constitutional function without any attempt to rubbish the document that was yet to be discussed even by the members of the National Assembly.

"Specifically, the Senate President mentioned three major issues. First was that the Senate was not a rubber stamp. Let me say emphatically here and now, that the President and his administration do not expect and had never ever conceived the idea that in a healthy democracy, not just the Senate, but the National Assembly will just rubber stamp whatever it presents.”

Responding to the assertions by Mark that the presentations of the President are mere estimates, Okupe said: "Referring to budget figures as mere estimates,

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

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HE Bible says: ‘We must listen very carefully to the truths we have heard, or we may drift away from them’ (Hebrews 2:1 TLB). That word ‘drift’ should set off alarm bells. It doesn’t happen overnight, but slowly and imperceptibly you drift off course and end up in places you never thought you would be—places you may not be able to get back from.

An aeroplane flying just one degree off its assigned flight plan can end up hundreds of miles from its destination. And if it’s out of fuel, it’s only going one place—down.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world’s happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime —Dale Carnegie

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MAN was taking a walk along the beach.

He saw that the morning tide from the ocean brought in hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, and they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water.

He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was another person who couldn’t understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, “What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?” This man did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, “It makes a difference to this one.

demeans the quality of the document itself. The budget represents the vision, the intentions and the definitive steps that the government intends to take over the next 12 months.

What it requires is to table this before the elected representatives of the people for them to consider it and deliberate upon.

Where amendments/ adjustments are required, it should be done but to call these figures as mere estimates is rather unfair.

On nonimplementation of the budget "They also spoke about non-implementation of the budget. You will agree with me that, that has been a raging issue in the last couple of months. Firstly, the current budget of 2012, became law at the end of April 2012. So the budget has just been implemented for the past five months only. A budget is expected to last 12 months but because of its late passage it has only been implemented for five months and as of yesterday (Wednesday) the president gave a figure of N711.6 billion as having been disbursed out of the capital budget. That represents a figure of about 23 per cent already disbursed in five months.

"So the issue of implementation cannot be taken in isolation. It must be taken along with when the budget became law and duration of time which has elapsed between the time it became law and what has been dispensed from the budget.”

On the Speaker's remarks Pressing against Speaker Tambuwal, the presidential aide said: "I then go to the statements and comments by the Speaker of the House, which was officially intended to be a vote of thanks and in reality, even though vote of thanks do get extended to accommodate a couple of views, it is not usual that it is converted into another speech.

"That place was not an executive session of the House of Representatives.

But I do not intend to take up any issue with the leadership of the National Assembly. Rather I will go into the points that were raised that were erroneous so that we can correct them for the benefits of the Nigerian people.

"The speaker said interim over-sight reports were clearly unimpressive both in terms of releases as well as utilisation. This statement cannot be wholesomely acceptable if you actually look at the background and the reasons for which the Assembly men hurriedly packaged the visit.

"In one week, the Assembly has gone round the whole country and quickly completed oversight functions and came to the conclusion that they were unimpressive. It is the same argument that goes for non-release or implementation. I do not want to repeat myself and I also do not want to accuse anybody of bias or anything like that. But we feel that that judgment was unfair.

Release of funds to MDAs "The other issue was the release of money to the MDAs as at when due.

There are a couple of issues that guide the release of money. One is the issue of demand, necessity and availability and only the executive can give answers as to this. Up to date, none of the MDAs has complained or has been hampered from functioning simply because money due for projects was not released. ‘’The difference between the National Assembly and the executive branch is that, you pass a budget and then

you wait in the assembly for it to be expended. But there are procedures for spending government money which cannot be abridged. If, for instance, in the case of a road, design has to be done, a lot of things have to be done, contract has to be advertised and awarded, mobilisation has to be paid.

"So these things really affect the release of funds and if I release to you N30 million for a road project and you have not expended that, I do not see why, just because the allocation is due, I should give you another money at a time that we are talking about serious fiscal discipline.

"The Speaker complained about the Bureau for Public Procurements, BPP, that it has been a bottle neck to effective capital implementation. That is unfortunate. This Bureau for Public Procurement was brought in to ensure accountability and also

ensure that the era of contract inflation and over invoicing is ended.

"Federal revenue should not be squandered on the altar of speedy disbursement of funds to MDAs. I do not want to believe that the speaker was suggesting that this control measure must be abrogated. I don’t want to believe that.

Domestic borrowing ‘On domestic borrowing as raised by Speaker Tambuwal, the Presidency accused the National Assembly of being responsible on account of alleged hikes in past budgets of the Federal Government. ‘’The truth of the matter is that the speaker may not be aware or he should be aware, he is a third time law maker. It is the activities and actions of previous parliaments who continue Continues on page 54

Budget 2013: Experts pick holes, emphasize close monitoring •Allocation to Infrastructure grossly inadequate—LCCI •NMA decries paltry allocation to health

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE, SOLA OGUNDIPE, CHIOMA OBINNA, MICHAEL EBOH, GODWIN ORITSE, ROSEMARY ONUOHA & DOTUN IBIWOYE

AGOS — ECONOMIC Experts and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), yesterday, reacted to the Budget 2013 proposed by the Federal Government on Wednesday, commending some of the proposals while faulting others.

They, however, called for close monitoring of the implementation of the budget, saying this was what mattered most.

Specifically, experts commended the reduction

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in the share of the recurrent expenditure, increased focus on agriculture and women, and the incentives to some sectors of the economy.

They, however, faulted the proposed oil output of 2.63 million barrel per day, low allocation to health sector, reliance on borrowing to finance the budget, and the lack of accountability in the implementation of the budget for 2011.

On its parts, NMA lamented exclusion of the health sector from the tax relief announced by the President.

Mr. Goodie Ibru,OON, President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said: “Generally, these assumptions are realistic and sustainable.

However, the oil production assumption is on the optimistic side, as crude oil theft and vandalisation of pipelines in the oil producing areas have not abated. The expenditure outlay in the budget is N4.92 trillion. At this stage, it is difficult to undertake a thorough analysis of budgetary appropriations as the full details are yet to be released.

“But from the expenditure proposals, it is evident that allocations to infrastructure development and some other critical sectors of the economy are grossly inadequate. The government needs to do a lot more in the areas of Continues on page 54

6—Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

AMCON to sell nationalised banks in 2014 We 'll reposition capital market—Oteh

BY PETER EGWUATU AGOS—THE Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, is considering listing the three bridge banks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, as options to disposing them.

The three bridge banks are: Keystone Bank Ltd, Enterprise Bank Ltd and Mainstreet Bank Ltd. Managing Director, AMCON, Mr. Mustafa ChikeObi, who revealed this to newsmen, yesterday, after the opening of the 16th annual Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, CIS, conference and induction of new associates said, “AMCON is weighing the option of core investors and listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.”

Chike-Obi said: “We are awaiting our adviser. In 2014, we would offload our shares to preferred investors. We injected money into the banks and we will not sell our shares now until it is profitable to do so. We are the largest holder of shares and we are confident about the sustenance of the stock market recovery.” He further predicted that Nigeria may have a single digit interest rate, before the end of 2013, just as he revealed that the bridge banks will

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be off loaded to investors by 2014.

Chike-Obi said: “If the trend in the management of the monetary policies and inflation continue like what we are seeing now, the country will have a single digit interest rate before the end of 2013.”

Similarly, he further predicted that the Nigerian stock market index will hit 40,000 points before the end of 2013. According to him, “If investors continue to patronize the market and regulators and operators continue to do the work they are currently doing I see the market attaining 40,000 points market before the end of 2013. Nigerian stock market is relatively the best market in terms of returns on investment despite the global financial meltdown.”

Speaking also, Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh said: ‘The capital market will be repositioned to tap from the Federal Government transformation agenda of the agricultural sector.”

Oteh said market participants must be prepared to tap from the development in the market, noting that the market was experiencing increased participation of institutional and retail investors.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PUBLIC HEARING—From right: Chairman Senate Committee on Constitutional Review and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremandu; Senate President David Mark and Senate Leader Ndoma-Egba during a public hearing on constitution amendment in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Constitution amendment N-Assembly 'll resist moves to erode its powers—Mark ...solicits co-operation of stakeholders BUJA—THE National Assembly will hold certain fundamental ideals sacrosanct and will resist any attempt to erode its powers to review the 1999 Consti-

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tution, Senate President, David Mark, has warned.

Mark gave the warning yesterday at the opening of a two-day public hearing on further review of the 1999

....As speakers make U-turn; seek financial autonomy for State Assemblies, LGs

BY HENRY UMORU & INALEGWU SHAIBU BUJA—IT was a dra matic U-turn by Conference of Speakers when they suddenly stressed the need for financial autonomy in the state Houses of Assembly and the 774 local government councils in the country.

They said this must be done for democracy to be sustained as well as reduce corruption at the state level.

They further suggested that since office holders were expected to uphold the constitution, it was no longer desirable to swear-in such people with only the Koran or the Bible, but with the constitution.

Speaking during a public hearing by the Senate

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Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution on the proposed alteration to the 1999 Constitution, Chairman of the Conference of Speakers and Speaker, Gombe State House of Assembly, Inuwa Garba said the only way meaningful developments could be witnessed in the 36 states of the country was to grant financial freedom to both the state Assemblies and local governments.

Garba urged the National Assembly to accept its counterparts as partners in progress .

The Speakers through their representative said the state legislators would only participate in the on-going exercise if the review panel would grant its request for free-

dom.

However, the new move by the speakers may have unsettled some state governors who reportedly ordered the state lawmakers to vote against financial autonomy for the state Assemblies when it was first proposed by the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on the review of the 1999 constitution about two years ago.

The demand requires the amendment of Section 162 of the constitution which empowers the states to run a joint account with the councils.

Earlier in his opening address, the Chairman of the review committee and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu had listed, devo-

lution of powers, fiscal federalism, the concept of federating units, citizenship and indigeneship as someof the topics to be treated by the review committee.

According to him, other issues to be reviewed include the system of local government administration, judicial reforms, tenure of office of the executive, the immunity clause, constitutional role for traditional rulers, states creation, rotation of office for executive office holders, boundary adjustment, recognition of the six geopolitical zones in the constitution, mayoral status for Abuja, FCT, as well as the extraction of the Land Use Act ,the NYSC Act and Code of Conduct Act from the Constitution.

c o n s t i t u t i o n .

He said: “Any constitution worth its salt must guarantee periodic elections, fundamental rights, a system of checks and balances.

“It must also guarantee the principle of separation of powers, a vibrant legislature, a dynamic executive, an independent judiciary, and a free press.”

The senate president stressed the need for the legislature to work hard to deepen these fundamental principles and strengthen the institutions which guarantee them.

He added: “Legitimacy will be restored to the grund norm if all these can be accomplished on the basis of the contributions which you will make here today, as well as other contributions generated from Nigerians in the process of constitution review.”

While acknowledging that the task of reviewing the constitution had historically never been easy, Mark solicited the participation, commitment and cooperation of all key stakeholders in the assignment.

“These include the Houses of Assembly of the States, the Federal and State governments, and the general p u b l i c . ” In his remarks, Deputy Senate President and Chairman, Senate Consti-

tution Review Committee, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, disclosed that 231 memoranda, in addition to 56 other memoranda proposing the creation of additional states, had been received.

Ekweremadu listed the areas of the constitution in which Nigerians wanted amended through their memoranda to include devolution of powers, state creation and constitutional recognition of the six geo-political zones.

Other areas were the local government system, fiscal federalism, residency and indigenes, the Nigeria Police, rotation of offices, immunity clause and the exe c u t i v e .

The deputy senate president also listed judicial reforms to strengthen justice delivery, the desirability or otherwise of a mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory as other areas.

Also listed for amendment are the extraction of the Land Use Act, National Youth Service Act, and Code of Conduct from the constitution to make their amendments easier and faster, among other issues.

Ekweremadu said the public hearing would be held in the six geo-politcal zones of the country in November to take the process closer to the people.

Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—7

Shell on trial in Netherlands over pollution in Nigeria HELL broke the law by not repairing leaks that destroyed the lands of Niger Delta farmers, a Dutch court heard in a case that could set a precedent for global environmental responsibility. The four Nigerian farmers, backed by lobby group Friends of the Earth, have brought the Anglo-Dutch oil giant into court thousands of miles away from their homes with a civil suit that could open the door for hundreds of similar cases.

“Shell knew for a long time that the pipeline was damaged but didn’t do anything. They could have stopped the leaks,” lawyer Channa Samkalden told the court yesterday, accusing Shell of having “violated its legal obligations”.

The case relates to damage caused in 2005 and was initially filed in 2008, demanding that Royal Dutch Shell should clean up the mess, repair and maintain defective pipelines to prevent further damage and pay out compensation. In a landmark ruling, the Dutch judiciary in 2009 declared itself competent to try the case despite protests from Shell that its Nigerian subsidiary was solely legally responsible for any damage.

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COURTESY—From left: Leader of delegation of Southern Peoples Assembly, Chief Mazulike Amechi, Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha during a courtesy call on the leadership of the House by Southern Peoples Assembly at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, yesterday.

Subsidy fraud: Court remands Capital Oil MD, Uba; Matrix MD, 7 others

BY EVELYN USMAN & BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE LAGOS Magistrate Court sitting at Tinubu Square, yesterday, remanded Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, 42, and seven other management staff of his company in police custody for 14 days over their alleged involvement in the fuel subsidy scam.

The seven other persons are Nsikan Usoro, 35 (Head of Trading), Chibuzor Ogbuokiri, 48 (General Manager, Operations) Godfrey Okorie, 41 (Depot Manager) and Orji Joseph Anayo, 46 (Executive Director, Operations).

Also remanded at the Special Fraud Unit over fuel subsidy scam was the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Matrix Energy Ltd, Abdulkabir Aliu alongside the firm’s Operations Manager, Yusuf Oyolola and its accountant, Adewale Akinde.

Aliu and members of his staff are to be remanded for 15 days at the Special Fraud Unit for the purpose of completing their investigation. Matrix Energy Limited was alleged to be involved in N13.376 Billion fraud.

Magistrate Martins Owumi’s decision was sequel to the application for remand filed by the Commissioner of Police pursuant to Section 264 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2011.

Police said they were suspected to have committed the offences of economic sabotage, obtaining money by false pretences, money laundering and forgery as well as stealing of N43.291 billion property of Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to the 11 grounds for the remand request endorsed by Effiong Asuquo, a Superintendent

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of Police, the suspects obtained the money by falsely pretending that the company had imported and sold 538,74 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit during the 2011 fiscal year through 26 transactions.

The police also said that the fraud was discovered by the Presidential Committee on the verification and reconciliation of fuel subsidy payments, adding: “That the nature of the criminal act and the huge amount involved in the fraud constitute the crime of economic sabotage and capable of un-

dermining the security of Nigeria.”

The police said that evidence and exhibits were being gathered as investigations continued and that the suspects going by their enormous wealth would influence or prevent the gathering of evidence if released from custody at this stage of investigation.

The police further stated that there was high risk of the suspects escaping from the country if not remanded and urged the court to grant them one month within which to conclude in-

v e s t i g a t i o n .

The police request was supported with a 13-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Francis A. Idu, a Chief Superintendent of Police ( C S P ) .

However, despite the passionate and concerted effort of the defendants’ counsel, Bode Olanipekun, who pleaded with the court to admit his clients on bail orally, the court refused to accede to the one month request. Both cases were adjourned till October 31.

Top NCC executive blamed for frequency crisis

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH BUJA—A deal be tween the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, NIGCOMSAT and a Chinese firm, with tacit collaboration of a senior executive of the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, might have made the Ministry of Police Affairs to abandon a security-related frequency for a commercial frequency, which has already been assigned to a private firm, OpenSkys Ltd, Vanguard investigation has revealed.

The Federal Government-owned satellite company had only in 2009 partnered with the private firm, OpenSkys, to qualify to be issued a commercial frequency on the basis of a Presidential order, however, following NIGCOMSATled discussions, NIGCOMSAT jettisoned the firm and opted for partnership with the Chinese firm, and the Ministry of Police Affairs, a deal for which the Federal Government was

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made to secure a US$470 Million loan for a frequency slot that never existed as the NCC has already issued the Nigerian Police Force a different frequency.

In desperation, the Ministry of Police Affairs, also following advice by a commissioner of the NCC, now insists that OpenSkys would have to vacate its own frequency slot for the project, a situation that has pitched the private firm which is said to have already gone to court to stop the parties from encroaching on its frequency.

It was learnt that in a bid to satisfy its commercial interest, NIGCOMSAT led the Police to believe that it could use the portion of the 450 MHz frequency meant for security transmission for commercial telecommunications and make profit like commercial companies only to discover later that the frequency allocated to police was not designed for commercial telecommunications services. Meanwhile, the equipment already supplied by the Chinese firm, ZTE, were for commercial

services.

Fearing that the Police may lose huge funds in the process, the NCC executive is said to have resorted to blackmailing the Commission by alleging that due process was not followed in the allocations of the frequency to OpenSkys by the Commission, and is said to have recruited the media to fight his battle with NCC management.

Findings by Vanguard indicates that under the terms given the licencees by the NCC, the Nigeria Police was to use the non-commercial segment of the band for its security transmission while Open Skys was to deploy the other segment for its commercial telecommunications transactions.

Documents made available to Vanguard, confirmed that the Nigerian Frequency Management Board approved a bandwidth of 500 Kilo Hertz for the relocation of all Nigeria Police Radio Communications systems within the 450 MHz band to 469.375-469.975 MHz/ 459.375-459-975 MHz following a presidential directive in 2009.

“I’m here because of the oil leakage that happened in my community in the Shell facilities and destroyed my 47 fish ponds”, Friday Alfred Akpan, from the village of Ikot Ada Udo, told the AFP news agency before heading into court.

“The destruction of the fish ponds caused serious damage to me and my family because I make use of that fish to take care of myself and my children.”

“We believe that the claims are unsubstantiated,” Allard Castelein, Shell’s Vice President Environment, said at the court.

“The spills that happened in the years between 2004 and 2007 all happened as the consequence of illegal theft and sabotage.” “We agreed there was a spill, it wasn’t our fault, we cleaned up nevertheless and that’s what happened,” Castelein said.

Environmental groups accuse Shell of double standards and treating spills in Nigeria differently from pollution in Europe or North America. But Castelein fended off the accusations, saying: “We do have the same standards in Europe and Nigeria.” He added: “I am not afraid of (the court’s) judgment as it will just confirm the way we operate.”

DPR seals MRS, OBAT, ASCON depots

BY CLARA NWACHUKWU EPARTMENT of Petroleum Resources, DPR, yesterday, sealed the depots of MRS Oil and Gas, Obat Petroleum and Ascon Nigeria Limited for allegedly selling above the regulated ex-depot prices.

Accordingly, the petroleum industry regulator has made good its recent warnings to marketers a forth night ago against taking advantage of the current fuel supply shortages to fleece customers.

Apart from the depots, many of the retail outlets have also taken advantage of the situation to sell above the regulated N97/litre pump price, as motorists call on the DPR to also clamp down on the outlets.

In statement in Lagos, the DPR said: “Sequel to our recent Annual General Meeting, AGM, held with Depot Operators/Marketers, during which the Department warned that appropriate sanctions would

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be meted out to enforce compliance for violations, including the sale of petrol, PMS, above approved prices, we have commenced the sealing of identified depots.

“The PMS delivery arms of the under listed depots were today (yesterday) sealed indefinitely by the Department: MRS Oil and Gas Ltd, Obat Petroleum Ltd and Ascon Nig Ltd.” The statement, signed by the agency’s Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mrs. B. Osibodu, said: “This action was based on credible information received on the depots, which confirmed that they were selling PMS above approved prices.”

The industry regulator did not, however, disclose how much the three depots were selling, but the approved ex-depot prices posted on the official website of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Continues on page 45 C M Y K

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

8 DAYS TO GO

Mimiko accuses Agagu of plotting to arrest LP members •I’m too decent for that – Agagu STORIES BY DAYO JOHNSON

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HE Olusegun Mimiko Campaign Organization (MCO) yesterday accused the immediate past governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Agagu, of sponsoring insurrections in the state and using policemen from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to arrest leaders of the Labour Party (LP) in the state on trumpup charges.

Its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi said in a statement in Akure that this was part of PDP’s plan to rig next week’s election and it was firmed out a meeting held by top government officials in Abuja yesterday night.

However in a swift reaction, the Ondo PDP denied the allegation and said that Agagu was too urbane to engage in such dirty

politics. The party’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Ayo Fadaka said: “Our attention has been arrested by an allegation that Dr Olusegun Agagu is seeking to use the police to intimidate opponents, this claim is obviously false and is an attempt to misrepresent the person of Dr Agagu.

“It is important to let people know that Agagu as Governor did not misuse the privileges of his office as he remained a gentleman all through. Therefore we make bold to declare that much as our leader does not have an agenda to use the police to intimidate anyone, that does not in any manner suggest that he will just fold his arms and look in askance if any group of people decide to take it upon themselves to break the law, of course as responsible person it is his civic

duty to report such people to the police for necessary action.”

But the MCO alleged that part of the plan was to infiltrate the state with paid thugs who would be armed to intimidate our leaders in order for them to perpetrate their rigging plans while policemen would be sent in from Abuja “to begin to pick our leaders all over the state beginning from this weekend.”

Olabisi said this was the latest in the series of the evil machinations of the former governor borne out of his desperation and this, it recalled had been on for a while

culminating in a petition he wrote first to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and later the Chief Justice of Nigeria over a purportedly fake Security report which he claimed was what the court used in sending him out of office. MCO listed some of those to be arrested on spurious charges to include his (Agagu’s) Brother-in-Law, Segun Ayerin, who lately decamped from the PDP to the LP; Mr. Ade Adeniyi, Yele Akinya, Mr. Wale Ogunmade who is the Caretaker Chairman in Okitipupa Local Government; Ose and Owo local

governments caretaker chairmen, Ogunsakin Kolawole and Adekanbi Ayorinde Olu; Alhaji Jimoh Bello, Ogunwa Oboli, Dapo Iwala and Dr Ikeemelo.

Olabisi said Agagu’s problem stemmed from his pride and his refusal to accept defeat from Dr Olusegun Mimiko despite glaring evidence that his party, the PDP cannot win the election.

“Agagu is highly egocentric; this ego was bruised by his loss to Dr Olusegun Mimiko in the 2007 Governorship election despite all the money, influence and power behind him.

PSC to deploy 832 observers

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BOUT 832 observers will be deployed to Ondo State by a partnership of four major organizations in Nigeria named Project Swift Count PSC during the October 20 governorship election The Project Manager of the agency, Mr. Victor Agbogun, stated this at an interactive session with some Ondo State-based Civil Society Organisations in Akure yesterday.

Agbogun pointed out that

800 of them would be deployed as stationery observers to 400 randomly sampled polling units while the remaining 32 would rove across the 18 local councils of the state on the Election Day. According to him the PSC is in partnership with the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria; the Justice, Development, Peace/Caritas; Nigerian Bar Association; and the Transition Monitoring Group.

*ACN candidate Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, with running mate, Dr Paul Akintelure, addressing supporters at a rally held at Ileoluji., Ondo State.

PDP reads riot act to members ACN to give fake dollars as vote ahead Jonathan’s visit bribe – Mimiko

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HE Peoples Democratic Party PDP yesterday said that it would be sacrilegious for any member of the party either within or outside Ondo State to work against Chief Olusola Oke, its governorship candidate in the October 20 election.

National Vice Chairman of the party in the South West Chief Segun Oni said this in Akure while briefing newsmen on the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the rounding off of the governorship campaign of the party on Saturday. President Jonathan is to lead other National leaders of the party to the state to shore up support for the candidate of the party and to dispel rumour that the President was not favourable disposed to the candidature of Oke. Oni, who was the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, warned of dire consequences for any party member or leader who engages in anti-party activities ahead of the polls.

“If any party member works C M Y K

against the candidature of Chief Oke in this coming governorship election we will not take it kindly. This is a time of battle every grudges should be suspended. This is a collective battle and we need to fight to bring back the lost glory of the party and at the same time sing a glorious song. The best thing for anyone who doesn’t buy into this is to travel out of the state otherwise the national body of the party would not take kindly to anti party activities in this governorship election.

The PDP is not only ready for this October 20 governorship election but we are going to win fair and square.”

Speaking on the present administration, Oni said the Mimiko administration has done its best but that the coming PDP government would surpass the Mimiko administration. Oni called on the people of the state not to vote for the ACN so that the state would not be an appendage of other states in the SouthWest.

•It’s an insult on Ondo people – Akeredolu

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N its desperation to capture Ondo State, the Mimiko Campaign Organisation, MCO, has accused the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) of perfecting plans to buy vote and disenfranchise unsuspecting electorate in the state with fake dollar notes.

It alleged that the plot was hatched in Lagos on Tuesday evening following financial crises which now stare the party in the face owing to billions of naira already expended to prosecute the Ondo election. It alleged that the financial burden was already taking its toll on the five ACN controlled states in the South-West which were the major contributors to the war chest for operation ‘Ondo must fall.’

In a statement by Kolawole Olabisi, the MCO said: “Now that it has become glaring that the Ondo election would not be a push over owing to the huge

popularity of Dr Olusegun Mimiko whose rating has continued to soar, the ACN leaders have in their desperation to bribe voters; buy at least 500 voters’ cards from each ward in the Ondo Central where Governor Mimiko comes from and where there is a high density of voters and pay other sundry expenses of those to be imported as thugs; pay fake Civil Defence corps members; fake Youth Corps members; fake policemen and army among others, they have resorted to use fake dollars.

“We are aware that fake dollars abound in the Oluwole area of Lagos where the leader of ACN grew up, they have decided to import tons of these fake dollars to pay those who would be bought over.”

MCO claimed that to cover the obvious fact that its treasury was depleted and in the face of open protests from indigenes of these states who are already groaning under the

effect of the cash crunch since the Ondo expedition began, a fund raising would be organised by ACN any moment from now to create the impression that they were spending money realised from this fund raising.

Countering, the Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO) in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Idowu Ajanaku, described the MCO allegations as not only coming from a confused mind but also as an insult on the good people of Ondo State.

“Indeed, the claim of financial crises in ACN controlled states is not only laughable but exists only in the imagination of Mimiko. Only yesterday Governor Kayode Fayemi marking his second year anniversary in office was busy celebrating outstanding performance with the people of Ekiti State with the commissioning of roads and other infrastructural development. In fact a memorandum of understanding was signed with Samsung to provide technological development and jobs for Ekiti people.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—9

Bad road at Berger Under Bridge Bus-stop on Oshodi - Apapa Expressway yesterday. Photo; Kehinde Gbadamosi

Ikomi resigns as Keystone Bank CEO

By Babajide Komolafe

THE MANAGING Director/Chief Executive Officer, Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Oti Ikomi has resigned from the bank.

A statement from the bank said Mr. Ikomi who tendered his resignation on Thursday, October 11, 2012, said his decision was based on personal reasons.

The bank was granted licence on August 5, 2011 by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and is wholly owned by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria ( A M C O N ) .

The Chairman of Keystone Bank, Mr. Moyo Ajekigbe, has convened a meeting for today to review the development and appoint a successor.”

NAFDAC reads riots act to malaria drug firms

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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HE NATIONAL Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has directed all manufacturers, importers and marketers of antimalaria drugs to implement the Mobile Authentication Service, SMS, on or before 2nd January, 2013.

This is as the Agency sealed a pharmaceutical distribution outlet, Anyiwest for stocking, selling and dispensing fake, banned and

expired drugs in Lagos.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Agency’s Deputy Director, Mr. Abubakar Jimoh also noted that 1st March 2013 has been set as deadline for all antibiotic drugs marketed in the country to carry the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) Scratch and Text label.

Jimoh further explained that the measures were pursuant to the Ministry of Health and NAFDAC’s zero tolerance to counterfeit medicines as from January 2014.

31 year old arraigned for allegedly stealing N19m

BY ONOZURE DANIA

31-year-old man, A b u m i k e Okoliagu, has been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate Court for stealing N19 million.

Okoliagu, who was the former branch manager of Etus World Connection Nigeria Limited at Ojo Alaba and others now at large, was alleged to have stolen phone accessories valued N19 million, the

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property of Mr. Cletus Ogbu, the chairman of Etus World connection Nigeria ltd in Ojo Alaba area of Lagos.

The offence, according to the police prosecutor, Mr. Samson Ekikere, occurred on September 15, 2012, at Ojo Alaba.

The presiding Magistrate, J A. Anabor granted him bail in the sum of N1million, with sureties in like sum. The matter was adjourned to November 5, 2012.

Bad road at Jakande Bus-stop on Oshodi - Apapa Expressway yesterday Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

Multi-million naira building materials lost in fire

BY EVELYN USMAN

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U I L D I N G M AT E R I A L S worth several millions of naira were yesterday destroyed by fire that engulfed no fewer than one hundred shops at Plank Market in Low Cost Housing estate, Oke-Afa, Isolo area of Lagos.

The cause of the fire which sent the panicking traders scampering for safety, could not be immediately ascertained.

But report said it started

from one of the shops at about 10.30a.m., while the traders were just settling down for the day ’s sales after concluding the sanitation exercise that ended 30 minutes earlier.

Some of the traders who managed to salvage their wares to the other side of the road, unfortunately lost them to hoodlums who pretended to be helping out, while some reportedly sustained injuries in the resultant stampede.

One of the traders said to have attempted to salvage some building materials from his burning shop reportedly got chocked in the process. It could not, however, be ascertained if he eventually died.

Effort to put out the raging fire failed as all the shops in one of the sections was completely razed before the arrival of fire servicemen. But the Fire Service reportedly managed to contain the situation from spreading to other

Aggrieved tanker drivers barricade Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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B E O K U TA — TANKER drivers yesterday barricaded Lagos – Ibadan Express road, prompting commuters and motorists who plied the expressway to be stranded for about 13 hours.

Vanguard gathered that, the trouble started in Ogere – Remo yesterday when a team of police escorts allegedly shot the tyres of a trailer laden with petrol with registration number JIGAWA XC 405 DUT carrying petrol at around 11 p.m.

Wednesday.

The incident later reportedly led to the heavy traffic jam following the alleged damage of three tyres of the trailer, heading towards Ibadan with a stopover at the Ogere trailer park.

In retaliation, other trailers plying the road allegedly blocked the other side of the express road which caused another serious traffic jam at the Ogere axis of the road.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of Ogun Command, Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the incident, said that the policemen who allegedly caused the crisis were not from Ogun State Command.

A Deputy Commissioner of Police from Eleweran in Abeokuta, Mohammed Abdulkadir later engaged the trailer drivers in negotiations before they agreed to vacate the road.

Vanguard gathered that, the police authority had already agreed to pay the N250, 000 cost of replacing the damaged tyres to pacify the protesting trailer drivers.

The Sector Commander

of Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, in Ogun, Mr. Ayobami Omiyale, said that he instructed motorists on both axis to make use of alternative routes before the problem was resolved.

sections.

Policemen from Ejigbo Division who arrived the scene with officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, helped control the flow of traffic caused by thick smoke that covered the Isolo/Egbe road, thereby blurring vision for motorists.

One of the traders, Saka Ade, lamented that he had lost everything in the fire.

According to him: “I had cleaned my shop’s environment on Wednesday evening ahead of today ’s (yesterday) sanitation exercise, so as to come in at about 10a.m. But to my surprise, a customer who had come to buy some building materials, called to say the market was on fire.

"I rushed down, only to discover that not even a pin was salvaged from my shop. I lost over N500,000, an amount I borrowed from my club with a promise to pay in two month’s time. Where do I start from now?"

Customs accused of meddling in CRFFN

BY GODWIN ORITSE

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HE COUNCIL for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has berated the management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of meddling in its internal affairs by writing to the Minister of Transport with a view to stopping the collection of its transaction fee.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, the Chairman of the Council, Aare Hakeem Olarenwaju, said that the Customs Service has refused to

see the Council as its partner in cargo delivery chain.

Olarenwaju also accused the management of Customs of writing to the Minister of Transport against the proposed collection of transaction fee which the Minister himself Senator Idris Umar has approved.

Part of the Customs letter reads: “The Service is of the opinion that the charges will no doub t cause delays in the clearance of goods at the ports thereby leading to to port congestion."

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Ekiti NUT vows to ignore govt’s de-recognition

BY GBENGAARIYIBI

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DO EKITI — The leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT) in Ekiti State has vowed to continue to protect the interest of its members despite the stance of the state government to derecognize the union The state government has said it has derecognized the state wing of NUT due to the current face-off between it and the teachers over the refusal of the teachers to partake in assessment test Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, addressing supporters in Bolowou community, during his campaign tour of Ese-Odo Local Government area, yesterday.

Osun PDP denies involvement in Speaker’s wife’s kidnap O

SOGBO – THE PDP in Osun yesterday dissociated the party from the kidnap of Muibat, the wife of the Speaker of Osun House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salam.

Mr. Diran Odeyemi,

the state PDP Director of Publicity, Media and Strategy, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo.

NAN recalls that some hoodlums had

kidnapped the Speaker’s wife late on Tuesday while returning home from her shop at OkeOyo area of Ejigbo in Osun.

Odeyemi dismissed the insinuations in certain quarters that the

60-year-old, 19 others escape death in Abeokuta collapsed building

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA— A-60 -year old woman, Mrs. Risikatu Majekodunmi and 19 others escaped death yesterday when a-50year old storey building located beside the palace of Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo collapsed.

The buildingm which is also situated adjacent to the Abeokuta South Local Government Secretariat in Ake Abeokuta, reportedly caved in at 8:a.m. yesterday while most of the occupants were still in the building.

The occupants, according to an eyewitness, rushed out of the building shortly before the building caved in with a thunderous bang.

The building, Vanguard learnt, had been marked for demolition by the state government to give room for the expansion of the road in the area.

When Vanguard visited the scene yesterday, some of the occupants of the building were seen C M Y K

making efforts to recover their property.

While counting her loss, the 60-year-old Mrs. Risikatu Majekodunmi who sells local gin and herbs, explained that, the building collapsed few minutes after they all moved out following the strange sound coming out from it.

Another victim of the collapsed building, Mrs. Amuda Olowonyo, who sells food near the building, said she and her customers would have been dead if not that, they all took to their heels when the building started collapsing.

Addressing newsmen at the scene, Chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government, Mr. Lanre Edun, who blamed the incident on the heavy rain that fell the previous day, also traced the collapse to old age of the building He said, government quickly responded to the incident with the invitation of fire service and other relevant rescue teams.

Edun emphasized that, all occupants have been directed to keep off, pointing out that, the last option may be to pull down the entire structure.

abductors might be PDP members hoping to settle a political score with the ACN in Osun.

“It is criminal of any right thinking person to think that way.

“The PDP, as one of the opposition parties in the state, is not violent and more so, we don’t have anything to do with the Speaker.

“As a matter of fact, we in the PDP even sympathise with the Speaker for the kidnap of his wife by suspected kidnappers.

“And it is our wish that she comes back home unhurt,” Odeyemi said.

Also speaking, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, the ACN Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in Osun, urged the Federal Government to tackle the security challenges in the country.

The ACN spokesman urged the state police command to do everything possible in securing the immediate release of Muibat from her captors.

Ogun State awards N100bn roads contract

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BEOKUTA — THE Ogun Government yesterday announced the award of N100 billion contract for the reconstruction of 12 roads across the three senatorial districts of the state.

In a statement issued in Abeokuta, the Commissioner for Works and Housing, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, said the contracts will improve the existing infrastructure in the state..

Adegbite said that the projects would gulp about N100 billion and would be completed within 24 months.

He listed the roads as Sango-Ijoko, Oke AroOjodu-Abiodun roads to link motorists direct from Sango-Ota in Ogun to Ojodu Berger in Lagos.

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BADAN— A Federal High Court in Ibadan has threatened to commit the General Officer Commanding, 2 Mechanised Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Major-General Muhammed Abubakar, to prison for contempt if he fails to appear in court on October 30.

The order was given by Justice Adejumo Obaseki, yesterday during the sitting of the court over a suit filed by Alhaji G.O Fagbohun against the GOC. The 2 Division and the Olukola Oganla family have been involved in a land dispute which the family claimed the Army forcefully took from them.

The GOC had been accused of refusing to release the land as ordered by the court in an earlier judgment by the same court in 2005.

Part of the land measuring 8.572 hectares was alleged to have been set aside as old shooting range by the army at Letmauck Barracks in Ibadan.

Mr. Abiodun Amole,

Others are the Sagamu-Benin Express Junction, Oba Erinwole road and Ejirin roadOluwalogbon Junction in Ijebu-Ode; IlisanAgo/Iwoye road and Ikangba-Ilese road, all in the Ogun East Senatorial District.

The project also includes the Ilara-Ijohun road, Lafenwa-Ayetoro road, Ilo-Awela road in Ota and the 32 km Sango-Ijoko-Oke AroOjodu Abiodun road in Ogun West Senatorial District.

According to Adegbite, the Ojere-Adatan Roundabout, OGTVBrewery Junction and Moshood Abiola Way in the Ogun Central Senatorial District are also included.

Warring Obas: Gov. Amosun in dilemma over report

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA – THE Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun was said to be confused over the report of one-man panel set up to try the two warring Obas who threw caution into the wind last week.

Governor Amosun who hails from Owu

Court threatens to commit GOC to prison

BY OLA AJAYI

The body faulted the state government for shifting the blame on the poor performance of students in public examinations on the teachers Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the NUT Chairman in the state, Comrade Samuel Akosile, said the fact that teachers in Ekiti won four National Awards during the 2012 World Teachers’ Day in Abuja, confirmed that Ekiti teachers remain one of the best in the country.

counsel to the plaintiff had argued that since nobody is above the law, it amounted to outright insult on the court for the GOC to behave the way he did.

In his defence, counsel to the Nigerian Army, Temil A. A, said his client enjoys immunity and the judge disagreed and proved him wrong constitutionally.

extraction was reportedly receiving pressure from both Egba and Owu people whose Obas were affected by the report.

Vanguard gathered that, the Alhaji Samodu Asade-led panel report which had been submitted to the state government since Sunday reportedly indicted Olu of Itori, Oba Fatai Akamo and allegedly pardoned the Baale of Lapenleke, Oba Adisa Akinremi of his action.

It would be recalled that, Oba Akamo and Baale Akinremi engaged in fisticuffs at Divisional Police Office in Itori last week which prompted their suspension by the government after they were quizzed by the police.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—11

Group warns against creation of Toruibe State Igbiden (Bini), the forum

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM ENIN—AS the agitation for the creation of Toruibe State by the Ijaw intensifies, the Benin , Itsekiri, Ilaje Professionals’ Forum, has called on the National Assembly to be cautious in dealing with the proposed state in order to avoid crisis in the Niger Delta.

The forum claimed that the agitation for the creation of Toruibe state is an attempt to annex lands belonging to the Bini, Itsekiri and Ilaje kingdoms in the South- South and South-West of the country which, it said, would be resisted.

In a joint statement by Mr. Andrew Eyimofe, (Itsekiri), Mr. Ola Omojuwa (Ilaje) and Dr. Nosakare

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VISIT: Mr. Vince Cable, British Secretary of State, Bureau on Skills and Investment (left) and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, during a courtesy call on the governor at Government House, Port Harcourt. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

Kidnapped Delta Commissioner: Gunmen increase ransom to N100m

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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ARRI—KIDNAPPERS of Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Hope Eghagha, have reportedly increased their ransom demand for his release to N100 million.

There is no clear information on his whereabouts, more than two weeks after his kidnap, but Delta State Police Command spokesperson, Mr. Charles Muka, told Vanguard, yesterday, that the police were searching for him and his abductors, assuring that he would be released unhurt.

Dr. Eghagha was abducted on September 30, on his way to Asaba, the state capital, from Warri, by kidnappers, who shot dead his police orderly on the spot.

A suspected linkman to the kidnappers initially called asking for N10

million to facilitate his release, but had since switched off the line when he suspected he could be seized and counted as a member of the kidnap gang.

Vanguard learnt, however, that the kidnappers called some persons close to the commissioner demanding N100 million for his release.

A police source said: “It is clear that the family of the commissioner had been contacted but it is not certain that they are disclosing every information to the police, as the police seemed to be

in the dark about the discussions between the kidnappers and the family.”

A source told Vanguard that police detectives travelled out of the state to other states in the past two weeks in search of the kidnappers, but “there is no trace so far."

Meanwhile, Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence, FJHD, yesterday, condemned the abduction and illegal detention of the commissioner by kidnappers, who killed his police orderly in the process of his kidnap and wound-

....As Delta Varsity SSANU declares decision at an emergensolidarity strike cy congress held yesterENIOR Staff Asso ciation of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Delta State University, Abraka, branch, has declared a one-day solidar-

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ity strike to protest the kidnap of the state Commissioner for Higher Education, Professor Hope Eghagha.

The union took the

Driver, assistant jailed 30yrs for kidnapping Agu, 24.

Prosecution, led by

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA SABA—A BUS driver and his conductor have been sentenced to a total of 30 years imprisonment with hard labour for kidnapping an Asaba-based politician The convicts are Chiedebele Okonkwo, 22, the driver and his conductor, Ifesinachi

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ed his driver.

National coordinator of the group, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, in a statement, said: “We call on the abductors of the commissioner to immediately release him unconditionally and unhurt on humanitarian grounds, while we commiserate with the family of the deceased policeman. We call on both Delta State Government and the Federal Government to adequately compensate the widow and children of the fallen policeman as the deceased died in active service. “

An Asaba High Court, presided over by Justice Briki Okolosi, while delivering judgment yesterday, found them guilty as charged and sentenced the them to five years imprisonment each with hard labour for conspiracy, five years each for kidnapping and another five years each for unlawful imprisonment.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

Principal State counsel, Mr. Champion Umukoro, told the court that the convicts, with two others now at large, “did conspire among themselves on November 10, 2010, at Asaba within Asaba judicial division and kidnapped one Ogochukwu Okocha an Asaba-based politician and his friend, one Samuel Okorie, as they were about to drive into their compound.”

day at Abraka condemning the ugly trend where the academic community had become the prime target of kidnappers.

In a communiqué by the Chairman and Secretary of the Union, Comrade Goodluck Ohwavborua and Comrade Matthew Eyuren, the union demanded for the immediate and unconditional release of the commissioner.

The union also noted that the commissioner was among the several Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and SSANU members that had been recently kidnapped, including the wife of the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Professor Patrick Muoboghare.

said: “We are not against the creation of the proposed Toruibe state for the Ijaw. We have stumbled on documents relating to the fact that the proposed Toruibe state intends to cover the entire Benin River and Escravos as well as a greater part of Ugbo (Ilaje) Kingdom.

“From available documents at our disposal, the proposed state wishes to cover all Ijaw-speaking inhabitants of Arugbo and Oparama in Ondo, the Ijaws on Edo land and thence to Gbaramatu in Delta and beyond. For purposes of clarification, out of these Ijaw-speaking enclaves, only the Gbaramatu are contiguous. It is therefore inappropriate that such a proposal could be coined to deceive an unsuspecting National Assembly."

Pa Ogodo passes on @ 113 A Emuobowansan Ogodo, the Orere of Okpe Kingdom, is

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Monarch lauded over Maritime Varsity

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A R R I — E G WA community of Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri-South Local Government Area, Delta State, has commended His Royal Majesty Pere Godwin Bebenimibo, Ogeh Gbaran III, Aketekpe of Gbaramatu Kingdom, for his role in siting the proposed Maritime University in Okerenkoko.

The commendation was made at Egwa by Guwor Emomotimi, community chairman.

dead. He died on August 20, in his country home, Sapele, Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, at the age of 113.

Until his death, Chief Ogodo was the last surviving son of his late father, Warrant Chief Okubor, the patriarch of Ogodo family and founder of Ogodo family land in Sapele. He was also the landlord of African Timber and Plywood (A.T.&P.), a division of UAC of Nig. Plc, Sapele.

He is survived by widow, many children and great grand children. In a statement by his eldest son, Mr. Ancient Ogodo, traditional burial rites will commence on January, 26, 2013.

Late Pa Ogodo

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

We'll resettle flood disaster victims, Jonathan vows Our target is N100bn— Dangote

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BIRTHDAY: From left: Mrs Evelyn Rewane-Fabyan, celebrant; Mr. Martin Ikediashi, Mrs. Lanre Ojora, Ambassador Ignatius Olisemeka and Prof. Pat Utomi, during a lecture by the Centre for Values in Leadership to mark the 70th birthday of Mr. Martin Ikediashi, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye.

BUJA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, said his administration would take measures to resettle people affected by flood nationwide once the waters receded.

He gave this commitment after he inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation.

President Jonathan, who commenced a tour of some of the affected states, noted that government would do everything possible to ameliorate the impact of the flood.

The President said: “Let

Bakassi: ACN accuses Jonathan of double standard

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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ALABAR—REAC TIONS are still trailing the refusal of the Federal Government to appeal against the International Court of Justice, ICJ, ruling against the ceding of Bakassi, as Cross River State Chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of speaking from both sides of his mouth.

In a statement on the refusal to appeal against the ICJ judgment that ceded the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon on October 10, 2002, which the government had a window of opportunity to appeal against, as provided for by the ICJ law, ACN said President Jonathan played pranks with the

people of Bakassi.

In the statement, the Cross River State Chairman of the party, Mr. Hillard Eta, said: “In one breath, the President stated that the Federal Government would not review the matter but in another, he was busy setting up a committee to look into the review process.”

Eta alleged that the action of the President was a clear manifestation of the “consistent balkani-

zation and merchandising of the Nigerian State by no less a force than the People’s Democratic Party, PDP-led government. The party is only interested in accumulating wealth and proceeds that emanate from the mortgaging of the country or a part of it. Unfortunately, this it does at the expense of the people it professes to represent.

“Sadly, the Bakassi people have fallen prey

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU ALABAR—THE House of Representatives is considering the re-introduction of toll gates on national highways as a way of revenue

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generation to maintain federal roads.

The House of Representatives Committee on Works, which was in the South-South geopolitical zone to assess the condition of federal roads in the zone, visited Calabar/

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astery with a view to providing the infrastructure needed on roads and water supply.

Speaking during a visit of the monks, led by their Prior, Rev. Dom Peter Eghwrujakpor, Oshiomhole said: “Since you are not a profit making organization and you are a part of Edo State, the state government can be of help to your activities with our state-owned

electronic and print media.

“From your exposé today, it is clear that you are involved in a spiritual lifestyle of total abstinence in the service of God. You need support to help mankind in the way you have chosen to. We have to take advantage of our state media to inform the public on the need to take advantage of the services you provide.”

Odukpani/Itu road and Calabar/Ikom/Ogoja road in Cross River State.

Besides the plan to reintroduce toll gates, the committee, led by Mr. Fort Dike, also advised the government to hand over federal roads to the states to reduce the level of dilapidation in the country.

After inspecting the federal roads and the efforts of Cross River State Government to rehabilitate them, leader of the team, Dike, expressed worry over the magnitude of decay and said there was problem in funding of federal roads which was the reason why the House was considering the option of re-introducing toll gates as a source of revenue generation.

Dike said: “There is need for fundamental change of federal roads in Nigeria. The Federal Government must change the pattern of the yearly allocation."

der stress, they can’t endure a lot but the flood will surely recede. We believe before the middle of November the flood will go, if it is the normal flood we have witnessed before.”

Speaking to State House correspondents after its maiden meeting, CoChairman of the committee, Aliko Dangote, said the committee hoped to raise at least N100 billion from both local and international sources.

He said: “We are targeting N100 billion minimum.

We do not want to look at it as a government issue.

“For some of us, when there were disasters in other countries we helped and so we expect people to help us.”

Ebiri passes on RS. Dorothy Kel vin Ebiri (nee Wagwu), wife of The Guardian correspondent in Port Hacourt, Rivers State, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri, is dead, aged 35.

A prayer service will hold on Thursday, October 18, at 3 Williams Close, off New Road, Rukpokwu, Port Harcourt, while a Mass of Christian burial comes up on October 20, at 36 Obrikom Road, Omoku,

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Rivers State.

She is survived by her widower Kelvin, their daughter, Naomi, her parents Mr. and other relations.

Late Mrs.Dorothy Ebiri

Pa Raji passes on @ 83

Reps move to re-introduce toll P gates on highways

Oshiomhole assures monks of govt’s support OVERNOR Ad ams Oshiomhole of Edo State, has assured monks in the Order of St Benedict, in Ewu, the central part of the state, of government’s support in giving adequate publicity to the breakthroughs in their herbal work and other researches.

The governor also promised to pay a visit to the monks in their mon-

to the malfeasance and unholy merchandizing of the PDP, the issue being that rather than agitate strongly for the review of the ICJ judgment of October 2002, which ceded the ancestral home, or resettle them holistically in the light of the Green Tree Agreement, the government has used their ancestral land to once again swell their pockets leaving the people in squalor and endless plight."

me also use this opportunity to assure Nigerians again that the present administration will do everything possible to ameliorate the impact of this devastating flood on our people.

“We will do everything to cushion their pain, and we have put up a strong team made up of credible men and women, who will also help government to achieve this, especially to raise funds to compliment or augment Federal Government’s effort to cushion the immediate effect of flooding and the resettlement and recovery of affected persons.

“This is most critical because when people are un-

A John Ediagbonya Raji, of Ibiwe, in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State, is dead, aged 83.

Until his death, he was a philanthropist and community leader.

A statement by the family said he will be buried on Saturday, October 13, in his compound, 171, Upper Eweka Street, Benin City, Edo State.

He is survived by two

widows, 14 children, among whom are Mr. Michael Ediagbonya, SP; Benard Ediagbonya, 24 grandchildren and other relations.

Late Pa J. E. Raji

Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—13

Mother, 16-yr-old daughter drown as flood submerges farms in Anambra

BY ENYIM ENYIM

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NITSHA—IT was black Tuesday for the people of Umudara village in Ihite community of Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State, when a 16 years old girl, Edith Afugwuobi and her mother, Mrs Afugwuobi were drowned in their submerged farm.

The deceased were said to have gone in a boat along side three others to their flood- submerged farm to recover some cassava when the boat capsized and the duo were drowned while three persons survived.

Their bodies of mother and child were recovered on Wednesday by youths in the community.

Edith was said to be a student of the First Foundation Secondary School, Umudara, Ihiala while her mother in her mid fifties was a farmer.

Speaking at separate inteviews with Vanguard, Mr Nduka Onyemuze, proprietor of the school and Hon. Basil Akaolisa said that over 10 people died during the flood, adding

that only the two corpses had been recovered so far.

They said that five villages in Ihite including, Umudara, Umuezeawala, Umuduru Oru, Amaduru and Umuadika had been completely submerged by flood and appealed to both the state and federal governments to come to their rescue. ”We are appealing to

government to come to our aid. Since the flood disaster in Anambra State, started, focus had been on Ogbaru, Anambra West and Anambra East Local Governments, while we have been suffering the same plight. We have no food; no water because our water had been polluted just as we have no roads because they have been

submerged”.

The people said the farmers in the area were helpless because they had lost all their crops in the submerged farmlands.

Meanwhile, one of the farmers who lost all his belongings including farms was yesterday stopped from committing suicide following the devastation.

BAKALIKI—NO fewer than 2000 Tricycle operators, yesterday, protested illegal collection of levies from them by the state government through the Ministry of Works and Transport.

The keke riders, who converged at the new market junction in Abakaliki, said they were protesting the sudden rise in their usual levy of N50 to N200, which according to them was illegal, unnecessary and unfair.

The action which forced most passengers to start trekking to their various destinations under the sun also caused a major go slow along Ogoja and some major streets in Abakaliki.

According to them, the government should not impose any extra levy of them considering the harsh economic situation in the state and the condition under which most of them purchased the keke.

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BY ANAYO OKOLI

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MUAHIA—ABIA State government has said that it has not mandated any person or group to force house and shop owners to install fire extinguishers in their places at the cost of N5000.

Some property owners had alleged that they were being harrassed by certain elements who claim to be working for the state government to purchase fire extinguisher at exhorbitant prices with additional N200 for installation.

They claimed that a particular company threatened to sanction any house or shop owner who failed to purchase and install the fire extinguisher.

But denying the involvement of the government in the fire extinguisher business, the state Commissioner for Transport, Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai, explained that his ministry which ought to handle such issue was not involved, warning those behind the illegal deal to desist from such acts or face the full weight of the law.

UNIPORT killings: Forum makes case for murdered students

BY AGADAABUTU N U G U— S O U T H East/South South Professionals of Nigeria ,SESSP, have called for a probe of the recent killing of four students of the University of Port Harcourt by indigines of Aluu community in Rivers State , with a view to finding the culprits and punishing them appropriately.

It also called for an overhaul of Nigeria’s security agencies and the criminal justice system, in order to restore the confidence of Nigerians.

A statement by the

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PRESENTATION: Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi Nnaemeka Achebe, presenting the star prize of a Toyota Corolla car to the winner of the Ofala Glo Special SIM promo, Mr. Nworie Elijah, a spare parts apprentice in Onitsha to mark the end of this year's Ofala festival.

Tricycle operators protest alleged illegal collection of levies in Ebonyi

BY PETER OKUTU

Abia distances self from fire extinguisher installations

Spokesman for the group, Mr. Isaiah Ogbaga, appealed to the state government to revert to old levy as most of them were still finding it difficult to take care of the needs of their family.

He said: “99 per cent of us riding this keke bought it on hire purchase. The

government increased the money we use to pay from N50 to N200. We are also hearing that they want us to repaint our keke to Ebonyi state colour and this is not possible. They say we should start paying for emblem which is N1500.

“We are suffering so much. You pay for house

rent, your wife’s need, NEPA bill, after all these payments at the end of the year we go empty handed.

We are not enjoying it. If government can reduce the amount we will be happy about it. We are all human beings. Let them bring factories or companies into the state. We are suffering too much in this state”

From left; Regional Coordinator, Strategic Investment, Corporate and Government Affairs, ExxonMobil, Micheal Finley; Public and Government Affiars Executive, ExxonMobil, Susan Essiet and Head, Administration and Personnel, Lagos Island Maternity, Lagos, Henry Koleosho during the Family Care Association Anti-Malaria programme for pregnant and nursing mothers in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi .

group’s President Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju noted that the incident should provide a push for the reformation of the justice system, so as to dissuade Nigerians from taking laws into their hands.

His words: ‘’While we call for a comprehensive probe of the incident with a view to finding the culprits and punishing them appropriately, we demand a deep and incisive overhaul of the country’s security agencies as well as the criminal justice system to restore confidence and faith in the system and disavow resort to self help.

Ebonyi awards scholarship to state's debate team

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BAKALIKI—THE Ebonyi Government on Wednesday in Abakaliki awarded scholarships to 13 members of the state debate team.

Gov. Martin Elechi said the scholarship was to encourage the team for its outstanding performances in both national and international debate competitions.

The governor was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Fidel Mbam.

According to Elechi, the scholarship will enable the beneficiaries to pursue first degree programmes in their chosen courses in any university of their choice in Nigeria.

He added that the gesture would fast-track the expansion and development of the intellectual capacities of the beneficiaries.

Elechi advised them to

utilise the offer effectively.

Passage HE DEATH has been announced of a community leader in Nnono Onoro Village in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Mrs. Mabel Onyeodimara Peter Elele (nee Chinke) aged 72 years.

She died after a brief illness. She is survived by six children, grand children, and many relations Burial arrangement will be announced by the family.

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Late Mabel Elele

14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan's visit to Adankolo flood victim's camp in Lokoja, Kogi State, yesterday.

President Goodluck Jonathan (2nd left) and Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State (left), during the President's visit to the camp.

Some inmates of the camp.

Some inmates receiving medical attention.

NCC sets up emergency communication centre in Awka

BY VINCENT UJUMADU WKA—THE Na tional Communications Commission, NCC, has established an emergency communications center, ECC, in Awka, Anambra State, to serve the eastern parts of the country.

Director of Public Affairs of NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, explained when members of the House of Representatives committee on communications visited the centre that the concept of the ECC was to assist telephone users during emergency situations.

He added that it would help states under the zone to tackle problems of insecurity, fire, accidents and robberies.

Ojobo said the Awka centre and another one in Minna, Niger State, would serve as pilot stations that would be used to identify challenges and lapses that exist in the zones, adding that Awka also served as a data base as it has been properly equipped for

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record keeping.

According to him, a member’s private bill had been proposed to give a legal backing to the new scheme, adding that the bill would soon be sent to the National Assembly.

He explained that stakeholders in the communication industry would make the necessary inputs before the passage of the bill.

The chairman of House Committee on Communications, Mr. Oyetunde Ojo,

Cross section of flood victims at the Adankolo camp.

who led the nine-member team, expressed satisfaction with the facilities at the centre, saying that it has the capacity to disseminate information to agencies in times of distress in the country.

He commended the NCC for taking what he called a good initiative in terms of emergency, saying that response agents would ensure proper functioning of the centre and hoped that

by December this year, the infrastructure would be put to maximum use.

HRW accuses Boko Haram, Nigerian security forces of ‘crime against humanity' AGOS—THE Islamist sect, Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces might have committed crimes against humanity during three years of conflict that has led to the death of no fewer than 2,800 people in the country, Human Rights Watch, HRW, said yesterday.

Crimes against humanity are offences that can lead to prosecution by the International Criminal Court, ICC. Boko Haram says it is fighting to create an Is-

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‘How Warri can regain its lost glory'

BY EMMAARUBI ARRI—THE Warri Rebirth Initiative, WRI, has stated that the lost glory of the oil city would be regained only if all the ethnic groups inhabiting the commercial centre see themselves as one and pursuing the benefit of all always.

This assertion was contained in a lecture delivered by Mr. Victor

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Eburajolo at the quarterly meeting of the group in Warri, Delta State, yesterday.

According to him, if the resources of the state is equitably distributed to reach a large percentage of the masses, the issues of ethnic agitations would become a thing of the past as it would lead to more integration and education of the people.

Some flood victims during breakfast.

In its presentation, the Warri fiesta committee of the WRI headed by Mr. Patrick Origho stated that a fiesta tagged “Wafi 2012” to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the various ethnic nationalities in Warri would be staged every last Saturday of every year to be celebrated as “Warri Day”, saying that it is aimed at enhancing the unity of the people.

lamic state in Nigeria, and its fighters have killed hundreds in bomb and gun attacks since launching an uprising in 2009, becoming the number one security threat to Africa’s top energy producer.

The HRW report chronicles multiple cases of abuses by Islamists, including brutal killings of Christian/civilians and the assassination of Muslim clerics opposed to them.

Some of these attacks were “deliberate acts leading to population ‘cleansing’ based on religion or ethnicity.” The ICC defines crimes against humanity as grave offences that are “ widespread or systematic.” There was no immediate reaction from Boko Haram.

According to agency report, the report also accused Nigeria’s Joint Military and Police Taskforce, JTF, of “physical abuse, secret detentions, extortion, burning of houses, stealing money during raids, and extrajudicial killings of

suspects. Despite allegations of widespread security force abuses, the Nigerian authorities have rarely held anyone accountable ... further solidifying the culture of impunity for violence.”

Artiste sympathises with Delta, Bayelsa flood victims ARRI—AS flood continues to wreak havoc in parts of the country, Chief Barrister Smooth, the Ijaw music maestro, has sympathised with affected communities in Delta and Bayelsa states.

According to him, both states were mostly affected by the devastating flood ravaging the country, even as he also sympathised with the displaced victims.

He called on the Federal and state governments to ensure that the displaced victims were properly rehabilitated and taken care of.

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Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 —15

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16—Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Minister, Aregbesola, others decry rural-urban migration O stem the increasing rate of rural-urban migration, government and stakeholders at all levels have been tasked on the need to practice good governance by ensuring habitable environments.

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms.Amal Pepple; Governor Rauf

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PRESENTATION: From left— Mr. Celey Okogun, MD, Novelle Porta; Mr. Chuddy Oduenyi, Chairman of the occasion; Mrs Bunmi Oke, Presenter; Mr. Azuka Onwuka, author, and his wife, Nnenna, at the presentation of a book, Wings of the Night, by Mr. Onwuka in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.

Jigawa records 7 polio cases

BY TINA AKANNAM UTSE—JIGAWA State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Tafida, has said only seven cases of poliomyelitis had been recorded in the state this year, instead of 16 as reported by a section of the media.

He said: “Last year was better because we only had two cases of polio in Jigawa State. But this year, seven

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cases have been reported to us and we cannot hide it from the world that fresh cases have been reported in the state.”

Tafida further explained that one case was reported each in Birnin Kudu, Buji, Auyo and Kazaure local government areas, respectively, while three fresh cases were reported in Babura Local Government, which shares border with the Niger Republic.

Partner on roads repair, Reps task ministry, states

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE ATSINA—HOUSE of Representatives Committee on Works, yesterday, advised Federal Ministry of Works and state representative engineers to collaborate with state governments on road rehabilitation and maintenance for better results.

Deputy Chairman of House Committee on Works, Mohammed Wuhid gave the advice after inspecting the rehabilitation of Mainchi-Anka-Daki Takwas border road between Zamfara and Katsina.

He said: “There is need

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for a synergy between the state governments and Federal Ministry of Works state coordinators, as this will ensure better management of our roads.

“We are quite impressed with what we saw in Zamfara and Katsina. Both states have exhibited a very high sense of maturity partnering each other to get positive results.”

Federal Roads Coordinator for the NorthWest, Alhaji Mamman Danyyabu said: “We have started that already as the state governments liaise with us when they are rehabilitating old roads or constructing new ones.”

Aregbesola of Osun State and Prof.

Akin Mabogunje, Chairman, Foundation for Development and Environmental Initiatives, FDI, gave the charge at the 4th annual FDI conference in Lagos, yesterday.

The Housing Minister, represented by Dr. Olatunbosun Ayileka, a Director in the ministry,

Constitution review: Atiku makes case for state police, zoning

BY HENRY UMORU BUJA—AS the Senate, yesterday, began its public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar said that if the country must address the issue of security, there must be the establishment of State Police.

In a position paper he presented, yesterday, to the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution, Atiku also called for the return of a twoparty system as way forward, if Nigeria must get it right democratically.

He called for a full scale activation of the six geopolitical zones as centre of power and governance, adding that such arrangement would help to reduce the “harmful tension, bickering and competition for power at the centre.”

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, who was represented at the hearing by CSP Dabid Abuo, stressed the need for the status quo of central police structure to be

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retained, just as he jettisoned the proposal for state police, adding that it would be too expensive to fund.

Atiku, in his four-page position paper, insisted that creation of state police “will guarantee security of lives and property and create an enabling environment for our different people to develop at their own pace.”

Defending his position on a two-party structure, the former Presidential aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, explained that ruling parties would never allow opposition party to grow, whereas a two-party structure would allow for a formidable opposition to thrive.

However, there was mild drama at the Main Auditorium of the International Conference Centre, venue of the public hearing on the constitution review, when half naked Gbagi men and women from the Federal Capital Territory stormed the place, demanding for immediate recognition of Abuja as a mayoral district.

Some of the protesters, who wore masks and painted some parts of their

bodies in what many called Gbagi colours, also alleged long neglect by successive administration, adding that their lands had been sold by the government without adequate compensation.

It took the intervention of the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Philip Aduda, to calm them down before they left.

FG releases N12bn for rehabilitation of school labs

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI—FEDERAL Government has approved over N12 billion for the supply of equipment and rehabilitation of laboratories in 51 federal and state polytechnics across the country.

The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, Mas’ud Kazaure, made this known yesterday in Bauchi, at the 10th National Conference of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, held at the

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

spoke on Emerging Urban Africa, decrying the socio-economic effects of increasing rural-urban migration on governance and cities.

The minister estimated that over 50% of Nigeria’s population would be living in cities by 2015; a figure expected to rise by about 6.5% by the year 2025.

He said already, Nigeria had one of the world’s highest urbanisation rate at 5.5 percent per annum.

The speakers agreed that the increasing concentration of people in cities had direct bearing on infrastructure, housing, employment, security, safety, urban vices and service delivery.

Governor Aregbesola, who spoke through Prof.

Johnson Falade, former UN-Habitat Programme Manager for Nigeria, stressed the need for a sustainable policy on urban development.

Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi State.

He added that it was part of government’s effort to address environmental challenges in some parts of the country.

The theme of the conference was Towards Sustainable Environment in Developing Nations.

According to Kazaure, who spoke through one of his aides, Alhaji Lawal Hafis, the government’s gesture was also aimed at reviving research activities for national development.

By Bartholomew Madukwe (nwamad@yahoo.com)

What's your take on Bakassi?

T is late. That is why the Federal Government did not react the way many expected. One thing I appreciate is the fact that people are fighting to be identified as Nigerians.

It means the country is blessed. There are better things to come.—Mrs Kate Nduba, Businesswoman.

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S there time to appeal the judgment as claimed by some Nigerians? What are the new available facts, which we didn’t present at the first instance? It is true that many Nigerians are in Bakassi. But there are other things to consider.—Mr. Lukmon Agboola, Lawyer.

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ELL, Nigeria is used to fire brigade approach to important issues. Nigeria have had all the time in the world to appeal against the judgment, but unfortunately it was late when our President gave the consent to do so.— Mr. Vincent Nwanna, Lawyer.

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HY did it take so long for us to start reacting to the ICJ judgment? To me, the judgment is not Nigeria’s problem. Light, water, better roads, better education and employments are the most important issues.— Mr. John Uwabunkeonye, Accountant.

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Y view is that the judgment is as clear as crystal. The implication in law is that Nigeria is entitled to appeal. Within the local jurisdiction we call it Notice of Appeal. It ought to have been filed within the same period.— Mr. Emeka Okpoko, Lawyer.

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really don’t know much about the ICJ judgment. But since the people in Bakassi are saying they are Nigerians, the Federal Government should look for a way to bring them to Nigeria, since we are not interested in Bakassi.— Ms. Dike Chidinma, Student.

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 17

Sweet & SOUR

Tekena AST week, 4 University of Port Harcourt students were brutally murdered in broad daylight by a baying mob in Aluu, a community in Rivers State.

Photos and videos depicting this horrifying incident that is a stain on the reputation of my home state are available on the internet. Anyone who has access to a smartphone or computer (ironically, the students lost their lives because they allegedly stole such items) can easily view them.

These still and moving images of the students’ bloodied corpses have sent shock waves around the country; and the Senate has quite rightly pointed out that the witnesses (Aluu Elders included) who watched and recorded the killings should bear some of the responsibility for not preventing the wanton carnage.

Senator, Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu), spoke for many when he expressed outrage about the fact that “these 4 persons were stripped naked…[and] battered into a stupor…in the most horrifying display of callousness ever captured on celluloid…[and then] set ablaze in full glare of cheering and enthusiastic spectators and traducers.”

Meanwhile, Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi (ACN, Ekiti) mirrored the Aluu killings as an expression of an angry nation that is becoming disconnected from humanity, as a result of accumulated years of disappointment and neglect by government. ”This,” said Adetumbi, “has resulted in anger and disregard for institutions of state…People have become so angry that they are ready to draw blood and celebrate death…This is not an Aluu problem but a Nigerian problem.”

Summing up, David Mark, the PDP Senate President, said: “I was against [the idea of creating] state police [forces] before, but I have since changed my mind because of the fre-

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Donu Kogbara

Chidiaka Aka Aladin

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Unacceptable cruelty quency with which crimes happen in this country and the difficulty the current police have in carrying out their investigations…There are real security challenges that we need to address…The benefits of state police [forces] outweigh any disadvantages at the moment.”

I agree with all of the above.

Mark and Eze are both spoton; and PDP devotees will probably accuse Adetumbi of being a disgruntled Opposition man who is desperate to score cheap political points at the expense of the ruling party. But similar thoughts crossed my mind when I heard the sad news from Aluu.

This may sound fanciful – and like an unfair attempt to blame our leaders for everything that goes wrong in every nook and cranny of our society.

But while I don’t always subscribe to the essentially foreign notion that people who do terrible things have psychological problems and would not necessarily be evil if they were under less pressure, I DO re-

gard Nigeria as a hellishly tough environment in which surviving and thriving is far too difficult.

And I couldn’t help feeling that the villagers only behaved like animals because they have been pushed to the brink of madness by multiple frustrations.

But, but, but…There is never any excuse for this kind of frenzied, primitive vigilante action.

Even if the students weren’t saints, the jungle justice that was meted out to them can never be morally justified; and I pray that the Aluu perpetra-

tors - and their active and silent accomplices - are severely punished.

Water torture Aluu is not the only disaster that has recently befallen Rivers State. We have also suffered alarming floods in the past few days; and several communities have been almost totally submerged.

Last weekend, I flew over some of the affected areas in a helicopter with my Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Nyema Weli, his Commissioner for Environment and Honourable Asita, a

House of Representatives legislator; and I must say that I was touched by their genuine concern for victims who have lost their homes and worldly possessions…and by their determination to assist and reassure them.

The white helicopter pilots told the Governor that it would be extremely unsafe for him to land in certain locations. But he kept pushing them to allow him to take the risk and was very dejected when they refused to indulge him. Fingers crossed that Amaechi’s administration successfully overcomes this crisis.

Unhappy birthday to me!

L AST Sunday was my birth day and I couldn’t bring myself to party with friends and relatives because I couldn’t think of any reasons to celebrate!

Frankly, I was utterly miserable. And most of the people I spoke to on my birthday were as achingly unhappy as I was because the country is

in a huge mess and we don’t have much to look forward to.

Even the small handful of VIPs in my social circle – who are obviously more fortunate than the average citizen because they are beneficiaries of government largesse - are finding it increasingly hard to cheerfully defend the status

quo.

I guess I should be grateful to God for keeping me alive and healthy…and for giving me a lovely son and ensuring that I am not completely impoverished.

May the next l2 months be better enough for me to feel like celebrating my next birthday!

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 HE interim funds the Federal Government released for flood victims throughout the country should be used judiciously, to ameliorate the sufferings unprecedented flooding unleashed on the country. How far the N17.6 billion President Goodluck Jonathan, announced would go, is not as important as the immediacy of the intervention and preventive measures against flooding.

Activation of more funding began with the inauguration of a National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation to assist the Federal Government raise funds to mitigate the pains and ensure the effective post-impact of rehabilitation of victims.

The floods were the worst in decades.

There are predictions of more flooding, which means a lot of work still needs to be done to ensure future occurrences are handled better than the overwhelming incidents that hit most parts of the country.

Nigerians are already concerned that the money allocated to states and some federal agencies, may not be spent in meeting the needs of the flood victims. They are relying on experience. The low level of accountability in governments could see the

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Flood relief fund funds disappear.

How would the states deploy the N13.3 billion the Federal Government released to them? Will the money be for relief materials or the rehabilitation of the affected communities? The extent of the devastation varies from state to state, just as the losses are different in the affected communities.

It would be tasking to find an equitable system for allocating the funds to the needs of the communities, but it should not be the reason for the authorities not trying. Accountability is important, without allowing bureaucracies to consume the funds.

Some of the states are already complaining about the funds being inadequate. They should augment from their own resources, and like the Federal Government, they should mobilise local resources for the

work ahead.

The N4.3 billion allocated to the federal agencies — Ministry of Works, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ministry of Environment, National Commission for Refugees, and the Technical Committee on Flood’s Impact Assessment — should come under similar scrutiny otherwise the funds could be wasted.

Perhaps, more resources should be allocated to the Technical Committee on Flood’s Impact Assessment whose report will be used to combat future floods.

“When we receive the committee’s final report, the Federal Government will further initiate medium and long term measures to check future flood disasters,” the President said. The future demands a definite action against flooding, which by extension would mean attention to climate and its consequences.

More practical approaches like re-visiting construction of dams planned almost 40 years ago could save Nigeria more devastating loss of lives and property. We hope the flooding would not be forgotten once the waters recede.

OPINION ByCHUKWUDI ENEKWECHI

N the history of Nigeria, not many still remember the heroic efforts of our founding fathers that enabled us attain self-rule. Nevertheless, it remains an incontrovertible historical fact that personages such as the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and several others made selfless sacrifices for Nigeria to attain nationhood. In simple language, these patriots exhibited exemplary courage in their lifetime for Nigeria to become a nation.

Regrettably, not long after we attained self-rule, the military interrupted the democratic process and pushed the nation into retrogression for many years. Thereafter, democratic rule was restored in 1979 with the election of Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Dr Alex Ekwueme as President and Vice President, respectively.

This democratic experiment was, however, short-lived as the military once again interrupted the process by overthrowing the Shagari – Ekwueme administration in a bloodless military putsch. Many politicians of the Second Republic were hounded into jail for

Ekwueme: Exceptional achievements and courage @ 80

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what the coupists described as monumental corrupt practices.

Military tribunals were set up to try the corrupt politicians and in the case of Ekwueme, the military tribunal commented thus: “... from all investigations, Dr. Ekwueme left politics much poorer than he was when he entered it, and to ask for more from him was to set a standard in public life which even saints could not meet”.

Need I say more here regarding the impeccable character of this symbol of democracy and good governance?

In April 1994, Ekwueme was elected in abstensia by his local government area as a delegate to the 1994/1995 National Constitutional Conference, NCC, in Abuja. As a member of the committee on the “Structure and Framework of the Constitution”, he presented a novel proposal on the just and equitable power sharing in Nigeria, based on six geo-political zones.

Though this proposal was

vehemently opposed initially by some delegates, yet today this has come to be an acceptable panacea for maintaining a stable Nigeria polity.

Indeed, this policy gave rise to state, local and community levels of administration in Nigeria.

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ome other developing countries are now adopting this political model as a means of ensuring equity and parity in the sharing and distribution of political offices and resources of their various countries.

The major ingredient of this model is that it gives all the constituents a sense of belonging, and ultimately pave way for collective efforts towards nation building.

In April 1998, Dr. Ekwueme braved all odds to convene the “G-34” that addressed a memorandum to then military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, advising him not to transmute into a civilian president (by succeeding himself). Many people considered

such move at the time a “suicide mission” as they chose to remain silent instead. But not Ekwueme who stood his ground, insisting that the time had come for the military to quit the political stage.

His onerous efforts paid off as the group was to later transform into what is today known as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Dr. Ekwueme is an accomplished academic having bagged degrees in History, Architecture, Sociology, Law, Anthropology and Town Planning. He has also been awarded several honorary doctorate degrees from Nigerian and foreign universities, and has two books to his credit – From State House to Kirikiri and Whither Nigeria.

On this occasion of his birthday, we salute Nigeria’s Hero of Democracy as he attains the golden age of 80 years, and may his noble legacies serve as a benchmark for our present and future leaders.

*Mr. Enekwechi, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—19

HE recent article written by former Nigeria Ambassador to Congo, Chief Greg Mbadiwe titled “2015 Igbo Presidency: Where Kalu got it wrong” which was published in several national dailies was quite revealing, instructive and timely, especially for the people of the South East zone in their quest to produce the next President of the country in 2015. There were, however, some missing links and several hidden truths in the article. It is public knowledge that all the acclaimed successes that brought Chief Orji Uzor Kalu to limelight was more of the handiwork of his mother who used her earlier contacts in government circles, especially during the military era, to project him. Not that Kalu has been or was outstanding in his endeavours.

His emergence as governor of Abia State in 1999 was not without the assistance of his successor, Governor Theodore Orji who was then an administrative secretary at the National Electoral Commission, NECON, and played a vital role in ensuring that Kalu survived the overwhelming opposition to his candidature. But it is now obvious that outside the corridors of power, the man has nothing much to offer the society. Even as acclaimed master strategist, Nigerians have not seen his input

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either in the economy or politics of the country since he lost out of the power equation, both in his state and at the national level.

Against the postulation by Mbadiwe that Kalu went into political hibernation and orphanage after being betrayed by his erstwhile trusted protégés, I will say nobody betrayed him.

Rather he it was that betrayed the people, especially those who assisted him in the rainy day. This explains why the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, which was formed by Kalu and others in 2006 lost the two states, Abia and Imo, under its control after the 2007 general elections to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before the 2011 general elections.

That single political incident was enough evidence and eye-opener for the Igbos to know what he was up to by using his false crusade on Igbo Presidency to re-launch himself into political relevance ahead 2015. Unfortunately for him and his allies, their political tricks were found to be old and out-dated and cannot help his political fortunes and that of the Igbos in 2015.

Have Nigerians forgotten that PPA and ACN were both registered as political parties in 2006 with ACN winning only Lagos State in the 2007 general elections? But today with Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political sagacity, ACN is in control of five states in the South West and one in the SouthSouth zone and has remained the

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most vibrant opposition party in the country today. It is obvious that Kalu’s lack of political vision and the quest to build a political dynasty at the expense of the people led to his political failure after the 2007 general elections.

For instance, his overbearing attitude is believed to have compelled former governor of Cross River State, Chief Clement Ebri, to suddenly and angrily resign his chairmanship position of PPA in 2010, a time his leadership had repositioned the party as a strong opposition voice.

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f truly Kalu meant well for Igbo Presidency in 2015, what stopped him from nurturing the political platform he had before now in preparation for the realisation of the dream? Has he forgotten that political power is not given on a platter of gold or through noise making? It was Kalu who hurriedly took PPA in 2007 to join the Government of National Unity, GNU, of the late President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua led-government based on what many perceived as selfish

The desperation against reform

BY GABRIEL ZOWAM

T a time that our state governors are busy bickering and strategising about statutory allocations, other nations are aggressively harvesting the infinite opportunities that globalisation has created for world economies! This year (2012), our entire Federal Government budget (which continues to depend on oil) is about N5 trillion, while India will get $70 billion (N10.5 trillion) from software exports alone (just software, not all exports)!

Perhaps we should look back at where both India and Nigeria are coming from! In the 1980s, when the Delta Steel Company, DSC, was being built by a consortium of European companies, Mecon of India, which was serving as consultants to DSC, seconded many of its experienced engineers to DSC, to help groom their DSC counterparts. While these highly experienced expatriate Indians were assigned official brand new, chauffeur-driven and airconditioned cars, people in DSC were usually surprised to hear of how some of them were receiving letters from their home office, informing them of the approval of their motorcycle loans! This was at a time that many of the young Nigerian engineers being groomed by these Indians, were looking forward to buying brand new cars in a few years!

This same India has since transformed itself into one of the sensational BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies, while Nigeria (preoccupied with statutory allocations) has retrogressed deeper into poverty! While the world is witnessing the emergence of a new set of post-BRIC

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economies, the “MIST” economies (which includes even Indonesia), figures from the NBS show our absolute poverty worsening from 54.7 in 2004 to 61.9 in 2011!

The real tragedy is that despite this lamentable state of our nation, our entrenched interests are still fighting viciously to ensure that nothing is changed!

Have you observed that it is only our ministers and other officeholders trying to reform the system, that come under severe attacks and castigations, while their counterparts, who are doing nothing, are having their peace?

Even more tragic is how the vested interests are cleverly using the rest of us to fight our nation! As we shrug at (or even support) the troubles of Aruma Oteh and her reforms at SEC, Bart Nnaji and his power-sector reforms, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and his monetary reforms, Deziani Alison-Madueke, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, etc, what do we think we are doing? The answer is that we are effectively helping our entrenched interests to ensure that nothing changes; to ensure that all the officeholders who “do nothing” have their peace, while those that dare to reform the system, see “hell”!

I would like to take us back to the CBN’s banking industry reform of 2004 (under Prof. Chukwuma Soludo) because of the enduring lessons it seems to hold for our situation today! The most significant aspect of that reform was the decisive deadline it gave to our grossly undercapitalised banks, to recapitalise to at least N25 billion, or lose their licenses! Prof. Soludo was almost hounded out of office for daring to advance that policy!

The criticisms that greeted the policy were

consideration. Before Yar Adua’s demise, he was one of those calling the shots in the Presidency under the guise of the GNU without considering the interest of the Igbos or the need for Igbo Presidency in 2011 or 2015.

From all indications, it is crystal clear that Kalu has no political relevance now to champion the quest for Igbo Presidency in 2015. This is because, apart from having no political structure on ground to even win any election in his home state Abia, his sudden campaign for Igbo Presidency in 2015 appears suspicious and at the same time a smokescreen to seek for political relevance and rehabilitation. So, there is urgent need for the Igbos to be wary of his latest antics via aggressive and grandstanding campaign before it alters political calculation and equation for the zone ahead 2015. No wonder no prominent Igbo person has lent his support or identified with him since he started the charade.

Besides, where was Kalu during the last Igbo day celebration in Asaba where the issue of Igbo Presidency 2015 and other issues affecting the Igbos were discussed by the people of the zone? Or is he working at cross-purposes with the people he claimed to have been championing their cause?

As Mbadiwe rightly said, Kalu has always failed to translate his vision into reality by being too aggressive and abrasive in his approach. Obviously, the leopard can hardly changes its colour, so Kalu is at again, but this time without a vision to be transformed into reality.

According to Mbadiwe, Kalu’s argument is predicated on the assumption that the issue of rotational presidency is a settled one. But apart from Mbadiwe’s analysis on how Kalu breached

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BY CALEB UWAMMADU

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2015 Igbo presidency: Mbadiwe’s postulations over Kalu

Where was Kalu during the last Igbo day celebrationwhere the issue of Igbo Presidency 2015 (was) discussed?

Or is he working at cross-purposes with the people?

It is only our ministers and other officeholders trying to reform the system, that come under severe attacks and castigations, while their counterparts, who are doing nothing, are having their peace

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unusually scathing, with merciless and sometimes hateful condemnations raining on Soludo from all sides, and questioning his competence for the CBN job! Ironically, the attacks were coming as much from us, as from anybody else! For example, in a very powerful essay, “The Facts that Soludo Left Out”, Dr. Ayo Teriba, one of Nigeria’s most influential financial experts, after attacking the policy, had charged: “… As a highly respected scholar, the CBN governor will do well to publicly retract his utterances in these regards, in the spirit of academic humility. Consequently, he should withdraw his proposal that all banks must raise their capital bases to N25b ...”. Similarly, one of Nigeria’s most respected columnists, Simon Kolawole, in a piece titled, “Soludo, Banking is not Ludo” charged: “The impression I get is that Soludo has just entered a new terrain, and without acclimatising, he has dived headlong into the unknown …”.

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ou would almost wonder if it was not the same CBN that various other persons had headed very quietly in the past!

In the end, it was only President Olusegun Obasanjo’s “stubborn” backing of his

rotational presidency in the past due to his inordinate ambition and domineering politics, let us take a look at his support for such breach in his state for selfish political reasons.

After being governor of the state for two terms, Kalu was succeeded

by Theodore Orji from Abia Central Senatorial zone, because Kalu hails from Abia North zone.

But because of his political differences with Orji ahead of the 2011 election, Kalu provided all the needed support for Orji’s impeached deputy, Comrade Chris Akomas from Abia South zone who was his party, PPA, governorship candidate in the state during the 2011 election to dislodge Orji from office and alter the political equation vis-a-vis rotation of power among the three zones in the state. Some people from the Abia South zone were incited against Governor Orji who was seeking for second term in office. It took the political understanding and wisdom of the people of the state to vote wisely for Orji in 2011 knowing full well that Kalu was on a political vendetta mission against the Governor for liberating the state.

No wonder Kalu was also humiliated in the 2011 Abia North Senatorial election by Comrade Uche Chukwumerije and his younger brother suffered the same fate in Aba North/South Federal Constituency election.

This is because our people know him and were not deceived by his political abracadabra in the state. Most Igbos must by now be wise to his antics and will not allow themselves to be deceived come 2015. *Dr Uwammadu, a management consultant, wrote from Toronto, Canada.

reformer that saved that reform at that critical time (in clear defiance of the National Assembly and all opposition)! This not only sent a clear message of the President’s seriousness with reform, but also served as a Presidential inspiration to his reform team that was daring to say “enough is enough!”

Ironically, that recapitalisation (or consolidation) ended up changing dramatically the incentives driving our banking sector, and (not minding the abuses that later occurred) making a profound impact on our nation, some of which I need to recall here! Our banks that had previously lacked the capacity to meet the funding requirements of serious businesses (causing the likes of MTN and Econet to source most of their funds overseas), could now come together to offer local syndicated facilities to blue chips! CBN data showed bank credit to our core private sector rocketing from N1.19tn in 2003 to N4.9tn in 2007! Banking in Nigeria moved from the realm of rentseeking and “glorified trading in foreign exchange”, to real banking! The consolidation also capacitated the industry to make required investments in modern technology, which heralded new banking platforms (including ATMs) that finally moved us to a new era of any-branch banking (where you could now walk into any branch of your bank, and get served as fully as if in your own branch)! It was also the consolidation that capacitated the banks to achieve the nationwide branch expansion that government had been demanding since the 1980s. We saw bank branches exploding nationwide, with brands such as Zenith and Oceanic particularly expanding phenomenally! The impact of this was phenomenal on the economy. The number of depositors surged! CBN data showed bank deposits rocketing to N5.4 trillion in 2007, from only N1.4 trillion in 2003!

Continues on Monday pg 18 •Mr Zowam, a social crtic, wrote from Lagos.

20—Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Furore over stalemated Federal Gas Poly, Bonny ONNY community in Riv ers State is home to a Shell oil terminal and the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG. Over the course of these corporate tenants’ business of tapping crude oil and gas deposits in the shores of this tiny island, there has been established, as in most oil host communities, a love-hate relationship in which the natives repeatedly feel compelled to sack the operating companies for perceived unsatisfactory returns to the landlords.

Recently, youths of Bonny led another of these persistent protests to demonstrate the community’s frustrations over not gaining returns commensurate with their status as prime oil host community. In the latest case, however, the community’s anger was not intended to halt Shell or the NLNG operations in the area for the commonplace cries of unemployment of natives, indifference to inadequate or failing amenities or environmental degradation by the companies.

The peaceful protest heralded by a press briefing in Port Harcourt by the umbrella of Bonny Youth Federation, BYF, was targeted at the Federal Government over alleged stalemate in the establishment of the Federal Gas Polytechnic, Bonny. Leader of the BYF, Mr. Gift Furo Hart, lamented to Vanguard Metro, VM, that the “elasticity of patience by the people of Bonny on this matter has been overstretched to break point as we can no longer come to terms with the Federal Government on any defence it can advance for the delayed commencement of the Federal Gas Polytechnic, Bonny”.

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State of the project “We are aware that a mandate was handed to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF and the National Board on Technical Education, NBTE, to look at the requirements and harmonise responsibilities for eventual take-off of the specialised institute. Why has that objective continued to hit the brick wall?” Hart fumed.

According to the BYF leader, the Gas Technology School was conceived as the National Technical Institute for Petroleum and Gas by the government of Rivers State in year 2000 as a feeder institution to serve the NLNG middle level manpower training and development needs. The foundation stone for the project then was consciously laid to coincide with the commissioning of the NLNG that year. In 2006, the Federal Government took over the initiative under President Olusegun Obasanjo who entrusted the project to the PTDF for completion as part of government overall plan to develop the Niger Delta.

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Under incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, the Federal Government capped its interest in the project by upgrading the National Technical Institute into a full-fledged Federal Gas Polytechnic that will specialise in gas technology, alternative energy and environmental science.

“The presidential decision charged the PTDF to provide funding and NBTE (technical guide) to ensure a smooth takeoff of the school,” Hart explained.

The community stressed that the school, when put on stream would not only serve the interests of Bonny. Hart said: “As the immediate host, we stand to benefit a great deal. But the school is expected to train and provide career windows for all people from oil producing communities in the region, across Nigeria at large and, in no time, beyond”.

Protest expectations Over the determination to ensure urgent take-off of the institute, the Bonny people tasked the Federal Government to hand over custody of the ready structures and facilities at the project site to either the Bonny Kingdom Development Committee, BKDC, or a government empanelled Gov-

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BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI, Port Harcourt

We can no longer come to terms with the FG on any defence it can advance for the delayed commencement of the Federal Gas Polytechnic

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erning Council to oversee security and maintenance of what is already on ground. The agitated youths also expect the intended Governing Council to immediately recruit needed staff to commence academic activities, while seeing to completion of outstanding projects for the school to run fully.

“This has become imperative because a similar council set up for a similar polytechnic being developed by the PTDF in Ekowe, Bayelsa State, has helped in no small measure in resolving the teething infrastructures, administrative, community, academic and sundry challenges encountered in the establishment of that project initiated about same time as the one in Bonny by the PTDF, but is now near completion,” the youth leader emphasised.

The Bonny people are also confident that a see-for-yourself visit by the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, who hails from Rivers

*BYF leader, Furo Hart(m)flanked by co-leaders, during a press briefing on the contentious issue State, would also go a long way in recharging government concern for the institution, just as they also pointed to the Ministry of Petroleum as an interested party that must intervene, in harmony with the Education Ministry, to put on stream the school as one of a kind.

Community’s disgust with poor Federal presence The media protest over the delayed take-off of the school also afforded the aggrieved youths a chance for a general appraisal of Federal Government’s disposition to the development of the oil and gas host community. Their verdict was that: “Federal Government plays politics and treats with levity everything meant to benefit the people. There are many

unfulfilled promises; the lingering construction of the Bonny/Bodo Road promised the Bonny people since the era Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s is just one among many.”

Incidentally, Gowon has been among recent high profile visitors, including former Head of Interim National Government, Earnest Shonekan, to the Bonny Island. The protesting youths were disappointed that while the former national leaders were mainly in the island to “perhaps strategise in safeguarding their interest in the delivery of coming Train Seven of the NLNG, not even Gowon was able to use the opportunity of the visit to condemn the non-completion of the Bodo/ Bonny Road which he initiated but still remains a lingering

subject of bad politics several years after”.

It would be recalled that Gen. Gowon during the visit stated that Nigeria has lost well over $2b from flared gas which, according to him, is wasted daily.

In a rejoinder to Gowon’s statement, Mr. Furo Hart said: “The Bonny people are vexed that while the former Head of State had a firm mental picture of the Dollar value of the wasted gas, he cared less about how the flared gas affects our community, health of the people and the damage to the environment. The flared gas if well harnessed by government could support cottage industries which consequently would have been generating employment for the teeming unemployed among us.”

‘Waste-for-Food’ initiative for wealth creation, not scavenging — LAWMA

BY OLASUNKNAMI AKONI HE Managing Director, Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Mr. Ola Oresanya has said that the ‘Waste-for-Food’ initiative recently introduced is to bring about development and wealth creation to Lagos State.

Oresanya spoke against the backdrop of the claim that the ‘Waste-for-Food’ initiative will expose children to scavenging and health risks.

He warned against the danger inherent in the attempt to politiciced waste management, saying: “It will draw the state back rather than moving it forward. In the last couple of years, LAWMA has succeeded

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in using waste management to bring about development and wealth creation to Lagos”.

The Peoples Democratic People, PDP, has criticised holiday programme, saying it would particularly encourage teenage children to “scavenge” for plastic bottles in return for “food”.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr, Taofik Gani, noted that such a programme at this time was “barbaric, exploitative and extortionate”.

Speaking in his office, Oresanya said the initiative was designed to remind children of their responsibilities in keeping their immediate environment clean.

He said the involvement of

children was aimed at creating awareness and teaching them the importance of recycling items, considered as waste, to generate wealth and to produce useful items such as waste bin bags.

The LAWMA boss lamented that one of the banes of development and progress in the country is the penchant by some to deliberately or out of ignorance politicise laudable policies that are aimed at moving the society forward.

He added that the programmes of his agency are open for all and sundry to participate and inspect as “there is nothing hidden about what we do in LAWMA”.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 21

IFC rates Food Concept, Interswitch high among global businesses

BY FRANKLIN ALLI NTERNATIONAL Finance Corporation (IFC) has positioned two Nigerian companies among global businesses that create opportunities at the base of pyramid.

These companies are Deji Akinyanju’s Food Concepts PLC and Mitchell Elegbe’s Interswitch Limited.

Speaking during the launch of ‘a report tagged Being the Change: Inspiring the Next Generation of Inclusive Business Entrepreneurs Impacting the Base of the Pyramid, IFC Vice President, Business Advisory Services Nena Stoiljkovic, said that Food Concepts and Interswitch have developed innovative and successful business models that expand access to goods, services, and livelihoods for poor people, while generating strong financial returns.

“IFC, alongside a growing number of business and development partners, is driving a new movement in development, which aims to redefine people living at the base of the economic pyramid – as valuable economic partners for business – as both talented and resilient business entrepreneurs, and value conscious consumers. Those living at the base of the pyramid represent $5 trillion worth of purchasing power.

“By bringing low-income producers and consumers into their supply chains, these companies are pioneers.

Creating inclusive business models in developing economies is a top priority for IFC, and critical in building prosperity,” said Stoiljkovic.

He stated that the based on interviews with 14 founders and CEOs of IFC client companies, the report identifies a number of lessons on inclusive business, including the need to balance short-term returns with long-term goals and the importance of knowledge of local conditions, needs, and capabilities.

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From left: Deputy Director Banking and Payment System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Olu Adaramewa; Director, TeleBanking, Globacom, Mr. Tunde Kuponiyi and Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives, Mr. Bismark Rewane, at the conference on cashless society sponsored by Glo, in Lagos.

Vision 2020: Jonathan, others advocate ethical re-orientation

BY YINKA KOLAWOLE

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OR Nigeria’s vision to rank among the 20 largest economies in the world by year 2020 to be realised, there is need for urgent ethical re-orientation amongst the citizenry.

This was the position of President Goodluck Jonathan and other eminent Nigerians who spoke at the justconcluded 44 th Annual National Conference of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) in Abuja. The other speakers at the event include Dr. Christopher Kolade, Bishop Hassan Matthew Kukah and Mr. Steve Oronsaye.

Jonathan who was represented by the

164.75

-4.35

2,434.00

+53.00

21.59

+0.17

113.34 +1.52 90.77

+1.44

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.75 248.0024 199.4882 164.6977 1.9759 0.2877 238.2055 24.6271 41.2634 26.7373 237.727

155.25 248.8037 200.1328 165.2299 1.9823 0.2977 238.9752 24.7071 41.3967 26.8237 238.4951

155.75 249.605 200.7773 165.762 1.9886 0.3077 239.7448 24.7871 41.53 26.9101 239.2632

CBN Exchange rate as at 11/10/2012 C M Y K

Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isah Bello Salli, while declaring open the conference, emphasised the need for Nigerians to re-imbibe the set of values that made the country the pride of the world at the dawn of independence.

He said the values include, but not limited to, respect for human dignity and the right to life, service to the nation, hard-work, loyalty, honesty, selfless service, religious tolerance, accountability and dedication.

He noted that these values shaped the way and manner we behaved and how other nations of the world perceived us as a people.

The President, however, regretted that these set of values have been eroded by various negative factors ranging from corruption, abuse of power, lack of respect for human life, lack of dignity, drug abuse, kidnapping, religious intolerance, ethnic war to suicide bombing.

He lamented that these have slowed down the pace of transformation and national development, while calling on professional bodies like CIPM to provide assistance and leadership in strengthening the bureaucracy for the realisation of his administration’s transformation agenda.

“Any transformational programme depends substantially on the ethical values of all stakeholders- government and the governed. Let me therefore urge Nigerians to always uphold the virtues of integrity, hard work, diligence and tolerance, which have proven to be the bulwarks that drive societies.

Indeed, Nigeria will be much greater when we continue to live above board, respect our differences and fully mobilise our human and material

resources,” he remarked.

Kolade, Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, in his keynote address on “ Restoration of Values for National Development”’, charged parents to bring their children up on the right track to ensure restoration of ethical values. He noted that human resources practitioners are custodians of the nation’s values and suggested the adoption of a system that enables people grow into leadership positions through experience and performance.

Unemployment: Firm kicks against N960bn spending on expatriate

By DOTUN IBIWOYE human resource firm, Employment Clinic has disclosed that the N960 billion annually spent on the importation of artisans by the Nigeria government can be channeled to the 40 million Nigerian youths.

Executive Director, Employment Clinic, Mrs. Ronke Kosoko, stated that the task of putting 40 million unemployed Nigerians back to work goes beyond an administration, but demands the contribution of all stakeholders.

The employment firm is collaborating with the federal government on its transformation agenda and is partnering with key business leaders across the economic sectors to brainstorm on how to ensure job creation for the teeming mass of unemployed Nigerians.

The federal government team lead by the duo of Olusegun Aganga and Emeka Wogu, Ministers for Trade & Investment and Labour & Productivity respectively, will join other key stakeholders to x-ray

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the problem of unemployment and proffer a roadmap that will help Nigeria attain her Vision 20 2020 with regards to job creation.

According to Kosoko, human capital is undeniably the greatest asset of every nation and there is an urgent need to balance the right skills with growth opportunity.

Kosoko noted that Nigeria is obviously at a threshold in its history as a nation, with vast human and natural resources, and economic growth of about seven per cent, adding that despite the influx of private sector investments across all industries, over 40.6 per cent of the country’s youths are still unemployed.

Being the first ever conglomeration of the government, policy makers, employers of labour, and Nigerian Graduates on employment and Human Capital Issues, she noted that the stakeholders conference will avail participants the opportunities that exist across industries.

22 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Market making: Operator urges cooperation among SEC, CBN, others

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM HE Securities and Ex change Commission must collaborate with money market agents- financial market dealers association, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, the interbank settlement and all other stakeholders to put a structure in place that will ensure the success of the market makers.

Speaking to Vanguard in an exclusive interview, Wale Oluwo, Managing Director, Investment Banking Group, BGL Securities, said that collaboration among the key stakeholders in both money and capital market is required to introduce an orderly market that could clear itself.

He stated that the capital market should not begin to look at itself as an island because the capital market cannot clear its own transactions without going through the banking system and the money market.

“So the capital market and money market must work together for those market makers to operate. It cannot operate without the money market because it is the money market

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that will clear your cash; it is the money market that will give you your money when you overbuy, and it is not your fault because you must buy, Oluwo said.

According to him, out of the 10 appointed market makers,

only two of them have access to finance being banks’ subsidiaries.

He said, “Apart from Stanbic IBTC Capital and FBN Securities that are banks’ subsidiaries, all the other ones are not banks, and there is no discount

window for them to raise cash to be able deliver on what they promised.

“Where are they going to get resource? Where is the clearing house project for funding, because if I go to the market and people just start bombard-

ing me and I have just two billion cash and I come back from the market with ten billion settlement, there must be a discount window that will give me that cash, while I try to trade my way out of the market.”

From left: Mrs Ngozika Obidike, Head, Consumer Protection Council, Lagos Office; Mr Olufunso Popoola, Regional Manager, Apapa Region and Mr. Obi Iregbu, Assistant Director/Co-ordinator, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lagos Zonal Office at the Ecobank win big promo first draw in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

Standard Chartered to invest $100m in African expansion

BY RITA OBODOECHINA TANDARD Chartered said it will be investing N15.8 billion ($100million) in 110 new branches in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana alongside five other core markets over the next three years.

The company made the announcement at its inaugural Africa Investor Day on the Group’s aspirations for the region where Diana Layfield, Standard Chartered’s CEO for Africa, said the Group will invest over $100million on 110 new branches in Kenya, Ghana and, Nigeria alongside five other core markets over the next three years, as well as making substantial hires across both the Wholesale and Consumer Banking business, including over 900 sales staff in the Consumer Banking business.

Layfield, while speaking on the bank’s vision for its African franchise over the next five years against the backdrop of how its business has fared to date, said the bank had performed creditably well in the face of increasing competition from both international and local banks.

The Bank said it aims to maintain the CAGR delivered over the last five years of 16 per cent. This will see revenues from the African business more than double in size over

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the next four to five years on a constant currency basis, whilst delivering RoRWA and RoE targets at or above the Group average.

She also said that investment spend will also be accelerated in mobile payments technology, physical infrastructure, staff hires, establishing new onshore presences and deepening existing ones.

Standard Chartered currently covers 37 markets in the region – 15 on a full presence basis and 22 further markets on a transaction basis following its clients; providing extensive reach across the continent, thereby covering 92 percent of sub-Saharan African GDP. The Group will expand its geographic reach to establish new onshore presences and deepening existing ones. It intends to open new Wholesale Banking office locations in South Africa and invest in new products in both Islamic banking and Mortgages, as well as establishing an onshore presence in Mozambique, she noted.

Since 2010, Standard Chartered has upgraded a significant portion of its branch footprint across Africa, opening or refurbishing 58 branches and making selective ‘bolt on’ acquisitions to expand important capabilities; acquiring Barclays’ African custody business and the specialist African investment bank, First Africa.

It also expanded a number of specialist capabilities, including hiring into its client coverage team and strengthening its M&A capability in key sectors such as oil and gas, and metals and mining; Chinese

speakers were hired to provide dedicated support to China-Africa corridor business.

Layfield said that at $1.34billion in 2011, Africa currently accounts for 8 per-

cent of Group income. “Iin the Group as a whole, our performance has been sustained by a large number of different growth engines with a very healthy balance across our major geographies.”

Skye Bank employees, Gem partner in educational devt N furtherance of its commit ment to learning and improving the standard of education in the country, members of staff of Skye Bank Plc, in conjunction with Gem Publications, have donated educational and inspirational books to three secondary schools in Lagos State.

The book donations which were done under the auspices of the Gem Initiative to reawaken the reading culture among secondary students in the state, formed part of the Gem Publications Group’s initiative to commemorate this year ’s international literacy day.

The schools which benefitted from the initiative included Agidingbi Grammar School, Ojodu Junior High Schhol and Babs Fafunwa Memorial Senior Secondary School, Ojodu.

Speaking at the book presentation ceremonies at the vari-

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ous schools, the Regional Director, Ikeja Region of Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Owolabi Kamson, noted that the bank and its employees placed a very high premium on education, as continuous learning is one of the bank’s core values.

Specifically, he said knowledge obtained through education is the key to life-long success and outstanding accomplishments by individuals, adding that only those who are educated rule the world through their ideas.

Kamson assured that the bank would continue to partner with public spirited organizations and non governmental organizations to improve the standard and quality of education in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Gem Group, Mrs Bola Olawale, said her organization started the programme to check the dwin-

dling interest in reading among students as well as to improve the spoken and written English of students generally.

She noted that only 20 per cent of students who sat for English Language in the last Senior School Certificate examinations passed while a staggering 80 per cent failed the subject which is considered necessary for their educational advancement.

Olawale charged the students to read voraciously and acquire the knowledge that will make them compete favourably with people from other countries in the future.

Skye Bank Plc is an education friendly institution with established records of assistance to educational institutions. Recently, the bank partnered with the Rainbow Book Club to donate books to some secondary schools in Ajegunle, Lagos.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 23

Nigerians need financial intelligence to overcome recession — Olumide

By KUNLE KALEJAYE UTHOR of ‘School of Money ’, Mr. Olumide Emmanuel has expressed confidence that Nigerians can overcome economic recession to hits the world in 2007 with financial intelligence.

Speaking with news men in Lagos, Emmanuel explained that with financial intelligence, Nigerians can overcome economic recession.

“When the recession began in 2007, as at 2008, the then Central Bank Governor, Charles Soludo was telling us that Nigeria cannot be affected because we are immune.

“This is because they were not looking at things holistically but today we know that the information was not accurate. The solution to recession in the country is for us to have financial intelligent and be conscious that there is recession in the country.”

He attributed the high rate of unemployment min the country to lack of entrepreneur skills in Nigerians.

“Entrepreneurship is the solution to unemployment. It is the solution to poverty and it is the solution to corruption.

People steal money because they don’t know how to create money. Once people know how to create money they would not steal.

“Once people know how to create money and create wealth they would create jobs.

So if young people graduate from school and they know how to set up small business before long they would employ people and the money would be there for the government to do other things,” he said.

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Deputy Governor, Financial System, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Stability, Dr. Kingsley Moghalu (middle); MD/CEO, FITC, Dr. Lucy Newman (left); and MD/CEO, Stanbic-IBTC Bank, Mrs. Sola David-Borha at the Continuous Education Programme (CEP) for Directors of banks and other financial institutions, in Lagos.

Explaining the importance of cultivating reading habit, Olumide said the average Nigerian does not read “that is why they are average and that is how they will continue to remain average.

“So if you want to leave average to become

exceptional you need to read.

Because if you are not informed you will be deformed, if you are not inspired you will expire and if you are not updated you will be outdated. It is what you know that determine how far you will go. So you have to

By KAYODE AMOLEGBE S the world marked customer service week, bank customers have identified services that needed to be improved in the banking industry.

In commemoration of the week, which is usually marked in the first week of October, a cross session bank customers spoke with Vanguard on how

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ITH the posting of a healthy profit before tax of N23.2 billion for the nine months ended 30 September 2012, Diamond Bank Plc has continued on an upward trajectory to profit.

Highlights of the unaudited results, which was prepared on the basis of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), indicate that the bank’s total assets base crossed the N1 trillion mark to N1.03 trillion for the Quarter in review. This is a 7% increase from N960.1billion recorded at the end of the second quarter and an impressive 28% from N802.7 billion recorded at the end of December 2011.

Commenting on the result, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Dr. Alex Otti, said, “ We are delighted to announce that Diamond Bank has achieved a balance sheet size that has

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he school does not teach people wealth creation.

“Having a Ph.D. in Swimming Technology does not make you

Customers appraise banks on customer service week their bank can serve them better.

Akeem Abiodun, a Phone engineer, who banks with Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), said, “GTB can serve me well by making sure the three ATM machines here are working properly in order to forestall long queues”.

Ibrahim Abayomi, an Aluminum fabricator, who patronizes Keystone bank, said, “If they have enough workers,

Diamond Bank posts N23.2bn third quarter profit

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read because it is through reading that you get the information on how to create wealth.

a swimmer. Having a degree in Business Administration does not mean you can successfully run a saloon. So this book (School of Money) is there to give people the practical knowledge and tools on how to teach people. You have seen people share testimonies on how they have become millionaires and landlords. So it has worked for them why won’t it work for other people. We have raise over 300millionaires over the last five years already and land owners.

“School of Money Book is what this nation needs now because we need financial intelligence, we need entrepreneurship to turn things around in the country.

At the end of the seminar, raffle draw was held for audience that bought book and Mr. Bensmart Onyechere won the first prize of N1 million while the second prize of N500,000 cash went to Mrs. Esther Ajilore and Mr. OluwaseyeOyetunji emerge as the third place winner with N250,000 cash.

Olumide Emmanuel has been into motivational seminars and book writing for the past 20 years. He started out in 1995 and has been in Lagos and several places since then.

crossed the one trillion naira mark as at the end of Q3 2012. We have increased operating income figures by 107%, having turned around the performance of the Bank to profitability from the loss recorded last year. Our deposit base is growing at an accelerated pace, evidencing the Bank’s ability to attract retail deposits that mitigate our cost of funding. We are now in a robust position to carry this performance through to the end of the year and deliver a sustainable double digit ROE in 2012.”

While the bank recorded a net interest income of N72.4 billion (up 39% from Q3, 2011), it earned interest and similar income of N88.4billion (from Q3, 2011). Diamond Bank also achieved a 163 per cent increase in other income from N8.0billion it recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2011 to N21.0 billion.

they will be able to speed up their services. Not everybody has the strength to wait, some people just came to do one or two things”. A Stanbic IBTC customer, David Olayemi Shodimu, an oil merchant, was not satisfied with Stanbic service delivery as of the time of this interview. He said he has been waiting for hours just to get a transaction confirmed. “Stanbic should look for procedures that will make them more efficient.

I expect to see a bank like IBTC to be more efficient looking at the banking hall; I think they have less population. It is not about the structure or environment, it is about service delivery. When you come for a small transaction and you have account with the same bank; am the sole signatory to the account and am sitting down here for confirmation, what is the essence about that? That is not what banking is, banking should be service”, he said.

Mrs. Ololade, a business woman, commended Zenith Bank for their prompt service towards her but advised them to support small scale entrepreneurs in their business.

A public servant by the name Emmanuel Obudu, who also banks with Zenith Bank said, “Zenith bank should provide means to transfer money outside the country, like this Money

Gram and others”.

Bukola, a student of Tai Solarin University, who banks with Skye Bank said, “I want them to improve on their customer service that is the way they render service. I have applied for an ATM card for weeks now and they keep telling me to come back and they haven’t given me till now. So, things like that I want them to improve on that”.

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rs. Kayode, a business woman, who came to pay for her children school fees at First Bank, however have some advice for the bank. “So far so good, I think the bank has tried, but they should add to their customer care. You know, they should try to be friendlier.

They are trying”, she said.

A student of Ekiti State University by the name Adesuwa, commended First Bank in their service delivery.

She said they are trying.

A Technician by the name Alabi, who patronizes Sterling Bank, commended them for their easy access to transactions and also for having a reliable network. Mr. Olanrewaju Lawal, a journalist, who patronizes United Bank for Africa, said, “As far as am concerned UBA is one of the oldest banks in the country and customers have confidence in them.

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Flood: Two women die in boat accident ...bandits raid flood victims camp in Delta

BY EMMA AMAIZE

ARRI—TWO women, who went to harvest cassava in their farms at Oyede community in Isoko North Local Government Area, weekend, lost their lives when the boat they were in capsized.

This came as bandits, raided the Oharisi Rehabilitation Camp for flood victims in Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, and carted away relief materials meant for the internally displaced persons.

Similarly, a man identified as Awee Itimi collapsed and died in his farm at Irri community, when he saw the devastation done to his farm by flood.

The robbers, who came with dangerous weapons, also raped women and young girls in the camp.

Before yesterday night's invasion of the

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Ughelli camp, Vanguard was informed that robbers also raided a rehabilitation camp in Ndokwa area of the state and stole food items.

It was learnt that there was no security in virtually all the rehabilitation camps, but following the latest incident, government was making plans to deploy security operatives to the relief camps.

Items carted away by the robbers included garri, rice and foodstuff.

Some of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the randy robbers raped them.

Reacting to the development, National coordinator of the Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence, FJHD, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, said: “I got the news of the rape through a lawyer and our officials, who visited the camp. It is a very sad and unfortunate incident. These are people fighting for survival

after being displaced by flood, only for their fellow human beings, who ought to sympathize with them, to come to rape them and steal the relief items that were brought to them by government and good Samarians. I do not know how to describe this crime.”

Meanwhile, thieves have invaded the abandoned homes of flood victims at Uzere and other

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State addressing a cross section flood displaced persons in Oleh camp, Isoko South LGA of Delta State when the governor visited the camp yesterday.

Photo: Henry Unini

Bayelsa plans three storage facilities in Yenagoa

BY SAMUEL OYADONG-

HA E N A G O A — BAYELSA State Government plans to establish three food storage sites in Yenagoa, the State capital to avert the looming food crisis in the state.

This came as in the wake of the devastating flood being experienced in the state as the government donated N15 million to the Flood Outreach Committee put together by churches in the

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area to mitigate the impact of the flood disaster.

Governor Seriake Dickson who announced this in a on the flood situation in the state said the strategic storage sites would be under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Lamenting the devastating effect of the flood he said, “reports at my disposal indicate a growing scarcity of food and other essential commodities arising from the flooding on the East-West road, which is a

major gateway into the state. This coupled with the destruction of farms has created acute food shortage at the moment. Consequently, food prices have now soared beyond the reach of the ordinary person. It has become clear that after the flood, there would be famine in our land. To forestall this impending tragedy, government has developed a robust plan to boost food production and ensure food security in the state.”

He said government would be involved in the production of essential food items like cassava, maize, cocoa yam, rice, plantain and livestock as well as provide support for individual farmers in the state.

Dickson directed local government council chairmen working with the State Emergency Response Management Committee to establish more relief centres in each of the local governments and urged com-

munities to set up relief camps on high grounds around them.

Meanwhile, Dickson announced the N15 million donation while interacting with Christian leaders in the state at the Greater Evangelism World Crusade Church, Opolo in Yengoa.

The governor expressed delight at the support and concern churches have shown so far, adding that the donation was aimed at enabling the committee to complement the effort of the state emergency respond committee to ameliorate the suffering of the flood victims.

Dickson commended the Special Assistant on Religious Affairs, Rev. Samuel John-Peters for his thoughtfulness in convening the meeting at a time when government needed the support and prayers of the church most.

NLC donates to flood victims President Goodluck Jonathan flanked by the Chairman, Presidential Committee on funds raising for flood disasters, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Vice President Namadi Sambo with the co-chair, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba and other members of the Committee shortly after the inauguration of the Committee in Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Delta urges youth groups to help flood victims S A B A — D E LT A State Government has directed voluntary youth organisations under the auspices of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Delta State Chapter, to quickly mobilise and move into the various relief camps where flood victims in the state are taking refuge to render much needed services.

Speaking through the Commissioner, Directo-

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rate of Youth Development, Mr. Ebifa Ijomah, the government gave the directive while addressing members of voluntary youth organizations in the state during a meeting he held with them.

Ijomah said the emergency meeting with members of the voluntary youth organisations was as a result of the urgent need to mobilise into the resettlement camps set up by the state govern-

ment to cater for the flood disaster victims.He noted that the time had come for them to prove that they were truly voluntary organisations whose agenda included selfless service.

The Commissioner told the organisations that their duty in the relief camps was mainly to ensure cleanliness in the camps to forestall outbreak of diseases in about 12 local govern-

ment areas in the state affected by the disaster.

While commending some of them that were already on ground at the various resettlement camps in the state, Ijomah urged others to mobilise to the relief camps as quickly as possible to justify the confidence reposed in them by Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan led administration.

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-

YOUNG AGOS—THE fear of possible outbreak of epidemic in the flood victims Relief camps was erased, yesterday, as the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Delta State Council donated essential drugs to the victims in their various camps in the state.

Speaking to Vangurd after making the donation at the Relief Camp located at St. Michael College, Oleh the State NLC Chairman, Comrade, Williams Akporeha, said that the move was to help the victims who have been displaced from

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their natural habitat address any health challenge that might arise.

Comrade Akporeha said the magnitude of the flood disaster was beyond the capacity of the state government and sympathized with the victims over the unfortunate calamity that befell them.

The Chairman who commanded Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, for the prompt response and efforts so far made at ameliorating the plight of the flood victims, said it was a clear demonstration of the governor ’s pragmatic leadership brought his humanity to the fore

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—25

Area for cashew growth to double by 2050 STORIES BY DANIEL GUMM

Y 2050, the area suitable for growing cashew in West Africa could virtually double as a result of global climate change, researchers said at the 7th annual conference of the African Cashew Alliance in Cotonou, Benin, last month.

Global climate change will lead to higher temperatures and higher levels of carbon dioxide that will make much more land in West Africa suitable for cashew cultivation, said Eric Rahn of the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture. The study looked specifically at Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

It was just one of several pieces of information that explained almost palpable excitement among the more than 530 processors, exporters, financiers, buyers and service providers who came from 34 countries to participate.

Cashew processing is also expanding across Africa, creating thousands of jobs — and more factories are in the pipeline.

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With an expanded cultivation zone due to climate change, and continued increase in international demand, cashew in West Africa particularly is poised for continued strong growth.

In Benin alone, at least five new cashew processing factories are in the pipeline — and stakeholders from other countries reported similar development.

That expansion reinforces the importance of the African Cashew Alliance — it was founded in 2006 with the primary mandate to expand cashew processing in order to create jobs. Since then new processing has created more than 10,000 jobs alone in West Africa.

And the potential to create even more is significant — and happening. Most of Africa’s harvest is exported as raw cashew nuts to be processed elsewhere, such as Brazil, India and Vietnam. This year, however, the continent will process more than 100,000 metric tons of the crop — the most ever.

Cashew stakeholders in Côte d'Ivoire, Africa's largest producer with roughly 350,000 metric tons

annually, said the country would process half of its crop by 2015, an ambitious target but an indicator of things to come.

Africa’s potential to respond to increasing international demand has put it at the centre of the cashew world, experts and specialists from across the industry told participants in a variety of workshops at the conference. Efforts across the sector in Africa are capitalising on that potential, participants learned.

Farmer training programmes implemented under the African Cashew Initiative (ACI) — which have seen best practices to increase yields adopted by up to 80 per cent of farmers — are expanding, helping to ensure future harvests can keep pace with demand.

The ACI, overseen by the German development agency GIZ and implemented by TechnoServe, Fair Match Support and the ACA, will begin its second phase, a

three-year programme, later this month. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports the ACI’s work, and private sector stakeholders also contribute.

Today the ACA has 176 members and many of them voted in the election for its executive committee at the conference.

Georgette Taraf was elected as the ACA’s president, the first woman to hold the position.

Koffi Yao Appiah of Cote d’Ivoire, Tola Faseru of Ni-

geria and Jace Rabe of Benin were also elected as new members. They join Patrick Wainaina of Kenya, Maokola Majogo of Tanzania and V. Rajkumar.

The ACA’s value was reinforced at the conference with the signing of two MoUs that will strengthen cooperation with ARECA, the cashew and cotton industry regulatory body in Cote d’Ivoire, Africa’s largest producer of cashew, and the Nigeria National Cashew Association.

ECOWAS trade can boost decent work A RECENT thoughtprovoking study by the International Labour Office, Regional Trade and Employment in ECOWAS, confirms the intuitively held view that, “… exporters in the ECOWAS region tend to be bigger, more productive and pay higher wages than nonexporters.”

The up-front cost to enter export markets is high, but so are the benefits in terms of promoting a more diversified, skill-based economy. The high entry

cost and differences in exporters’ comparative advantages relative to their regional and global markets often require firms to choose between regional or global exports.

Given the choice, most workers would choose to work for firms that export rather than domestic producers. Unfortunately, confusing regulations, corruption and difficult access to financing undermine West African exports.

The ILO study examines the contribution of intra-

regional ECOWAS trade to the creation of “decent jobs.” It looks at both the quantity and quality of jobs, including work productivity, wages earned and employment and income security.

Intra-regional trade depends fundamentally on the comparative advantage which one Member State of ECOWAS or an exporter has relative to his trading partner. While this advantage is based on factor endowments, it is influenced by national policies, local institutions, the

“business environment”, and vision of the private sector.

The ILO study segments ECOWAS firms into four categories based on the World Bank Enterprise Survey (2007 – 2010). The vast majority (88%) comprises “purely domestic firms.” The remaining 12% is divided evenly between “direct exporting firms” and “indirect exporting firms,” the latter generally supplying and/or exporting through the direct exporters.

26—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Gelegele community road...under construction0

A sore in our democracy

By VICTOR OMOREGIE

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ELEGELE is said to have been founded by its first ruler of the village, Ikpiti and his elder sister, Kunemor, sometime in 1403. Both were said to have been attracted to the area because it was located on a hill, which makes it almost impossible to be flooded by the river around the place.

According to oral history, the name ‘Gelegele” means a place on the hill. It seems to have history and importance entrusted upon it. Gelegele began as an ancient seaport which existed even before the coming of the colonial masters and long before the birth of Nigeria as a country.

Apart from the British expedition in Benin, Gelegele was one of the seaports through which the colonial masters passed in their quest for the exploration and partitioning of C M Y K

Africa. They used it to access the ancient Benin Kingdom. It became a major route for slave trade, cocoa, cowries and other precious items for the colonial powers and now it has become an oil-producing community.

Most importantly is its role in the history of the Benin Kingdom.

It was through Gelegele that the British punitive expedition passed in 1897, which resulted in the total annihilation of the empire. It was through this same port that the reigning monarch of the Benin Kingdom, Oba Ovoramwen was deported to Calabar.

British expedition The British expedition team was led by its Consul-General, James Phillips. The large canoe which Phillips and his team arrived Gelegele is believed to

be buried by the sand in a particular spot at the port. There is also a mass grave site where the British colonial masters were reportedly buried. The names of those killed and buried along with Phillips are Peter W.C. Copland-Crowder, Arthur I Maling, Kenneth C. Campell, Robert H. Elliot, Harry S. Powish and Thomas Cordon.

With all these it would have been expected that Gelegele would have acquired some form of development, but alas, that is not the case. Like every other community in the Niger Delta, Gelegele is a graphic contrast to its economic and historical significance. Despite hosting the oil flow station of Dubri Oil Company since 1979, socioeconomic activities in Gelegele are seemingly non-existent.

The mere mention of Gelegele usually evokes a picture of a farflung, under-developed, inaccessible community in the

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GELEGELE:

heart of the rain forest. The village is situated near a large expanse of tropical rain forest, deep in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, with a network of rivers, creeks, streams, canals and springs linking up to the River Niger which flows into the high seas.

Pockets of jetties and shrines being patronized by the people keep the area alive. Expectedly, low level fishing and trading in condensate (mistaken by the local people as diesel) go on in the area and serve as the major sources of revenue for the people.

The journey to Gelegele for Vanguard began at the new-look

the Ring Road.

These include such roads as the Sakpoba road, Sapele Road, Airport Road, Ekenkhuan, Mission Road, Ewaise (formerly called Forestry) Road, Akpakpava. Also noticeable round the Ring road are very important historical sites of the Benin Kingdom that serve as historical pointers of days of yore.

First among these sites is the Palace of the Monarch of the Benin Kingdom, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpokpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa.

Then comes the Urhokhota Hall (the traditional meeting hall of all Binis). Next is the Oredo Local Government offices. The most

The beauty of the Ring road is a testimony to one of the achievements of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. In the not too recent past, the Ring road could have been likened to the former Oshodi area in Lagos, where the citizenry dreaded to pass after dark

Ring Road in Benin City. The Ring-road of today wears the modern look of a real urban business centre and epi-centre of the Benin Kingdom.

The Ring-road structure is the representation of the ancient road networks constructed in the glorious days of the Benin Kingdom. All roads around the city empty into the ring road. It is worthy of note that popular and historical roads converge at

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important market in Benin, which is the Oba market lies close-by. Directly opposite is the State House of Assembly Complex, with the General Hospital as its next door neighbour. The Benin Baptist Church is close also. The Central Bank Building is also located in front of the Ring road. To complement the beauty and tourist attraction of the Ring road Continues on page 27

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—27

Patriotic opposition or abject cynicism

Gelegele: The sore of democracy

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Residential layout From the Ring road the bus passed by the Ekenkhuan campus of University of Benin on the right and the Garrick Grammar School on the left. Then it meandered through the new residential layout of Ugbiokho. As the bus passed through the Ekenkhuan village the scenery changed from those of buildings on both sides of the road to that of luxuriant tropical rain forests. Surprisingly the journey was smooth thus far, courtesy of the NDDC, that had built a two-lane asphalt road that would terminate at Gelegele.

As we approached the Ughoton community, Vanguard was informed that we were entering the oil-producing region of Edo State. From inside the bus we could see oilcapping facilities on both sides of the road.

In all, we counted over 20 oil-capping facilities before we got to Gelegele. The scenery for the rest of the journey was virtually the same, with few houses interspacing the green tropical rain forest.

The journey ended when the bus came to a halt in front of the ‘Health Centre’ in Gelegele, where there were passengers already waiting to board the bus back to Benin.

Upon disembarking from the bus, we approached two young men we noticed who sat in front of the steps on the clinic.. We

Gelegele port C M Y K

informed them of our intention to have an extensive tour of the Gelegele community.

We then followed the youths towards a location that had the sign post indicating the direction to the proposed new sea port.

As we progressed we suddenly entered into a clearing, only to be confronted by a group of youths. One of them told us that we had to obtain permission from their “General” before any tour or facility visit within the Gelegele community could be taken. The journey took another dimension when we were shepherded into a footpath that could barely take one person at a time.

What this meant was that everyone had to walk in a single file.

Stern looking young men We were sandwiched by a group of youths.

Suddenly, we emerged again at another clearing, but this time, it had houses. Seated under what could be described as an earthen porch were eight stern-looking young men.

After introductions, the spokesperson of the group finally introduced us to ‘General’ Richard Obei who we later had an interview with.

After the interview with 'General' Obei, he assigned two youths to serve as our guides and to also keep an eye on us. They then took us to the house of one of the elders of the community. The residence was also located within the clearing we had just entered. The residence was modest enough to house a man of the standing as a Chief. It had its generator running, to provide electricity. After the interview with Chief Kokoroko, we now set out for the survey proper of the community.

We followed the youths through the thick tropical rain forest, to every oil-capping site.

In all we counted 15 oil-capping facilities scattered in the forest. It would seem as if the Gelegele community is sitting virtually on a crude oil basin.

After a hectic walk through the forest, we came out close to the ‘famous’ Gelegele sea port. Commercial activities were about rounding up for the day. Vanguard was informed that boats and ferries carrying human and commercial cargo went to any part of the country that was linked by waterways. We saw some women loading their wares into one of the speed boats. What we could identify were kegs of local gin, dried fish, snails, plantain, salt, garri and palm oil.

Continues next week

work is required to make this happen.

MSN Africa, host e-zine of the Microsoft search engine in Africa undertook a whimsical comparison of the Independence Day speeches of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the nation’s first Prime Minister. It was a most entertaining survey. “At last, our great day has arrived, and Nigeria is now indeed an independent sovereign nation,” Tafawa Balewa enthused at the spot that now bears his name in Onikan, Lagos in 1960. Fifty two years later, Goodluck Jonathan responds: “Those who witnessed the lowering of the Union Jack and the emergence of the Green White Green flag continue to relish the memory, because that ceremony was not just about the destiny of a nation, but the future of a people.”

In 1960, Balewa had opened “a new chapter in the history of Nigeria, and of the Commonwealth, and indeed of the world.” In 2012, Goodluck Jonathan, adds this succinct review: “We weathered the storm of the civil war, we have refused to be broken by sectarian crises; we have remained a strong nation. I bring to you today, a message of renewed hope and faith in the immense possibilities that lie ahead.”

This is the message that the viru-

QUAINT Igbo proverb: Old age means quirky bones. Clearly, some things go together. It seems most inevitable, therefore, that the exercise of presidential office must be trailed always by noisy objection from a select crowd of faultfinders. Like dogs after a passing carnival, their erudite barking has the power only of colourful, but impotent, commentary. This is my humble assessment of the frequent bashing which the Presidency receives, almost on a daily basis, from a squad of critics whose intemperate arguments would be all the more educating, if only they did not always betray a clear partisan agenda.

Take the recent Independence Day speech by the president. Suddenly, a time honoured moment for sober reflection on our not-so-glorious history as a nation was reduced to a mindless opportunity for spurious argumentation by die-hard pessimists.

They failed to see the president’s rallying address in its true light as a rousing call to greater dedication and sought instead to pick worthless holes in his broad vision of progress and modest gains achieved in the last year.

The feverish outbursts against the president’s optimistic reading of economic indicators smack only of barefaced opThis much is clear, the jourposition politics. The happy truth is that we ney to nationhood is not destihave had far worse independence anniver- nation bound, but a robust saries than the one that process to face up to the chalrolled by last Monday week. Think of October lenges of each new day 1, 1966, 1967, ’68 and ’69. Fast forward to the aftermath of lent opposition dares to demean ever the annulment of the June 12 elec- more vociferously with each passing tions in 1993, roll through the Abacha day. The distracting quarrel about the years and the national days of every statistics reeled out by the president election year since 1960. What you should not bother any discerning get are dark still shots of gloomy days reader. It is an issue with opposition when the nation seemed destined for politicians all over the world. Very disintegration. Thank God, we recently, Republican Party officials in pulled through.

America claimed that the Reserve Bank had doctored its financial indicators to favour the incumbent adCollective strengths and ministration. What patriotic Nigerigood fortunes ans should never do is deny that The pessimists may scoff, but the hope abounds for our country. The last anniversary was yet another sal- challenges are enormous but the abutary occasion to count our blessings ject cynicism of what may be labelled and revel in our collective strengths the “opposition press” is self-defeatand good fortunes as a people. In ist and does not advance the strugthis wise, President Jonathan was gle one inch. Indeed, their attitude eminently justified in his desire to is a deplorable throwback to the anrally the Nigerian people - indeed cient tactics of the past defunct reall patriots - with signposts of a bet- publics.

President Jonathan may not be the ter promise filled tomorrow. Eko o niba je, Lagosians like to acclaim these saviour we are looking for; to paradays. Why, in the name of all that is phrase a former president who could good and decent should Nigeria fare not provide the salvation he sought any worse? Yet, some critics are so in others. But this much is clear, the immersed in a parochial world-view journey to nationhood is not destithey cannot perceive that the ruin of nation bound, but a robust process to the whole is the utter calamity of its face up to the challenges of each new day. For this reason, the president’s parts.

Yet, while the opposition critics assertion last Monday rings very jeered and ridiculed their nation, the true: “Over the years, several leadinternational media rose up the vast ers have built on the foundation laid potentials of Project Nigeria to the by our Founding Fathers. The baton inherent challenges of managing this is now in our hands. Let me assure very large and divergent, multi-eth- all Nigerians that we shall not fail. I nic society. They did not personalise am confident that Nigeria will conthe issue but looked instead at the tinue to be a source of pride to its various programmes designed to pull citizens; to Africa and the Black Race the nation through its debilitating and to humanity; a land that is known problems into the comity of emergent for progress, freedom, peace and the nations. Their prognosis: hope ex- promotion of human dignity.” So be ists for a grander nation but still more it.

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Continues from page 26 is the National Museum, which is located directly at the centre of the road.

The new beauty of the Ring road is a testimony to one of the achievements of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

In the not too recent past, the Ring road could have been likened to the former Oshodi area in Lagos, where the citizenry dreaded to pass after dark.

At the Ring Road Bus Terminal, vehicles going to different parts of the city can be found. Governor Oshiomhole’s impact on the transport sector is evident in the presence of numerous long luxurious buses popularly called ‘Oshio Baba’ in the local parlance, heading to different parts of the city. These buses are the exact replica of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s BRT buses.

Upon the location of the bus terminal, Vanguard was informed that buses go to Gelegele twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. It was by a stroke of luck that Vanguard got a space into one of the buses heading to Gelegele. With the bus filled to capacity with passengers, it began its journey.

BY PITA OKUTE

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28 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

OCTOBER 12, 2012

IDL expends N100m on distributors …warns on fake products Stories by PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

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ntercontinental Distillers Limited (IDL) has spent about N100million on its distributors in the 2011 fiscal year as a result of volume and growth in their businesses, as it warns on sale of fake products.

The company said the gifts which ranges from 2 trucks, LCD Television, refrigerators, generators sets and cash prizes was to reward the distributors for their sales performance in 2011.

Speaking, Managing Director of the company, Mr. Patrick Anegbe, said IDL as a company will continue to reward hard work and loyalty on the part of its distributors, even as the company will continue to do everything possible to assist them in growing their business, whilst the company will remain innovative in producing first choice drinks. He enthused.

The Managing Director who said the management of the company is not unaware of the growing demand for its products in spite of daunting challenges in the industry and the need to meet ever growing expectations of its customers in terms of quality and quantity.

“The company had to embark on capacity building by hugely investing on factory expansion.” He said.

Anegbe who further said that the company is in the know of the serious challenges posed by fakers of some of its brands, pointed out that the company is doing everything possible to nib the trend, assured the distributors that measures are being put in

place to checkmate the trend.

His words, “I want to assure you that these measures have started yielding positive result. What we need from you as our distributors is your unflinching support and loyalty to our company by ensuring that you are not involved in selling of fake products.”

He however warned “it’s a criminal offence for anyone to sell fake products of any

kind. We will continue to monitor the activities of our distributors and will not hesitate to withdraw the distributorship and prosecute any distributor found in possession of fake products.”

Continuing, he said, “We are working closely with relevant law enforcement agencies, such as National Agency for Food Drugs and Control (NAFDAC), Consumer Protection Council (CPC), the Police and State Security Services (SSS) to ensure that perpetrators are duly prosecuted, he warned. “We are also working the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) to enact protective laws via the national Assembly.”

Scores of consumers and students of University of Benin witnessing the flag off of Drink Milk Everyday campaign town storm inside UniBen in Edo State recently.

Friesland,‘Drink Milk Everyday’ campaign and its impact eak Milk, a flagship milk brand from the stable of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc recently kicked off a pan-Nigeria campaign tagged ‘Drink Milk Everyday’ aimed at encouraging regular intake of milk amongst Nigerians. The campaign has so far visited-Benin, Ibadan and Makurdi as the train is expected to transist the length and breadth of the country.

The campaign the company said came as a result of extensive research carried out, which showed that Nigerians were not drinking enough milk; considering its enormous nutritional benefits and its ability to help the country build a healthy manpower.

At the unveiling ceremony in Lagos recently, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, wife of the Governor of Lagos State, emphasised the need for milk drinking, which she said was an essential necessity for daily growth. She used herself as a proof saying, “milk gives strength, enhances beauty, builds power and much more.”

Since the launch of the programme, the Drink Milk Everyday train has berthed in three cities to an overwhelming reception from consumers, students and government functionaries particularly the wives of the governors and their aides.

In Benue, wife of the Benue State governor, Architect C M Y K

Yemisi Dooshima Suswam flagged off the “drink milk every day for women’ campaign in the state. Mrs. Suswam commended Friesland for the initiative aimed at ensuring that women lead healthy lives. Edo and Oyo were not different as Edo State, Deputy Governor’s wife, Deaconess Endurance Odubu and Wife of

,

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Apart from increased patronage experienced by the promoter-Peak Milk, other milk manufacturing and marketing organisations have also witnessed increased patronage arising from the campaign in these three states.

While wives of Governors are encouraging mothers to embrace the initiatives by en-

What we discovered was that even though Nigerians appreciate the goodness of milk and know that it is nutritious, they do not take it regularly. On the average, people consume milk twice a week which is too low if they will get all the benefits that are there in milk

,

Oyo State Governor Mrs. Florence Ajimobi encouraged mothers to see FrislandCampina’s initiative as laudable one.

The campaign is also recorded as one of the most impactful corporate social responsibility (CSR) undertaken by any fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) in recent times.

Students, children and mothers have testified to the influence of the campaign in their attitudes towards milk consumption.

suring that they give their wards milk on regular basis, students from tertiary institution have urged milk manufacturing companies to embark on pocket friendly packaging targeted at students who may not be able to afford the present offerings in the market.

During the campus storm at the University of Ibadan a fortnight ago, over ten thousand students participated in the campaign at the cricket ground of the institution. Like other places where the ‘drink milk

everyday’ campaign train has been to, University of Ibadan (UI) students and some consumers who attended the event in their hundreds were exhaustively educated on the goodness and benefits of regular intake of milk.

The campaign train also visited University of Benin and University of Agriculture, Makurdi and treated consumers as well as students to an evening of fun.

Speaking at the event, the UI Students Union President, Edosa Raymond, said, this is the first selfless campaign is embarked upon by a corporate organisation in Nigeria. “I am seeing the first selfless corporate social campaign that encourages people to even consume what competitions are producing.” Raymond said.

Explaining why the campaign was initiated, Senior Brand Manager, Peak, Mr. Joshua Abuh said the drink milk everyday campaign arose as a result of research the company carried out in the country with respect to how Nigerians use milk.

“What we discovered was that even though Nigerians appreciate the goodness of milk and know that it is nutritious, they do not take it regularly. On the average, people consume milk twice a week which is too low if they will get all the benefits that are there in milk,” Abuh stated

MTN backs Headies Award TN Nigeria has thrown its weight behind the sixth edition of the Headies Award formally known as Hip Hop Awards.

Speaking, at the press conference heralding the Award coming up this month Saidat Mohammed , Head, Youth Segment, MTN Nigeria, MTN is sponsoring Award, because the Award mean to the company as an opportunity to reward and recognize talents and the Nigerian artist who have shown themselves to be dedicated people to their trade and to their passion, while she stated that it is important their effort is rewarded.

She went on to say that It’s MTN’s belief that hardwork should be rewarded and good talents be recognized “and so we have one of our values; The can do spirit, and The can do spirit that the Nigerian artist have, everyday that he comes up on stage, everyday that he goes to the studio, everyday he wakes up to please his or her fans, that is what MTN stands for and what MTN supports.”

On what the Award means to MTN, she said, “It is to show that we truly believe in the people of Nigeria,” as she hinted that MTN as a brand is sponsoring the Award but with its Product; MTN Pulse, which described as a youth brand.

Mohammed went on to describe the Award as a rallying point for the identification, grooming, recognizing and rewarding of Nigerian music talent. “Music as we all know is a veritable platform to leverage the passion points of the over 40 million Nigerian youths, whose strong bias and attachment to music cannot be over-emphasized.”

“MTN is a brand that has strong passion for the ‘youths and is always ready and willing to help them achieve their dreams. Over the years, we have been able to identify music as one of the strongest passion points for the youths, and we are determined to partner with any brand that will make the dreams of the youths come true. This is not the first time MTN is supporting the Headies Awards, but this year is unique because of the new dimension to the awards. Apart from inspiring the next generation of Nigerian music stars, this year’s award is also going to be dedicated to a good number of less-privileged children in the society; therefore, we are delighted to be part of such a laudable initiative.”

Emphasizing the relevance of music among today ’s younger generation, Mohammed said, “the youth constitutes the most dynamic and largest community of technology users in the world. Music is one of the common languages that keep the world together and if this generation is so passionate about music, it is better to sing along with them,” he concluded.

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—29

2face, D’banj

jam in a first-ever collabo ...set to headline Top10mics concert

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frican Queen crooner and Hypertek Honcho, 2face Idibia and former Mohits Records’ leading star and now Good Music artiste, D’banj will on Friday, November 30, 2012 , lead other Nigerian acts including Femi Kuti, Flavour and Sir Shina Peters to perform at this year ’s Top10mics concert, holding at the exquisite Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

This is coming up less than a week after the pop giants announced recording a collabo.

The Top10mics concert which is in its sophomore year is being organised by entertainment powerhouse, Koga Studios. The concert will have ace humorist Bright Okpocha alias BasketMouth as its host. The presenter of the popular TV show, Big Friday, will reel out rib cracking jokes to fans.

The concert’s maiden edition held last year at the expansive Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS). Top music acts which headlined the show last

year were 2face, MI, P Square, Femi Kuti,

Mocheddah, Obesere, Duncan Mighty, Wizkid,

Eldee and Sir Shina Peters.

Speaking on the artistes that

will be performing at this year ’s concert, Koga’s spokesman, said ‘’the choice of 2face Idibia, D’banj, Flavour, Femi Kuti and Sir Shina Peters cannot be faulted as these acts are very successful in their genres of music, picking them was a stroll in the park.’’

Meanwhile, at a Beat FM interview last weekend, 2face and D’banj disclosed that they have already shot a video of their new song titled ‘Feeling good’ which is produced Don Jazzy. The heavyweight musicians sang some snippets, raising anticipation for its release.

They duo once hinted about the possibility of their recording a collabo. Both artistes have had a busy year so far. 2face released his fifth solo album ‘Away and Beyond‘ and has been on tour in the US and UK. He also tied the knot with long-standing girlfriend, Annie Macaulay after a surprise proposal on Valentine’s Day. D’banj, on the other hand, made headlines for months after his break-up with former partner, Don Jazzy. He successfully broke into the UK market under his G.O.O.D Music/Mercury Records record-distribution deal with his monster hit single ‘Oliver ’. He is scheduled to release his fourth album ‘Mr Endowed’ soonest.

Amadi goes home today ...as Weird MC, Tiwa Savage, Sound Sultan, others pay last respect

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he remains of V a n g u a r d ’ s entertainment editor, Ogbonna Amadi will this afternoon be committed to mother earth at his home town, Okagwe, Ohafia, in Abia State.

Amadi’s final journey home started on Monday, October 8, with a service of songs held at his residence, in Ifako Ijaye area of Lagos.

The service of songs however was followed by a candlelight procession put together by entertainment journalists cum friends of Amadi. It took place at the popular celebrity hangout, O’ jez Chinese Restaurant, National Stadium, Surulere, on Tuesday, October 9, and had who-is-who in the entertainment industry in attendance.

C M Y K

Some of the celebrities who graced the events were sensational musician, Sola Idowu better known as Weird MC , Tiwa Savage, Waje, Sound Sultan and Omowumi. Others veteran included film maker, Eddie Ugbomah, Ras Kimono, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Fred Amata, Julius Agwu, Fidelis Duker, Madu Chikwendu, Alex Eyengho, Charles Inojie

among others.

The event kicked off a little behind schedule at 7 pm and had every one dressed in black attire.

It was a solemn moment as the celebrities took turns to eulogise the virtues of late Amadi who they described as “one of the finest entertainment journalists this country have ever produced over the years.”

Continues on Page 30

Oba of Lagos’ birthday on ice

A cross section of sympatisers at the service of songs held in honour of Late Mr. Ogbonnaya Amadi in Lagos, Monday. Photo

by Sylva Eleanya.

Amstel Malta Showtime ends in Lagos with a bang

less New chain s e-bike ber th

30—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Amadi goes home today Continues from page 29 Paying tribute to Amadi, after the opening prayer was said by Nonye Ben-Nwankwo of The Punch Newspaper, Weird MC said Amadi was like a mentor to every up and coming musician in the country.” “Amadi supported me when I was coming up and he was like a big brother to me.” she said.

Tiwa Savage recounted her encounter with late Amadi,

saying that “ when I returned to the country few years back, Amadi was one of the people that helped me to hone my talent. He touched the life of every musician in this country.”

For Julius Agwu, Amadi deserves to be celebrated as an accomplished journalist and as a showman. The evening climaxed with a candlelight procession and

prayers.

Since his demise, Amadi has been celebrated in media where he hold sway for more than two decades.

His interment today will mark the end of an era for a man who will forever be remembered for his contribution to the entertainment industry in the country.

Movie of the week

Amstel Malta Showtime ends in Lagos with a bang

BY AYO ONIKOYI

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f the music stars have their lots in their grasps, the wannabes, simply would not stay on the fringes as they both let fly all they could offer at the Lagos edition of Amstel Malta Showtime.

The unique variety show from the stables of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, makers of premium low-sugar malt drink, Amstel Malta, featured some of the biggest names in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.

The stars, made up of Tuface Idibia, Wizkid and laughter merchant I Go Dye, turned up to entertain the audience made up largely of students of tertiary institutions in Lagos. There was also a surprise appearance from Nollywood superstar, Funke Akindele of the Jenifa fame as she teamed up with wizkid to re-enact the video of Wizkid’s hit track, Pakurumo.

The Lagos show was the fourth and final leg of this year ’s Amstel Malta Showtime series and there was certainly a high degree of expectation at the event.

Stars like Naeto C, Flavour, P Square, 9ice and Tiwa Sawage had headlined previous editions held in Benin, Port Harcourt and Ibadan earlier in the year.

The Lagos gig was billed to be the grand finale for 2012 and the event did not disappoint.

Precious Eliogu, Righteous Otserioluwa and Lilian Ebohon, students of Imo State University, IMSU, University of Lagos and Lagos State University, respectively slugged it out in the dancing competition.

While she put up a commendable performance, Lilian Ebohon clearly fell short of the audience expectation. She was voted the second runner up while Eliogu Precious emerged the first runner up. Waist-twisting Righteous Otserioluwa emerged as the winner of the C M Y K

d a n c i n g competition.

The winners in all the categories got the whooping sum of N500, 000, a brand new ipad while the first and second runners up got the sum of N150, 000 and N100, 000 r e s p e c t i v e l y.

Ater the competitions, K e n n e t h Chinedu joined I Go Dye in dishing out rib c r a c k i n g comedy to the audience.

Righteous Otserioluwa was not let out as he joined ace dance group, Corporate Dance World, CDW, in thrilling the audience with scintillating dance steps.

Bold Step magazine hosts award

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he management of Bold Step Motivational Magazine which hit the Newsstand on 1st July, 2005, has unveiled plans to host the maiden edition of its Bold Step Award, designed to honour extra-ordinary Nigerian men and women who have positively impacted on the lives of people, contributing to nation building in their respective chosen fields of endeavour.

Mr. Nwabueze Kenneth, Publisher of Bold Step Magazine, said, the event comes up on Sunday 28th of October at the Nigerian Air Force Officers Mess, 1, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to him, the idea of the award was inspired by changes happening everywhere in Nigeria, adding, “a lot of great things are happening now and as we all know, it takes humans to make them happen.”

Kenneth explained that formally several things hitherto considered impossible have becoem possible due to the efforts of some outstanding Nigerians.

There are six categories in this maiden award – Politics, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Media, Individuals, Companies and Entertainment.

Movie Schedule

Oct 12th – Oct 18th

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, LAGOS The Dictator: 11:00am , 12:50pm, 5:30pm, 10:20-m.

Resident Evil: Retribution In 2D : 11:10am, 4:00pm, 8;40pm, 10:30pm.

Safe: 11:20am, 4:05pm, 8:00pm, 10:20pm Single & married: 1:10pm, 6:00pm Step up 4: 3:30pm.

English Vinglish (Bollywood): 5:30 Bourne legacy: 1:20pm, 6:00pm, 8:20pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, ABUJA Ted 11;50am, 4:10pm, 8:30pm.

Resident Evil: Retribution 12:50pm, 4;50pm, 8:50pm.

Savages 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:50pm, 8:40pm.

Total Recall: 1:30pm, 6:00pm, Bourne legacy: 1:00pm, 3:40pm,6:30pm, 9:10pm The Dictator: 13:10pm, 3:10pm,5:10pm, 7:10pm, 9:00pm .

Single & married: 11:10am, 3:30pm, 8:10pm Step up4: 2;45pm, 6:45pm.

In the Cupboard: 1;40pm, 6:10pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS CEDDI PLAZA , ABUJA Resident Evil: Retribution 3:00pm, 7:15pm,9:00pm.

Single& married: 11:30am, 4:15pm, 9:00pm Total Recall 12:40pm, 5:40pm.

In the Cupboard: 6:55pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS PORT HARCOURT Resident Evil: Retribution 12:00pm, 4;20pm,8:40pm.

Savages 12:10Pm,2:50pm,5:30pm,8:20pm Bourne legacy: 12:40pm, 3:30pm, 6:10pm, 8:50pm The Dictator: 1:10pm, 3:10pm, 5:00pm, 7:05pm, 9:00pm Ted: 2:10pm,4:40pm, 6:55pm, 9:10pm.

Single & Married: 11:20am, 1:40pm, 3:50pm,7:00pm, 8:00pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS UYO Stepup4: 12:30pm, 2:40pm, 4:55pm, 6:55pm Resident Evil: Retribution: 5:00pm, 7:05pm Udeme Mmi: 1:30pm, 5:20pm.

Total recall: 3:55pm, 6:40pm.

Single& Married: 11:30am, 3:20pm, 7:10pm Mirror Mirror: 11;45am, 1:50pm OZONE CINEMAS LAGOS The Dictator: 4:55pm, 9:15pm.

Resident Evil: Retribution 12:00pm.

Savages: 7:55pm, Stepup4: 12:15pm Safe: 2:00pm, 3:55pm, 5:55pm Bourne legacy: 2:20pm, 6:35pm.

Single & married: 2:05am, 6:50pm.

Madagascar 10:00am.

GENESIS DELUXE CINEMAS LAGOS Safe: 1:00pm, 6.45pm,10.55pm Single and Married 3:10pm,8.20pm Resident Evil: Retribution 3D: 12:40pm, 5:05pm, 9:30pm, 11:40pm STEP UP 4 in 3D: 10:20am, 2:50pm, 7:15pm GENESIS CINEMAS PORT HARCOURT Single and Married: 7.35pm Resident Evil: Retribution: 11:30am, 9:30pm Step UP 4: 5:05pm GENESIS DELUXE CINEMAS ENUGU Single and Married: 12.45pm,8.40pm Resident Evil: Retribution 10:05pm, 2:55pm, 6:05pm, 8:00pm STEP UP4 12:00pm,4:00pm.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—31

GROOVE EXTRA

JJCSkillz All Stars ‘Africa Skank’ video set to debut HE video of the new single titled ,African Skank by top notch artist, director, editor and producer, Abdul Rasheed Bello a.k.a JJCSkillz is billed to drop on Thursday October 18, 2012.

The first of its kind musical Video with a flash mob concept directed by Skillz and co directed by Abiodun Adeyinka aka Gini is a constellation of Nigerian A-list stars like Alibaba, Kate Henshaw, Omalicha,DJ Sose,Weird MC, Denrele Edun, Capital F M , G b e n r o Ajibade (Tinsel), Goldie, MC Fricker,Tunde Ednut According to a statement by the Kwara born Global news award 2012 best v i d e o

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director African Skank is guaranteed to get you up and dancing before you know it, he added that aside the single enjoying crazy airplay on radio it is a great dance companion to get you rock on even during work out routines. The originator of Afropean

sound whose protégés include DBanj, Don Jazzy, Kween , Big Brovas , based on the high technical quality invested in the video during Production and post production stages, he believes with God the video is going to be a monster hit.

Chorppyz Records suspend Dello Over New Song

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hese are certainly not the best of times for Chorppyz Records and its fast rising hip-hop act, Dello.

The unpleasant symphony that is threatening to tear the oncesweet relationship is the unofficial release of the new hit single ‘Kulebude’, purportedly by Dello.

According to the head honcho of the record label, George Ederard, the release of the new song caught the management unaware.

“The new song is hot and a potential massive hit, but we’re disappointed by Dello’s action to release the song to the streets and other aspects of media that’s why we decided to suspended Dello from Chorppyz Records,

“George explained.

Speaking further, the soft-spoken and young music entrepreneur added that, the label has a unique and professional way of doing things in conformity with its set high standard. Reacting to the news of his suspension, Dello remarked that he is yet to come to terms with reasons for his suspension.

According to the gifted singer cum songwriter, “this is my chosen career and I’m sure headed for the top, suspension or not”, he stated. “The song ‘kulebude’ is one of my hit songs slated for my forth coming album. And I see nothing wrong with my going to town to publicize and promote my Chorppyz

Mo Easy drops Ko Soro with Mo Easy himself tory.

Mo Easy stepped on doing his thing amidst ned ador s Nigerian soil for the ladie the tiful beau first time in 2011. His in air-force apparels. fter his stu nni ng cones first point of call was Strategic mov deb ut on the nathe ugh thro Abuja, and then, Lagos tinues all tion’s music scene with video, passing across a where he attended the Ma ke Your Move last message of a real music HipTV Award nominees yea r, Mo Eas y has player, a mind controller party with the 2011 Five dropped another single who has come to stay in Award Nominee Artist, titled, “Ko Soro.”

Da rey Art Ala de. His the Nigerian stage.

Ko Soro, currently enng won first debut single was havi then And joying massive airplay the battle of launching Make Your Move, makon some local stations in himself into our hearts, ing an outstanding folthe country, is produced he throws a champagne low up with Ko Soro.

by Soul Muzik. The sen- party celebrating his vicsat ion al vid eo ope ns

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

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C M Y K

32—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 33

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

Oba of Lagos’ birthday on ice C

ome 29thof October of this year the Imperial ruler of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu will be 69 years old and some three weeks before the d-day it looks like nothing is on the card to make the day any different from any other day in the life of the monarch. Unlike most events involving the monarch, invites are usually sent at least six weeks in lieu of the event.

To cap the suspicion that no drums would be rolled out to mark the royal father ’s

birthday, the Olowo Eko as he is fondly called is currently abroad attending to some royal callings and not expected back in the country for another week or two.

Though, no official position has come out of the Iga Idungaran palace but some sources have hinted that the monarch is putting this year’s event on ice for the big one next year when the monarch will celebrate his 70thbirthday and his 10thanniversary on the throne of Lagos.

Senator Iyiola Omisore Hits 55 without fanfare

Eko Club Int’l storms T Lagos on ‘medical mission’ E ko Club International which is made up of Lagos indigenes in diaspora are currently in Lagos state for what is known as ‘The Mission of Hope’, an initiative developed by the Club to promote healthy living among the people of Lagos state. The ‘Mission of Hope’ which began on 6th of October will run till 13th of October at various designated centres across the state.

The goal of the Club includes building awareness and proffering treatment on variety of medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, infectious diseases among other and they are working in conjunction with Lagos state Ministry of Health.

Highlights of their activities include the women forum’s donating audio meter ear scan machines to the Lagos State Multi-purpose home in Ketu; The Eko Club Atlanta, donating wheel-chairs and walkers for the disabled in Ijebu Ode and the Eko Club Dallas, donating medical supplies to Hearts of Gold Orphanage Hospice in Surulere.

The Club is led by Popoola Aromire, the President, Bissy Gaji, Vice President, Toyin Ola, Public Relations Officer, Kemisola Adufe Baljack, Chief Liaison Officer and others

C M Y K

hose who know Senator Iyiola Omisore will attest to the fact that what the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation lacks in height, he has made up for in financial muscle and social grace. So popular and far-reaching was the prosperity of the Osun-born politician that he may very well go down in history as the only man to have won an election while in detention.

No party was complete without his name being mentioned. Top musicians like King Sunny Ade have been known to sing his praises even without him being physically present at parties. One would have expected any occasion in his life to have been a jamboree of sort.

But not any more. At least that was what it seemed when

the politician clocked 55 years some weeks ago. In fact the birthday went unnoticed. His many self-seeking acolytes and those who he had good times with were nowhere to

Constituency is a politician but a politician who has come to show that the smallest good deed is greater than the

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eautiful fashion designer and head honcho of clothes place, Hallero, Alero Fafowora who made big news when she packed out of her matrimonial home some months back may be packing in again, only with her new lover , that is, if gossips are anything to go by.

Alero, who is said to be dating a Lagos Property merchant, Kayode Idowu left Femi Fafowora, some months ago when the husband was reportedly scrounging on her and could not keep up to speed in meeting up with the needs of the beautiful couturier .

Kayode on the other hand is said to be giving the estranged mother the treat of her life and presently spoiling her silly with posh things of life. Informants claimed the two love-birds are heads over heels in love with each other and are set to give marriage a shot sometime before the end of the year.

be seen. The once powerwielding social juggernaut did not make a sound, bringing to mind the harsh reality in the saying “No condition is permanent”.

When Leo Ogor visited flood victims H onourable Leo Ogor, the deputy leader, Federal House of Representatives, representing Isoko Federal

Alero Fafowora set to remarry

greatest intention when he visited the displaced flood victims of Ozoro and Oleh.

The lawmaker donated relief materials to some of the victim who are camped at the Anglican Girls Grammar School Ozoro .

While the honourable was still busy attending to the victims at Ozoro the wife, Peace, also visited those at St. Michaels College, Oleh where she continued with the good job the husband was doing some distances away.

The relief materials include items like cows, foot-wares, bags of rice, gallons of oil and many others.

“The need of man is what

has prompted us to do what we are doing. My coming has made me know the magnitude of this destruction, hence I appeal to well spirited people within and outside Nigeria to come to the aid of these people. If we could do it for others outside our country, we can do it for our own brothers and sisters” said Mrs Peace Ogor Hon. Leo Ogor however said that, the crisis is increasing and called on all well spirited Nigerians to emulate what they have done. He went further to thank the persons that accompanied them, especially Senator James Manager Mr Berkley Asafa, Special Adviser to governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Entertainment.

34 — Vanguard, FRIDAY , OCTOBER 12, 2012

NIGERIA’S INDEPENDENCE: The women who made it happen It has become easy to take our independence as a nation for granted. Once upon a time, it was just a dream, one that saw the sweat and determination of so many of our compatriots both men and women; as well as the goodwill of others who had no direct benefit to get. This month of the 52nd anniversary of our independence, we salute the women who were present and helped the process along.

* Queen Elizabeth the second

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he biggest female hero of Nigeria’s independence is the Queen of England, Elizabeth the second, during whose reign Brittan handed over independence to Nigeria.

Barely 35 years of age, and only eight years after she ascended the throne, Queen Elizabeth stood out as a figure of goodwill and benevolence more than any other woman. At the independence ceremony, she was declared Queen of Nigeria by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister at Independence. Last year, her message of goodwill to President Goodluck Jonathan was well publicized and went thus: “On the occasion of your National Day, it gives me great pleasure in sending Your Excellency my warmest greetings, together with my best wishes for every success for the people of Nigeria in the coming year.”

*The 5,000 Naira note women

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n the midst of all the furore that was to follow the announcement of the intention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the able leadership of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to introduce the 5,000 note, a very important point was lost: it is the first time ever that a Nigerian government or its parastatal has acknowledged the role of women in nation building.

Despite the statement by Seun Kuti, the grandson of one of the women Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti, by which he distanced himself and his family from the proposed note, Samido Lamido Sanusi, his advisers and his advisees have made a point of their running a gender friendly administration.

Now that the clamour has died down, it is now possible to examine, without fear or favour, the profiles of the three late women involved, particularly C M Y K

*The 5,000 Naira note women with regards independence.

to

our

*Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti Born Abigail Oluwafunmilayo Thomas in 1900, she is better known as an activist and human rights crusader until her death in the 1970’s. Few people see her as a politician, as she barely fits the profile of the Nigerian politician. She ran for a Federal House seat on the ticket of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), a political party founded by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who later became the first president of post-colonial Nigeria. As was inevitable, she soon fell; out with the party and in 1953, she founded the Federation of Nigerian Women Societies which formed an alliance with the Women’s International Democratic Federation.

She also fought for the right for the Nigerian woman to vote, and participated in negotiation talks in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence in the 1950s. women Margaret *Margaret Ekpo Born in Creek Town, Cross River State in 1914, Ekpo was a women’s rights activist, social mobilizer and pioneering female politician in the country ’s First Republic. She led the women’s wing of the National Council of Nigeria and the

Cameroons in the move toward decolonization. Ekpo died in 2006 and the Calabar airport is named after her. inMargaret Ekpo and her contemporaries – Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Mazi Mbonu Ojike, M.I Okpara, Janet Mokelu, Jaja Nwachukwu, MT Mbu, Malam Aminu Kano, Alhaja Gambo Sawaba, S. L. Imoke and many others — were at the forefront of relentless agitation for the nation’s highly desired Independence from Great Britain. With Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Margaret Ekpo routinely toured the country, mobilizing women to become politically conscious and participate in the emerging political affiliations in order to protect their interest and ensure the advancement of the nation . *Hajia Gambo Sawaba Despite limited education, and forced into early marriage at age 16, she struggled through all these obstacles to emerge as a dynamic, independent political activist helping to educate many people.

Sawaba also came out of colonial repression and deformity refreshed and very human, and like most of her contemporaries, sowed the seed for the on-going emancipation of African women from the African tradition and the structures of the African nationstates. She was a politician and activist who had sympathy for the Northern Elements

*Queen Elizabeth the second Progressive Union in the First Republic. NEPU was a party identified with the working class and the poor. Sawaba

gave the colonial authorities a tough time with her agitations and was detained several times.

Enjoying the Seasidethe Safe Way It was a tragic day recently, when in Lagos, indulgers in the beauty of a beach fell victim to an ocean surge, with most recent reports putting the number of bodies of the missing at 12, and 4 bodies found including that of a six year old girl.

It is an indication to us of the urgent need for government to put in place strict and world class standards of safety on our beaches, particularly with Lagos State priding itself, almost justifiably, as being the “land of aquatic splendour”.

When the family visits the beach, It is a time fraught with the promise of fun, as well as sundry dangers. Here are a few tips to keep safe.

Take your own Food Packing a picnic is imperative when going to the beach in Lagos. Avoid buying food or snacks from vendors on the beach, unless it’s a private beach with private facilities for eating. A seaside picnic is an opportunity to share fruits, finger foods and meats.

Go as a bunch If someone wants to pursue an activity such as take a walk, take pictures, take a dip; it’s best to have the whole family to go together in order to avoid someone getting lost or into trouble.

Ideally, take games such as cards, ludo, snakes and ladders, or scrabble. If it’s a large family, you can split along lines of interests, but around the same table/picnic mat.

Use life jackets If you have children under 3, keep them out of the water by all means but if you must all take a dip, rent life jackets for every member of the family. Do not substitute with floats or other swimming pool gears. Make sure jackets are well secured for every member of the family. Do not move beyond a two meter line.

Leave before dark There are romantic notions of swimming at the beach in moonlight. That is good for romantic novels but no good on Lagos beaches, where the fear of touts popularly known as area boys, is the beginning of wisdom. On most Lagos beaches, the touts begin to close in as it gets darker. Get out before them.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—35

Xpressions A Solemn Celebration Without The First Lady been rather dull by way of nation building as far as the administration is concerned, in spite of the president laying claims to the contrary in his speech. The second point, however, is a far more important one.

Making reference to the amalgamation tells us a couple of things: that the Jonathan administration turned over a new leaf, hopefully, and is now forward thinking, and that it knows what things are important to us as a people.

The stamp is been put, in a rather credible manner, of the administration is one that believes in the unity of Nigeria, that is ready to celebrate this unity and, hopefully, is willing to defend it when the time comes, as it surely will.

Having said that, there are rumours contradicting the

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n Monday, presidential spokesman Reuben Abati, made a clearer statement than he has ever done since he joined government when he addressed the reason why the 52 nd Independent Day celebrations in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, was low key. He declared that those who are looking forward to a celebration ought to look for ward, rather, to the celebrations of next year which would be the centenary of the year of Nigeria’s amalgamation.

He makes two very valid points at the same time, one of which he might not necessarily have intended to make.

By declaring the absence of anything to celebrate, Dr. Abati admits that things have

*Patience Jonathan

The movie, Hoodrush hits cinema this Friday …Denrele to host premiere at Silverbird Galleria

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ne of the most talked about movies in the past three months, Hoodrush will finally premiere exclusively in grand style at the upscale Silverbird Galleria this Friday, October 12, 2012.

The musical flick from the stable of Flipsyde Studios features an impressive cast of talented Nollywood actress, Bimbo Akintola, O.C Ukeje, mulatto actress, Chelsea Eze, one of the Afolayan brothers, Gabriel, Bolanle Ninolowo of Diesel Music, a company that recently partnered with music artiste, 9ice, Ijeoma Agu, Lee Lee Byoma and others.

Many celebrities and industry stakeholders are all expected to grace the red carpet this Friday as the exclusive premiere takes place.

Popular TV host, Denrele Edun will host the highly publicized movie premiere. The cast and

crew of the movie will be there as expectant fans can meet their favourite stars.

The movie was written, directed and produced by Dimeji Ajibola, the Technical Director at Flipsyde Studios; he is a creative entrepreneur with creative and business interests in filmmaking, virtual worlds, 3D animation, cartoons, interactive digital media, and music.

His background is a blend of traditional skills and digital art. The filmmaker is adept in creative illustrations, visual layout and staging, project planning and execution. He Studied Advance Character animation at a school in San Francisco, he also studied Filmmaking and Cinematography at the New York Film Academy and also at the Universal Studios in California.

Our resource curse goes up a notch I

t is an ageold trick, one that our leaders in the last two decades have used to deprive us of fair prices for petroleum products: the promise to end fuel scarcity.

The last fuel scarcity is a proof that this will never be the case and that what is keeping Nigeria undeveloped is not fuel pricing but the rule of law.

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reason Dr.Abati gave for the low key celebrations, and both are equally compelling. If it is believed that the presidency is afraid of possible attacks by the famous Boko Haram, and other militant groups who have scores to settle with Nigeria and Nigerians of every level. If this is the real reason, then it is wise, at least.

If the Nigerian government on the federal level is admitting its inability to secure as small space within a limited time, its incompetence can at least be forgiven in the face of fleeting honesty.

Another is the well known secret of the First Lady ’s failing health, which Nigerians have been continuously kept in the dark about. Again, this is a very good reason not to celebrate.

Still, the question remains, why the secret?

36—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com

New chainless e-bike berths Seen a bicycle that has no chain? That is a new born baby out of auto industry technology. Tagged, Mando Footloose, the e-bike is the world’s first chainless hybrid technology. Like other pedalassisted electric bikes, the bike combines manual and electric power. It eliminates the chain and transforms the cyclist’s motion directly into electricity.

The chainless bike could produce solution to the age long complaints on chain bicycles. For instance, as integral as chain part is to most bikes, it is arguably the most annoying component. It can dirty and rip your trouser legs, requires a lot of maintenance, can make your life miserable should it rub against the derailleur or slip

off the gears, and can break altogether, leaving you without a means of pedalling on flat or ascending terrain.

It’s a necessary evil, at best.

Footloose is a product of Korean auto suppliers Mando Corp. and Meister Inc. They partnered with British designer, Mark Sanders and Dutch e-bike expert Han Goes to make chain a little less necessary.

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Why not? You can now use computers in bed

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t seems that a lot of people like using portable computers in bed. iPad users also do that and have between the Manatee and the tablift, to do that. But laptop users can go with the Lounge-Tek or the Omax types of stands.

However, there’s another option for reclining laptop users. It is called the ErgoArc. Meant for convinence, the user ’s laptop is placed on the maple plywood stand’s

Footloose combines a throttle drive with pedal-assisted technology. Cyclists can power the bike up to 30 kilometers with the motor alone or pedal for more range.

What sets the bike apart from others is that pedal input is

vented desktop, the angle of which can be adjusted like a drafting table. A lip on the bottom of that desktop supports the bottom edge of the laptop’s keyboard. The computer ’s screen, once flipped up, can then be angled towards the user ’s face.

Add-on side pa lto frms

transformed directly into electricity via an alternator connected to the crank. The electricity is stored in a lithium-ion battery and used to power the motor. So instead of powering the rear wheel, the cyclist becomes a human

*Digital bike

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hildren today are growing up on mobile devices. Concepts like pinch-to-zoom and slide to unlock which were foreign to adults before the iPhone launched in 2007 are as natural as breathing, to today’s kids.

However, no matter how much love one has on his children. It can still be unsettling to see your fouryear-old child for instance, toying with your iPad. But a way out is always to buy a Kindle Fire or similar low budget tablets, dedicated for kids. Ematic is hoping you choose the latter, and buy little Susie her own FunTab Pro. Perhaps that is why device makers Ematic designed a seven-inch FunTab Pro. The kiddies tab has a rugged build. Its rubber casing provides a comfortable, firm grip, as well as survives a few drops and bumps. The FunTab Pro runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich heavily skinned with Zoodles.com content, a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. It sports a microSD card slot and comes with a selection of c o l o r f u l , interchangeable faceplates.

FunTab Pro from Ematic debuts for kiddies Its seven-inch screen is specially designed to suit children’s desires in a tablet.

The slate also sports front and rear cameras and HDMI out support. Ematic promises up to eight hours of continuous battery life.

It also offers some unique features, like self-recorded video storybooks, video mail, and artwork-oriented apps;

*Bedside computer stand *FunTab Pro

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generator powering the motor.

Similar to an automobile, the Footloose has an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which works with sensors and an automatic gear changer to monitor terrain and adjust the motor’s output as necessary.

The ECU also monitors the system for problems, which it displays via a handlebarmounted Human Machine Interface (HMI). The HMI also displays metrics like distance travelled, speed and amount of electricity produced. It is removable and the bike will not start when it is removed, creating an integrated anti-theft feature.

Between its chainless construction and frameintegrated electronics, the Footloose folds up neatly for transport. It was designed with smooth edges to prevent any injury or discomfort when travelling.

these are all tied to the Zoodles.com platform, so parents might want to get familiar with it before throwing down for the FunTab Pro. Zoodles prides itself on parental safeguards, to give the parents confidence that their wards may not stumble on obscene videos or films.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—37

L-r: CEO, Multitrex Integrated group, Mr. Dimeji Owofemi; Oyo State commissioner for agriculture, Mr. Kolade Abimbola; executive director, Mrs Sade Bafunso and his trade and investment counterpart; Mr. Kassim Adedeji during the introduction of a new cocoa product of the company to oyo state government at the governor's office, Ibadan

L-r: Rtn. Tochukwu Mmaduka, new president of Rotary Club of Awgu (District 9140 Sunrise) receiving staff of office from Rtn. Onyeka Akachukwu, (out-going president) during the installation of new president of District 9140, Enugu. Photo: Hill Ezeugwu L r : Commissioner of police, Lagos A i r p o r t Command, Femi Cauldrick with the secretary, the Light Bearers, W e s l e y Cathedral, Olowogbowo, Lagos, Prince Segun Akitoye at the church's All Societies Day in Lagos

38—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

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HE story of Ibrahim (AS) is greatly associated with Hajj because the origin of Hajj is as old as the Kaaba, which was built by Ibrahim (AS) and his son, Ismail (AS). Apart from the fact that it is one of the pillar of Islam, every act of Hajj reminds us of the noble family of Ibrahim (AS) since every act of Hajj refers back to the righteous actions and struggle of either Ibrahim (AS), his wife Hajarah or his son Ismail (AS).

The history of this family teaches spiritual lessons of complete devotion and absolute submission to Allah.

That is why we decided to bring the story to all our readers at this period which will also climax into the celebration of eid-il-Adha.

Ram sacrifice. The story was culled from IslamiCity Newsletter.

The birth of Prophet Ibrahim Ibrahim was born in a house of idolaters, in the kingdom of Babylon. His father Aazar was

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

The story of Ibrahim and Kaaba repulsion towards the idols.

In search for the Truth Time went by, and Ibrahim became a young man. He still could not believe that his people were worshipping the statues. He laughed whenever he saw them entering the temple, lowering their heads, silently offering the statues the best of their food, crying and asking forgiveness from them.

He started feeling angry towards his people, who could not realize that these are only

"Are you the one who has done this to our gods?”

Ibrahim said: “No, this statue, the biggest of them has done it. Ask them if they can speak.”

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a well known idol sculptor that his people worshipped. As a young child, Ibrahim used to watch his father sculpting these idols from stones or wood. When his father was done with them, Ibrahim would use them as toys, riding on their backs, and kicking them at times. Then after a while, he would see these same statues in the temple, and people prostrating in front of them! Ibrahim asked his father: “Why do you take these toys to the temple?” His father said: “They are statues that represent our gods. We worship them, we ask favors from them, and we offer them presents.” Ibrahim’s mind rejected this idea, and he felt a

stones that could neither benefit nor harm them. They could not be gods, they have no power. God is Greater than what his people were worshipping, Most Powerful, Most Magnificent. One could not find Him sitting on a table in a temple!

One night, Ibrahim went up to the mountain, leaned against a rock, and looked up to the sky. He saw a shining star, and told his people: “Could this be my Lord?” But when it set he said: “I don’t like those that set.” The star has disappeared, it could not be God. God is always present.

Then he saw the moon rising in splendor and told them: “Could this be my Lord?” But it also

set. At daybreak, he saw the sun rising and said: t “Could this be my Lord, this is bigger?” But when the sun set he said: “O my people I am free from all that you join as partners with Allah!

I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.” Our Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything. He has the power to make the stars rise and set.

Ibrahim then heard Allah calling him: “O Ibrahim!”

Ibrahim said trembling: “Here I am O my Lord!” “Submit to Me! Be a Muslim!” Ibrahim fell on the ground, prostrating and crying, he said: “I submit to the Lord of the universe!” Ibrahim kept prostrating until night came again. He got up and went back to his home, in t peace, full of conviction that Allah has guided him to the Truth.

Ibrahim invites his father to Islam A new life started for Ibrahim.

His mission now was to call his people to the Truth. He would start with his father who was the closest person to him, and whom he loved so much. He said to him in the softest and kindest voice: “O father! Why do you worship that which doesn’t hear, doesn’t see, and cannot avail you in anything?

O father, I have got knowledge which you have not, so follow me. I will guide you to a straight path.” His father replied angrily: “Do you reject my gods, O Ibrahim? If you don’t stop I will stone you. Get away from me before I punish you.” Ibrahim said: “Peace be on you! I will ask forgiveness of my Lord for you.”

Ibrahim confronts his people and rejects their idols He left his father after he lost hope to convert him to the right path, and directed his efforts towards the people of the town, but they rejected his call and threatened him. By Allah, he said, I shall plot a plan to destroy their idols. He knew that a big celebration was coming soon, where everybody would leave town for a big feast on the riverbank.

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Continues next week

Sokoto air-lifts 17,846 pilgrims, Bauchi 1,589 More than 14,346 intending pilgrims had been transported to Saudi Arabia for this year’s hajj from the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto.

Facing the Kaaba gathered that the operation was carried out in 28 flights. Out of this number, 4,927 of the intending pilgrims were from Sokoto State, while 4,239 are from Zamfara and 5,180 from Kebbi.

We also gathered that about 3,500 intending pilgrims from the three states are currently being air-lifted to Saudi Arabia for the hajj rites through Kabo Air and Max Air Airlines.

At the Gombe airport, about 1,589 out of 3,655 intending pilgrims from Bauchi state have so far been transported to Saudi Arabia through the Gombe Airport.

The Special Adviser to Gov. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Alhaji Sanusi Isa, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Gombe recently.

He said that the fourth batch of 535 pilgrims were already at the Gombe Airport for the trip.

Isa said the State Government had provided some money and items such as praying mats, Quran and other incentives to the pilgrims to assist them to perform the pilgrimage successfully just as they were with food and drinks.

Isa who stated that government ensured that each of the female pilgrims had a male partner (Muharam) urged the pilgrims to pray for the peace, unity and progress of Bauchi State and Nigeria as a whole during the pilgrimage.

Etiquette of visiting Madinah (2)

By HARUN RASAQ

ERFORM two raka’ats of salutation as you enter the mosque, preferably in the Rawdah, otherwise anywhere else in the Mosque. Then go to the grave of the Prophet (s.a.w), standing in front of it and facing it, saying with all humility: Assalamu ‘alaika, ayyuhan Nabiy, wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. (Peace be on you, O Prophet, and the Mercy and Blessings of Allah). Say prayers on him (that is ask Allah’s blessing on him). It is not wrong if you add the following: Allahumma aatihil wasiilata wal fadiilata wab ‘athhul maqaamal mahmuud alladhii afdalal jaza’ (“O Allah! Give him the station of wasiilah (special nearness to Allah, or intercession) and the favour, and raise him to the praiseworthy station that you promised him.

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Pilgrims in their tents in Makkah for the Hajj rites.

After making sure that nobody was left in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. “Well, why don’t you eat? The food is getting cold.” He said to the statues, joking; then with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.

How big was the shock when the people entered the temple!

They gathered inside watching in awe their gods broken in pieces. They wondered who might have done this? Then they all remembered that the young Ibrahim was talking evil of their idols. They brought him to the temple and asked him: “Are you the one who has done this to our gods?”

Ibrahim said: “No, this statue, the biggest of them has done it. Ask them if they can speak.”

O Allah! Reward him on behalf of his Ummah (community) with the best of rewards”).

-Then move a little to the right to stand before the grave of Abu Bakr, (r.a) do salutation and ask Allah to bestow His Mercy, Forgiveness and Pleasure on him.

-Again move a little to the right to stand before the grave of Umar, (r.a), and greet him ask Allah to bestow His Mercy, Forgiveness and Pleasure on him; then face direction of qiblah to supplicate for yourself and others; then leave immediately to allow other worshipers to perform their rites.

You may also visit the various historical sites in Madinah Munawwarah and its surroundings such as Baqi’ cemetery, Qubaa mosque, mount Badr, Uhud and others.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—39

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—41

Arewa, Ndigbo talks: Is it for real?

With Southwest leaders engaged in a shouting match with Southeast leaders over allegedly derisive comments on the Southwest sage, Obafemi Awolowo by literary giant, Chinua Achebe, Arewa leaders last Wednesday slipped into Enugu to rub minds with Igbo leaders. Could the meeting be a prelude to geopolitical realignment in the polity?

BY TONY EDIKE

ORTHERN political and cultural leaders under the umbrella of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, stormed Enugu on Tuesday for what was described as a crucial dialogue with Igbo leaders on various national issues.

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze was the platform under which elders of the Igbo nation were assembled for the meeting.

The meeting was held at the Universal Hotel, Independence Layout, Enugu.

The Ohanaeze delegation was led by the President General, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue while the Arewa delegation was led by the Chairman, National Executive Council, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed.

On the Ohanaeze delegation were the Secretary General, Chief Nduka Eya, former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former President Generals of Ohanaeze, Justice Eze Ozobu, Prof. Joe Irukwu, and Justice Mbazulike Amaechi, former Ebonyi State governor, Dr. Sam Egwu, Prof. Uzodinma Nwala, Prof. Obiorah Ike, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo, Chief Onyeso Nwachukwu, Chief Kalu I. Kalu, Senator Ofia Nwali, Col. Victor Ozodinobi, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, Chief OAU Onyema, Engr. Ralph Ndigwe and members of the executive council, among others.

The ACF delegation was made up of its Secretary General, Col. Musa Shehu (rtd), the deputy Chairman, Alhaji Saidu Barda; Assistant chairman, Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku; Major General Lawrence Onoja; Ambassador Adamu Mohamed; Hajia Halima Alfa ; Amina Ladan Baki, Ambassador Ibrahim Mai Sule, Col. Musa Shehu, Mallam Buka Zarma, Col. Mohammed Abdu, Barrister Bitrus Gada, Anthony Sani and Alhaji Ladan Shinnu among others.

The meeting was at the instance of ACF and it was significant being the first time in the current dispensation where elders and notable leaders from Northern Nigeria and their counterparts from the South East sat together around a common table as one extended family to discuss issues affecting them and the entire nation.

When the idea of the meeting was muted by ACF leaders, the agenda was not disclosed to Ohanaeze members a development that fueled speculations that the dialogue

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could centre on the 2015 presidency which both groups have vested interest. The Ohanaeze President General, Ambassador Uwechue confirmed this in his welcome speech when he asked the Arewa delegation to reveal their reason for the interaction.

The participants were kept guessing until the leader of Arewa delegation delivered his speech and set the agenda.

“We requested for this meeting with the belief that civil society organisations and cultural groups such as ours, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere, South South Peoples Assembly, etc, have a duty to dialogue with each other and search for solutions to the major issues of concern to Nigeria.

He expressed gratitude to Ohanaeze for accepting to host the Arewa delegation and “to have expressed its willingness to work with us and other sister organisations in the interest of our dear country,” adding that he had no doubt that the interactions would go a long way in “helping to promote understanding, clear misconceptions and eliminate any suspicions we may have about each other, Aliko said.

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peaking on what he termed temporary challenges of development in the country, the ACF leader noted that it was self-evident that Nigeria is passing through very hard times due to several challenges of development.

“Years of stagnation in economic activities, especially of agriculture, degradation of physical infrastructure and

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*Group photograph by Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Arewa Consultative Forum delegations after their joint meeting in Enugu on Wednesday

ACF is under pains to reassure Nigerians, especially our brothers, the Igbo, that leaders of the North do not, and will never condone violence, let alone those targeted at specific groups of Nigerians.

shrinking opportunities for legitimate employment have made our communities increasingly restive. We have frequent outbreaks of conflict accompanied by violence. At times, the brunt of such violence has been borne by the relatively well off members of the community which, unfortunately, in many urban centres of the North, includes your members, Ndigbo.

“As a result, allegations have been made suggesting that Southerners, especially Igbo are deliberately marked out for attack. Even more distressing is the damning propaganda that the violence that have taken place in the North are masterminded by Northern leaders supposedly for political reasons.

“That is why ACF is under pains to reassure Nigerians, especially our brothers, the Igbo, that leaders of the North do not, and will never condone violence, let alone those targeted at specific groups of Nigerians. All violence takes us back many years as it destroys whatever assets we have managed to acquire. What is more, Igbo people promote the concept and spirit of one nation

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through their settlement in larger numbers everywhere in Nigeria. If, for example, the over one million Igbo that live in Kano state were to leave today, there is no doubt that the economy of Kano would be affected.

“And yet, too often, we treat this topic in a way that gives the impression that the problems of crime, violence, poverty, extremism or insecurity are confined to the North, whereas the security challenges spread across the country. By way of example, there are security challenges posed by Boko Haram and ethno-religious crises in some parts of the North. It is also common knowledge that kidnappings and communal clashes as well as activities of MASSOB are reported in the South-East just as more armed robberies and activities of Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, occur in the South -West. The South – South zone suffers under the weight of militant activism by violent groups as well as oil bunkering, hijacking of vessels and piracy. And this is in addition to the countrywide problems of unemployment and collapsing infrastructure which

together have rendered economic development virtually unattainable.”

Noting that if an Hausa man could win an election in Enugu in the first republic, our great Zik could win in the West, a Kanuri man could win election in Kano and an Igbo man could win in Kaduna and as a local council chairman in Abuja just over a decade ago, “there is no reason why we cannot replicate those events in our time.”

“All these suggest that, however unsatisfactory the situation today may appear, the concept of nationhood requires that we do not throw in the towel but to persevere in our determination to preserving the union. ” On the increasing agitation for a national or sovereign conference, the ACF leader said his organisation was not opposed to convening such conference but warned that if the talks take the form of a Sovereign National Conference “it at once amounts to vote of no confidence on our democracy and its institutions.” “We do not share the view that any group has the right to pass such vote of no confidence. Moreover, most of the issues which agitate the minds of proponents of Sovereign National Conference or National Conference have now been listed for review of the Constitution underway by the National Assembly,” he said.

“One more subject I may well mention is the fact that the ACF and, indeed, the North, is not opposed to derivation as a Continued from page 42

42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR & HENRY UMORU

F it is a curse, then the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has definitely not proved itself capable of overcoming the perennial crises that have bedeviled relationships between its national chairmen and their home governors.

It was indeed not surprising that when the opportunity came early this year for the election of a new national chairman, that Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State fought tooth and nail to resist the move to foist Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as national chairman of the party. He conceded only when he could not buck the coronation party rolled out by the presidency for Tukur.

Though he never openly gave his reasons, Nyako’s opposition was obviously based on the fear of a supremacy tussle between him and a national chairman from his state.

With the immediate past history of the ruling party laced with such examples of confrontation between national officers and their home governors, it was not surprising that Nyako resisted Tukur.

The most memorable confrontation between a PDP national chairman and his home governor ended with the cavalier dismissal of Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo as national chairman of the party at the party ’s presidential nomination convention ground in January 2011.

It was as such not surprising that after Nwodo was forced out in January 2011 that none of the three governors of the PDP in the Southeast at that time agreed to adopt any of their indigenes to serve out the tenure of Nwodo.

Given its dominance in the polity it is no surprise that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is almost always engaged in troubleshooting. However, one particular nuisance that has never been solved is the power rivalry between PDP national chairmen and governors of their home states. In the latest crisis, the newly elected chairman, Bamanga Tukur seems bent on taking a pound of flesh from Governor Nyako

chapter of the party which according to the critics is now run as the governor’s private estate.

Central in the misgivings against Nyako is the position of Alhaji Mijinyawa Kugama as the chairman of the state chapter of the party.

Kugama who was deputy chairman until 2006 became chairman after the exit of Chief Joel Madaki who left the party for the Action Congress (AC) alongside former Governor Boni Haruna and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Kugama’s position became untenable immediately after Nyako’s election on the fact that the two of them are from the same village, MayoBelwa. There are indeed allegations that the duo are even blood relations.

Under the party’s tradition Kugama was supposed to step down immediately

after Nyako’s election so that a party chairman from another senatorial zone to be elected. However, he was sustained leading to a situation where the party chairman and the governor came not only from the same senatorial zone, but also from the same village.

However, with Kugama Nyako was able to foist his ideas on the party and curtail the once domineering influence of Senator Aminu over the party.

After his advent in 2007, one by one, Governor Nyako quarreled with many of those who helped him to power leaving him as the dominant person in the state chapter. Buba Marwa fell out and pitched his camp with the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Senator Aminu went into hibernation, while Senator Grace Bent in the opinion of some was ungracefully stopped in her tracks in the quest for a second term in the senate.

Alhaji Tukur even though one of the foundation members was not even heard. Well that was until his political reinvention this year. Now all those who are displeased and distressed have now come under the shelter of the national chairman in what promises to be a bruising fight.

Remarkably, the national secretariat of the party may now have emboldened the dissenters with the rejection of the local government primaries conducted by the state chapter. In rejecting the primaries, the national secretariat has effectively derailed whatever plans Governor Nyako may have been nurturing towards sustaining his legacy post 2015.

Ambassador Uwechue and the Chairman of ACF, Alhaji Mohammed, said. According to the communiqué, “since the issues raised in the address by the ACF were very weighty, Ohanaeze Ndigbo requested for time to study and make their response available for discussion on a future meeting.”

Both sides, however, agreed that the channel of communication opened by the meeting should be maintained.

Many participants at the meeting who spoke on the cooperation between Arewa and Ohanaeze welcomed it with some reservations as some believed that the

Northern delegation is yet to come up with their actual plan, which they, said, is to make political incursions into the political landscape of Ndigbo with a view to nominating a vice presidential candidate from the South East to run with a northern presidential candidate in 2015.

However, as the two groups continue with their dialogue which has commenced on a friendly note, the true motive of the of the initiators would be known without long but in all the dialogue has been generally described as a development that could guarantee the unity of the country.

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*Nyako: Stopped from holding primaries

*Tukur: Rallying support from Nyako's foes

The PDP Curse: Crisis is natural The problem between Nwodo and his home chapter remarkably revolved around the control of the state structure of the party. Even though he came into office with a bold reform agenda with a focus on freeing the party from the grips of governors and godfathers, Nwodo it seemed could himself not resist the lure of carving out an annex for himself within the Enugu State structure.

His apparent attempt to control first, a portion f the party in Enugu State, particularly his senatorial zone in Enugu North, and subsequently the Enugu State structure, rubbed off negatively with Governor Sullivan Chime who until Nwodo’s advent had called the shots alone.

Before Nwodo, Ogbulafor first as National Secretary and then as national chairman was never at ease with Governor

Orji Uzor Kalu or Kalu’s once submissive heir, Governor Theodore Orji.

If Chime was faced with a storm, then Governor Nyako is undoubtedly faced with a Category 5 Hurricane given the line up of adversaries that have apparently lined up behind the national chairman in the coming grudge contest.

Among them is Chief Wilberforce Juta, a former governor of the State who incidentally handed over the gubernatorial baton to Tukur in October 1983. The list also includes National Democratic Coalition, NADECO chieftain Commodore Dan Sulieman, rtd; Chief Joel Madaki, immediate past chairman of the state chapter of the party, immediate past National Vice Chairman, PDP north East, Senator Paul Wampana; ex- Military

governor of Plateau State, General Aliyu Kama; General Haladu Hannaiya; former Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Dr. Idi Aliyu Hong; Senator Grace Jackson Bent; among others.

Senator Jubril Aminu, once the PDP linkman and godfather of Nyako has apparently not come out to join the alliance but the presence of his one time Personal Assistant, Dr. Hong could also give an indication of his position.

In any case, Senator Aminu who bruised many egos to foist Nyako on the PDP ticket in 2007, has himself been quietly licking his wounds after Nyako rebelled against him and enthroned a new identity for himself as his own man. The gang-up against Nyako is the allegedly a result of the arbitrariness in the management of the state

Arewa, Ohanaeze dialogue, motive in doubt Continued from page 41

basis for revenue sharing as long as it is designed to reward efforts and to compensate for environmental degradation. But we have made the distinction that in the case off-shore oil exploration, no efforts are expended by littoral states nor does any appreciable degradation of environment of any host communities occur.

That is why ACF says revenue from mining of oil, far in the middle of the ocean, should not feature as a factor in the calculation for derivation C M Y K

of revenues for any particular state.”

The speech by the ACF leader was greeted with a loud applause as he succeeded in disabusing the minds of the Igbo delegation that they were on a political mission.

In his response, Ohanaeze leader, Amb. Uwechue observed that the ACF presentation at the meeting showed that the north still believed in the unity of Nigeria. ”There is a lot in this presentation that shows that the entire and total commitment of the ACF to the unity, peace and

survival of Nigeria, and we thank you for that,” he told the delegation.

On his part, Dr. Alex Ekwueme said the decision by the northern leaders to come down to the South for a dialogue with Ndigboon these topical issues was commendable as it would afford both groups the opportunity to make meaningful contributions that would move the nation forward. “We have heard them and we shall go back and look critically into their submission and continue with further discussions because it is better to jaw-

jaw than to war-war. ” The meeting later went into a closed door session after which a two-page communiqué was issued to newsmen. “Following a big brief discussion the two groups underlined the imperative of national unity dialogue and consensus based imperative of national unity dialogue and consensus based on the principles of equity, justice and cooperation among the various people of Nigeria,” the communiqué jointly signed by leaders of the groups, President General of Ohanaeze,

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—43

2015: Why South-South wants Jonathan — Sen Owie Erstwhile Senate Chief Whip Senator Roland Owie in this interview reviews the circumstances that led to the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan, describing it as a force majeure and argues that he should be allowed to complete two terms in office. While noting challenges that have beclouded the administration, Senator Owie points at achievements in certain sectors to underpin his hopes for a successful legacy for the administration. Excerpts:

,

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

If in 2015 the presidency returns to the north for eight years...that would mean another 24 years before it can return to the SouthSouth

W

HAT are your thoughts on 2015?

If you look at the PDP constitution, zoning is there; allowing for eight years to the south and eight years to the north and it was a good thing put there by the PDP to allow uniformity. When God called the president, (Alhaji Umaru Yar‘Adua), our son became president and we are now running the term.

Quite frankly, it was a very pathetic situation that the late Yar‘Adua died and it is only God that controls life. He gives and takes. Now, Jonathan as president of Nigeria , holds that position in trust for all of us in the South-South and Nigeria and for children yet unborn from the South-South.

We started and completed eight years in the South-West and even in the face of the nonperformance of Obasanjo, he wanted a third term.

Now, our friends and colleagues in the north are arguing that it should return to the north and when they argue, it is understandable. But look at the scenario: if in 2015 the presidency returns to the north for eight years, it would go back to the south which in this case would be the Southeast, and thereafter, it returns to the north and that would mean another 24 years before it can return to the South-South.

Considering the above scenario is it better to solve the problem of the south-south in 24 years or to have the four years that is before us now? So, the way I am looking at it now, every reasonable south-south person and Nigerian should

,

*Owie: The North should bear with us

13 men, who want to rule Ondo

look at the situation we are in now with Jonathan. Even if Jonathan does not want to run, the south-south should be allowed to present another person to complete the eight years so that we will know that we are not asking for it any longer. For it to drift to the north now it would be 24 years before we would hear it again. It is not our making, it is a force majeure!

The truth is that we need to build bridges for the peace of this nation. Our brothers in the north need to understand because from the first republic it has been the south-south and the north working together. We have been partners. Our people have long known how to build bridges, even in the civil war, the bridges built were what

saved this nation. So, it is our appeal that our brothers and leaders in other parts of Nigeria , particularly the north, should understand where we are standing.

It is a serious matter because if it is taken from the southsouth now we may never get it again because we are disjointed. In the entire southsouth, you have the Edos, Urhobos, Itsekiris, Ijaws, Ibibios, Efiks and all sorts. If we are told, go and bring one person we may not have the unity to bring one.

But must the country’s future be stuck on Jonathan given concerns among some that he has not performed creditably?

What do you talk about performance? We gave eight

years to Obasanjo from the Southwest but did he perform?

But you can see electricity is improving and since Jonathan came onboard he has been battling with the problems that he met created by previous administrations.The truth is that it is not incompetence.

What you are seeing is that he has been battling with issues of insecurity.

Not too long ago, Boko Haram said that if he wants peace, he should become a Muslim, so you can see the level that they are taking it.

This young man has not beengiven opportunity or time to sit down and work.

I, nevertheless, agree that some officials around him are not working and should be strippedof the position that they are holding.

Why has he not done that?

I think action will have to be done. Of late now, he has started asking appointees to sign performance contracts and that will tell you what is in his mind.

Must the president do the work of a minister or the work of a chairman of a board?

He was elected in 2011 and after one year you can see what he is doing. It is just that when people make up their minds about a particular person especially when he is from the minority…

Let us see what happens between now and 2013. those of us from the south-south have for example told him that the East-West road must be delivered and the coastal road must be started.

I was happy when some people made a publication in the newspaper saying that the Southwest is marginalised and I looked at it and saw that what they showed for south-south was just president and minister of petroleum, and that is the end. What we are saying is that if he is given time to perform you will see that something is going on. Look at what is going on federal highways.

Look at the Benin-Lagos highway that was virtually impassable can now be covered in five hours. Look at what is happening in the BeninLokoja highway. That job was awarded in 2000 by OBJ, he left and abandoned the job. If the man that had the highest allocation in this country did not do anything in eight years and Nigerians did not raise eyebrows and were even waiting for him to take a third term, they should please listen to us, he will perform.

Deepening Democracy in National Interest and for Posterity

BY IKE EKWEREMADU

C

ONSTITUTION amendment has always been a foremost democratic norm and is predicated upon the fact that no constitution stands the test of eternity, not the least one bequeathed by undemocratic regimes and with less than satisfactory inputs by the wider population of the people it is supposed to serve. It would be recalled, for instance, that the Constitution of the United States of America, one of the world’s most celebrated democracies, has undergone 27 Amendments over time to solidify their federation by taking care of such critical issues as federal relationships, terms of office, stoppage of slavery, Congressional emoluments, civil liberties and

freedoms, expansion of the electorate, etc in line with the emerging dynamics of the American society at various times.

We are by this constitution review exercise, therefore, following in the step of the well established democratic tradition that when a constitution, or any law for that matter, falls short of salient provisions that guarantee and promote the constitutional needs of a polity and the aspirations of the people, such constitution is reviewed. Laws are made for man, not man for the law. This is what makes the difference between autocracy and democracy.

Together, we all broke the jinx, making a historic success of that effort by recording the following breakthroughs:

*Ekweremadu Handover to Vice President/ Deputy Governor settled: This particular matter became a major political challenge in

2010 during the unfortunate illness and eventual demise of late President Musa Yar’Adua.

To avoid such occurrence in future, the National Assembly amended Sections 145 and 190 of the Constitution to make it compulsory for the President and a Governor, respectively, to transmit a letter to the National Assembly or State Assembly, accordingly, to enable their deputies to act whenever they are proceeding on vacation or unable to discharge their functions. And where this is not done, the Vice President or Deputy Governor automatically begins to act after 21 days of the absence of the President or Governor.

Remaining term of office when a President/Governor wins re-run: Whereas the Supreme Court

of Nigeria in a landmark ruling on the matter brought before it

by Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State maintained that a Governor ’s or President’s term begins to run from the date he/she was sworn in, Governors such as those of Ekiti, Cross River, Adamawa, and Kogi States whose elections were annulled, but who won the reruns, also thought this applied to them and carried on as such. Consequently, Sections 135 and 180 of the Constitution were amended to straighten the intendment of the Constitution to the effect that “in the determination of the four year term, where a rerun election has taken place and the person earlier sworn in wins the rerun election, the time spent Continued from page 44 C M Y K

44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

E

VERY anniversary day of Nigeria‘s Independence is generally regarded as a day when Nigerians have absolute freedom to comment on the progress or otherwise, of their country. It is that day in which the President of the country reviews the events of the past year and assures the nation of good life ahead. The President‘s address to the nation is usually awaited for by all Nigerians and comments are thus made by different people, according to their mood, political standing and predilections.

This year‘s event has not departed from the norm, except that the President spoke within the safety of the tightly guarded Aso Rock. As expected, President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan spoke about the difficulties of the present and the hope of the future if Nigerians would exercise patience and cooperate with him and his government to deliver in full the delicious fruits of democracy.

Undoubtedly, the President‘s address would normally excite different comments from diverse quarters.

In order to avoid confusion, this article deals mainly with tribal jingoists (those who use tribalism by way of speech or writing to influence the course of events). For example, a tribal jingoist could mean a respected person in the community, who under the pretext of freedom of expression, could indirectly disturb ethnic stability. Many good writers are often guilty of this deceit by their insistence on interpreting historical events through their jaundiced eyes. The gullible readers are often captivated by the free flowing literary style of such

07059197616

Here they come again: The jingoists, the cynics and the sadists writers and forgetting their basic tribal instincts.

I am of the opinion that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, as a politician had his many virtues and vices. It would not be a bad thing if he ever attempted to be the President of Nigeria. Some analysts believed then that his imprisonment in 1962 for attempting to overthrow the Federal Government by force was unjust. Others also thought that it was unreasonable that the military government that followed the coup of 1966 did not release Awolowo until the appearance of the government of Lt. Col Gowon (now retired General).

General Gowon appointed late Chief Awolowo as Vice Chairman in his government and Commissioner for Finance, a position he held throughout the civil war of 1967-1970.

Whatever methods used by both sides in the contest became irrelevant since the war

ended on a slogan of, “No Winner, No Vanquished”.

It should be recalled that the late Chief Awolowo suffered political setback for his contribution to the successful prosecution of the civil war by the Federal Government. In the 1979 federal elections, late Chief Awolowo‘s party did not do well in Ibo speaking areas because of the cry of genocide policy leveled against him during the civil war. In the federal elections of 1979 and 1983, the votes of Shehu Shagari (Hausa/Fulani) were far higher than those of Chief Awolowo.

There was a common belief amongst the Yoruba that Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe‘s interventions (at his old age) in these federal elections were to prevent Chief Awolowo from winning to become the President of Nigeria. As I wrote some years ago that, “between Awo and Zik, whatever might be the reasons for their rivalries

and personal antagonism, their lack of vision at the crucial times in 1959 and 1979 contributed greatly to the rise in the fortunes of the North on the political horizon”.

As Chinua Achebe noted in his book “The Trouble with Nigeria”, `If we were a more discerning people, we should not have trusted them with our lives in the 1950s and 1960s.

However, both Chief Awolowo (Awo) and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik) are now dead and have put their foot marks on the sands of their time. We are now in the 21stcentury under a new political horizon. The Ibos are more in Yorubaland pursuing their valuable and profitable trades far more than they were before the civil war. The peoples of the South Western, South Eastern and the South South zones are forging new understanding towards political and economic stability of Nigeria. There is no need now for writers of fiction to remind us of genocides of those terrible years.

In the analysis of Nigeria‘s political and economic scenery, there has always been a free zone or the panorama for cynics to wander around.

People who are rooted in pessimism could not be expected to; at times relapse, into an avenue of optimism, even if there are sign-posts to glory. Every effort or any step towards the glorious future is challenged by evidence of past failures. Every Nigerian talks about corruption as if this corruption is a part of our daily food. Some do say that corruption is the 37th state of Nigeria and that all Nigerians are corrupt. If this is so, the attempt to stop corruption becomes laughable and the solution to corruption looks

evasive. Corruption could be regarded as a situation in which an individual wants to live beyond his or her means. This in itself suggests a situation of extreme inequality in the country and promotes an attempt by individuals to solve the problem by any means at any time. Corruption could be a Nigerian‘s way of existing in a state of continuous rising prices. In an inflationary condition accompanied by mass unemployment, the resultant poverty would be an invitation to criminal means of making money or other devious means. Under the oil subsidy scheme, the fake importers of petroleum products are as guilty as those who create conditions where a nation blessed with oil suddenly becomes a net importer of the same product.

However, in the Agricultural Policy of the Federal Government, it is possible to transform the rural areas and create more employment if the progressive policy is marched by action. The famous Groundnut Pyramid of the North and the Cocoa Plantation of the former golden West were possible because of the ingenuity of past European administrators. If a farmer is paid promptly for his produce at the convenient centre or location, the more incentive he had to produce more and be paid more. The lack of storage system and the inability of the farmer to be duly paid for his products are sure ways to prevent increasing agricultural production. There is need to encourage rural farming by enabling the farmer to weed plants and harvest at less cost and to ensure that there is ready market (payments) for his labour (produce).

Deepening Democracy in National Interest and for Posterity Continued from page 43 in the office before the date the election was annulled, shall be taken into account.”

Independence of INEC: One of the landmark achievements of constitution th amendment in the 6 National Assembly was the securing of both administrative and financial independence for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in line with international best practices and popular demand by the Nigerian people.

Qualification for INEC membership: The Constitution had erroneously provided that a candidate for nomination for membership of INEC should hold the same qualifications as one seeking election into the House of Representatives. This naturally includes membership of a political party. This could not have been the intention of the drafters of the constitution.

Therefore, we amended Section 156 of the Constitution to insulate INEC members from partisan politics.

Fixed time for disposal of C M Y K

election petitions: Our electoral processes have hitherto faced the challenge of too many rigmarole and undue delays in election petitions.

Since justice delayed is justice denied, Section 285 Subsections 5-8 were amended to provide for a timeline for filing, hearing, and delivery of judgment/returns on petitions.

Wider timeline for the conduct of elections: Sections 76, 116, 132, and 178 were amended to provide for a wider timeframe of not earlier than one hundred and fifty days and not later than ninety days. With this, INEC has now been handed ample time to plan and deliver credible elections.

Reduction in the number of judges on Election Petition Tribunals: This was done with a view to quickening the dispensation of justice at the tribunals. It means there are more judges available for appointment into the tribunals, while fewer judges are needed for a tribunal to sit.

Financial autonomy for the National Assembly: A milestone was also scored

by securing the financial independence of the National Assembly from the Executive arm. Regrettably, the same could not be achieved for the State legislatures as that amendment could not muster the required two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly to pass as amended.

Nigeria is on the march again, continuing from where th we stopped in the 6 National Assembly. This Public Hearing, therefore, comes as a fulfilment of constitutional and legislative due process aimed at ensuring that the Nigerian people own and drive the process.

Let me avail myself of this opportunity to refresh our minds on the thematic areas of focus in this Public Hearing.

Following our earlier call for memoranda, the Committee has at the last count received a total of 231 memoranda in addition to 56 other memoranda proposing the creation of additional states. Nigerians have poured out their minds on the way forward for the country, especially on the following key issues: Devolution of powers:

There are suggestions that the current Federal Government is behemoth, hence the need for the redistribution of powers as well as the proper streamlining of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution to reflect a true federal system.

State creation: Demands for state creation have endured and proponents hinge their demands on need for equity, justice, and speedy development.

Constitutional recognition of six geopolitical zones: There are suggestions that this has become imperative since it has become a political factor and served the purposes of equitable distribution of opportunities and mobilisation for socio-economic development.

The Local Government System: There has been a deluge of memoranda to the effect that our Local Governments are largely dysfunctional, hence the need for a proper definition of their status, powers, and functions within the Nigerian federal structure.

Fiscal Federalism: Nigerians have through their memoranda expressed worries that the current fiscal relation in our federal system is unwholesome and cannot drive competitive development as envisioned by our founding fathers. Memoranda so far received are however not in agreement on how best to rectify the perceived anomaly.

Residency and indigene: There are suggestions on the best way to guarantee equity and rights of every Nigerian in any part of the country, irrespective of his/her ethnicity, State of origin, sex, language, and religion. Most memoranda on this subject seek to suggest that the State of Origin be replaced with State of Residence.

There are suggestions on the need to amend S.147(3) requiring ministerial nominees to be indigenes instead of residents. S.42 of the 1999 constitution deals with non discrimination. How do we ensure that Nigeria takes full advantage of that provision?

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 45

DPR seals MRS, Obat, ASCON depots

UN commends Nigeria over stance on Bakassi

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, with Agency Reports HE United Nations has commended Nigeria for not appealing the International Court of Justice ruling ceding the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.

Marking the 10th anniversary of the verdict in New York, yesterday, UN Secretary General, Ban KiMoon commended the Ni-

T

gerian and Cameroonian governments for their efforts on implementing the ICJ judgment and resolving their disputes peacefully.

He encouraged both countries to reach an early agreement on the remaining 200 kilometres of land boundary in order to conclude the demarcation process.

In a statement by the Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General, entitled Secretary-General,

Marking 10 years since Bakassi Peninsula Decision, commends Cameroon, Nigeria on commitment to International Court of Justice Ruling, Ban Ki-Moon also stressed the need to address the socio-economic, humanitarian and security needs of the populations affected by the demarcation process, including the Bakassi area.

The statement reads: “On the occasion of the tenth

NLC, TUC decry students' massacre

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

N

IGERIA Labour Con gress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, yesterday, expressed shock and disgust over the spate of violence and brutal murder of students in recent times.

They said they were deeply worried by the murder of 40 students of The Polytechnic, Mubi,

Adamawa State and four students of the University of Port Harcourt, who were tortured and murdered in Aluu, River States.

NLC in a statement by its President, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar, described the killings as most cruel, dastardly and barbaric. It called on the Inspector-General of Police to order thorough investigation, arrest and prosecute of all those involved in the

murder of the students.

On its part, TUC in a statement by its President-General and Secretary, Mr. Peter Esele and Chief John Koplawole, respectively, said: “We are left aghast at the thought of the existence of such impulses at the heart of fellow Nigerians to reach the murderous decision to massacre other students for whatsoever reason.”

Continues from Page 7 anniversary of the ruling of the International Court of Justice on the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, the Secretary-General commends the commitment of the governments of both countries to honour the obligations of the ruling.

“He also congratulates the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission for the commendable efforts it has made in implementing the International Court of Justice ruling.

“The success of the Commission is an embodiment of an innovative approach to conflict resolution. By peacefully resolving their border dispute, Cameroon and Nigeria have provided a positive example for countries around the world facing similar challenges.

“The Secretary-General stresses the importance of addressing the socio-economic, humanitarian and security needs of the populations affected by the demarcation process, including in the Bakassi area.”

PPPRA, per litre of petrol is N87.66.

Outlets sell between N105 and N120 per litre.

Apparently taking a cue from the depots sharp practices, some retail outlets monitored

by Vanguard have been cheating motorists, not just in higher pump prices, but also in under-dispensing.

For instance, the Conoil fuel station at Old Agege Motor Road, New Oko-Oba, sells at N105/per litre; MRS fuel station at Ahmadiyya, Abule Egba, sells at similar pump price. In addition, the MRS outlet sells only at night to avoid notice, especially as it allegedly indulges in under-dispensing as well.

Vanguard also discovered that all the outlets located along the Ayobo Road in Ipaja-Ayobo Development Area are

selling petrol at between N110 and N120/ litre.

Outlets which sell at the regulated price charge “gate fee” of not less than N200 from each motorist before selling fuel to them.

When contacted, some of the franchise owners of the outlets dissociated their companies from the sharp practices. For instance, at Conoil, a top management source insisted that since the company could not monitor activities in all its outlets, motorists should resist attempts to cheat them.

MRS said it had long disowned the Ahmadiyya outlet as it was notorious for sharp practices.

However, considering the fact that motorists are desperate to have fuel to power their vehicles, they become easy prey to these unethical practices, which called for urgent intervention by DPR.

46—Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

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OJIEMEN—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojiemen Lawrenta Iziegbe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okpara Lawrenta Iziegbe. All former documents remain valid. IMT (Enugu), NYSC and general public please take note.

UMUNADE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Rita Ejiroghene Umunade, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rita Ejiroghene Obokparo Dimaro. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UWAEZUOKE —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Uwaezuoke Joy Esther Ifeyinwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nwosu Joy Esther Ifeyinwa. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

ONYEYIRI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Onyeyiri Blessing Ogechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ukwu Blessing Ogechi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OFEORITSE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ofeoritse Ochen Osarollor, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Etsede Ofeoritse O. Osarollor. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

CHINA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Eseimieghan China, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. M u l a d e Eseimieghan China .

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWEDA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ngozi Erigwe Nweda, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. MaryAnn Ngozi Onwe Nwazunku. All former documents remain valid. Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), NYSC and general public please take note.

VANGUARD'S LAGOS OFFICE YOU CAN B O O K Y O U R A D V E R T S AT OU R L A G O S I S L A N D O F FI C E — VA N G U A R D MEDIA LIMITED (LAGOS OFFICE) KIOSK 4 8 E A S T P AV I L I O N T B S , L A G O S .

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012—47

Vanguard CLASSIFIED EZERIOHO —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Stella Ezerioho, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Stella Okoye. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Correction of Name My name is Mohmodu Nauretu, but now wish to be known and addressed as Vivian Eyoyibo. The general public and Jad Construction Ltd should Mohmodu Nauretu and Vivian Eyoyibo is one and the same Poerson and All former documents remain valid..General public please take note.

OGHENE-JABOR—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Augustina Oghene-Jabor, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Augustina Ebhota. All former documents remain valid.

Shell Police Command, College of Education, Warri and general public please take note.

DORSU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Dorsu Oritsegbubemi Mitchell, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ojakovo Oritsegbubemi Mitchell. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IKEWUN—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Jane Ufuoma Ikewun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Jane Ufuoma Molokwu.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AKPOTU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Akpotu Oghenerobo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oghenerobo Ali. All former documents remain valid.

Nigeria Police Force and general public please take note.

Emekuku High School OCD boys to honour Imo deputy gov

By EMMANUEL EDUKUGHO

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ESCRIBED as one of the first fruits of public-private partnership in the education sector in Nigeria, Emekuku High School, Owerri, (originally named Sebastine Academy) was a private secondary institution until it was taken over by the Government of the defunct EastCentral State. After the take over, the 48 year-old school’s name was changed to Emekuku high school.

One of the old boys, Sir Jude Ikechi Agbaso, is now deputy governor of Imo State. Therefore, the Emekuku High School Old Boys Association is rolling out the red carpet in a grand reception to honour him on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 2:00pm at the school premises. Disclosing this at a press briefing in Lagos, the president of Emekuku High School Old Boys Association, EHSOBA, Mr. Paul Ogazi, said the grand reception tagged “Garlands for our own” has two core objectives.

He said: “Firstly, to celebrate Sir Jude Agbaso’s me-

men call their alma mater.” teoric rise in industry and and what used to be the He said that it is the relawns and staff quarters, political leadership which sponsibility of the old boys is a thing of pride to us all. your heart will ache and to defend the school’s gloBy this means, we show- tears will fill your eyes. I ry; the make the school’s case him as a model to stu- wonder what thoughts go achievements endure; and through the minds of the dents of our school and to make the school a decent encourage him in his cur- current teachers and stuand conducive learning enrent endeavour. Secondly, dents when they are told vironment for the current our reception for the depu- that this ruin is what reand the next generation. mains of a school that was ty governor is to use him “A school old boys associas a magnet to draw the old our pride.” ation must give back to the Ogazi explained that the boys of Emekuku High school that produced them School and their well-wish- choice of the school prethe way successful young mises as venue for the reers together in the interest ception is to “draw the at- adults look after their parof the school.” ents,” he noted, adding, Affirming that the school tention of stakeholders to “education is the bedrock is in dire need of resource the plight of this school that for national greatness in all many capable and eminent transfusion and infrastrucfields of endeavour.” ture transformation, he painted a pathetic picture of the present state of the school in these words: “The buildings in the schol, the laboratories, and library they shelter are in heartL-r: Mrs Chibuzo Patrick, founder, Meljenstin Youth Empowerment breaking Initiative; Prince Yinka Durosinmi, Chairman, Ojo Local Government, throes of de- Lagos State and Princess Chichi Gbadero, Vice Chairman during the cay. When press briefing on the flag off of the season 7 of Youth Essay Competition you see the and Award in Ojo Local Government held within the LG secretariat in r e f e c t o r y Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

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48 — Vanguard, FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2012

End of the road for notorious armed robbery gang of robbery in C e l e n i c a community and also Calabar market located in Adaloko, another community in Oto-Awori local development council.

By DONAL ARJI & ADA ONWUNALI

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•The suspects gunned down. Still, we went after them and killed one of them too ,while others escaped with bullet wounds. But we were able to trace and arrest the fleeing members through vital information we got from a commercial bus driver.”

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ontinuing, Mr. Omotosho said: “The funny story is that, among the gang members that were arrested, one of them is their native doctor who prepared protective charms for them But he told us during interrogation that he never knew the men were armed robbers and that they normally came to him for

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ome members of a vigilante group recently engaged a gang of suspected armed robbers at Celeniza community in Iba local Government Development Area in Okokomaiko, Lagos, in a gun battle, killing a member of the gang.

Crime Alert was informed that the vigilante members were on their normal routine patrol of the area when they noticed an unusual movement of five men. The group was said to have confronted the men, during which one of the suspected robbers reportedly got infuriated and brought brought out an AK47 assault riffle and fired at a member of the vigilante group identified as Habeeb Jimoh, thereby killing him on the spot. Soon, the area was turned into a war zone as the robbers and vigilante group engaged themselves in a shoot-out.

During the cross fire, a member of the armed gang was reportedly gunned down.

But before he died, he gave some vital information which later led to the arrest of five members of the gang among whom was a herbalist.

Speaking on how other members of the gang were arrested, head of the vigilante group, Mr S.A. Omotosho said information about their criminal hideout was received from a good Samaritan and they had to promptly act on it.

According to him, “I really want to say a big thank you to God Almighty for the strength to round up other members of the gang that attacked us. On that fateful day, I was with my boys on our normal routine patrol when we noticed a group of five young men walking towards our direction.

One of my boys who noticed they carried a bag which was later discovered to contain riffles, stopped them asked that they identified themselves. Instead of doing that, one of them brought out an AK47 gun and fired at our post . That was when we knew that they were robbers. We promptly responded even though they possessed superior fire power. During the cross fire, one of us was

The funny story is that, among the gang that were arrested, one of them is their native doctor who prepared protective charms for the gang, but he told us during interrogation that he never knew that the men were armed robbers and that they normally come to him for protective charms

protective charms.

During interrogation, they gave their names as Moshood Adebowale, 26, Wahab Sherif, 31, Thomas Samuel, 23,

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Akeem Bolawale, 36, (the native doctor)and Bashiru Gbolawale, 26, who confessed to be the brain behind series

ut in another b r e a t h , Akeem Bolawale, the ‘voodoo’ man who earlier denied knowledge of the gang’s operation, later admitted to be a member of the gang.He h o w e w v e r, claimed he had never partaken in any operation with the gang, explaining that his role was to prepare formidable charms for the gang during and after any operation, at the end of which he got paid. he further revealed that the gang’s modus oprandi included digging holes on the road which would force any motorist to slow down on reaching the point, only to be attacked. The gang he added also operated at traffic jams along the Mile 2 Okokomaiko express way, adding that the last robbery they went for before they met their waterloo was in the house of a man who just returned from the United Kingdom.The suspects, have been handed over to the Police.

PHOTO SPEAKS

Oyo State Police command recently paraded some suspected criminals. Pix shows the suspects and their weapons

Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 —49

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Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 51

Romney extends lead over Obama

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EPUBLICAN challenger Mitt Romney has extended his lead over President Barack Obama to 3 percentage points, according to a Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll released on Thursday, ahead of a high-stakes debate between the two candidates’ running mates.

Romney now leads the Democrat by 47 percent to 44 percent among likely voters in the online poll, with less than a month before the November 6 election. The Republican had a one-point lead over Obama in survey results on Wednesday, his first in more than a month. Romney has been enjoying one of his best runs of the campaign after handily winning the first presidential debate last week, partially due to Obama’s

•Romney passive performance in that contest.

Biden to regain momentum for Democrats EMOCRATS are betting on U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to deliver a feisty performance yesterday evening during a high-stakes debate against Republican challenger Paul Ryan and seize back momentum in

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Chinese writer wins Nobel Prize for Literature ELEBRATED author Mo Yan has become the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize for literature.

Announced by the Nobel committee in Sweden on Thursday, Yan was chosen as the 2012 recipient for works with qualities of “hallucinatory realism” that mixes folk tales, history and the contemporary.

“Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old

“The momentum is in Romney’s direction right now,” Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said. Vice President Joe Biden will look to recover some momentum for Obama’s re-election bid when he faces off Thursday evening with Republican challenger Paul Ryan in the only vice presidential debate of the campaign.

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•Mo Yan Chinese literature and in oral tradition,” the Swedish Academy said.

Mo Yan whose real name is Guan Moye was born in 1955.

He has published novels, short stories and essays on various topics, and despite his social criticism is seen in his homeland as one of the foremost contemporary authors, the Nobel committee noted.

•Joe Biden the race for the White House.

Republican Mitt Romney ’s steady climb in polls since President Barack Obama’s poor showing in their first debate last week have intensified expectations for the vice presidential showdown with less than four weeks before the November 6 election.

The former Massachusetts governor has taken the lead in national surveys and narrowed the gap by which he trails Obama in many of the swing states that will decide the election.

Romney led the Democratic incumbent by 47 percent to 44 percent in the Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll on Thursday - the online poll showed the challenger with a one percentage point advantage on Wednesday.

Egypt sacks Prosecutor General amid protests GYPTIAN Presi dent Mohamed Morsi has removed the country’s prosecutor general a day after all 24 defendants in the Cairo “Camel Battle” case were acquitted, state television has reported.

Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, the country’s top prosecutor, was named as the country’s ambassador to the Vatican yesterday.

The state broadcaster said the transfer had been made by presidential decree.

Mahmoud was considered to be a remnant of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

On February 2, 2011, pro-Mubarak forces riding camels and horses, charged into the crowd in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The “Camel Bat-

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tle” became a symbol of the revolution and Mubarak’s efforts to suppress it. The ruling on Wednesday sparked anger across the country, and Mahmoud was blamed for presenting a weak case to the court.

Earlier yesterday hundreds of protesters dem-

onstrated in Cairo against the acquittal of the Mubarak-era officials.

The protesters chanted slogans against the verdict, accusing the judges of “complicity” with the leaders of the former regime. “The people want to purify justice,” they shouted.

Mine protests turn deadly in SA T least two people have been killed in South Africa after a protest by mineworkers striking for better pay turned violent, police said. Police said yesterday the man was burned to death and a second man died from gun shot wounds at the informal settlement in Photsaneng near Rustenburg and a minibus taxi

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was torched.

Meanwhile, police fired rubber bullets at striking Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) miners near Rustenburg. Gaddafi Mdoda, a strike leader, said that a brief confrontation occurred between police and some of the 12,000 striking miners who were fired by Amplats last week.

52—Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

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Vanguard , FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 —53

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54—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Budget 2013: Experts pick holes, emphasize close monitoring Continues from Page 5 power, the roads and agriculture. It is important to also note that this allocation is a combination of both recurrent and capital, which implies that the capital content is even much lower.

"We note the 2.7 per cent reduction in recurrent expenditure from 71.43 per cent to 68.7 per cent; and the increase of 2.8 per cent in capital budget, from 28.5 per cent to 31.3 per cent.

These adjustments are not profound enough to provide the needed infrastructural support to stimulate the economy.

“The country ’s debt profile remains a major source of concern. We are concerned about the growing level of domestic debt and the high cost of debt servicing. Domestic borrowing is proposed to reduce from N747 billion in

2012 to N727 billion in 2013, a mere 2.3 per cent reduction. A staggering N591.76 billion is earmarked for debt servicing.

"However, the provision of N100 billion sinking fund for the repayment of maturing debt obligations is a welcome development.

We commend these measures as they could boost domestic production, conserve foreign exchange and create jobs.

"However, the imposition of 100 per cent levy on rice which is a staple food may have some unintended consequences if there is no adequate supply side response on the domestic front. We have to be sure that domestic capacity to grow and process rice has been put in place, otherwise, we face the following risks: Drastic increase in the price of rice which would result in

escalation of poverty; escalation of smuggling and corruption at the ports; pressure on government for waivers of duty; diversion of cargoes to neighbouring countries, thus denying the maritime sector of jobs and revenue.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry is in full support of the selfreliance aspirations in food production. But for such a policy to be sustainable, there should be a deliberate policy and practical steps to build capacity to fill the demand-supply gap that would be created.

Otherwise, the citizens will be further impoverished.

The implications of the recent flood disaster on food security are also a factor to take into account.

Razia Khan, Regional Head of Research, Africa, for Standard Chartered Bank said the budget is an

encouraging sign of the weight currently given to reforms in Nigeria.

Specifically, she noted that though there was an increase in total expenditure by five per cent, the increase was relatively modest, and compares favourably with the magnitude of spending increase that we had seen in 2010.

In real terms, it signals the ongoing attempt to achieve fiscal consolidation.

This is also reflected in the budget deficit, which falls to a projected 2.17 per cent of GDP, from an estimated 2.85 per cent in 2012, largely as already indicated.

She said the decline in the share of recurrent expenditure to 68.7 per cent of the budget "is a further step in the right direction, and indicative of the authorities’ desire to gradually boost the share of

NASS playing to the gallery —Presidency Continues from page 5 to increase budgets that were sent to National Assembly without considering that the revenue continuously expanded yearly in deficit, leading to huge national debts. ‘’On the bench mark, that was pure drama. The President submitted the budget. The budget is yet to be passed or yet to be looked into and debated and all that, and here, another arm of government, in a dictatorial manner, authoritatively said that it has decided that the bench mark shall be $80.”

On call for Oteh's sack On resolutions by the National Assembly demanding the sack of Ms. Bolanle Onagoruwa and Ms Arumah Oteh as Directors-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE and Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, respectively, Okupe said it is blasphemous to raise the issue saying an employer knows it best when to sack an employee.

He said: "In the interest of the Nigerian people, for the sake of our teeming masses, the National Assembly and the executive must of necessity find a common ground on all these issues, instead of u n n e c e s s a r y grandstanding and playing

to the gallery, which will not help anybody or solve any of our problems."

Know your limits, Mark tells Okupe In a sharp response, Senator Mark speaking through his Special Adviser, Media, Mr. Kola Olagbodiyan cautioned Okupe to know his limits, asserting that Mark and the president were on the same page on the issues raised.

Advising Okupe that it was not his job to make enemies for the President, Mark said: "Our attention has been drawn to media attacks on the office and person of the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, to the effect that the President of the Senate derided President Goodluck Jonathan during the budget presentation on Wednesday.

"It is instructive to first state that Senator Mark and Mr. President are on the same page in the onerous task of ensuring the actualisation of the transformation agenda of this administration. ‘’There was nothing derisive in the welcome address of the President of the Senate at the budget presentation. We challenge Dr. Okukpe to revisit the speech and discover his misadventure. ‘’It is, therefore, strange that Dr. Okupe would

meddlesomely attempt to create unnecessary disaffection between the legislature and the executive. It is common knowledge that budgets are estimates of revenues and expenditures of the Federation for the next financial year. Section 81 of the1999 Constitution (as amended) is very explicit.

The position of the Senate which was expressed by the President of the Senate is that in line with constitutional provisions, the legislature has a right of appropriation.

"Dr. Okupe as a public affairs manager has a responsibility to make friends and create a harmonious working relationship between the executive and other arms of government. His job is not to make enemies and create unfavourable atmosphere for Mr. President. ‘’We take exception to such unwarranted attack on the Office of the President of the Senate and we urge Dr. Okupe to know his limits.”

He is an overzealous official—Tambuwal Speaker Tambuwal on his part equally brushed off Okupe as an overzealous official apparently ignorant of his duties.

In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Imam Imam, he said: “The attention of the Speaker of the House of

Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has been drawn to a press conference addressed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, where he made disparaging remarks about the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly with regards to the remarks of Senate President David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the presentation of the 2013 budget.

“The Speaker wishes to state that the remarks of the two leaders where in conformity with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and that all statements by the two leaders were backed by facts and figures from field studies by the legislators and expert advises.

“It is apparent that Okupe is dabbling into areas where he is totally ignorant about. The uncouth manner in which he replied elected representatives showed his apparent lack of respect for the legislature as an institution. The entire remarks he made gave him out as an overzealous official doing a hatchet job in order to be relevant in the scheme of things.

“The Speaker and the House of Representatives will always stand by the tenets of good governance and true representation at all times. “

capital expenditure, providing a firmer platform for future growth.”

Khan, who is the Regional Head of Research, Africa, for Standard Chartered Bank, also commended the $75 per barrel oil price benchmark, but warned against any attempt to increase the benchmark.

She said: “Of greater concern is the suggestion that there might be an attempt by the House to raise this to USD 80/bbl. In our view, given global risks, and Nigeria’s ongoing fiscal and export dependency on a single commodity, the priority for Nigeria has got to be increasing its rate of saving. Were oil prices to fall, Nigeria would currently be left very vulnerable, with no sound mechanism for being able to smooth spending, let alone provide a counter-cyclical boost to the economy.

"The Sovereign Wealth Fund, while encouraging, is not yet sizeable enough to create a sound buffer against external shocks. It cannot be assumed either that the debt markets currently comfortably open to Nigeria, would be unaffected by any fall in the oil price. There is, therefore, a need for much more fiscal conservatism, and the signals from the House are a considerable concern.

Khan, however, expressed concern on the budgeted oil output of 2.63 million barrel per day. She said “Also a concern is the slow creep up in the budgeted oil output, which now rises to 2.53mn bpd from 2.48mn bpd.

"This measure has risen consistently year after year recently, with no real visibility on whether Nigeria has seen the investment that allows it to comfortably commit to greater output levels. Yes, some official data appears to indicate that Nigeria is currently producing near an all-time highs. But there are such vast disparities in different estimates, and so many gaping holes in measures of Nigeria’s oil output, that the continued rise in Nigeria’s budgeted output assumptions, at a time when investment in the sector has been dwindling, does not inspire great confidence.”

Samuel Durojaye, President, Finance Houses Association of Nigeria (FHAN): “It is not really what is proposed that matters but what is implemented. The budget has deficit which is to be financed by additional

borrowing from the public.

Already, there are concerns about government borrowing crowding out the private sector of loanable funds, even the Minister for Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed this concern, saying we should find a way to reduce government borrowing.

That is why the National Assembly is proposing that the oil price benchmark should be increased to $80 per barrel.

“What the Federal Government needs to do to reduce spending and borrowing is to reduce bureaucratic expenses. We should cut overhead expenses of political office holders by 20 per cent, by reducing the retinue of aides and advisers. The National Assembly too should reduce its overhead expenses but they don’t want to do that. We need to sit down as a nation and see how we can reduce expenses. There is so much money in the political space and we need to reduce it.

Former Minister of Finance, Chief Olu Falae, also commended the reduction in the share of the recurrent expenditure but called for accountability in the implementation of the capital expenditure. He said:“In a long while we can see a change where there is a reduction in the recurrent and an increase in the capital expenditure.

The increase in the capital expenditure is quite significant. This is good.

Although the majority of the budget is on recurrent expenditure, a reduction of it from the previous years will cut government’s expenses.

“When a substantial amount is devoted to capital expenditure which is an increase from the previous years, economic growth can be attained. I hope that the capital expenditure will be used well. The budget is good on paper and we hope that the capital expenditure will be disbursed in good terms.

"Capital projects will always be to the advantage of Nigerians, it will add value in the long run. I hope that the mix of the capital expenditure will be adequately channelled to the appropriate sector and will be accounted for because one of the problems we have in this country is accountability.

We all hope that the stealing will be minimized, this is very important."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012 — 55

Encomiums as NFF president unveils Delta Football House ESTERDAY marked a watershed in the nation’s football history as the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Mohammed Maigari performed the foundation laying ceremony of Delta Football House in Asaba, the State capital.

Delta State Football Association, arguably the best FA in the county raised the stakes in private sector participation, as it sets to build a befitting N100m edifice, with state-of-the art facilities.

In a ceremony well attended by top government functionaries, proprietors of football clubs, States FA Chairmen, business moguls and captains of industries, the NFF President, Alhaji Maigari praised the dynamism, vision and sagacity of the Delta FA under Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick.

Alhaji Maigari expressed optimism that in the coming days, the Delta Football House when fully completed, will attract the attention of members of the CAF and FIFA families.

Also speaking on the occasion, the Chairman of the Delta FA who also doubles as the Executive Chairman of the State

HE Confederation of African Football (CAF) have appointed Chadian match officials for the game between Nigeria’s U-17 national team and their Guinean counterparts with Mahamat Tahir Oumar as the Centre Referee.

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He would be assisted by the trio of Yaya Issa (1st Assistant Referee), Mahamat Badjouri (2nd Assistant Referee) and Cordier Adam (Reserve Referee). The Match Commissioner is Yunisa Alim Sesay from Sierra Leone.

AFN’s Coaches Forum/Clinic Holds Oct. 18 in Lagos HE Technical Com mittee of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has concluded plans to hold a Coaches’ Forum/Clinic in Lagos between October 18 and 20 October.

According to the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the AFN, Navy Captain Omatseye Nesiama, the Coaches’ Forum/Clinic which will draw resource persons from within and outside the country will hold at the auditorium of the National Institute for Sports inside the National Stadium complex in Lagos.

He admitted that the seminar will help give a direction on how to reposition the country’s track

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FOUNDATION LAYING CEREMONY: Alhaji Aminu Maigari, President NFF, Mr Arugba Charles, contractor, Mr Amaju Pinick, Chairman Delta State Sports Commission at the Foundation laying ceremony of Delta Football House PHOTO: NATH ONOJAKE Sports Commission, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, informed the audience that traditional sponsors of the Delta FA have shown interest and commitment towards the realization of the Football house project.

Mr. Pinnick also revealed that the Delta Football Secretariat has been christened “Patrick Okpomo House” to im-

Kanu joins Eagles Continues from BP his younger brother Ogbonna, and took time off to shake all the players before and after the training session, with Head Coach, Stephen Keshi beaming with smiles at the support he’s getting from the Atlanta ’96 Olympics gold medal hero and two times African Footballer of The Year.

Kanu said at the session that he was there to offer his teammates support, as he was still an active footballer. He admonished the players to be relaxed but be serious as that is the only way victory will come easy on Saturday. “Its like when you want to write an essay. If you take it too serious when you get to the examination hall you become blank, that is why I’m saying they should just relax their nerves and get the job done on Sat-

Chadian ref for Eaglets/ Guinea match

urday, the quality here is too high for Liberia to survive us”, he said.

During the session proper that lasted for two hours, John Mikel Obi, who came in on Wednesday and trained in the evening of the same day, was again the cynosure of all eyes as some fear for his fitness, but the Chelsea of England midfielder came out smoking during the training. Mention must also be made of Lazio kid sensation, Ogenyi Onazi, whose midfield touches were near excellent, as Coach Keshi gradually zeroes in on his first eleven for the encounter on Saturday.

So far, its difficult to pick Keshi’s brains regarding the starting eleven, but from the closed session, Nigerians should expect some surprises when the list of probables is finally made public by noon on Saturday.

mortalize the late Secretary General of the then Nigeria Football Association.

High point of the ceremony was the laying of the foundation/the unveiling of the prototype of the Football House by the NFF President, Alhaji Maigari and technical presentation by one of the site engineers of the Crystalix consortium, the

contracting firm handling the project, Mr. Charles Arugba. ”I hope that other states will emulate the good work Amaju and his team are doing in Delta,” Maigari said, assuring that FIFA and CAF members will attend the commissioning of the project which he also said would serve football tremendously.

Keshi happy with UJ Esuene turf HIEF coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi has thumped up the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar and has declared it

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ready for the senior national team’s assault on the Liberia’s Lone Stars come Saturday in a 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier.

We’ll beat Liberia silly Continues from BP “I am here for the game and I am ready to do battle against Liberia. I am in good shape and form now, I will do my best to see that we beat Liberia.

“It is a battle we have to win, we know what is at stake and we are not taking it easy with them.”

For their last visit at full international level, the Lone Star of Liberia complete with the legendary George Weah lost 2-0 to the Eagles in Port Harcourt in a 2002 World Cup qualifier.

Mikel was held back in London over a visa ap-

plication to Ukraine for this month’s UEFA Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.

He arrived the Eagles training camp in Calabar on Wednesday and hours later worked out with the rest of the squad under the guidance of coach Stephen Keshi.

Mikel has yet to play for Nigeria since Keshi took over the team in November.

He opted out of last month’s 2-2 draw with Liberia in Monrovia after it was initially believed that the game would be played on an artificial pitch.

and field ahead of next global competitions.

Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi is expected to kick off proceedings at the seminar also aimed at boosting Nigeria’s preparations for the 2014 Commonwealth Games as well as the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Some of the topics to be examined at the talk-shop include: Reequipping Nigerian Coaches for Enhanced Elite Performance; Maximizing Results through Identification of Elite Performance Components A Scientific Approach; Elite Athletes Management- The Coach’s Perspective.

Early kick off for Eaglets Continues from BP match on Sunday in order to connect their early Monday morning flight back to Conakry.

The NFF granted the request of their Guinean counterparts since they would have to wait till next Friday if they miss their already scheduled arrangement.

Meanwhile, Golden Eaglets coach, Manu Garba, has stated he is not concerned by the changes in kick off times for the match , adding

that he has prepared his team in case of any eventuality.

“Even if they say we should play on Friday, we are ready for this match,” Manu confidently said.

“We are not worried about when this match is going to be played. We have adequately prepared for any possible occurrence and I can say with assurance that we are ready to play Guinea anytime.”

We’ll shed blood to beat Liberia Continues from BP will fight with the last drop of their blood on Saturday. We will also fight until we get our objective that is the game of football”, Enyeama told Goal.com.

“We will qualify by the help of God. There is no second thought of not qualifying at all. We are not working for a draw. It is victory that is on our minds.

“Nigerians should

support us through their prayers. It is not going to be easy.

“It is not going to be a bread and butter thing.

It will be tough. Let’s see how it goes,” Enyeama added.

Nigeria held the Liberians to a 2-2 draw in Monrovia in the first leg and a win in Calabar will see the team pick a ticket to the 2013 edition of the Nations Cup after missing out of the 2012 version.

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCT0BER 12, 2012

We’ll shed blood to beat Liberia — Enyeama vows INCENT Enyeama, Super Eagles standin captain has advised his national team mates to fight with the last

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We’ll break Nigerian hearts tomorrow!

•Liberian coach boasts •Says: we’ve no respect for your Eagles IBERIAN coach, Smith Kaetu declared yesterday that they have no respect for the big name players in the Eagles squad. He added that Liberia was here to get the desired result and qualify for the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa.

The Lone Star coach stated that if Guinea could come to Abuja and get the result that saw

L

them stop Nigeria from qualifying for the last Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea last January, Liberia could equally do the same.

“Personally, I am not afraid of the Nigerian team whether it is homebased or (overseas) pro-

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•Smith Kaetu TODAY'S

PUZZLE

• Enyeama, “The Liberians have a good squad and they Continues on page 55

Kanu joins Eagles N

fessionals.

“Nigeria aren’t like before, because they are living in the past. If Togo can qualify for the World Cup (in 2006) and Guinea could qualify at their expense in the last Afcon qualifier, Liberia can do same too,” said the coach.

IGERIAN legend Nwankwo Kanu, was the surprise presence at the Super Eagles closed door training session on Thursday evening at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

Spotting his trade mark African plaited hairdo, Kanu was in company of Continues on page 55

Mikel: We’ll beat Liberia silly HELSEA midfielder Mikel Obi has said the Super Eagles are fired up to reach next year ’s AFCON and as such will thrash Liberia on Saturday at home.

“The (team) spirit is high and with our form and determination we

drop of their blood against Liberia tomorrow if they want to qualify for the Nations Cup after the sour point of last year’s loss to Guinea.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv shot-stopper warned his team mates not to expect a stroll in the pack against Liberia’s Lone Star in the second leg tie of their 2013 Nations Cup qualifier.

The former Enyimba goalkeeper stated that the Eagles would have to be at their best against Liberia.

•Kanu will beat Liberia silly,” Mikel said.

“I am not looking down on them, but it’s a game to determine our participation in the Nations Cup and we are ready to grab it with both hands.

Continues on page 55 YESTERDAY'S

Early kick off for Eaglets

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•Mikel

HE 2013 African U17 qualifier between Nigeria and Guinea in Calabar will now kick off on Sunday by 2 pm local time.

The match was shifted

forward from the usual 4 pm kick-off to 2 pm at the instance of the Guinean delegation who wish to return to Lagos immediately after the Continues on page 55

ANSWERS ACROSS 1 Sudden (6) 5 Expression (6) 9 Passage (5) 10 Oppose (6) 11 Zeal (6) 12 Tile (5) 14 Broth (4) 17 Before (3) 18 Drawback (4) 20 Weapon (5) 22 Spoon (5) 23 Balcony (7) 24 Inlay (5) 26 Principle (5) 29 Close (4) 30 Epoch (3) 32 Terrible (4) 33 Fancy (5) 35 Damage (6) 36 Wept (6) 37 Keen (5) 38 Pact (6) 39 Degrade (6)

DOWN 1 Athwart (6) 2 Save (6) 3 Elapse (4) 4 Name (5) 5 Dish (5) 6 Present (4) 7 Teem (6) 8 Anger (6) 13 Dispose (7) 15 Surmise (5) 16 Journal (5) 18 Surfeited (5) 19 Change (5) 21 Rodent (3) 22 Allow (3) 24 Maintain (6) 25 Specimen (6) 27 Agile (6) 28 Sinew (6) 30 Dress (5) 31 Relaxed (5) 33 Regimen (4) 34 Extra (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 4, Health 7, Mishap 9, Box 10, Pep 12, Surly 13, Step 15, Rased 17, Ravine 19, East 20, Dunce 22, Orb 24, Entreat 27, Tea 28, Irony 31, Bind 33, Ambled 35, Eerie 37, Kill 38, Party 39, Can 41, Eel 42, Tenure 43, Heard.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 1, Amused 2, Astern 3, Tap 4, Hose 5, Exude 6, Talisman 8, Peri 11, Panoramic 14, Pace 16, Sere 18, Vent 21, Ultimate 23, Bail 25, Tear 26, Trek 29, Odious 30, Yelped 32, Deter 34, Beat 36, Eyed 40, New.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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