RISING CRIME WAVE IN NIGERIA: US laments poorsecurity response

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61839

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

How Alamieyeseigha Battle for APC registration heightens earned pardon •P.8 — Presidency •P. 9 RISING CRIME WAVE IN NIGERIA:

US laments poor security response zSays FG needs to attack insurgency on multiple fronts

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS EDITOR , UDUMA KALU & VICTORIA OJEME, WITH AGENCY REPORTS

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BUJA— The United States of America, USA, has expressed concern at the rate crime is spreading in Nigeria. The Continues on page 5

COLUMNISTS:

ADISA ADELEYE —P.46

DONU KOGBARA •P.17

Mr & Mrs The African Peoples Congress, APC, logo and emblem as unveiled by the political association, in Abuja, yesterday. SEE STORY ON PAGE 9.

Jonathan signed one term agreement, Gov Aliyu insists •P. 14

Robbery: FAAN bans Bureaux de Change operators from airports •P. 6

Pope Francis shuns perks as papal duties begin •P. 11

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POCKET CARTOON

From left: President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, NIESV, Mr. Emeka Eleh; Minister fot Works, Mike Onolememen,representing President Goodluck Jonathan; Deputy Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor, Hon. Stephen Idehenre, representing the Governor and Mrs. Ebube Okolo representing Minister of Housing at the 43rd Annual General Conference of the NIESV in Benin City, Edo State.

US laments poor security response Continues from page 1 American government lamented the worsening crime rate in coastal areas and the free movement of Islamic extremists between Mali and Nigeria.

The US ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley, and his Consul-General,Mr Jeffrey Hawkins, spoke at different fora.

The US ambassador said Islamic extremists have continued to move freely between Nigeria and northern Mali, despite the ongoing French military operation there against them.

The Consul-General on his part said his government was concerned with the growing incidence of criminal activities off Nigeria’s coast. Hawkins, who said this at the closing ceremony of the 2013 Nigeria Maritime Expo, NIMAREX 2013, yesterday, in Lagos, said there seemed to be ineffectual security response to the growing criminal activities.

The ambassador, speaking in Abuja, said as extremists' shootings, bombings and kidnappings of foreigners continued unstopped

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

RELIGION is like a blind man looking into a black room for a black cat that isn’t there and finding it — Oscar Wilde.

What we want is a relationship with God.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

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T isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it —Dale Carnegie Anthony De Mello wrote that happiness is our natural state. Happiness is the natural state of little children, to whom the kingdom belongs until they have been polluted and contaminated by the follies of society and culture. To acquire happiness you don’t have to do anything, because happiness cannot be acquired. Does anybody know why? Because we have it already. How can you acquire what you already have? Then why don’t you experience it? Because you’ve got to drop something.

You’ve got to drop illusions. You don’t have to add anything in order to be happy; Life is easy, life is delightful. It’s only hard on your illusions, your ambitions, your cravings. Do you know where these things come from? From having identified with all kinds of labels- Abraham Lincoln sums it aptly: “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

across northern Nigeria, halting the violence remained a top priority of the Washington government.

He, however, declined to answer questions about alleged US plans to operate a drone base in neighbouring Niger.

"Officials have seen reports for years” about fighters from the radical Islamic extremist network, Boko Haram, travelling to Mali to receive training there, said McCulley, speaking to journalists on a telephone conference call.

Boko Haram, the main force behind the continuing guerrilla attacks against the Federal Government, is believed by analysts and officials to have ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in Mali, and likely received training and weapons from them.

Nigeria needed to attack the group on multiple fronts “Nigerians feel that there is a link between extremist activity in the Sahel and their internal extremist insurgency,” McCulley said. The ambassador said Nigeria needed to attack the group on multiple fronts, both militarily and by alleviating northern Nigeria’s crushing poverty and lack of opportunities for its growing, young population.

Respect for human rights McCulley also said Nigeria needed to “respect human rights”

while fighting extremists.

Human rights officials have long accused the country security forces of illegally detaining people for months without charges, using torture and even summarily killing suspects.

French troops, with the help of Malian soldiers, have been fighting Islamic extremists who took over the main towns in northern Mali in the weeks after a coup toppled the nation’s government last year.

Despite their efforts, it appears extremists continue to be able to simply disappear into local populations and move freely across the region, where desert borders remain loosely patrolled.

Plan by Obama to establish military base in Niger In his bid to stop that flow, US President Barack Obama announced plans in February to establish a military base in neighbouring Niger to stage drone flights across the Sahel region. While US plans initially called for the drones to be used to gather information about Islamic extremists in Mali, the drones could be used elsewhere in the region.

In the northern states, there has been growing concern and suspicion about the US intentions in the region, despite the ongoing violence.

When asked about the drones, McCulley largely declined to comment, though he said Nigeria’s government had not posed any questions to the US regarding the drone programme.

Crime situation is worsening — US Consul-General US Consul-General said "both the available data and the anecdotal evidence suggest that the crime situation is only worsening.

“We have difficulty seeing how it is going to get better in the near-term without major improvements in i n s t i t u t i o n a l collaboration and a marked increase in political will,” Hawkins said.

The Consul-General said that the bodies expected to protect and defend the maritime commerce were instead perceived to be undermining it. Hawkins said that indeed it could be agreed that there was a

huge problem. He said Nigeria had a lot of potential, but the challenge was realising the potential.

He said more than anything else there must be an increase in the political will to effect substantial and sustainable positive change in Nigeria’s maritime environment.

Impetus to do things transparentlyhas been lacking “Many interlocutors have asserted to us that this is the biggest hurdle. The impetus to do things differently, transparently, effectively and in line with global best practices has been lacking,” he said.

Hawkins said Nigeria should emulate other countries that had the same problem in the past and had successfully tackled it.

Nigeria spends N635bn on wheat importation — Agric Minister

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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BUJA — MINISTER of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, yesterday, said Nigeria spends about N635 billion on wheat, wheat flour for use in bread, confectionaries and other foods.

Adesina stated this at the national stakeholders’ forum on cassava bread, in Abuja.

According to him, wheat which accounted for a small share of Nigerian food consumption in the 1960s, rose to 1,400,000 metric tones in 1980, 1,913,000 metric tones in 2,000 before climbing to all time high of 4,051,000 metric tones by 2010 and by 2011, Nigeria spent N635 billion on wheat imports.

The minister, who lamented the exploitation of Nigerian potentials in cassava produce, said such magnitude of wheat

importation could no longer be sustainable, given that Nigeria is one of the largest suppliers of cassava produce.

He used the medium to announce Federal Government’s plan to float Cassava Bread Fund by the end of March noting that the move was in line with government's plan to support the use of cassava flour substitution in bread production and to make cassava bread available to all across the country.

According to the minister, the Cassava Bread Fund apart from supporting bakers was established to enhance research and development efforts on cassava bread, training of master bakers and social marketing to boost demand for cassava bread.The fund which he said would be ready for access by bakers in April will be funded through the tariff on wheat flour.

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

One dies, many injured in auto crash

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

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DO-EKITI—A life was lost yesterday when a driver of a heavy duty vehicle, with number plate Lagos 318 FKJ, lost control in Aramoko Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti West Local Government area of Ekiti State.

Vanguard gathered that the driver lost control due to break failure at a bend located between the council’s secretariat and one primary school in the outskirts of the town.

It was gathered that the truck, which belonged to a construction firm, was said to be descending a hill where the bulldozer it carried was said to have tilted and subsequently detached from the truck.

The truck was said to have somersaulted severally down the hill, while the bulldozer rolled to the other side of the road.

As the truck somersaulted, its driver was said to have been thrown out with its rear tyre was scattering the driver's skull.

His corpse was said to have been deposited at the morgue of Aramoko General Hospital, while the injured are on the danger list in the same hospital.

Court jails 2 over illegal lottery activities

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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AGOS State Special Of fences Court has sentenced Messrs Biodun Adegbola and Ahmed Toro to 730 days in prison with an option of N500,000 fine over illegal operation of lottery.

The convicted persons were arrested on February 20 and 21, 2013, at Isokoko, Agege for engaging in illegal lottery using coupons in Lagos State.

The General Manager of the state Lotteries Board, Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila, in a statement, said the agency will not relent in its effort to rid the state of illegal lottery activities.

He therefore listed the approved public online lottery operators in Lagos State, stressing that patronizing illegal operators was a punishable offence.

Robbery: FAAN bans Bureaux de Change operators from airports

BY LAWANI MIKAIRU & DANIEL ETEGHE

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AGOS—FEDERAL Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has banned Bureaux de Change operators from all airports across the country.

This was the fall out of Wednesday night’s robbery attack at the Terminal Zero Car Park of the Murtala Mouhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos where no fewer than three people lost their lives.

FAAN management had in an emergency security meeting yesterday decided that activities of the Bureaux de Change operators attracted unscrupulous elements to the airports.

The robbery attack which lasted for about 30 minutes left in its wake shattered windscreens, deflated tyres and blood stains on four escort vehicles belonging to the Police.

The vehicles with policemen inside were first attacked by the robbers before attacking the BDC operators after which they carted away money in local and foreign currencies.

Speaking on the attack and the decision of FAAN’s management, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Yakubu Dati said the corpse of the killed robber had been recovered. He

further said the latest attack on the airport had made FAAN management ban the Bureaux de Change operators at the terminal with immediate effect, insisting that there was no going back on the decision.

Dati said the ban became necessary so that FAAN can ensure the safety of airport users and clear the environment of ele-

ments that attract miscreants to the airports. He insisted that the car parks should be strictly used for parking spaces and not for any other purposes, but noted that the robbery incident did not happen inside the terminal building.

He said, “what we need to do is to protect lives and property of airport users across the country.

We have given the BDC opera-

tors time to carry their tables and property within the car park.

He added: “There are some of the BDC operators who are organised and given a space at the local wing of the airport, but there is no space for the operators outside the terminal building anymore. The robbery incident took place about 2,000 metres away from the terminal building.”

Scene of the robbery incident at the Bureau de change, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday, where two policemen and a suspected robber lost their lives in a gun duel.

Police nab 26 cultists in Delta, kill robbery suspect

BY EMMAAMAIZE

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SABA—POLICE in Delta State have arrested 26-suspected cultists in Kwale, Asaba and Warri in a renewed war against cultism in the state.

Commissioner of Police, Delta State, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, who spoke to Vanguard on the arrest said, “Delta State Police Command has declared war against secret cults wherever they may be lurking and making life miserable for innocent

members of the public.”

He said 23 suspects belonging to Aye cult group were arrested by a team of joint patrol, anti-cult and vigilance groups following a tip off when they were about to conduct a mass initiation in Kwale.

AHe said the 23 suspected cultists arrested have been arraigned in court and remanded in prison custody, while warrant of arrest have been issued against four other cultists currently on the run.”

According to him, two others were arrested on March 11 when two rival cults clashed at Father Eli Street, Warri, while police recovered a dagger and machete from them.

At Asaba, he said one of the cultists was seized when the Junior/Senior Vikings of Asaba and Ibusa clashed at a hotel in Asaba.

Also recovered from the suspect was a cut-to-size locally made single barrel shot gun, he added.

Osun govt arrests 3 suspects over illegal mining

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

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SOGBO—THREE persons were, yesterday, arrested by the Osun state Government for illegal gold mining in Atakumosa West local government area of the state.

The Coordinator, Office of Mineral and Natural Resources, Office of the Governor, Mr. Tunde Ajilore, with combined team of security operatives stormed Itagunmodi and Aruwa communities in Atakumosa West Local Government area where the ille-

gal gold miners carried out their activities without recourse to government interest.

The illegal gold mining site in Itagunmodi was said to have been operated by Chinese nationals, while the other one at Aruwa village is being operated illegally by one Alhaji Aruna who has his base in Ile-Ife. No one was met at the site being operated by the Chinese, but scores of labourers engaged by Alhaji Aruna at the site in Aruwa were seen mining illegally.

They, however, took to their heels at the sight of security op-

eratives and officials from the office of Mineral and Natural Resources but three of them were arrested.

An old man, Akinola Samuel whose age could not allow him to run away was arrested at the site to join two other labourers, Mutari Lemo and Abdulahi Ashimu, who were caught earlier on the way to the site.

It was observed that the sites visited by the team at Itagunmodi and Aruwa had suffered massive degradation as a result of prolonged illegal mining operations in the place.

Meantime, the police have also shot dead a member of a fourman armed robbery gang, operating with a tricycle in Ekpan, Delta State.

The state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, recently banned the use of motorcycles, popularly known as okada for commercial transportation in Warri, Effurun and Asaba to checkmate criminals, who used them for robbery.

The strategy is working according to security reports, but bandits have devised fresh means to beat security operatives through the use of tricycles.

On Wednesday, along the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Housing Complex link road, Ekpan, police officers, who were on routine patrol flagged down a tricycle whose occupants looked suspicious.

Instead of stopping, they opened fire on the police team and in the ensuing gun battle, one of the robbers was shot dead, while three escaped.

The CP, who confirmed the incident, told Vanguard that the police recovered one cut-to-size double barrel gun, number LB 2734941270, one live cartridge and two expended cartridges.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—7

BY EVELYN USMAN

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AGOS—POLICEMEN at tached to Lion building division, Lagos, have arrested a staff of the Ketu branch of an old generation bank and his lover who is a student of the Lagos State University, Jibowu campus, for allegedly defrauding his employers of N40 million .

The banker identified as Ade Ahmed, was arrested last month for allegedly withdrawing the amount from his employer’s account.

Police sources hinted that further investigation led to the discovery of part of the money in Ade’s undergraduate lover’s account, subsequent upon which she was also arrested.

But in her confessional statement, Ade’s girlfriend simply identified as Mary, claimed she was oblivious of the source of the money.

“All my boyfriend told me was to give him my ATM card and pin number, saying he wanted to transfer some money into my account and I gave him. He thereafter, warned me not to tell anybody because according to him, he wanted to use it for business”, the Computer Science student reportedly said.

But after much scrutiny, she was alleged to have admitted that her boyfriend later told her the sum

Banker, lover arrested over alleged N40m fraud

BY EMMA ARUBI

of N3.7 million deposited in her account was withdrawn from his

employer’s account.

The lover birds have reported-

ly been charged to Tinubu Magistrate court for stealing.

The prison van ambushed by suspected kidnappers in Warri, Delta State, on Wednesday, killing three warders.

Woman petitions IG...alleges she was raped in police custody

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

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ENIN—A middle-age wom an alleged to have been serially raped by four men while in police custody in Abraka, Delta State, has petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 5, Benin, accusing the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, and his men of negligence and failure to protect her.

In the petition by counsel to the woman, Mr. Ejomasuvwe Efe, alleged that following a fight between her and her neighbour, police from Abraka Police Station came to arrest her following a complaint from one Mama Afoke who she had altercation with.

She disclosed that efforts made by her husband to effect her bail was rebuffed by the DPO and DCO, who apart from intimidating and abusing her husband pushed him out of the police station.

She said: “Shortly after Mr. Isaiah left the Abraka Police Station, the Police IPO instructed the Police man at the counter to take his wife to the police cell and delivered her into a cell where there were already two men.

“As soon as the Police locked the gate to the cell, two young boys came into the cell where the woman and the other two mature men were kept, and immediately they started touching her indecently despite her protests that she was a married woman and mother of five children.

Gunmen kill lecturer in Delta

“The boys asked her to keep quiet and immediately grabbed her by her neck and gagged her with their hands while the others

held her two hands and threw her violently on the floor and started to rape her.

"In the process, she started

shouting but the policemen refused to come to her aid until she went into a coma. She only came around the following morning”.

Court orders release of man detained since 2011

BY ONOZURE DANIA

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AGOS—JUSTICE I.O Kasali, of an Ikeja High Court, yesterday, ordered immediate release of one Ogbeide Oyekhire, who has been in police detention since 2011.

Kasali in her ruling on the suit against the Lagos State Commissioner of Police said the continuous detention of Oyekhire for more than a year now is degrading, unlawful, illegal and a gross violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 34(1) 35(1) and 41(1) of 1999 Constitution as amended.

The Judge also ordered the respondents, their officers, agents, servants or privies should produce the applicant before the court and grant him bail conditionally or unconditionally.

She further restrained the respondents whether by themselves, their officers, agents, servants or privies from further inviting, arresting, detaining or in any other manner infringing on the fundamental rights of the applicant.

Joined as respondents alongside was Lagos State Commissioner of Police are Deputy Commissioner of Police (SCIB) Panti Street, Yaba and Supol Bamgboshe of D7, Human Rights (SCIB) Panti Street, Yaba, Lagos.

The applicant had sued the respondents, through his lawyer,

Mr. Emmanuel Ogbeche.

Ogbeche, told the court that the applicant was arrested and detained by the police on November 20, 2011, for an allegation of stealing two vehicles, a Jaguar and a Honda CRV Sports Utility Van, SUV, imported by his brother, who is based in America.

...dissolves marriage over attempted murder

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ADUNA –KADUNA Sharia Court II, Magajin Gari, yesterday, annulled the marriage between Maryam Mustapha and Mustapha Danbarno after it discovered that the husband had attempted to kill the wife three times.

The case was first mentioned on February 5 when Maryam asked the court to annul the marriage to save her life.

She had told the court that their residence in Hayin Banki Area of Kaduna had been turned into a battle ground by her husband who beats her constantly and had al-

most killed her three times.

The court also heard from three of their neighbours on February 20, who testified that Mustapha, a drunkard, was indeed in the habit of assaulting his wife and they had had to save her several times.

Danbarno had reportedly avoided the court since he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The presiding officer, Khadi Ibrahim Inuwa, said in spite of the refusal of the husband to honour the court sittings, it had the powers to continue with the case even in his absence.

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ARRI—SUSPECTED armed men yesterday shot dead a senior lecturer, Engr. Julius Ogungbemi of the department of mechanical engineering, Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Effurun, near Warri, Delta State.

The gunmen suspected to be a kidnap gang had earlier at the busy Esisi roundabout, Okere, Warri, ambushed and gunned down two prison officials of the Federal Prisons Okere, freed two of their members and killed one inmate who were on their way to a Warri High Court for trial in the prison service bullion van.

The kidnappers were on their way out of Warri along the NPA Expressway by Navy quarters when they ran into Ogungbemi who was driving to the Petroleum Institute and opened fire on him at close range, killing him instantly.

Ogungbemi in his late 50s according to PTI sources had put in almost 21-years of service at the Institution before his untimely death.

Police sources from the Ekpan Divisional Headquarters confirmed the story. While the car is presently at the Ekpan police station, the remains of the late Ogungbemi has been deposited at the Warri Central Hospital.

Family asks Customs to release detained man

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HE family of Chijioke Og buezi has appealed to the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Alhaji Inde Dikko, to release their husband and father, Chijioke, who was arrested by men of the Federal Operations Unit on Wednesday in Apapa.

A spokesman of the family, Emmanuel Eze alleged that Chijioke, who was arrested as he was coming out of a business centre, where he had gone to make copies of documents of a discharged container at the Lagos port, did not commit any crime and was being unlwafully detained at the FOU headquarters in Ikeja.

The spokesman noted that the wife and children of the detainee were suffering since their breadwinner was not home and urged the FOU officials to charge Chijioke to court if they were convinced that he had committed any crime or release him unconditionally.

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor, HENRY UMORU, VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG & ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

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BUJA—THE Presidency, yesterday, declared that the stabilising role the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha played to ensure that oil in the Niger Delta was not cut off earned him the state pardon even as the Nigerian Labour Congress and civil society groups insist that the state pardon granted Alamieyeseigha was unacceptable.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to President Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, argued that since his release from the prison, Alamieyeseigha had been assisting President Goodluck Jonathan silently to ensure that the amnesty programme of the Federal Government succeeds.

He noted that no state pardon will remove the fact that the former Bayelsa governor was criminal, stressing that state pardon was for criminals.

The Presidency, however, appealed to Nigerians and members of the civil societies for open mindedness on the pardon granted the former Bayelsa governor, even as it reminded Nigerians that Alamieyeseigha was removed from office in a manner that was suggested by many as not being entirely above board.

Okupe stressed that the former governor had suffered enough for his sins these years and demonstrated enough soberness after he served his sentence. He added that with the pardon he was now a free man to engage in any endeavour he would wish to go into, even contesting for elective positions.

“Pardon is for criminals”

Okupe said: “I want to state categorically here, that state or presidential pardon is not intended for nobility or saints. In general, a state pardon is for those who have committed crimes and breached the laws of the land and may or may not have been tried or convicted regardless of their social status.

“He lost his position, forfeited the property illegally acquired and has demonstrated enough soberness after he served his sentence. It is out of place to suggest that the pardon is tantamount to abandoning the fight against corruption in Nigeria. This is too far from the truth.

“People have stated that President Jonathan said publicly that Alamieyeisegha was his political benefactor. This is a display of extreme humility and honesty on the part of Mr. President.

“In this day that virtually all political benefactors usually turn into enemy number one and are therefore hounded to

DISCOURSE: From right— Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, Minister of National Planning Commission; Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State; Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; and Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, former Minister of External Affairs, at the opening ceremony of Minna National Discourse on Corruption, in Minna, yesterday.

Why FG pardoned Alamieyeseigha — Presidency the ground by the incumbents.

“It was God and providence that lifted President Jonathan over and above his former political boss. But in truth Alamieyeisegha, since he left prison, has been working strenuously and silently to assist the President stabilise the amnesty in the Niger Delta Region.

“Alamieyesiegha is a foremost leader of the Ijaw nation, and his political and stabilising influence in that region have impacted positively on the overall economy of the nation, bringing crude oil exports from the abysmally low level of 700,00 bpd to over 2.4 million bpd.

“Therefore, it is obvious that Alamieyeseigha has been a major player since his release from prison in ensuring that the blood that runs through the Nigerian economic artery is not cut off.”

Okupe, who asked why the state pardon must form the centre of discourse now, said late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, whose actions led to the loss of thousands of lives and property, was equally granted state pardon.

The Presidential aide said: “In Nigerian history, great and eminent men, who have been crucified for one crime or the other have been pardoned by past Presidents and such men have lived thereafter to further enhance our political and socio-economic development.

“Amongst those are our respected departed sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the revered Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, who continued after their pardon to contribute immensely to Nigeria’s social,

political and economic growth till death.

reviewed to avoid any further embarrassment.”

He, therefore, called for an immediate review of the exercise to redeem the damages.

FG deceiving Nigerians— Falana

Pardon’s a setback — Civil society

Meanwhile, Lagos lawyer and right activists, Mr. Femi Falana, has described the amnesty granted some former military bigwigs, including Gen. Oladipo Diya, late Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa and other condemned military officers by late Gen Sani Abacha as a hoax.

He maintained that all the military officers condemned for military coup by the late Head of State as well as Senator Chris Anyawu, have been granted amnesty by the former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar before he handed over the rein of power in 1999.

He said: “Generals Oladipo Diya, late Abdulkareem Adisa, Col. Fadipe, Sen Chris Anyawu and others were pardoned by Gen Abdusalami Abubakar in 1999. There is statutory instrument that backed this up.

“The presidency should stop playing on the collective intelligence of Nigerians since there is no provision for double pardon under the law. In view of the grave official error, the list of the convicts granted unconditional pardon should be

Civil society groups, working on anti-corruption and good governance, in Nigeria expressed shock at the presidential pardon granted to former Alamieyeseigha, saying it was a serious setback for the anti-corruption battle in the country.

The groups, at a joint press conference in Abuja, yesterday, said beside sending the wrong message that corruption pays, they alleged that it could also discourage anti-corruption agencies in the country.

The press conference was addressed by Auwal Ibrahim Musa, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, and other heads of the civil society community in Abuja, including Babatunde Oluajo, EzenwaNwagwu, Y. Z. Yau, Jaye Gaskiya and Tunde Aremu.

They represent groups including Zero Corruption Coalition, United Action for Democracy, Alliance for Credible Election, Acton Aid Nigeria, Women in Nigeria and Policy and Legislative, among others.

While calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to re-

verse the action, the groups said: “This action of the Jonathan's administration raises concerns about its commitments to the acclaimed fight against corruption.

“It is a naked dance in the public place, especially when weighed against the arrogant and contemptuous manner with which the Presidency has told Nigerians that it has no apology for the presidential pardon.

“We in the civil society are convinced that the focus of the whole presidential pardon of President Jonathan was Mr. Alamieyeseigha, except that it was only deceitfully window-dressed by adding a few other names.”

NLC reacts

On its part, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday, said the entire Nigerian workers were alarmed by the decision of the National Council of States to pardon Mr. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and Mr. Shetima Bulama a former Managing Director of the Bank of the North, saying it was not in the national interest.

NLC, in a statement by its President, Abdulwaheed Omar, said while Alamieyeseigha was impeached as Governor of Bayelsa State and eventually convicted by a properly constituted court for stealing public funds, Bulama was also convicted for misappropriating the bank’s funds.

Achebe is alive— Family

BY MCPHILIPS NWACHUKWU

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HE rumoured death of foremost writer of classic novel, Things Fall Apart, Prof. Chinua Achebe, has been described as “untrue.”

Achebe’s son, Chidi, made the revelation to Vanguard, yesterday, via an e-mail message from his US base.

It will be recalled that Achebe, whose recent work, There Was A Country, generated a lot of debate about

Nigerian Civil War, was alleged to have died in the US by a Lagos-based newspaper.

Dr. Chidi Achebe said: “This is lent season and I believe that this untrue gossip is spiritual distraction and I need to be in tune with God.”

Vanguard , FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—9

there would have not been any need to float his APC.

NLNG VISITS: From left—

‘Party has no link with PDP'

Mrs Gloria Ita-Ikpeme, Manager, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG; Mr. Eze Anaba, Deputy Editor, Vanguard, and Mrs AnneMarie PalmerIkuku, Senior Media Officer, NLNG, during a courtesy visit to Vanguard in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

We're the real APC— Acting Chairman

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU & GABRIEL EWEPU

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BUJA—THE battle for as cendancy among the political opposition got messier, yesterday, after the brains behind the controversial African Peoples Congress, APC, emerged to unfold their logo, constitu-

tion and emblem.

The new group whose aspiration for registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has thrown confusion into merger plans by the country’s leading opposition political parties said, yesterday, that it was not doing a

hatchet job on behalf of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The assertion, nonetheless, leaders of the fledgling All Progressive Congress, comprising Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; Congress for Progressive Change, CPC; All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and elements of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, nevertheless vowed to pursue their merger.

At a press conference late, yesterday, the joint merger committee said its plans would not be derailed by the “mischief ” of the African Peoples Congress and their sponsors.

‘We are on rescue mission’ Speaking at a ceremony where the brains behind the emerging party were formally unveiled, the Acting National Chairman of African Peoples Congress, C h i e f Onyinye Ikeagwuonu, lamented what he described as poverty of

leadership in the country since 1999, saying that the APC was on a rescue mission.

He said: “The PDP, ACN, CPC, ANPP, etc have remorselessly squandered the goodwill of Nigerians. While infrastructure suffers in the states with the economy of the states wound round monthly allocations and diverted council funds.”

Asks EFCC to probe govs with private jets

He called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to urgently investigate the sources of funds used to purchase private jets by some state governors and also condemned what he called the desperation of some people for power in the country.

The party said its major objective was “to entrench a system that is centred on the people: to reclaim our crumbling institutions and failing nation; to give Nigerians reasons to believe again.

Today, Nigerians have a party that is committed to rebuilding Nigeria.“

On name controversy

On the controversy surrounding the name APC, the Legal Adviser, Mr. Kingsley Nnadi, said the acronym should not be the problem but it should be the name, adding that any other group making claim to the acronym, APC, had not made any official request to the INEC which he said his African Peoples Congress had made.

He debunked the allegation that the African Peoples Congress was hurriedly floated by the members of the peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to scuttle the registration of All Progressives Congress, stressing that if the PDP had performed well,

“My party has no link with PDP. In fact, our intention is to take over power from the ruling party. If PDP is ruling well, there would have been no need to come up. We are out because PDP has failed to touch the lives of Nigerian.

“We have just one APC (African Peoples Congress), the other one is not existing and INEC is aware of our party.

The other APC only did merely negotiation, but we started our party over two years ago.

With the documents submitted to the INEC, we have met the requirement of the Constitution and the Electoral Act. “I believe that the unveiling of our party today, has finally put to rest the contention over APC, which one is authentic or not and we are waiting for INEC’s reply. We have our offices in over 26 states of the federation including our national headquarters and our support is massive.”

Challenges African Peoples Congress

His assertion nonetheless, the merger committee of the All Progressive Congress, APC, debunked the action of the new African Peoples Congress.

Speaking through Chief Tom Ikimi, chairman of the joint merger committee of the opposition parties said they had been taking the pains of meeting the requirements of a merger since they made their intentions known on February 6.

He said: “We have taken the pains to furnish the foregoing facts because we will not accept any attempt by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), relying on a dubious application, clearly not in compliance with the conditions set out in the Constitution or the Electoral Act, to scuttle our plans to formalise our merger under our adopted name and acronym.

“We challenge the cowards behind the so-called African Peoples Congress to come forth and defend their position or forever hold their peace.

On our part, the three political parties, part of APGA and others seeking to merge are steadily and resolutely taking all the steps necessary for the merger as provided under the Constitution and the Electoral Act. We have elected representatives in all tiers of government.

“We have written to INEC about this ugly development with the hope that INEC would not allow its credibility to be further undermined by political hirelings and their faceless sponsors who appear determined to truncate the democratic process."

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Labour flays casualisation of workers in maritme sector

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-

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YOUNG

AGOS—MARITIME Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, yesterday, in Lagos, said the increasing outsourcing, casualisation of workers and other forms of antiworkers’ policies in the shipping/courier sector of the nation’s economy were serious inducements for insecurity.

This came as the union called on the Federal Government to reconsider reestablishing another National Shipping Line and recapture the booming maritime industry in Nigeria.

President-General of the Union, Comrade Anthony Nted, at the opening ceremony of Shipping/Courier and Seamen/NIWA Water Transport Workers Branches delegates conference, warned that organized would no longer tolerate the act of unfair labour practices in the sector.

He said: “All members of the shipping/courier branch are employed by private companies who always strive to maximize profit for their shareholders.

This accounts for the difficulties in condition of service negotiations with these companies. In spite of these difficulties, we still believe that the union’s support in pursuance of the industrial harmony ought to be reciprocated by managements by supporting the union’s training activities etc when needed.

Rowland Cowen is dead

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R. Roland Apayi Cowan, a retired manager of the Central Bank, is dead. He died after a brief illness in Lagos, at the age of 84.

He’s survived by a wife and children.

Late Rowland Cowan

N2.6bn subsidy fraud: Arisekola-Alao’s son, Abdullahi re-arraigned

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH & ONOZURE DANIA

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AGOS—SON of Alhaji Arisekola-Alao, an Ibadan businessman, Abdullahi was, yesterday, re-arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade over an alleged N2.6 billion fuel subsidy fraud.

This came as Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, one of the oil marketers, asked an Ikeja High Court to wash off its hands from the alleged N430 million bank fraud charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Before now, Abdullahi Alao Arisekola was arraigned for the same offence on July 26, 2012, before Justice Habeeb Abiru, who was recently elevated to the Appeal Court.

Abdullahi who was re-arraigned by EFCC alongside his company, Axenergy Ltd., however pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge of obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, uttering and use of false documents.

While he was arraigned before Justice Abiru, the court granted him bail in the sum of N100 million with two sureties in like sum.

At yesterday’s proceedings, EFCC counsel, Mr Francis Usani, informed the court of the development and asked

that Alao be ordered to re-take his plea, arguing that Alao had in December 2010 in Lagos, fraudulently obtained the sum of N2.6 billion from the Federal Government.

The anti-graft agency claimed the money was obtained as subsidy payments for the purported importation of 33.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, from Europe to Nigeria.

His lawyer, Professor Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, pleaded with the court to allow him to continue with his bail previously granted by Justice Abiru and

on the same conditions.

Similarly, Ogunbambo, prayed an Ikeja High Court to wash off its hands from the alleged N430 million bank fraud charge filed against him by EFCC for lack of jurisdiction.

The application for lack of jurisdiction was filed before Justice Olabisi Akinlade through his lawyer, Mr Adebayo Adenipekun, SAN. Ogunbambo was charged to court for allegedly obtaining a N430 million loan from Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, using forged documents.

However, Adenipekun in the application dated Feb. 13, 2013, said the issue submitted to the court as a criminal charge was purely a civil matter, noting “the dispute between the defendant (Ogunbambo) and the bank is also pending before the Lagos High Court as a civil matter.

“The defendant has paid a part of the loan and has entered into agreement to pay the balance.The bank has withdrawn its complaint against the defendant.”

FLAG OFF: From left: Dr. Yewande Adesina, Special Adviser to Governor Fashola on Public Health; Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Oba of Lagos, and Dr. Jide Idris, Commissioner for Health, during the flag off of Iga Idunganran Primary Health Care Centre in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Sen Tinubu hosts constituents on Monday

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AGOS—IN line with her pre-election promises, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is to host constituents in her Lagos Central Senatorial District to a quarterly Town Hall meeting on Monday, March 18, 2013.

At Town Hall Meeting, the sixth in the series, the Senator is to present her stewardship in the Senate, including the work of various committees she belongs to, and receives feedback from the people she represents.

A statement issued from her constituency office, indicated that the meeting would begin at “The Event Place,” LekkiEpe expressway in the morning.

Traditional rulers, leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, community leaders, students, market men and women among other segments of the population are expected to attend the event themed “Rekindling Hope.”

At the previous edition of Senator Tinubu’s Town Hall Meeting in December 2012, she launched the “Elderly Citizens’ Assistance Scheme” ECAS, a programme under which 1,300 elderly citizens each received the

sum of N10,000.00 as part of Senator Tinubu’s constituency development initiative.

Since December 19, 2011, when the first Lagos Central Senatorial District Town Hall Meeting took place, the quarterly event has become an occasion for the celebration of dividends of democracy and development, while reinforcing calls for social change.

Senator Tinubu whose time as First Lady of Lagos State, witnessed various populist and youth development initiatives, has spon-

Senator Oluremi Tinubu

sored two bills to provide social security for Nigeria’s elderly citizens and to amend sections of the Labour Act which restricts employment opportunities for women.

She is currently spearheading efforts for the National Assembly to grant Lagos State a special status under the constitution.

Past editions of her Town Hall Meetings witnessed various initiatives including the launching of her Post-Secondary School Scholarship Scheme, PSSS,

whereby 26 beneficiaries are paid N100,000 annually for four years and 598 students of tertiary institutions receive N10, 000 bursaries to help defray the cost of procuring academic books.

She also launched the Petty Traders Empowerment Capital Scheme, PETECS, to help 624 beneficiaries in her constituency re-capitalise an existing petty trade. Beneficiaries of these and other constituency development initiatives are chosen without consideration of political party affiliations.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 —11

Pope Francis shuns perks as papal duties begin

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE WITH

AGENCY REPORTS AGOS—KNOWN for his legendary humility, the new Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis began his papal duties yesterday by shunning the perks offered to the office but adopted a modest approach as he celebrated his first mass as pontiff a day after his dramatic election as the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church.

The Pope held a mass in the Sistine Chapel together with the cardinals who elected him on Wednesday.

Pope Francis visited a Rome basilica in his first outing was wearing a white cassock, black — not red — shoes, his cardinal’s ring and a silver cross. Dressed in the white papal vestments, Francis was driven to the basilica in a standard-issue Vatican car rather than the papal limousine, in keeping with early signs that the ascetic 76-year-old Argentinian will shun the perks of high office.

The low-key visit to the Salus Populi Romani at the ancient Santa Maria Maggiore church in the Eternal City lasted 20 minutes.

The church was closed to the public and just a dozen excited nuns, priests and seminarians were there to greet him. It was a world away from the scene the night before when the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio stepped onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to greet tens of thousands of people after cardinals made him Latin America’s first pope.

After laying the bouquet, Francis moved on to pray at a reliquary of Christ’s manger and at the altar of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order to which the new pope belongs.

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Pope’s First Day in the Papacy

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, himself a Jesuit, explained later: “For us Jesuits, that place is very significant because the founder of our church celebrated his first mass there in 1538.”

According to Federico Lombardi: “It was no secret. Like one who has no cares that everyone knows what he intended to do, at 8:24pm last night in his first public appearance” He said: “Tomorrow I am going to pray to the Virgin, for the safekeeping of all of Rome.” Then at

8:05 this morning, leaving the Vatican for the first time as pontiff, the newly elected Pope took one of the Gendarmerie’s simple service cars to the papal basilica of St. Mary Major, the oldest and largest church dedicated to the Virgin in Rome. It is also one of the four largest in Rome and claims the King of Spain as its proto-canon. The new pontiff of the Catholic Church chose to enter through one of the basilica’s side doors.

Upon entering the basilica the Pope headed toward the vener-

ated icon of Our Lady “Salus Populi Romani” (Protectress of the Roman People) accompanied by, among others, Cardinal Santos Abril y Castello, archpriest of the basilica and Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome.

The Holy Father, after leaving the Virgin a bouquet of flowers on the altar, prayed silently for about 10 minutes before the main altar that is directly above the crypt containing relics of the crib or manger of the Nativity of Jesus.

He also visited the basilica’s Sistine Chapel, which is where St. Ignatius of Loyola celebrated

his first Mass after being ordained a priest. He waited several months, until Christmas Eve 1538, to say his first Mass. “It is a very significant place in Jesuit spirituality,” Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., Director of the Holy See Press Office, noted. Finally, the new Roman Pontiff also stopped to pray before the tomb of St. Pius V, which is also in that chapel.

Pope Francis also greeted the basilica’s chapter of canons, confessors, and priests as well as all the personnel that work there and the faithful and journalists that he met along the way.

APC BRIEFING: From left: Senator Annie Okonkwo of APGA, representative of CPC, Senator Garba Mohammed; ACN chieftain, Chief Tom Ikimi; ANPP representative, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, and ACN spokesman, Lai Mohammed, at a briefing on APC’s position with INEC in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Health Minister urges parents to embrace polio immunisation BUREAU CHIEF BUJA—THE Minister of State for health, Dr, Ali Pate, has urged all parents in the country to embrace polio immunization to save their children from being paralised by the polio virus, explaining that it is in the best interest of the children, their families and the nation to immunize them.

He spoke at a round-table session with media owners and top executives in Abuja, yesterday.

The minister said: “It is in our best interest to immunize our chil-

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dren. Over four years we have gone from 42 per cent population immunity to about 80 per cent population immunity in Nigeria.“ he said.

Pate lamented that the deliberate misinformation and misconceptions about polio vaccine, in Northern Nigeria where the disease has become localized, was a major challenge for the programme, requiring the collaboration of the media and other stakeholders to tackle it.

“Truly there is progress but there are pockets of areas we haven’t been able to break-

through yet. Yesterday, I spoke to someone from Bauchi where a child has not been immunized because the entire settlement where the child was living in Bauchi local government, they consistently refused to be immunized. They sent away the vaccinators and the child is paralised.

“In Borno, there is a family of 42 siblings and the father is a local malam. When one of the children became paralised we found out that he has never immunized any of his children.

“We saw the case in FCT- the vaccinators came PUBLIC NOTICE around, they reject and the child gets Our client, Mr. Usunobun Ovbokhan Osawe, resident in Germany urgently require the attention of his wife Mrs. Sandra paralised and there Ebuwa Osawe – Nee Osadolor (her last known residence is 7th is nothing that can Avenue, V Close, Block I, Flat 16, Festac Town, Lagos). Anyone be done. And you with useful information on the whereabout or contact extrapolate that address/phone number of Mrs. Sandra Ebuwa Osawe (Nee with the case of Osadolor) should please contact, measles. The imFathai Momoh & Associates plications of lack of Barristers & Solicitors immunization of 154, Old Ojo Road, Agboju-Amuwo, Lagos polio also gets to Tel: 08033066308; 08080180509 measles,” he said.

E-mail: momohfathai@yahoo.com

BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA

FG, states, LG share N886bn

BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF & NOEL ONOJA BUJA—THE Fed eral Government has commenced the implementation of the 2013 budget with the release of N400 billion capital vote, after sharing N886.402 billion among the three tiers of government.

The distribution of the N886.402 billion was undertaken at the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, over which the Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, Mr. Jonah Otunla, presided, in Abuja, yesterday.

Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, announced the release of the first quarter capital allocation in a separate statement.

The N886.402 billion shared at the FAAC meeting was made up of N450.263 billion as statutory disbursements to the federal, state and local governments; N62.707 billion as Value Added Tax, VAT; N173.505 billion augmentation for the month; N35.549 billion from SURE-P; N7.617 billion refund by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and N156.761 arrears of January, 2013 augmentation.

An analysis of distribution among the three tiers of government showed that the federal government took N209.856 billion or 52.68 per cent , state governments received N106.442 billion or 26.72 per cent while the 774 local governments got N82.062 billion or 20.60 per cent from the statutory allocation.

The AGF said: “There has been a drop of N52 billion from the anticipated revenue, out of the total N512.97 billion available, N131.4 billion went to excess crude account leaving the recipe of N450.26 billion, and this when discounted further by the cost of collection by Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and Nigeria Customs Service, we have N445.84 billion as the next statutory allocation.”

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12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Uduaghan eulogises Bishop Egerega

Mixed reactions in Bayelsa over state pardon to Alamieyeseigha

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ELTA State gover nor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday, said the Catholic Church has always been supportive of his administration through prayers.

He spoke at the burial of foremost Catholic Bishop of Apostolic Vicariate of Bomadi, Delta State, Most Rev, Joseph Egerega emeritus, who died on February 3, 2013. Late Egerega was, yesterday, laid to rest in the state.

Uduaghan, who was represented by his deputy, Prof Amos Utuama, said the state government acknowledges the tremendous effort by the Catholic Church during the re-run Delta guber elections.

The Bishop of Iseleku –Uku diocese, Most Rev. Michael Elue, in his Homily, called on Christians to see death as an inevitable end.

Adewale now Vice-Chair, Print Media Sales Executives

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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ENAGOA—THE state pardon granted by the Federal Government to former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, has continued to generate mix reactions among Bayelsans.

Special Adviser to Governor Seriake Dickson on Political Matters, Chief Fred Agbedi; former Commissioner for Information and Orientation in the state, Chief Nathan Egba, who served under Alamieyesigha; Chief Timipre Sylva, and the state Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Osom Macbere, lauded the pardon as welcome development.

Former state Secretary of Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, Mr. Morris Alagoa, flayed the action, describing same as a shame and set back to the fight against corruption in the country.

Chief Agbedi, said: “His

(Alamieyeseigha's ) pardon is a welcome development. We appreciate it because it will enable him bounce back. He has contributed immensely to the state and national development.”

Chief Egba disagreed with those opposed to the state pardon granted the former Bayesa governor, saying: “I expect that Ni-

gerians should, by now, learn not to rush to judgment each time there is a presidential decision that appears controversial. In this particular case, Mr. President ought to be commended for his courage to grant state pardon to all those affected, particularly Gen. Oladipo Diya and his col-

VISIT: Mr. Victor Ochei, Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly (middle); Olorogun Talib Tebite (4th left), member, representing Ughelli South in DTHA; Olorogun John Ewenede (5th right), Chairman, PDP Ughelli South Concerned Group and others, during a courtesy visit to the Speaker in Asaba. Photo: Akpokona Omafuaire.

Reps summon Okogwu, Budget Office D-G

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

the legislators for allegedly usurping legislative powers via his purported letter instructing MDAs to discountenance the Appropriation Act passed by both Houses of the National Assembly.

The legislators were further irked as government functionaries were instead allegedly asked to work on proposed amendments which had not even been brought to the National Assembly for ratification or approval.

Mr. Samson Osagie, the Minority Whip of the House, representing Edo State, in a motion he brought to the floor of the House, tagged: Threat of breach of the 2013 Appropriation Act by functionaries of the Executive arm of Government, informed

members that he was in possession of a letter to this effect allegedly written by the Director of Budget Office.

He said: “We must sound a note of warning here that no proposed amended budget shall be implemented by the MDAs, other than what was passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President."

He called on all standing committees to sit up while watching those that might attempt to put aside the 2013 budget.

Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, representing Lagos, stressed that it was time to “put a stop to issues like this.”

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Civil Servants Cooperative Society holds seminar in Delta

36.8m Nigerians suffer from kidney disease —Expert

SABA branch of Delta State chapter of Print Media Sales Executives, has elected its executive to run the association for the next two years.

Elected were Aigbogun Morrison of Leadership, Chairman; Aremu-Faroye Adewale of Vanguard, Vice-Chairman and Ijenebe Felix of Sports Day – Secretary.

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three-day seminar/ workshop organised by Civil Servants Cooperative Society, Asaba, Delta State, is slated to hold from March 21-23.

A statement by the president of the body, Mr. Lucky Kekema, said the seminar, with the theme, Developing the Entrepreneurship in You, is aimed at developing workers' capacity to utilise their spare time for ventures to augment their income.

BUJA—MEMBERS of the House of Representatives, yesterday, summoned the Director-General, Budget Office, Mr. Bright Okogwu, to appear before House Committees on Appropriation and Finance to explain the content of the letter he allegedly sent to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, MDAs, to wait for the amended version of the 2013 Appropriation Act before implementation.

Okogwu drew the wrath of

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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S Nigerians, yesterday, joined the rest of the world to celebrate this year’s World Kidney Day, an expert has said that 36.8 million Nigerians (23 per cent) are suffering from various stages of kidney disease in Nigeria With this figure, it means that one in seven Nigerians is suffering from some form of kidney disorder.

President-elect, Nigeria Association of Nephrology

leagues as well as Chief Alamieyeseigha. As a man of conscience and high moral standing, Mr. President knows that the former governor's sins were more political than criminal, in those hectic days of the infamous ‘political' Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.”

and Chief Medical Director at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye, who disclosed this at an awareness programme organised by the hospital to mark this year ’s World Kidney Day, regretted that despite the severity of the disease, Nigerian patients are faced with many challenges in terms of treatment.

Bamgboye lamented the burden of the disease, noting that an estimated 15,000 new patients are diagnosed every year in the country.

He said: “Chronic kidney disease prevalence is a problem in

our environment. Estimates suggest that one out of every seven Nigerians has one stage of chronic kidney disease.

Unfortunately, out of 50,000 patients who should ideally be on dialysis, less than 1,000 are currently on dialysis as at today.

“Unfortunately, if you have kidney failure and you don’t do dialysis or transplant within two weeks you will die. You can imagine the number of people that are dying every day because of kidney disease.”

Edo alleges FG's moves to take over road project

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM & GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE ENIN—EDO State Government, yesterday, accused the Federal Government of alleged attempt to “steal our 5-junctions road project,” and vowed to resist any attempt to mislead the people of the state on the true sponsors of the project.

Meantime, following the controversy over the popular “5 Junctions,” Edo State Market Women Association, has enjoined Governor Adams Oshiomhole not to be distracted by the Federal Government's claim, saying that he "must remain focused and committed to the completion of the various projects he has embarked upon.”

Meanwhile, Edo State Commissioner for Environment, Prince Clem Agba, said that it was as a result of the misinformation about the real sponsors of the project that the project Manager of RCC, who was involved in the controversy between the state government and the Ministry of Works over the ownership of the projects, was sent packing from the state.

It will be recalled that the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, during the Good Governance Tour in the state, hailed the efforts of the Federal Government in the construction of the 5-junction Road.

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 13

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14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

I insist, Jonathan signed for one tenure — Aliyu

BY WOLE MOSADOMI

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INNA — GOVERNOR Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan signed a single term pact with some governors of the Northern part of the country ahead of the 2011 presidential election Speaking at the Minna National Discourse on Corruption, jointly organised by Niger State government and the National Planning Commission in Minna, yesterday, the governor said what he said was correct and that he could not change what was the truth.

“If to be truthful is to be literate, I stand by what I said. I am happy with what some people have said about the PDP. I see them as somebody holding something and you are telling him hold it better or it will fall down.

"So we should look at the on-going problems as issues we must confront,

issues that we must correct and that agreement made in secret both at the same fora is same as the one made in public,” the governor remarked.

He said he still remained a committed member of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and that any criticism by people, especially members, was to make the party "wax stronger and stronger."

With the theme of the National Discourse as confronting 'Trends of Indiscipline, Corruption and Disregard for Rules and Regulations in Nigeria', Dr. Aliyu described corruption as a cankerworm that had eaten deep into the fabric of most Nigerians which must be stopped if the country had to make progress.

Former Federal Permanent Secretary, Dr. Hakeem Ahmed, in his contribution, described PDP as "a failure since its inception and it is now heading for the rock."

He called on members to salvage it.

Ebonyi Deputy Speaker impeached for alleged gross misconduct

BY PETER OKUTU

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BAKALIKI — EBONYI State House of Assembly, yesterday, impeached its Deputy Speaker, Valentine Okike, for alleged misconduct, insubordination and plotting to impeach the leadership of the House, gossiping, wearing of boxers to official functions and lack of respect for his colleagues.

The impeached Deputy Speaker represents Afikpo South West state constituency in the state House of Assembly.

Moving the impeachment motion, the member representing Ezza South state constituency, Chris Usulor, during a plenary of the House, accused the former Deputy Speaker of causing disaffection among members of the state House of Assembly.

He said: “Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Speaker has been in the habit of moving from one office to another, reporting the leadership of the House, causing disaffection in the House, causing fragmentation in the House, promoting conflict and at the same time plotting to impeach the leadership of the house.

"Mr. Speaker from all indications, the Deputy Speaker has been in the forefront of promoting disaffection in this house and insubordination to the leadership of the House.

“Based on this and in accordance with Section 92 sub section 2c of the 1999 Constitution which states inter alia, ‘the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker shall vacate office if he is removed from office by a resolution of the House of Assembly by a vote of not less than two-thirds of the members.'

"Mr. Speaker, I move a motion that the Deputy Speaker should be impeached.

“The way he dresses by wearing boxers to official function and in the House, people are calling us a House without rules. The Deputy Speaker, who is under oath to protect the integrity of the House and the constitution, is at the forefront of breaching the two” The House, which also suspended the lawmaker who was also the Chairman House Committee on Rural Development, set up an eight-member committee to look into the allegations against him and report back to the House within two weeks.

If not leave it because there are other boats,” he remarked.

He warned against 2015 general elections and that PDP should either win honourably or don’t tamper with the result for the survival of the country.

“Whatever the administration does, there is one thing they must never try and do.

Don’t tamper with the election of the 2015.

"The way they are going, they think they can do away with anything in this country, but there is one thing, they will not run away with and it is, don’t tamper with the election of 2015 because if you do that, God knows what will happen to this country.”

According to him: “The biggest corruption is corruption in the electoral process and I am not too sure that the people who have done what they have in the last few weeks will not also attempt to steal the election in 2015. But I pray to God that they will not steal it.”

Former minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi who was the lead speaker said corruption had started since 1960 and that between that time and 2012, over 500b dollars had been siphoned out of the country.

He said stiffer penalty like death sentence should be applied to any body found guilty of corruption.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—15

Jonathan asks Senate to confirm Fola Akinkuotu as new DG, NCAA .Presents bill to formalise establishment of Police Academy .As Senate approves Suleiman Barau CBN Deputy Governor

Be agents of political change, Maku tells CSOs

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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BUJA — THE requested by the President. minister of But it appeared the information, Mr. BUJA—BARELY two President had long Labaran Maku has days after he appointed Demuren’s challenged Civil unceremoniously disengaged replacement before his Society Organisations Dr. Harold Demuren as Director action, as the letter to the (CSOs) in the country to General of Nigeria Civil Senate President was dated complement the effort of Aviation Authority, NCAA, March 8, 2013. government to usher in President Goodluck Jonathan In the letter, President a new political order by J o n a t h a n improving the political requested the values of Nigerian upper legislative people on governance. chamber to The minister gave the c o n f i r m charge when National appointment of Coalition for Good Fola Akinkuotu, Governance, NACOGG, saying his action paid him a courtesy visit followed the sack yesterday in Abuja. of Dr. Harold Mr..

Maku said Demuren, in line contrary to popular with the provisions beliefs across the of Sections 8 (3) country, nothing has (a) and (c) of the changed in the country, Civil Aviation Act Nigeria had recorded of 2006. a significant leap in J o n a t h a n terms of development pleaded with the since the transition to Senate to give his democratic rule 13 years r e q u e s t s ago, as against the sum expeditious total of achievements consideration, in made by the military its “usual during its years of manner”. misrule.

From left: Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi, Director, MTN Foundation; Kadri Olatunde Sheriff, UniverJonathan, He called on civil sity of Ibadan Civil Engineering student; Ambassador Hamzat Ahmad,CON, 'Walin Sokoto', Chairman, through the society group in the MTN Foundation and Nonny Ugboma, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, during MTN Founda- Secretary to the country to create the tion Scholarship Award ceremony, at National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau.

Government of the right attitude in Federation, Anyim Nigerians, so as to allow Pius Anyim, had good governance thrive announced the in the country and sack of Harold warned on those who Damuren from doubt the ability of office as Director present administration General of not to constitute a setsources, the former SONI DANIEL, RegionIloyanomon said the eradicate mounting Nigerian Civil back to the wheel of al Editor, North Deputy Governor used collaboration between fraud and other financial Aviation Authority, progress in their the money to develop a banks and the crimes affecting the with effect from attempts to tear the private school known as commission would help country.

March 12, 2013.

BUJA — THE country down.

Yagai Academy, thereby Economic and stalling the execution of Financial Crimes MDGs’ projects, meant Commission, EFCC, has to check avoidable declined to release deaths and advance the former Taraba State quality of lives by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji steps to provide the basic oppress us. We voted for year 2015.

Rev. Abel Amuta, urged

BY CALEB AYANSINA Sanni Abubakar Danladi, needs for Nigerians and them for a better life, but Danladi is also said to the government not to be who was arrested by its what we see in most BUJA — THE talk less about politics. own a mega printing deceived by the recent operatives on Wednesday The Prelate, who made states is the opposite,” Prelate, Methodist press and a water ceasefire by Boko morning over processing plant that Church Nigeria, His the call at the Maiden he said.

Haram and proposed mismanagement of funds Makinde, who was sells water, an essential Eminence, Dr. Ola Synod of the Methodist amnesty call in some meant for the execution commodity in Jalingo, Makinde, yesterday, Diocese of Kubwa in represented by the quarters for them, descof Millennium the Taraba State capital. urged the Federal Abuja, decried the weak Secretary of the Synod, ribing the call as a trap.

Development Goals, Meanwhile the anti- Government not to be infrastructural base in MDGs, projects in the by the the country, calling for graft agency has called deceived state. declared immediate steps to on banks in the country ceasefire A security source to cooperate with it in recently by the Boko redress the situation. confirmed to Vanguard, Makinde said it was the fight against fraud Haram Islamic sect. yesterday, that Danladi 2x2 unfortunate that most It also urged and other economic ADVERT was still being detained government to politicians were merely crimes. in connection with the The commission’s discountenance the call using the authority diversion of funds Head of Operations in in some quarters for given to them by the amounting to N1.3 Enugu, Mr. David amnesty to members of people to bite the hands billion from the MDG that fed them.

Iloyanomon, made the the group. funds into his private ”It seems the Makinde equally call at a meeting with business. senior bank officials on called on government at politicians are merely According to competent all levels to take urgent using our votes to Thursday.

By JOSEPH ERUNKE

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has sent a letter to the Senate requesting it to confirm his nomination of Captain Fola C. Akinkuotu as new head of the agency.

The President also sent a “Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Police Academy (Establishment, etc) Bill,

2013” to the Senate for consideration.

The development came just as the Senate confirmed the nomination of Alhaji Suleiman Barau for reappointment as deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, as had been

EFCC detains deposed Taraba Dep Gov over N1.3 bn fraud ...seeks banks’ support to tackle fraud

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Be wary of ceasefire declared by Boko Haram, Prelate tells FG

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C M Y K

16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Road crash claims 8, injures 5 in Niger

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

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OKOJA—EIGHT persons died, while five others sustained serious injuries in an auto crash at Zariagi along Okene-Lokoja Highway, Kogi State, yesterday.

An eyewitness said the accident occurred when a Toyota Hiace bus overtook another vehicle and had a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, killing the eight victims.

He said both the in-

jured and the dead victims had been evacuated from the scene of the crash by the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC’s rescue team and taken to the Federal Medical Centre.

Confirming the accident, Sector Commander of the FRSC, Muhammed Garba said the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with plate number XB 111 KWU and a Mercedes car with plate number XR 106 EKY. Garba said 22 people were involved in the ac-

cident, adding that eight died, while five others sustained injured.

Blaming the accident on over speeding and dangerous overtaking, Garba

added that of the dead, four were males, three female and a child.

No going back on strike —Research institute workers

BY WOLE MOSADOMI

M

INNA—RESEARCH institutes’ workers across the country, who have been on industrial strike for about three months, have vowed not to resume work until their demands were fully met.

Their demands include 53.37 percent increase in their salaries, payment of allowances, including those for high risk, stress and strain hazards.

They are also asking for their retirement age to be increased to 65 years; proper funding of their institutions and the establishment of National Agricultural Research Institutes Commission, NARICOM. Branch Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff

Union of Education and Associated Institutions of the National Cereal Research Institute, NCRI, Badeggi, Niger State, Alhaji Baba Umaru, spoke with Vanguard.

He said in an interview that since the resolution of the outstanding issues with the government had failed, the workers had no alternative than to continue with their indefinite strike.

He explained that the workers’ union had reached several agreements with the government over the issues, adding that none of such agreements had ever been implemented.

He said: “We went on a warning strike last month. We had to go on strike in 2011 before six months of outstanding arrears could be paid

BY TINA AKANNAM

and after series of failed meetings, we now concluded that government is just trying to play on our intelligence, which we will not accept again.”

Umaru disclosed that government had also stopped payment of salaries of workers of the various institutes across the country based on Gazette of 1976.

He added that this was why the institutes were now demanding for the recognition of their new union, NARICON, to take care of their welfare, among others.

He said: “The present development clearly shows that government is looking down on us. Research institutes should be taken more seriously to make progress and have a breakthrough in science and technology.”

Nyako makes case for skills acquisition

BY UMAR YUSUF

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OLA—GOVERNOR Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has stressed the need for the private sector to partner with the various state governments to promote technical skills acquisition by Nigerian youths as they possess the required potentials capable of boosting socio- economic development in

the country.

Nyako spoke, yesterday, in Yola the state capital, during the second Adamawa State Job Fair, which attracted various companies throughout the country and beyond.

He stated that there were great benefits from his government’s partnership with the private sector that were inclined to offer technical aids

and support to youths, whose talents were awakened to realise their best for themselves and for the socio-economic development of the state.

He said the job fair was aimed at providing an avenue for interaction between employers of labour and their prospective employees, adding that the forum had afforded opportunity for graduates.

D

UTSE—ABOUT 27,000 women in Jigawa State have received grants of N10,000 each as financial support from a business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

State Commissioner for Agriculture and Economic Empowerment, Alhaji Rabiu Isah, made this known during the disbursement exercise in Dutse, the state capital, yesterday.

Isah explained that the grant from the Dangote Group would help the women in their small trade activities. Nobody was allowed to collect the money on behalf of another person.

In his speech, the Commissioner asked the women’s husbands not to borrow the money from their wives or disburse it on their behalf so that the beneficiaries could utilise the grants properly.

Also, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Empowerment, Mallam Jamilu Abubakar said the Ministry was created by the present administration in 2011 to create job opportunities for youths, women and the physically-challenged persons in the state.

He said women in the state had not been enjoying democracy dividends before the advent of the present administration.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

Dangote empowers Jigawa women with N270m

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

Does love exist without money?

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RUE love should not bother whether or not there is money. By working hard, God will definitely do something along the line. Such relationship leaves an unending remembrance.— Miss Shoneki Oluwatobiloba, Student.

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OVE and money work together. Be fore you can love someone, it is either because of money or other things. Love succeeding without money depends on the man. There must be signs of good things to come.— Miss Idowu Folakemi.

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OVE without money is original love. If you can love someone who has no money, definitely it is real love. If the money then comes in future, the man or woman will still have true love. Such love will last— Miss Enoh Udoh, Typist.

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OVE without money is the best for lovers. One does not know the source of these monies on display. If eventually the man or the lady gets money, it won’t change anything.— Miss Adetola Ajetumobi, Student.

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do not think love is all about money.

From my understanding of love, it is something that has to do with the display of care and affection. These do not really mean money.

They mean being there.— Miss Awodi Deborah, Communicator.

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OVE without money still exists.

If the lovers do not have money, but with bright prospects, there should be no problem. I can date a poor person, who has a bright future and knows what he is doing. It is a matter of time.— Miss Raji Titilayo, Student.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 17

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AST week, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, condemned the government’s crackdown on Boko Haram and said that President Goodluck Jonathan should grant “total amnesty” to the group’s members.

I imagine that he means well for the country and regard some of the enraged criticisms he has received for suggesting an amnesty as unnecessarily virulent.

But let’s face it: His suggestion was very misguided and Mr President has quite rightly responded by pointing out that “you cannot declare amnesty for ghosts.”

At the risk of sounding sectional, let me say that it was possible to grant Niger Delta militants amnesty in

The amnesty furore fish.

Firstly, murder appears to be their number one priority.

Secondly, nobody is sure who they are or what they want. Thirdly, their backward insistence that “Western education is sinful” and their occasional demands for their jailed comrades to be released - do not amount to a legitimate moral, social, economic or political manifesto that can be seriously addressed by the authorities.

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I now regard Boko Haramists as cold, calculating terrorists who don’t lack funds and have an anti-progress agenda and can never be placated. They even brutally attack their own kind and have probably despatched more fellow Northern Muslims than Southerners or Christians to early graves

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2009 because they did not make a habit of killing innocent people. Furthermore, their bitter complaints about the manner in which their region had been neglected and exploited made sense to anyone who believed in human rights and natural justice; and these grievances were clearly articulated by leaders who were known and available for discussions.

Boko Haram’s leaders are a totally different kettle of

•Sultanof Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III

•President Goodluck Jonathan

As His Royal Majesty, Charles Ayemi-Botu, the Pere of Siembiri Kingdom in Delta State said in this newspaper (in a report by Emma Amaize on March 7): “…I condemn the call by the Sultan. We have come to know Boko Haram as a faceless group with links to Al Quaeda….Their agitation…should not be compared to the Niger Delta struggle in which youths took up arms for equity in the distribution of wealth

from oil explored in their domain…”.

Ayemi-Botu, a onetime National President of the Traditional Rulers for Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria, TROMPCON, went on to direct a very pertinent question at the Sultan: “Let me ask…who he has identified as members and sponsors of Boko Haram that he wants the Federal Government to grant amnesty to?…Who will the government dialogue with...?”

Meeting of religious leaders The Sultan has said in the past – at a meeting of religious leaders in July 2011, for example - that “we cannot solve violence with violence.” And I must say that such pacifist sentiments sound odd coming from a man who was a senior army officer before he became the spiritual boss of Nigerian Muslims in 2006.

Longstanding readers of this column will know that I initially saw Boko Haram as a crusade that is more about desperation than religion. I thought it was being driven by angry, poverty-stricken young fellows who had turned to extremism because their minds and hearts had been warped by hunger and unemployment.

Nigeria had never experienced suicide bombing

before and I thought the jihadists were ready to die because they’d lost all sense of hope and had nothing to lose. I blamed their selfish elders for betraying an entire generation. I was convinced that they’d quit their savagery if they were offered a fairer deal.

How wrong I was to adopt such a naïve, rose-tinted, liberal stance!

I now regard Boko Haramists as cold, calculating terrorists who don’t lack funds and have an antiprogress agenda and can never be placated.

They even brutally attack their own kind and have probably despatched more fellow Northern Muslims than Southerners or Christians to early graves.

Assassination of imams A Fulani friend recently told me that he is shocked whenever Northern VIPs are accused of secretly supporting Boko Haram “because Northern VIPs have no reason to support a group that is eagerly killing Northerners of all classes”.

“They have even,” my friend sadly informed me, shaking his head, “assassinated several imams in the Maiduguri area, which proves that they have no real respect for Islam, despite their claims.”

One would have thought

that a former soldier like the Sultan would understand the need to aggressively and uncompromisingly pursue these shadowy terrorists who have wreaked so much havoc and wiped out so many of their compatriots.

But he’s recommending surrender rather than war The President has said that he is not ruling out an amnesty deal for Boko Haram in future, if circumstances change. And I urge him to rule one out permanently!

As far as I’m concerned, the government has the upper hand and should not rest until this evil organisation has been completely brought to its knees.

And, yes, it IS hard to eliminate guerilla fighters who operate underground and are such zealots that they don’t fear death. But it CAN be done. And President Jonathan has the ability to do it. He just needs to work with the right military and counter-insurgency experts.

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 (texts only). PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED IN VANGUARD, WITH YOUR NAMES AND NUMBERS OR EMAIL ADDRESSES ATTACHED.

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 Pope Francis sounds fresh and his adopted name, could reflect the papacy of Argentine Jorge Bergoglio, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years (since Gregory III, a Syrian, in 731), the first pope from Latin America, though with strong Italian roots, and the first Jesuit priest to be pope.

At 76, the choice of the 266th pontiff in the Church’s 2,000-year history was a surprise.

He lost to Benedict XVI in the 2005 election.

With Benedict XVI resigning over age, many expected the new pope would be younger.

He arrives at his assignment at a time of scandals – financial, sexual – are drowning the authority of the church. While the conclave was in session, one of the parishes in Chicago was paying a $10 million court fine for its priests who defiled young boys.

Francis, who chose his name from St. Francis Assisi, a 12th century Italian priest, famous for his simplicity, humility and care for the poor and down-trodden, would waddle through dissentions in the church over gay marriages, celibacy for priests, and increasing scandals from management of the Vatican’s shrouded finances.

Francis – The Poor’s Pope The needs of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, almost half the number in Latin America, are fully mirrored in the Americas, where poverty, illnesses and bad governments run the day. Francis is in touch with these realities that dictate many of today’s issues globally. A “pope for the new world’, as Time magazine dubbed him, should create a “new world” for the faithful, and billions of down-trodden people all over the world, who depend on social services the church provides to survive in a world of governments that neglect their people.

The pope’s humaneness and humility were at play Wednesday night. He shocked the waiting crowd at St. Peter’s Square with his request that they should pray for him before he blessed them.

From his sparse abode in Buenos Aires, Bergoglio would settle in the sprawling opulence of the Vatican. His constituency would be the whole world. The issues would be global with more complications than Argentine politics and legalised abortion which he fought fiercely.

The Vatican swishes in politics that is an admixture of Italian and global intrigues.

Francis would play it. More challenging is the presence of a former pope in Rome. The church faced that reality 598 years ago, in an era popes were deposed or rogue popes thrived outside the main church. How would Francis relate to Benedict XVI? Ordinary Catholics bemused at Benedict XVI’s departure are glad to have a pope. The challenges leave Francis with a traditional church in deep need of changes. Hopefully when he is through, Francis would still be the poor’s pope.

OPINION PETER OJEMEN

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a

HAT High Chief Tony Anenih is

great man is stating the obvious. This is a man I owe so much respect not just because he is an elderly man but because he has remained a highly principled man over time.

Looking back to the year I relocated back to this country, I have followed Chief Tony Anenih and I have come to respect him tremendously because of the love he has for his people and this country. He loves the progress of the people and the unity of the entire country.

He has been fighting for the sustenance of democracy in this country. Coming in contact with him leaves you with the impression that this is a man you would chose to emulate in all ramifications.

His emergence as the consensus choice for the Chairmanship, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), goes a long way to show the kind of person Chief Tony Anenih is. His C M Y K

Anenih, the enigma of our time emergence is as a result of his pedigree as somebody you can trust to make things happen and put things right. Everybody cannot be wrong at the same time. He is recognised as a forthright man whose stance on issues is always tilted towards the truth and he stands by it. This is a man that you cannot cajole into taking decision through flattering.

When he takes a decision on what needs to be done, he goes about it and makes sure it is carried out to the letter.

Chief Anenih, it must also be said is a man that is God fearing and loves his creator. In his native Esanland where he is the Iyasele of the land, his love for giving to the less privilege in the society is legendary. A philanthropist of great note, he is not discriminatory to age as he blesses both youths and the old with his God given wealth.

Several unemployed youths have been beneficiaries of the job opportunities he has continued to create.

Our great party, the PDP should consider it a great honour for this man of the moment to emerge as the Chairman of the BoT. Going by his antecedents, he is surely going to make the party stronger, more united and focused. No wonder all and sundry refer to him as ‘Mr Fix it’. As a man who believes in equity, he is going to make sure that the right candidates emerge as aspirants for positions during elections.

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s proof of his penchant for l w a y s putting square pegs in square holes, the work done so far by his political son, Architect Mike Onolememen as Works Minister speaks volumes. a

Today, there is no gain saying that the youthful minister is the best performing minister in this political dispensation. By the way he is going about fixing our roads; Onolememen in not too distant future will definitely reposition all federal roads comparable to what obtains in developed countries.

His emergence as the BoT chairman will certainly make nonsense of the recent merger of opposition political parties. It is even safe to postulate here that Anenih’s work in the PDP as chairman of BOT will make it impossible for the APC to get even twenty percent of the total votes in any election.

As a stalwart of the ruling PDP, I want to appeal to fellow party members to give Chief Tony Anenih all the support for him to succeed as his success will not only be for the good of party members but for the generality of Nigerians I pray that God gives this enigma of our time long life and more prosperity so that he can be there for people like us to emulate and come out better citizens of this great country. *Dr. Ojemen, a Bini High Chief, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 19

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HE only song he knows is loyalty.

Complete loyalty. Not half measure. It is either one is 100 percent loyal or one is not loyal. Not even 99.99 percent loyalty is good enough in his estimation. He practices what he preaches: He is completely loyal to leadership and followership alike. Once he declares his loyalty, he never wavers. He is consistent and persistent. Welcome to the world of Chief Anthony Akhakhon Anenih who has just rebounded as Chair of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His second coming as BoT chair has created excitements in political circles within and outside the PDP and across the states of the nation.

This is attested to by the volume of congratulatory messages and positive comments in the media on the heels of his coronation, through consensus, by members of the Board.

He was in the saddle from 2004 to 2007 when he was ousted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had then finished his second term, in a civilian coup plot at a meeting ahead of the original meeting of the Board at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Anenih had taken the development philosophically, attending the meetings of the Board under Obasanjo’s chairmanship. He had remained loyal to the PDP and the Federal Government, which was then under the presidency of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, availing these levels of authorities with his wise counsels and solid support.

President Goodluck Jonathan is also a beneficiary of Anenih’s loyalty. He had consistently played the role of a father-figure in his interactions with the late Yar’Adua and now with Jonathan.

This is the outlook of Anenih’s avuncular politics within the

ambience of the PDP. Persons in the outside world of the PDP have also benefitted from his eleemosynary, his large-heartedness. This, perhaps, explains the air of celebration and renewed hope that has pervaded the PDP. Leaders and members of the PDP have continued to applaud his return in the saddle of the BoT. It is the celebration of a man who has done so much for humanity.

In his political and public service life, he has come to cut a niche for himself as the Leader, which is exciting to him and his followers. It is the sobriquet of “Mr Fix It” or ‘The Enforcer” that he and his loyalists spurn because of their derogatory nature. This is why analysts are correct when they contend that Anenih means different things to different people; and while some choose to like him, others hate him.

Yet, some others simply fear him. But whether you like, hate or fear him, he is someone that you cannot ignore in the politics of Nigeria.

Anenih has never contested for any public office; yet, he has become one of the most talked about politicians in the country today. He is perceived differently by political allies and foes.

While some see him as a threat to the country ’s democratic experiment, especially after he had contributed to the defeat of their preferred candidate in any electoral contest, those whom he helped to power see his role as salutary to the democratic process.

His enigma has survived trenchant attacks and vicissitudes of politics and politicking. These attacks were much pronounced during the June 12, 1993 presidential election annulment when he was National Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) on whose platform the late MKO Abiola contested and won the election.

From then till date, Anenih has been under unjustified attacks for collaborating with his associates in the party to allegedly negotiate away

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the pan-Nigeria mandate of Abiola by supporting the government of the late General Sani Abacha.

H

ow Anenih related with the June 12 issue was a measure of his enigma-the mystery of his staying power and survival. His traducers have failed to even realise that the compromises reached by the political class of which Anenih was a member was a sacrifice to keep the country united. The political class knew that the military government was desperate to hold on to power and to dare the military tactlessly was to commit suicide. To stay alive and keep the country united became the directive principle of Anenih’s political interactions. It was not that he loved Abiola less but that he loved Nigeria more.

Contrary to the suggestion that the July 2012 governorship election, which his party lost to the incumbent Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), has demystified him, Anenih’s decision and instruction to the party not to challenge Oshiomhole’s victory in court has amounted to a masterstroke that greatly enhanced his politics of rationality. He discounted the barrage of insults that Oshiomhole hurled at him in the build-up to the governorship election. Love of State was paramount in his mind; and the PDP Edo Chapter issued a statement explaining that it would not go to court in order to allow the governor

Oduah and aviation industry appointments

BY BITRUS OGBA

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HEN the people of the South west allege that they were marginalised by the appointment of the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah I get amused. And when I hear that the appointment she made was dominated by people from the South east I get bewildered.

If you check it you will discover that Oduah’s appointments were the most balanced in the industry since 1999 because it gave full representation to every part of the country. But I know why the South west is surprisingly crying marginalisation. In the past, they used to dominate every appointment made in the industry. And even now, if you get the list of all the workers in all the aviation parastatals, you will find out that they have the highest number of appointments.

They are alleging ethnic cleansing because other parts of the country have been given opportunity.

What I have come to know about Nigeria is that when you enjoy an unjustifiable advantage, you would want it to continue and when there is any effort to address the injustice, those benefitting begin to shout because they see it as a right to cheat others.

For example, I was privileged to access some documents in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria when Richard

Aisuebeogun was the Managing Director of the Authority. These documents revealed that the former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani Kayode employed about 30 persons in FAAN. 16 of them were made assistant general managers, deputy general managers and general managers, while the rest were absorbed in other ranks.

These people did not have any aviation experience before they were employed. In fact, most of them came from local government councils and others were just hangers-on. These 30 people came from Osun and Ogun states. When many of them were examined medically prior to their employment, they failed medical tests; yet they were still absorbed. Many of them are still there till date.

That is the way he deployed about the same number of people to the other aviation agencies. Now, I cannot recall any group from other parts of Nigeria that cried about ethnic cleansing then. I cannot recall the unions raising hell about it. I also know that there were efforts to reduce staff in FAAN at the time because of over bloated manpower, as the Authority lacked technical personnel but had very high number of administrative personnel because unprofessional persons were dumped on the Authority.

I remember that all the efforts made to reduce that number failed because some powerful people were contacted to frustrate

to concentrate on statecraft and rapid development of the state.

A leader of the ACN in Edo State, Prince Joe Okojie, who is from the same Edo Central Senatorial District with Anenih, had commented on the Anenih enigma shortly after the 2012 governorship election in which the PDP reportedly lost in Uromi, Anenih’s home town.

Read him: “I will not say that the Uromi people have disappointed him. Chief Anenih is our leader, our father, our elder statesman and he will continue to be, as such. He has done his bits; we cannot underestimate or begin to relegate what Chief Anenih has accomplished in the Nigeria political history.

“Like I have often said, if Chief Anenih were in the western world, what you call advanced countries, he would have been likened to the like of Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Karl Marx of this world; there would have been a school of thought in political economy called Anenihism.

So, nobody can forget that. Chief Anenih hails from the minority within the minority and inside the minority.

He is even from Uzenema which is a minority in Arue (and) Arue is a minority in Uromi; Uromi is a minority in Edo State and Edo State is a minority is a minority in Nigeria.

You can picture that. For a man to have come from that background and risen to where he got to in Nigerian political arena, that is something worthy of praise and worthy of emulation.”

While on tour of his campaign for the national chair of the PDP in Edo State, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur had said the State and, indeed, Nigeria, were lucky to have Anenih. He had described him as one of the best politicians in the country. After his emergence as Chairman of the PDP BoT on February 25, this year, Tukur had said that with him as Chairman, Anenih as BoT Chairman and Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom State as Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, President Jonathan could now sleep well with his two eyes closed.

Indeed, the circle is complete with the troika on top of the PDP game.

With the feelers that Jonathan is interested in contesting the 2015 presidential election, the trio,

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BY JOHNSON MOMODU

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Deconstructing the Anenih loyalty paradigm

What his disposition to empowering his numerous supporters has done for him is to solidify the bond of loyalty between the leader and his followers

The earlier we realised that every Nigerian has a stake in this country and has equal opportunity in this country the better our chances of sustaining the future of our dear nation

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the move. And so the agency lives with that burden till today. The question is why were there no outcry about marginalisation and ethnic cleansing then?

To me, it was because the people who over the years have seen it as a right to dominate other people made the appointments. They did not even consider federal character; they did not even consider getting few people from other parts of the country; yet there was no deafening outcry. Today, Princess Oduah employed Nigerians into the parastastals, taking cognizance of the federal character and some people are crying wolf.

I

stand to be contradicted, but I am sure that most of those who are crying ethnic cleansing and marginalisation have not seen the actual number of people employed

especially Anenih, is considered the president’s biggest asset. He is expected to deploy his experience in support of the re-election bid of Jonathan, consistent with his tradition of having assisted the elections of some office holders in the past, starting with Dr. Sam Ogbenudia as governor of Edo in 1983 on the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN); Chief John Odigie Oyegun as Edo governor on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1993; Chief Lucky Igbinedion as Edo governor on the platform of the PDP in 1999 and 2003.

It was the turn of Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor in 2007 as Edo governor, but the victory was understandably short-lived because of internal tension generated by Osunbor’s desperation to hijack the party structure from Anenih. At the national level, he played a great role in the victory of Olusegun Obasanjo as president in 1999 and 2003; the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua as president in 2007 and the emergence of Jonathan as president in 2011.

Interestingly, he has not taken advantage of his role in the successful prosecution of these political projects for obvious personal aggrandizement. Rather than solely appropriate the benefits accruing there from, he has consistently, as a dependable leader, channeled the benefits to his foot soldiers and loyalists. This perhaps explains why none of his children has been involved in politics and politicking.

What his disposition to empowering his numerous supporters has done for him is to solidify the bond of loyalty between the leader and his followers, whose support has helped a great deal in maintaining his structure and enigmatic politics. This is the story of how Anenih has consolidated his hold on his vast nationwide structure and largely survived the murky waters of politics. Will he succeed, this time round, with the 2015 Jonathan’s re-election project? Only time will tell. *Mr. Momodu, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Abuja.

and where they came from. Somebody just raised an allegation and it automatically transmuts to a fact; nobody cares to verify because the objective is to run some people down.

Some people, especially some journalists who are campaigning against the appointment had argued that two wrongs do not make a right; that because somebody did it in the past does not mean that somebody should do now. I wish this argument and logic started at least six years ago. That is why I said I am amused when I read this in the papers.

I think the earlier we realised that every Nigerian has a stake in this country and has equal opportunity in this country the better our chances of sustaining the future of our dear nation. Those who think they will continue to lord it over others should think again and realise that Nigeria was not created for them alone; it was created for all Nigerians.

Campaign of calumny can never submerge the truth; it can only heat up the political system and facts always stand out at the end of the day. And it is even surprising that the people of the South west are the ones crying ethnic cleansing and marginalisation. I remember some years back when they mocked a region well known for the word, marginalisation and accused them of whipping up ethnic sentiments. Isn’t it surprising that the words ethnic cleansing and marginalisation are not, after all, a monopoly of some ethnic groups.

*Mr. Ogba, a former GM Adm with FAAN, wrote from Jos.

20—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

• Unuatase Benjamin has Chronic Kidney disease and needs about N5 million for transplant. Bank account is Unuatase Benjamin, First Bank, 3069081793

KIDNEY DISEASE:

High cost of treatment kills faster in Nigeria

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

K

IDNEY problems have been dubbed a silent killer.

The disease afflicts both young and old people alike. From the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH) to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, (LASUTH) the lamentations of kidney patients are the same — “Treatment is very expensive.”

Kenneth Agbo, a civil servant and one of the kidney sufferers, tells how he has been spending so much on treatment in order to keep living.

“I have been having a hard time managing my health. I know I have high blood pressure and diabetes, but I just cannot resist having a regular meal despite advice from my doctor to stay away from certain foods.

During a checkup, the doctor tested my blood. The results showed I had developed chronic kidney disease.”

Chronic kidney disease Kenneth wondered if the test results could be wrong because he didn’t feel sick. But his doctor explained that people with kidney disease often do not know it. That’s why it is called a “silent” disease. Kenneth woe began from that day. He can barely pay his rent let alone footing the hospital bill required for dialysis three times a week.

“Life became unbearable for me,” he said. Few months later, he could not continue his treatment. His health deteriorated all the more.

Kenneth is not alone. Pa Emmanuel Oyiana, 79, a retired civil servant and Mrs. Oluwatosin Ojejirun, 28 years old, graduate of Linguistic, University of Lagos; have been spending thousands of Naira each week on kidney treatment.

While Pa Emmanuel spends N20, 000, Oluwatosin, spends about N150, 000 on dialysis alone every week. If you multiply these amounts in a month and in a year, the figures run into millions of naira.

Said Pa Emmanuel:“I spend not less than N10, 000 on two injections to keep my kidneys C M Y K

going. I’m lucky that my kidney problem does not require dialysis. I only spend N60, 000 a month from my pension.

“I retired 25 years ago from the railways. The cost of treatment is very exorbitant. Some people cannot come and take the injections. I know how I source the money at times. There are at times I stay about three weeks to a month because I have no money. Many of us are dying because the hospitals cannot treat without money. Government should implement free treatment for old people; anybody above 60 years should be treated free in Nigeria. And people with such an ailment should be given a kind of discount.”

“I also count my self lucky because there are two categories of patients, those that require injection and those for dialysis.

Fortunately, I belong to those that require only injections. The injection is to reactivate the kidneys. There are two injections.

One cost N6, 200, and N200 for services charge and the other is about N2, 500 and N200 services charge. “And each visit you must buy them. It is usually twice a week.

But for Oluwatosin Ojajirun

• Pa Emmanuel

• Dr. Bello Babawale

• Emmanuel is undergoing dialysis at LUTH. He needs N7 million for transplant. Bank Acct: Save Emmanuel Account, 1013320882, Zenith Bank or call 07033582485 , 08053283932.

a patient needs about N150, 000 monthly to get immunosuppressive drugs after a successful transplant. However, health watchers have expressed worry that a country still battling with a myriad of health issues, kidney disease has remain at the background while patients continues to die without any form of assistance.

geria?

A Consultant Nephrologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Dr. Bello Babawale however, admitted that kidney failure is expensive to treat any where in the world, but the difference in those countries is that government gets involve in the treatment by introducing a kind of subsidy which is usually up to 80 per cent.

Babawale who lamented the high cost of treatment explained that: “We have unfortunate combination of an expensive treatment for a common disease that afflicts a poor population. The people are poor and the disease is common in the population.

The only way is for government to subsidize treatment for kidney failure. Not just transplant but also dialysis and all the other drugs. That is the only way outcome for kidney failure can improve in the country.”

“You have two kidneys, each the size of a fist. Your kidneys have an important job. They filter waste out of your blood and remove extra water from your blood to make urine. Your kidneys also control your blood pressure and make hormones that your body needs to stay healthy.”

Further stressing that prevention is a major solution to kidney failure problems; he said subsidizing the treatment would ensure better access to treatment as well as improve outcomes.

Kidney failure is expensive to treat any where in the world, but the difference in those countries is that government gets involve in the treatment life has not been easy after she was diagnosed of the disease 12 years ago. She has been kept alive courtesy of her family, friends and relations. The exorbitant cost of treatment has continued to eat up the income of the husband, parents and siblings. She spends about N150, 000 every week on dialysis.

According to Nathan Foundation 15,000 new cases of kidney failure occurs every year in Nigeria. Statistics have further showed that 30 million Nigerians are suffering from Kidney disease and currently, patients pay as high as N150, 000 for three sessions of dialysis every week and about N5 million annually; costs of transplant varies from hospitals but ranges between N2m and about N3m and

Worse still, in Nigeria, kidney failure remains a death sentence if not detected early and managed appropriately. Renal transplant which is key in managing the disease is out of the reach of the poor.

The country is far from where it should be in terms of both man power and facilities. There are still too few specialists in treating kidney diseases compare to the burden of patients with kidney disease. Non availability of many of the facilities that are required to routinely access and treat patients with kidney disease are not readily available within the country and this has remained a challenge for the nephrology and renal community.

With such gloomy situations, what then is the hope of survival for kidney failure patients in Ni-

On why kidney diseases is becoming more common; he said: “People are having more hypertension, diabetes and those ones are not being properly treated and when they develop kidney disease they are not presenting early to the hospital.” He said to stem the rising burden of kidney disease, there is need for people to eat good food, undertake regular physical exercise and going for regular medical checkups to sustain healthy kidneys. “For people who are already having hypertension and diabetes, Babawale said the key is to ensure proper control of the conditions. Visit their doctors regularly, take their medicines as prescribed, do the tests that are required and make sure they bring the blood pressure under control.”

He encouraged the population to go to what he referred to as ‘Well people’s clinic”. He posited that since it is a silent disease, “it is good to go to hospital when we are well, even if it is once or twice a year such that you can detect hypertension and diabetes early and institute treatment to control them.” In LUTH alone, 20 new cases are seen by choice from the hospital’s two nephrology out- patient clinics every week. Generally, one or two patients are seen daily.

It is hoped that the Nigerian government will join countries such as Sudan, the US and the host of others, to subsidise kidney fdisease treatment in the country.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 21

Customs impounds 500 fully loaded trucks at Seme Border

By OLASUNKANMI AKONI

A

BOUT 500 articulated vehicles fully loaded with essential commodities on transit to Republic of Chad and some other African countries were impounded by men of the Nigerian Customs Service at Seme Border in the last two months. The trucks, it was gathered, had been kept at a spot for two months without any official explanation from the custom authorities.

Some of the concerned owners of the trucks, mostly Chadian Nationals, complained that the vehicles were only on transit from Republic of Benin through Nigeria and had paid all the expected duties to Nigerian Custom Service, NCS, for passing through Nigerian Border, yet the Customs impounded the vehicles without any explanation as to why the vehicles could not pass through Nigerian borders.

The Spokesman of the owners of the trailers, Alhaji Abu Na Muhammam, speaking with Newsmen, explained that “In the last two months the vehicle were impounded and nobody could come forward with any explanation as to why the vehicles are still being kept .

All they said is that the vehicles will be released but when and why they were impounded, customs authorities are not

saying anything in that direction.” He recalled that similar experience had occurred when they were made to understand that it was due to security problems facing the country therefore they could not be allowed to pass without a thorough check, which lasted for a period of seven months.

Na Muhammam noted that “There was explanation to that effect but this time around, up till the time of speaking with you, nobody has come forward with any explanation. “We have other alternative routes to

convey our goods but only prefer to go through Nigeria.

Apart from its closeness, it is also cheaper and quicker to reach our destination without the goods getting spoilt but now the situation is getting out of hand which may compel us to use the alternative routes thereby making Nigeria to lose the accruable revenue.”

Speaking in the same vain, Alhaji kabir Abdullahi Ambursa, a Nigerian, also one of the owners of the trailers, stated that goods worth millions of naira that are in the

trucks are at the verge of becoming a waste similar to what they had experienced when their vehicles were intercepted by the same custom at Maiduguri Border.

Kabir, therefore, appealed to the authorities concerned to as a matter of urgency come to their aids, saying that it would amount to great loss for their vehicles to be delayed for two months without movement.

All effort to speak with official of the Nigerian Customs failed as at the time of going to the press.

L-R: Chairman, NDIC Board of Directors, Amb. Hassan Adamu, Wakili Adamawa, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim N. Auta and MD/CE NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim discussing a point at the NDIC Sensitization Seminar for Judges in Abuja.

Reps mandate committee to investigate N100 ATM monthly maintenance charge T

HE House of Represent atives has mandated its Committee on Banking and Currency to investigate the structure and composition of approved bank charges on all accounts in Nigeria. The resolution followed a motion by Rep. Babatunde Kazeem (ACN-Lagos), which was adopted when put to vote by the Speaker, Rep. Aminu Tambuwal.

The motion is entitled: “Urgent Need to stop Nigerian Banks from Introducing N100 Monthly Maintenance Fee.” Kazeem said that following the scrapping of N100 withdrawal charges on Automated Teller

Machines (ATM) by the Banker’s Committee, some banks were planning to introduce monthly maintenance fee on ATM cards.

According to the lawmaker, the First Bank of Nigeria has informed its customers that they will be paying a monthly maintenance fee on their cards with effect from March 2013. He also said that the banker’s committee, during a meeting in November 2012, had scrapped the N100 interbank charges on the use of ATM cards. The legislator further said that the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria had said that customers would no

longer pay N100 on withdrawals on ATM whenever customers used banks other than theirs.

He had said that this was to take effect from Dec. 17, 2012.

Kazeem expressed concern that if this maintenance fee was introduced, it would cause untold hardship on bank customers. Speaking in support of the motion, Rep. Abiodun Awoleye (ACN-Oyo) said the N100 charge for the use of ATM under the guise of maintenance charge by some banks was an exploitation of Nigerians. He said that the charge was also against the CBN’s cashless policy. He expressed concern

Supplementary list of market makers out soon

– Council member

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

A

council member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Mr Victor Ogiemwonyi has said that a supplementary list of market makers would soon be out.

Ogiemwonyi, who disclosed this at the monthly meeting of Capital Market Correspondent Association of Nigeria (CAMCAN) in Lagos, said that the aim was to boost activities in the capital market.

He said that the supplementary list would bring more retail investors and liquidity to the capital market. Ogiemwonyi, who is also the Managing Director of the Partnership Investment Plc, said that a framework for the commencement of demutualisation would soon be released by Securities and Exchange Commission. He said that the NSE has already constituted a committee that would ensure the smooth running of the initiative.

Ogiemwonyi said that the initiative was being adopted in conformity with international best practice. He said that market dynamics have changed, adding that the NSE has introduced qualitative method of administration. The financial expert assured that the market would grow beyond expectation in the next five years, saying that the capital market has achieved 60 percent of the 66,000 index recorded in 2008 before the global financial meltdown.

140.2

-1.45

2,167.00 +38.00

0 that if the maintenance 18.77 -0.05 fee was allowed, the banks would continue to introduce other charges.

In his contribution in 108.28 +0.13 support of the motion, Rep. Aminu Suleiman 92.35 -0.19 (PDP-Kano) said that it was important that the CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING relevant committee of the 154.75 155.25 155.75 house should look into DOLLAR POUNDS 230.268 231.012 231.756 the matter. Rep. Hassan EURO 201.3452 201.9958 202.6463 Saleh (PDP-Benue) FRANC 163.1868 163.714 164.2413 urged committee on YEN 1.6127 1.6179 1.6231 0.2885 0.2985 0.3085 banking and currency to CFA 232.7295 233.4814 234.2334 ensure that “the right WAUA RENMINBI 24.8929 24.9738 25.0547 thing is done”. This, he RIYA 41.2634 41.3967 41.53 said, was to guard KRONA 26.9914 27.0786 27.1659 against innocent cus- SDR 232.2798 233.0303 233.7808 tomers being charged CBN Exchange rate as at 14/03/2013 arbitrarily.

22—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

CBN to cut policy rate to 11% next week — Rewane

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will relax its monetary policy by reducing its policy rate to 11 per cent next week when its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets, Bismarck Rewane, Financial Derivative Company has predicted.

“Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will shave off 100 basis points off the monetary policy rate (MPR) to

11 per cent or/and cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 1.0 per cent”, he said in a Monthly Economic News and Views presented at the Lagos Business School (LBS). He also predicted that the naira will “lose approximately 0.5% in the interbank forex market” The CBN will hold its Monetary Policy (MPC) meeting on Monday to review the economy and its monetary policy. In an effort to curtail inflation, the apex

bank had been operating a tight money supply policy since 2012, raising the monetary policy rate (MPR) six times from 6.0 per cent to 12 per cent between September 2010 and October 2011. Similarly, the CBN raised the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of banks to 8.0 per cent from 1.0 per cent.

With inflation trending down to 9.0 per cent in January from a peak of 12.9 per cent in April 2012, there is increased ex-

pectation of a downward review of the MPR. Rewane said that public pressure for a cut in MPR in March is increasing and the further decline in inflation will be a major determinant. He said that there is however fear that a reduction in the MPR would prompt depreciation of the naira and capital outflows of hot money.

But going by the personal statement of the CBN Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi at the last MPC meeting, the apex bank might not be disposed to reducing the MPR. According to Sanusi, since the tight money supply is working there is no for policy change.

He said, “Although inflation outlook is stable, the increased projected spending by state

governments and raised oil price benchmark at the Federal level may pose a risk in the medium term. The global economy remains fragile and the outlook is mixed, at the very best. In the past year, we have achieved price stability, exchange rate stability, banking system stability and a healthy reserves position. The equities market is also on the mend and although it is still vulnerable to unstable portfolio flows, the fundamentals suggest that we are nowhere near a bubble at this point. Indeed, the only negative in this picture is the high lending rates faced by borrowers. The CBN will continue working with the banks to work out how to best address the question of spreads.

Money Laundering: GIABA to increase support to agencies

BY MICHAEL EBOH

T

From Left: Mr. John Folajomi, one of the Star prize winners, Mr David Okeme, Brand Building Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mrs Oize Gyang, Category Manager, Tea and Spreads, Mr. Anil Gopalan, Vice President Operations, Unilever Nigeria Plc and Mr Jude .O. Ughowujabo, Head, Regulation and Monitoring, National Lottery Board during the Lipton Switch On and Win Promo Star Prize Presentation at Unilever head office in Lagos.

HE Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) has agreed to extend its support for law enforcement agencies involved in the fight against financial crimes to increase and improve their powers to investigate, prosecute and convict in relation to Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing, ML/TF, offences.

According to a statement from GIABA, the support becomes

IFC, Coca-Cola grant SMEs N3.5bn loan facility through Access Bank

BY FRANKLIN ALLI with Agency Report

I

FC, a member of the World Bank Group and the CocaCola company have availed Nigerian Small and Medium Scale Enterprises , SMEs a N3.5 billion (equivalent to $22 million) Risk Sharing Facility and a $50 million through Access Bank Plc for onward lending to SMEs; a quarter of which will be women-owned enterprises.

In a statement, the Corporation said that the risk sharing facility is part of a $100 million, three-year joint initiative with The Coca-Cola Company to provide access to finance for thousands of women entrepreneurs in Africa and other emerging markets.

“Under the joint initiative with Coca-Cola, IFC will work through its network of local and regional banking

institutions to provide financing and business skills training to small and medium enterprises—or SMEs—that are owned or operated by women entrepreneurs across the Coca-Cola value chain, starting with an IFC investment in Access Bank, Nigeria,” said the Corporation.

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Group Managing Director of Access Bank, said that Access Bank has been a leader in supporting Nigerian women and their business enterprises.

“We are committed to finding new ways to serving this valuable client base and remaining at the forefront of making financial services more inclusive in Nigeria,” he said.

IFC’s latest transaction with Access Bank extends a relationship that began in 2006. Access Bank was a

pioneer in taking up an IFC program aimed at increasing loans to women entrepreneurs.

It was recognized as the most active among IFC’s Global Trade Finance Program issuing banks in Africa in2009, and was the regional winner of the Financial Times/IFC Sustainable Bank of the Year Award in 2011. Access Bank is ranked in the top five banks in Nigeria, with subsidiaries in eight African countries and one in the UK. Solomon Adegbie-Quaynor, IFC’s Senior Country Manager for Nigeria, said, “IFC is committed to supporting financial institutions that understand the business value of creating new opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

Access Bank has been an important partner for IFC in that process in Nigeria and it is once again leading the

way.”

The IFC financing marks the first “blended” funds to be distributed by IFC under its Global SME Finance Facility, supported by donor funding from the United Kingdom.

The facility aims to reduce the risks and costs of lending to SMEs by sharing risks with banks, improving their ability to identify and underwrite SMEs, and strengthening critical financial infrastructure.

Nathan Kalumbu, president of Eurasia and Africa Group, The Coca-Cola Company, said, “Women entrepreneurs make significant contributions to emerging and developing economies, yet have lower access to finance than their male counterparts. By providing greater access to capital, we are investing in our own success and the success of the communities we serve.”

necessary, especially after the independent assessment of its 2007 - 2009 Strategic Objectives which show a low level of successful prosecution and conviction of identified cases.

The, the agency said, necessitated a key objective of its 2011-2014 Strategic Plan which is to increase and improve investigation, prosecution and conviction in relation to ML/TF offences.

GIABA said in collaboration with member states, it has expanded its offer of technical assistance to include empowerment of law enforcement agencies saddled with the responsibility of conducting robust investigation and prosecution of cases of financial crimes, thereby enabling them to take ownership of the fight against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing on a sustainable basis.

According to GIABA, All ECOWAS member States have been identified for a demanddriven technical assistance.

It further stated that as GIABA member states are classified as Low Capacity Countries (LCCs), it is expedient that they require continuous support in order to build their capacities to improve their anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/ CFT) systems.

To this end, the agency stated that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) that will see it providing technical assistance to the Commission in furtherance of its mandate of fighting economic crimes and corruption in Nigeria.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—23

Biocontrol product reduces mortality in poultry by 43.9%

By JIMOH BABATUNDE with agency reports

P

oultry fed with maize that had been treated with aflasafeTM – a biocontrol product for controlling aflatoxins— experienced reduced mortality in addition to other benefits, according to a new study by scientists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

To unravel the benefits of aflasafeTM in the poultry industry, researchers set up a feeding experiment involving 1,020 broilers that used the following feed formulations: aflasafe TM maize without binders, host farm’s feed with binders, contaminated feed with binders, and contaminated feed without binders. The broilers were fed for 8 weeks.

Results showed that the use of maize from aflasafe TM treated feeds reduced mortality rate by 43.9%, feed intake dropped by 10.4%, and there was an increase of 3.3% in feed conversion ratio.

Unveiling details of the results to stakeholders at a conference in Lagos, Dr Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, IITA Pathologist, said the results demonstrated the impact of aflasafe TM —a biological control product developed by IITA for controlling aflatoxins.

Produced by toxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxins have become a menace in developing countries, contaminating about 25% of grains produced in the region. The

aftermath effects of consuming aflatoxin-contaminated grains include stunting in children, liver cancer, and even death.

After more than a decade, scientists at IITA have developed a biological control product named aflasafeTM that is controlling grain contamination in Africa.

The impact of aflasafeTM on the poultry industry—one of the major consumers of

maize—has been hailed by stakeholders. “We are excited with these results because the use of aflasafeTM is a cheaper and safer solution for the poultry sector,” says Dr Emmanuel Ewuola of the Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan, who supervised the animal feeding experiment. He added that with aflasafe TM grains poultry farmers would not need aflatoxin binders in feeds.

T

he Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has reiterated the Federal Government desire to make cassava bread available in every Nigerian table.

He said Cassava bread would soon be in adequate supply as more bakers are now embracing the government policy of 20 per cent inclusion of cassava flour into wheat flour for bread making.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina with Asiwaju Solomon Onafowokan and others at the launch of Cassava bread by Spar/Park n''Shop in Lagos during the week.

Fertiliser allocation: Stakeholders urge farmers to register

S

Adesina re-iterates government’s position on cassava bread

takeholders in the agricultural sector in Plateau during the week urged farmers to come out en masse and register in the ongoing exercise to enable them to access fertiliser allocation and other inputs.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at least five million farmers nationwide will be registered in this year’s Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme, according to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

NAN also reports that 207 enumerators have already been trained for the effective take off of the programme in Plateau.

Mr Samuel Dung, the Manager, Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP), told NAN that only registered farmers would benefit from the scheme.

Dung said that added that awareness and enlightenment campaigns were being carried out to encourage

farmers to register.

He urged farmers who did not register in the 2012 exercise to take advantage of the current exercise to get the maximum benefit of the programme.

He commended the Federal Government’s for the early training of enumerators, noting that it was an indication of the government’s determination for timely and better implementation this year.

He called on all stakeholders, civil society groups and other community organisations to support government efforts by sending volunteers to be trained for the exercise for effective coverage.

Also speaking, Mrs Sarah Chuang, the Chairperson, Plateau chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), said the association had sensitised its members on the significance of the scheme.

1,500 farmers to benefit from free land clearing in Osun

T

o boost farming, the Osun State Agricul ture Development Corporation (OSSADEC) said on Tuesday that more than 1,500 farmers had benefited from free land clearing services of government.

OSSADEC’s General Manager, Mr Lere Oriolowo, said this while briefing newsmen in Osogbo.

He said the free land clearing and hiring of tractors initiative for farmers by the Osun government in the current farming season would ensure food sufficiency in the state.

Oriolowo said the beneficiaries were made up of farm settlers, cooperative groups and individual farmers across the state.

“The planting season has just begun, so the exercise is ongoing as more farmers are still approaching the corporation for assistance.

“The gesture is to ensure and promote massive food production thereby improving tremendously the living standards of farmers,” he said.

He also said the disbursement of interest-free credit facility to benefiting farmers was in progress.

“In 2012, about 5,000 farmers benefited from the N500 million government guaranteed credit facility".

Speaking in Lagos during the week at the launch of Spar/ Park n’Shop’s Cassava Bread, Adesina said the country cannot be dependent on other people selling us wheat when we should be mixing it with our own cassava flour and making our farmers to make money.

He said the policy to substitute at 20 per cent, will earn farmers in this country and “processors N254 billion every year of money that we will save and put back into our rural communities.”

While commending other commercial bakers like UTC and Butter field for blazing the trail, he said the government is working on making the composite of flour like the enzymes available to bakers.

Dr. Adesina explained that the Cassava Bread Development Fund which will be rolled out rolled next week will take care of some of the challenges being faced by bakers in the use of cassava for bread making.

Speaking at the event, the Group Chairman , Spar, Asiwaju Solomon Onafowokan, commended the government’s policy which made the organisation to collaborate on the cassava bread project.

He said the policy will go a long way in empowering cassava farmers in the country and encourage the farmers to grow more as the market for their produce is assured.

Kebbi registers 123,146 farmers — Director

T

he Kebbi Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (KARDA) has registered 123,146 farmers this year with 47,000 of the farmers engaging in dry season farming.

Alhaji Abubakar Lolo, the Director of the agency, who disclosed this in Kalgo during the week, said that 76,146 wet season farmers were registered in 2012.

He said that as part of efforts to expand activities in the agency and ensure that farmers were registered, enumerators had been deployed to all the local government areas.

“The enumerators are expected to provide guidance to farmers on the procedures of registration and the benefits to be derived from the exercise.”

The director said that supervisors had also been posted to local government areas to oversee the activities of the enumerators and the responses of farmers in their areas.

24 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 25

Cashew provides for 300,000 families in Nigeria — NCAN

VISIT — From right: Roberts Orya, Managing Director, Nigeria-Export (NEXIM) Bank, Sotonye Anga, National Publicity Secretary, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) and Tola Faseru, President, NCAN.

BY DANIEL GUMM

I

N its continued efforts to address the challeges of poor access

to finance In Nigeria, the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), were at the headquarters of Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) to rub mind with the Managing Director, and brief him on the level of

preparedness for the forthcoming NEXIM and NCAN Cashew Finance Forum 2013, coming up soon in Lagos with the theme: Financing Nigeria’s Cashew Industry.

National Publicity Secretary of NCAN, Mr. Sotonye Anga, Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the event said, Cashew in

Nigeria, provides livelihood for over 300,000 families in the country, with current annual production put at 120,000 tons.

He explained that unlocking financing to the cashew sector means creating more jobs for the country’s teeming unemployed people, reducing poverty and ensuring increased exports of cashew, which will encourage value addition to raw cashew.

The NEXIM and NCAN Cashew Finance Forum is leveraging on the Nigerian cashew cluster finance scheme which was signed on March 1, 2012 at Ilorin, Kwara State, during the Annual National Cashew Season Flag-off

Poland in sustained trade drive to Nigeria

A

DELEGATION of Polish businessmen has arrived Abuja to push for more opportunities with their counterparts in the country.

They arrived.

Nigeria via Lagos on Sunday and have been exploring opportunities in the country's commercial capital. A meeting with members of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for yester morning before they depart for Abuja.

A statement by the Polish Embassy in Nigeria showed that the 11-man delegation led by the President of the Central Poland Chamber of Commerce-Lodz,Mr Witold Gerlicz includes top representatives of the biggest PVC window sills producers in Europe, the largest IT company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, a pharmaceutical company and the Polish Bank of Entrepreneurship.

The team also includes Honourable John Godson, the first member of the Polish Parliament of Nigerian origin.

In Abuja, the Polish delegation will hold a business to business forum at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture tomorrow. There will also be a briefing session for the delegation by different Nigerian ministries and agencies today.

This is the second visit by a Polish delegation of business people within this year and signifies a determined push on the Polish side to improve the current trade relation between Nigeria and Poland. Annual Polish exports to Nigeria stand at about US$100 million and Nigerian export to Poland for the same period is in the form of coal, cocoa and palm kernel totalling $5 million.

2012.

“To grow the cashew sector requires serious funding, and so we appreciate NEXIM Bank for again taking up the challenge to finance and support the cashew sector for growth, Mr. Anga stated, adding: “What NEXIM is doing is highly commendable and in line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

Nigeria’s cashew trading and export, currently worth N24 billion, still has more room for investors, according to Anga.

“The industry which is worth about N1 trillion in terms of assets and volume of activities has over 1 million people who depend on it directly and indirectly, and there is still room for investors,” he said.

Currently, Nigeria produces 120,000 tons of cashew nuts and 95 per cent of the annual production is exported as raw products. This situation has rendered the cashew industry, which provides over 600,000 jobs, to be vulnerable, impoverished and easily exploited by various countries that buy raw cashew nuts from Nigeria.

As a result, NCAN is concentrating its resources on establishing cashew processing centres that will process and add value to the cashew, he explained.

“We have to plant 300,000 new high yielding cashew varieties between 2013 and 2014 to gradually replace the over-aged cashew trees.

This way, we will create jobs, empower our people, pay higher for raw cashew nuts and protect our market.”

With this, cashew stakeholders, namely: traders, exporters, farmers, processors and others across the value chain will be able to access financing at a pocket friendly rate with which to do and improve their cashew business.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—25

Nigeria signs pact with Preferred Hotel Group

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N a move to expose the Nigeria hospitality market to the international community and create more visibility for hotels and other related tourism outfits in the country, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), signed a pact with the management team of Preferred Hotel Group, publishers of Preferred Hotels and Resorts and Preferred Boutique Destination Guide.

The new promotional deal, which was signed at the ongoing international travel and tourism trade expo (ITB Berlin) in Berlin by the Director General of NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, is to expose and help propel Nigeria hospitality outfits to a new level. According to Runsewe, this will add more value to Nigeria hospitality and give confidence to the international market once they see Nigerian hotels listed in the guide as the guide is internationally acclaimed.

Abraka turf and Country club located away from Abraka town in Delta state, is one of the resorts in the country that has at its heart essential ingredients that define nature’s wellbeing.

At the Turf, every element embodies luxury lifestyle and philosophies of nature, promising to take care of the guests’ every need.

It is a private club set up to function at the highest levels of luxury and guest satisfaction. Abraka Turf and Country Club has today taken on a leading role in the nation’s leisure and catering industry, and prides itself on its ability to deliver exquisite services.

The resort includes perfect villas, chalets, and caters to highend clientele that includes families, vacation seekers, campers, as well as corporate groups. Abraka Turf and Country Club comes fully equipped with state of the art facilities and the outdoor activities include golf, tennis, canoeing, kayaking, polo, horseback riding, fishing and deep river diving.

Tourists can enjoy hot sun, cool blue pool; clear emerald green river, natural greens and a Savannah adventure of a lifetime on a quintessential multi-sport odyssey in Delta’s paradise.

It is a perfect location for movies of any theme, documentaries of the rarest rainforest wildlife, deep river life and cultural exchange on the plains of the Delta coastline.

Association urges FG to provide infrastructure … FTAN, FCT to collaborate on tourism

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By JIMOH BABATUNDE with agency reports

ice President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agents (NANTA), Mrs Tinuke Nwakohu, , has called on the Federal Government to provide infrastructure to attract foreign investments in tourism.

Nwakohu said Lagos that poor infrastructure had contributed to low inflow of foreign tourists into the country and the slow pace of developing the sector.

She said that foreign tourists would not travel to a destination with bad roads, unstable electricity, insecurity, lack of maintenance of tourist sites and national heritage centres.

The vice president advised the government to address these challenges to attract more tourists and for the general welfare of the citizenry.

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“Government should be committed to tourism development, therefore, it should effectively address the issue of infrastructural development to curb the low inflow of foreign tourists,’’ Nwakohu.

She said that multiple taxation of tourism agencies also hamper high inflow of tourists whereby foreign tourists find hotels and other leisure very expensive.

Nwakohu also enjoined government and other stakeholders to make more commitment to tourism development to enable the country realise its full potential as a tourist destination.

“The only key to actualise the country’s dream as a tourist destination is through proper infrastructural development,’’ Nwakohu said.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), says it will collaborate with the Federal Capital Territory

Minister vows to include Uvwie in few cultural shows

By SAM EYOBOKA and AMBROSE OLOGIDE (FCT) administration to develop tourism in the nation’s capital.

The Vice-President of FTAN, Mr Tomi Akingbogun, said this in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.

Akingbogun said that the collaboration with the FCT was meant to achieve full tourism potential of the territory.

The tourism expert said that FCT was endowed with rich human, capital and natural resources, which made it the preferred tourism destination.

“Tourism is very important to the FCT and Nigeria in general.

“The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, has initiated programmes to develop tourism.

“The FCT administration, led by Sen. Bala Mohammed, is very happy with our tourism programme and FTAN has been chosen to drive tourism in the territory,’’ he told NAN. Akingbogun said the planned FTAN Investors’ Forum and Exhibition in the FCT would showcase the potential of tourism in the nation’s capital.

“The Forum is also aimed at strengthening the relationship between tourism investors and the service providers, as well as building new tourism frontiers in the FCT.

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MPRESSED by the rich cultural display of Uvwie people during the justconcluded fifth coronation anniversary celebration of the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Mr. Edem Duke has promised that Uvwie will partake in all subsequent national cultural activities.

The minister represented by a director in the ministry, Otumba Sheye Omoluju, showered encomiums on the Uvwie monarch, HRM Emmanuel Sideso Abe I, who he described as a custodian of rich cultural heritage.

Earlier, the chairman of the cultural day of the celebration which took place at the permanent palace of the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom in Effurun GRA, Chief Gbegbaje Das commended the Ovie of Uvwie for his patriotism even before he ascended the throne, citing the employment opportunities he offered Uvwie sons and daughters.

26 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—27

By BENJAMIN NJOKU

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ALL it a night when the stars came out to play and you may not be wrong. The inaugural edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA, was no less a line up of stars from this part of the world.

The event brought the stars of Africa to Lagos and what a great feast it was. The prestigious Eko hotel and suites, Victoria Island venue of the two nights event, was turned into a hub of activity, a carnival of sorts where African brightest and best entertainers came to hobnob.

Like the Oscars, the awards night was punctuated with glamour, glitz and celebration of the best of Africa movie stars and practitioners. It was an elaborate extravaganza, with the invited guests walking up the red carpet in the creations of the most prominent fashion designers of the day.

Broadcast to the whole world on all eight Africa Magic channels, the red carpet took off with the stars doing their best to outshine the other. African designers were vividly on display with most A-list stars choosing to patronise the local talent.

On the red-carpet, the stars showed off their best jewels and designers’ outfits.

Genevieve Nnaji’s outfit was awesome, just as Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde chose to patronise local fabric. Jim Iyke’s decision to storm the event on shorts only left his fans in shock as it has continued to attract criticisms from different quarters.

Interestingly, all the attendees, including captains of industry, government officials, entertainers from across Africa made strong statements in their different outfits.

Femi Kuti opened the night with a stellar performance of his Bang, Bang, Bang song.

Nigeria’s Akin Omotosho’s gangster drama ‘Man on ground’ carted away the ear-

AMVCA: The night movie stars came out to play

ly batch of awards. Mr Omotosho would later win for best director and his leading man Fabian Adeoye Lojede although not a winner in any acting category felt like a re-

I N S I D E:

Music is my comfort zone — Lynns

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curring decimal with the way he kept popping up either to accept on someone’s behalf or to present an award. Other deserving big winners including Hafiz Ayetoro, Tunde Kel-

I’m a man exposed to good living through the hard way — Chris Ajilo

ani and Sara Blecher got standing ovation from the audience.

While it is difficult to criticise the process of selecting the winners since the results were a reflection of the voters’ verdict, but eyebrows however were raised in respect of seeing Jackie Appiah beating both Genevieve

Nnaji and Funke Akindele to clinch the award of lead actress in a drama. Mercy Johnson beating Funke Akindele following her role in ‘Dumebi the Dirty Girl’ may not be disputed though as her movies are regularly shown on Africa Magic.

Continues on page 28

What’s this thing about

cloud computing?

28—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

AMVCA: The night the stars come out to play

Lara George headlines Nnena & Friends Easter show

Continues in page 2 However, hosts Ik Osakioduwa and former BBA housemate Vimbai Mutinhiri made a great combination.

While IK has grown and matured in front of the camera and can host these things in his sleep, Vimbai had to work extra hard to gain the audience’s approval. Shorn by her stylists who seemed to pick out the wrong set of costumes, the scripted presentations and timely cue cards compensated and her perkiness appeared wholesome.

Performances by Tiwa Savage who paid tribute to the late songstress, Goldie Harvey, before starting off her performance and Banky W lifted the show. Just as Iyanya’s lewd performance earned him criticisms from the audience. It was observed that there were too many breaks in between and the ushering of the musical numbers seemed seamles.

Also organizers while announcing the winners, failed to show a clip of the films they were being rewarded for.

Olu Jacobs who was honored with a lifetime achievement award was in his best element throughout the night.

But a minute silence in honour of the departed Nollywood veterans like Justus Esiri, Enebeli Elebuwa, Pete Eneh and Sam Loco-Efe would have made the difference. It will be recalled that every year, the Oscar pays tribute to people who were lost including actors, and people behind the scenes. Organisers of AMVCA need to borrow a leaf from Oscar.

AMVCA, not a competitive event — M-net boss

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eanwhile, speaking at the post-event press conference, the Managing Director of M-net, Mrs. Biola Alabi, disclosed that AMVCA was not established to be a competitive event, rather a collaboration to celebrate the best of African movie stars and practitioners.

According to her, what differentiate AMVCA from other award ceremonies across Africa is the fact that it is set up to celebrate the creativity and storytelling skills of the African film makers.

“I think, this award ceremony is different because we are actually showing and sharing the talents, creativity and storytelling, not only in Nigeria, but across 50 counC M Y K

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tries of Africa all at the same time. We believe that as AfricaMagic, with our growth and the opportunity we have to engage the African film industry, we have to do this. It was important for us, coupled with the platform that we have. We knew there are several awards out there, but we also believe there is still room for more awards to add to the existing ones. And we believe as well, it’s not a competition but a collaboration to celebrate the best of what Africa has to offer to the world,” M-net boss said.

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ommenting on the event, AGN President, Miss Ibinabo Fiberesima described it as “a welcome development, ”adding that organisers have raised a standard in the industry. “ Next year, I wish that Nigerians will take the award more

seriously by voting for their choice artistes.” But film maker, Elvis Chuks accused organsiers of the award of bias. “ The organisers were biased because they used Nigerian actors to advertise the award and at the end, they gave the South Africans the trophies. It is not fair, those South African movies nominated were not shown on Africa Magic. It’s pure bias, unfair and an insult to Nigerian actors. The viewers cannot see the Nigerian movies that they are familiar with and then vote for strange movies that were never shown on Africa Magic.

As the curtain drew on the maiden edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA, last Sunday night, the general impression was that the glamorous event achieved the aspiration of uniting Africa through film as well as appreciating the wealth of talents within its borders. It also helped to raise the profile of the African film industry.

ale Adenuga Productions is at it again as the renowned entertainment company enlists multiple award winning inspirational artiste and exKush member, Lara George to headline the upcoming its live show specifically packaged for the whole family, Nnena & Friends Easter Show 2013.

The show which takes place at the National Theater, Iganmu, Lagos, on Sunday, March 31, promises to be memorable as it will run in three sessions.

Thousands of fans would get to see Lara George light up the stage with her classic and smash hits as well as brilliant performances by Papa Ajasco & Company, Nigeria’s Number One Comedy Troupe.

Also, the marvellous Linda; electrifying dance groups, Point X and Trace and the young and versatile N-Stars will all be on duty to deliver a variety of exhilarating performances with MC Prince and wapTV’s very own, Omo Nla serving as coanchors.

The event is sponsored by Indomie, Afrab Chem Ltd., Toasties Bread Chips and other corporate organizations which would be providing lots of gifts and prizes for all audience members, and would be broadcast across Nigeria on wapTV (StarTimes Channel 222) and several other key stations.

Lara

George

Ebenezer Obey, Idowu Animashawun storm Ibadan for joint missions concert

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HE ancient city of Ibadan will President of the Worldhope Ministries, on Sunday, March 24, the Palm the organizers of the concert, Revd IdSunday, this year witness the asowu Animasawun, the purpose of the semblage of the titans in music inevent was to raise Christian youths in the dustry at a concert tagged - Africa crusade for the evangelism of the interiMissions Concert. The Venue is or and remote African villages.

Oke-Ado Baptist Church, Liberty Eminent Nigerians and prominent Road, Ibadan.

Christian leaders have been invited to The historic Musical gathering is grace the historic occasion with their to feature among other artistes presence. two juju music giants, EvanThe erstwhile juju music artistegelist (Dr.) Ebenezer Fabiyiturned gospel missionary had been Obey (MFR) and Revd Idinvolved in the preaching of the gosowu Animasawun of the pel to the peasants and the downtrodApola music fame in a landden of the society in villages within mark joint performance. and outside Nigeria.

Other artistes to feaHe has also been involved ture along with in the establishment of them are two top churches, nursery/primary gospel artistes – and secondary schools Evangelist Funmi which are heavily subsiAragbaiye (JP) dized by his ministry to and Sola Oladoyassist those villagers inbo. who could not afford the In a statement cost of sending their Revd. issued and children and wards to Animashawun signed by the schools.

Knorr Taste Quest:

Last 7 standing as countdown begins

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he Knorr Taste Quest is a cooking competition like no other in Nigeria which aims to test the skills of food lovers in other to discover Nigeria’s best in culinary matters.

With nine episodes down and five more to go, the competition is still as unpredictable as ever. No one seems to be immune to the Judges elimination and winning a task is no guarantee to reaching the finals.

In the last episode, the eight remaining contestants were given a monumental task to make a two course meal using eight varied secret ingredients in 1 hour 10 minutes. The ingredients consisted of; Rice, Yam, Pumpkin, Sweet chilli peppers, Pineapple, Chicken wings, Beef and Plum tomatoes. The contestants got to work immediately seemingly undaunted by the task ahead, however when asked by the judges, most of the contestants attested to being overwhelmed by all the ingredients.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—29

preach, I always preach to myself first.

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI & ANOZIE EGOLE Lynns Tokee-Opitoke is a UK based Nigerian gospel artiste and a minster of God whose inspirational songs have been downloaded by a lot of people. He is in the country to promote his new album as well as to win souls for Christ through his music. In this interview, he talks about his music, and the dinner concert that will precede the unveiling of his new album in the country.

Between singing and going to the pulpit, which one is more tasking?

Preaching is more tasking.

Because, you are preaching to people and you are trying to make them accept it unlike the studio where you can make some corrections when you make mistakes. If you say no, people will hear it and you would not take it back. In preaching, you are also putting what you are preaching into practice, spiritually and physically. In singing, anyone can sing but what makes the difference is the spirit of God. There are lots of gospel artistes that are just entertainers. They don’t feel anything, they just jump into the studio and sing, they do not feel any spirit of God. To me, they are gospel entertainers. There are other people that if you listen to their song, it is like a message. One of my tracks is all about a message. It will tell you to call on God whenever you have problem.

How did you get into music?

It all started way back in the 1970s. Actually, I was a rupee before I started singing gospel music. That was far way back in 1976-1977. I was with Bongos Ikwue. I played with his band for some time before I travelled out of the country.

When I came back, I decided to go into gospel music. I formed a group with my cousin called the “Glad Types” in 1984. Then, we were 5man band,later the number was reduced to four. We sang contemporary gospel. We were popular among students on campuses. Like the gospel, we spent a lot. Later, we did an album as a group even though it did not fly. We didn’t spend much while producing the album even though it had quality. The marketers were responsible for the inability of the album to break into the market because they refused to promote it. Later, I decided to do my own CD in 2004 and I titled it “In your Presence”. In 2006, I relocated to the UK with my family to begin my pastoral work. When I got there, I decided to face the pastoral work. But one of my Senior pastors encouraged me to return to singing. That was how I went back to the studio in 2009 and 2010 to record my new album. I recorded this present album in UK. I am still living in UK. So what’s the title of your new album?

It’s called New Dawn produced by Lazaak Gaman from Cote

Are you pastoring a church there?

Yes, I’m pastoring a church over there. It is called Christ United Ministries in Manchester and that’s what actually took me to the UK. Music is my first love. I’ve been singing before I became a pastor. While I was in Nigeria, I was involved in a church choir. I became their music director afterward so, music is part of me. It’s more of my comfort zone.

How is your music accepted in the UK? Very well. But the trend is a bit different, there are online stores that sell my music.

Many people have downloaded my music and they have paid for it. It’s not like in Nigeria where people’s music are downloaded free of charge. My albums are showcased at least on sixteen on-line stores at the moment including Amazon and ITunes. That’s where we do most of the sales. Outside this country, we have a wider market unlike here where everybody imitates each other. Everybody wants to sing what other artistes have done. But abroad, there is a wider market. If you go to Google, you come across all my music, meaning that anywhere you are, you can buy any of the tracks. Like my

Music is my comfort zone — Lynns CD is sold for $10 that is, N2,500.

Why are you in the country?

I’m here to promote my new album because I feel there are some tracks that will appeal to the people. They will appreciate it so much. And because of the quality of the message in the music too.

This album goes beyond the music, there is also a message attached to it. Some messages there are positive and encouraging. All my songs are rendered in English language. I have a desire to use my songs to bring salvation to my fellow country men. The quality of my songs is high and it meets the European standard.

Is there any similarity between your music and that of Sammie Okposi ?

Yes, fortunately, Sammie is my very good friend. I knew him right from my secondary school days. He produced

,

D’ivore. He is also based in the UK.

I have a desire to use my songs to bring salvation to my fellow country men. The quality of my songs is high and it meets the European standard.

,

some of my music. He used to back up my gospel band then.

I have come a long way with him. He produced my first album. We stayed in Warri together and a little bit of his influence also affects what I am doing right now.

What inspires your music career?

I am influenced by things I see, it is a gift. But I get more of my inspirations from God. Things that happen around my environment inspires me

greatly. The track I did with Aso Eke was born out of inspiration. I was sleeping and I dreamt where I was singing the song and was encouraging people around me with the song. The song was saying that it doesn’t matter where you are and what you are going through, God is with you. So, I woke up and wrote down the song.

Personality, things I see motivate me. One thing about me is this, even when I

What would you say about gospel music in Nigeria given your vast experience?

Like I said, when my crew in those days did gospel music, our level was so high because, the people then were used to listening to some gospel music like the Voice of the Cross. But now, there are more contemporary gospel artistes like Sammie Okposi. What I would advise most gospel musicians is that they should not just concentrate on the entertainment part of it. They should look beyond that. Because it is a God’s thing. You are reaching out to people and God at the same time. A good gospel music is supposed to bring the body and soul together.

Some gospel music ends up for just the body and soul.

But man is made up of body, spirit and soul so, a good gospel music should encompass the three.

Could you tell us some of the songs on your new album?

The first track on it is: Everybody Come Around, Sing Halleluyah, I did that with Azuh Ekiye. The next one is: Call On Him, I Can’t Thank You Enough which is a medley, Wait Upon The Lord and all others.

Your are due to present the album to a selected people tomorrow?

Yes, it’s a gospel music presentation. I call it a dinner concert, comprising about 40 to 50 people who will come together to chart a new direction for the gospel music industry in Nigeria.

30 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 with LAJU ARENYEKA

FAME AND FEUDS Today, everyone quotes Shakespeare. It gives a certain credence, an authority to your writing. When you say ‘Shakespeare said’ no one cares whether you are writing entertainment, sports or politics, it is serious journalism. It’s only natural that we follow suit. Quite a pity that I’m not too sure who said “All is fair in love and war,” but I’m sincerely hoping that it was Shakespeare. If it was someone else, all is not lost, because some intellectuals have read this far. Lol! There’s another aspect of Shakespeare that more specifically relates to this article. It’s the timeless classic, Romeo and Juliet. These two represent ‘love’, and their families; the Montagues and the Capulets represent war.

So where is all this grammar leading to? Simple. Celebrity feuds have been going on for ages, long before Shakespeare’s time. It’s the amazing way than fans troop behind their favourite star during face offs that make feuds between the famous fun to watch.

Linda Ikeji and Jim Iyke

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he started it! The feud between blogging queen, Linda Ikeji and Nollywood King, Jim Iyke became public when Linda posted a semi nude picture of Jim on her blog, and then wrote: “Every time I write about this dude, he comes after me on Twitter, but I must do my job na. Nice body.”

Her prediction turned out to be correct because soon after, the actor tweeted a harsh reply when Linda refused to remove some of the comments on her blog.

One of his later tweets had to be PG-ed, but it looked something like To the anorexic #cutnpasteb***h Linda n her #Hateacademy #jimiykeunscripted…we live so you can eat.” And then came the F word. The most recent show off from Linda was Jim Iyke’s picture from the Africa Magic viewer’s choice awards, “No comment”, Linda commented.

D’banj and Don Jazzy

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t’s more sensational when a marriage made in heaven ends up in divorce. That’s what happened with the brains behind the now defunct monster label Mo’hits.

Everyone wants to know what happened and why it happened, but more importantly, everyone wants to know what is happening now.

Rumour has it that D’banj and Don Jazzy are no longer on speaking terms and do not see eye to eye but communicate via email only when necessary. Both seem to be doing well as individualFrancis

Omotola and Genevieve

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h please! Genevieve showed up at Omotola’s surprise birthday party and they took a beautiful picture together. These duo have acted as each other ’s sisters time without number, and all the staff on Ije said they were very cordial to each other. Get it, the feud may just be going on in the minds of rumour hungry fans like you and me!

Two Face and Mikel

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em say, dem say,that Two Face met Mikel Obi at a night club in London and wanted to famz with him, but Mikel shunned him. So Two Baba came back and did what any sensible musician would do, write a song about it. Many say that the song ‘ONLY ME’ was written in honour of the singer’s feuding buddy.

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THE TEAM BENJAMIN NJOKU njokujamin@yahoo.com

AYO ONIKOYI OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 —31

Extra

I’m a man exposed to good living through the hard way — Chris Ajilo

Press. It was a memorable day and more memorable was his linking up with his old band, the ‘West End Cool Cats Orchestra’ who was already playing at the West End Cafe at Apongbon Street owned by Mr. Larinde Cole a.k.a ABC Cole. “ members of the band were Kazool Anifowoshe, lead trumpet, late Bala Miller, second trumpet, Victor Olaita, third trumpet, Late Tex Lati Oluwa, double bass, Lander Shashore, bongos with late Olu Gabson, jazz drums. There were two lady vocalists, my junior sister, Connie Ajilo and Kathleen Equa Garland. There were also Oden Lawal, on drums, Sammy Lartey, on alto, baritone saxophones and clarinet and I, on tenor saxophone, clarinet and leading the band” he wrote.

Come the next Boxing Day, Highlife legend, composer and one of the pioneer musicologists in Nigeria, Chris Ajilo will clock 84 years old but when he walked into the Corporate Office of Vanguard Media Limited some days back, to visit his old friend, the publisher of Vanguard, Mr. Sam Amuka, there was nothing of him to show he was anything near that age. Twice, the old music master climbed the four flight of stairs to the Publisher’s office without as much as a pant. He was so full of life with much breath to spare even when those of us much younger were a bit breathless by the simple exercise.

From Teshi Army Base, he went to Accra and began on a long journey, from one African seaport to another, often times as a stowaway, surviving harshest of conditions life has to offer.

Sometimes, going without food for days.

At a point, after sailing with an American Ship he changed his name to Johnny Foster, again, disguising, this time, as an African-American. From there on, life was a merry-go-round of dashed expectations, adventures and even imprisonment but he eventually made it to Great Britain and ultimately to Birmingham, where his life took a rhythmic turn on the path to music.

At that point in his life, music was the last thing on his mind. His having to work in several factories had tuned his mind toward becoming an engineer but his weekend escapades at various balls, shows and concerts stirred the musical giant long asleep in him back to life. “ I wrote to my mother in Lagos informing her about changing my course of study in England to music. She instantly replied

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e was accompanied by Beautiful Nubia who granted us an interview but when it was Pa Ajilo’s turn, he kindly declined. “ I have been interviewed too many times. There is nothing new to be said about me that hasn’t been said before. Everything you want to know about me is in the book”, he said, referring to “Reminiscences of a Nigerian Pioneer Musicologist”, an autobiography of his life he launched in January of 2013. “It is my gift to the future. It took me two years to complete and I am proud to say I wrote the book without assistance from any quarter” “I am not only a musician, I am a Copyright man, a Trade Unionist, a man that makes use of his hands and his brain” he said. “Read the book and you will share in my experience, the journey I had to travel through life”. So, we took a journey into the mind of a great man through pages of his own autobiography: The Early Life Chris Ajilo was born on December 26, 1929 in Oke Popo, in Lagos Island, close to Kakawa and Campos Square, an area commonly referred to as the ‘Brazilian quarters’ because slaves brought from different areas of South America after the abolition of the Slave Trade were quartered in this area.

Chris Ajilo had a normal upbringing like every child born in the early 1900s in Lagos, growing up with his other four siblings. But his father’s early death reshaped his life and cut a different path for him to follow. He was only nine years old when his father died and the burden of raising the children fell on his mother, Late Mrs Christiana Ajilo, who was a sewing mistress.

His first encounter with music came at C.M.S. Grammar School where he was taught the theory of music. It was a compulsory subject at CMS then and it had as much effect on him as it did on every young person fascinated with music at that time. Then, he met another person who contributed in some way in awakening the music giant in him. “The young man was Fola Arogundade and he was a man of many parts. He played the guitar, he sang, he was a playwright. He was my role model and inspirer in music which was then a compulsory subject at the CMS Grammar School” he wrote.

By Class four at CMS it dawned on Young Ajilo that he could not any longer depended on his mother to pay his way through school because in his words “It was already manifestly clear that things had become unbearably tough for Mama to cater effectively for the household, more so, with the undisguised threats from money lenders” On the 8th of April, 1946, Ajilo decided to leave home for greener pastures abroad. To do this, he disguised himself in his senior brother’s military uniform, who had served in the West African Frontier Force during the Second World War. He joined the convoy leaving for Ghana at the Abalti Barracks in Idi-Oro, Lagos.

saxophone, I started practical lessons on the instrument from my instructor, Don Randell. I was also learning to play the clarinet from my other instructor, Aubrey Frank” he wrote. But what helped him more was having to travel with professional bands and playing with them. This was something he too inculcated in his students later in life. “In fact, today, I

My first instrument, an alto saxophone, was bought from a pawn shop in the West End for fifteen pounds

my letter only to rebuke me that my decision would turn me to a beggar when I return to Nigeria” he wrote. To pursue his dream he had to leave Birmingham for London, leaving behind his fiancée, a lady named Barbara Hulme who bore him his first child, a baby girl.

The musical journey “ I saved enough money to get admission into the Central School of Dance Music (later known as Eric Gilder School of Music) under the great guitarist and music teacher, Mr. Ivor Mairant” he wrote. His lecturers included Johnny Dankworth, Don Randell, Jimmy Ducher, Aubrey Frank and many other notable names. He worked and schooled at the same time. “My first instrument, an alto saxophone, was bought from a pawn shop in the West End for fifteen pounds”.

“By the time I purchased my own tenor

,

believe what I learnt from these professionals were much more than what I learnt in the School of Music” he wrote.

After music school he joined a semiprofessional band of youths, playing Afrocuban music with a touch of jazz.

Then he played with bands like Kenny Graham and his Afrocubist Band; the Ginger Johnson Abalabi Band; the Arthur Rowebury’s Band. The birth of his own first band came through his return visit to Birmingham where he met a group of Nigerians who needed someone to direct and groom their musical passion. The Cool Cats Band of Africa was born and later resurfaced in Lagos at the West End Cafe in Lagos after his return to the country.

Back in the fatherland Now a groomed musicologist, Chris Ajilo arrived in Nigeria to a sort of hero’s welcome from his family and the Nigerian

After a few weeks he left “ I had to leave the band with other musicians because of the style of the management which gave only one third of the collected gate fees as the band’s salary. The idea was unacceptable to my perception of running a resident band” he explained.

On the origin of Highlife “ There had been many arguments on the origin of Highlife. Some school of thought said it was from the then Gold Coast now Ghana. Others believe it was from other parts of the West African countries. But my belief is that the word ‘Highlife’ was coined from the free style of dancing which was not as strict as the other Western or foreign dance steps of the yesteryears. This pattern of music was found throughout the West African Coast with various musical instruments used” he wrote.

Taking music to the next level Right after the West End Cool Cats experience he became obvious to Ajilo musicians were not being placed in their pride of place in the scheme of things and in the face of seeming economic boom in the country he began a quest to find identity for musicians. His band, Chris Ajilo and his Cubanos was formally launched on August 1, 1955. The member were Johnson Omooba, trombone, Tex Lati Oluwa, double bass guitar, Lander Sasore, bongos, Akanni Martins, guitar, Candido D’Ajax, conga drums, late Bayo Martins, jazz drums and vocals. Later, Tony Obbs and Marco Bazz on alto sax and trumpet respectively joined the band.

The band embarked on many tours across the West Africa sub-region and it was during his first recording in Accra, Ghana that he met a woman he fell in love with, Sarkiorkor Ayittey

Continues next week

32— Vanguard, FRIDAY , MRACH 15, 2013

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Equality and emancipation The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

But while the new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation, the majority believes it is not yet Uhuru, as the popular saying goes. so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

In Nigeria, women participation in politics enjoys a historical precedence. We hear of all the exploits in past centuries of women taking up C M Y K

•Funmilayo Kuti

•Abike Dabiri

Nigerian woman in 2013 the gauntlet and excelling in statecraft with more boldness even than men. , women in precolonial Nigeria were an integral part of the political set up of their communities.

Most often, they carried out separate functions from the men. These functions were fully complementary.

In precolonial Bomu, for instance, women played active parts in the administration of the state. They held very important offices in the royal family, including the offices of the Megira (the Queen mother) and the Gumsu (the first wife of the Mai or King) (Ola, 1978).

Women also played a very significant role in the political history of ancient Zaria. The modern city of Zaria was founded in the first half of the 16th cen tur/, by a woman called Queen Bakwa Turuku.

She had a daughter called Amina who later succeeded her as Queen.

Queen Amina was a great and pow erful warrior. She built a high wall around Zaria in order to protect the city from invasion and extended the boundaries of her territory beyond Bauchi.

The people of Kano and Katsina paid tributes to her.

She turned Zaria into a very prominent commercial centre.

The story was not different in ancient Yorubaland. The Oba ruled with the assistance of a number of women refereed to as the ladies of the palace. The ladies of the palace consisted of eight titled ladies of the highest rank.

The significant role played by prominent women such as Moremi of lfe, Emotan of Benin and Omu Okwel of Ossomari in the precolonial

history of Nigeria cannot be ignored. Moremi and Emotan were great amazons who displayed tremendous bravery and strength in the politics of lfe and Benin respectively, while Omu Okwei dominated the com mercial scene of Ossomari in present day Delta State These were well before the times of colonial female titans in the mould of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti.but while women are struggling with hardcore politics they are holding forte in commerce both in the formal and informal sectors with those like Emzor’s Stella Okoli replacing those like Bisoye Tejuosho.it is a well known fact that women

,

OMEN all over the globe will converge in groups today to discuss issues that affect women, with topics as diverse and far reaching as culture, politics, the economy, personal development, health, power, family, marriage, domestic violence, migration and many many more.

It was done first more than a hundred years ago in 1910. In the years before this time there had been a gender renaissance of some sort, with several women campaigning for change. In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen, with the idea being broached at this event of a yearly International Women’s Day , one which was greeted with unanimous approval.

It took decades for women in different countries to jump on the bandwagon but jump they did. The rest, as they say, is history.

IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, GuineaBissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia.

ters. Benue First Lady Yemisi Suswam only last week lamented that affirmative action in appointing women into government service has been more lip service than reality.

While advocating for gender equality as a means of encouraging full participation in national economic development, she insisted that the 35 per cent women affirmation being flaunted by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is a scam and is far from being implemented and is a ‘mirage’ Nigeria’s first deputy governor Senator Kofo Bucknor Akerele when asked recently when Nigeria can expect a female deputy

Women also played a very significant role in the political history of ancient Zaria. The modern city of Zaria was founded in the first half of the 16th cen tur/, by a woman called Queen Bakwa Turuku

who cannot even do their own accounts are the saving grace in the harsh economic times, from the survivor roasting corn in the street corner to the multimillionare seller of lace material on Lagos Island.

Keeping food on the table and keeping the fire burning while their men wonder what to do next.

Another area where we have thrived is in government in elective positions, and entertainment, though there are still complaints from many quar-

,

governor said it is all up to the men to support women.

I think by the next dispensation we should be able to get a woman-governor in the country. “We have not had a woman-governor because most of the time men will not support women. They would say if there is a woman there, how can they go to the woman to ask for favour? How can a woman be boss over them?

But I still maintain that women are better managers.

They manage their house-

holds and the family finances.

If they are given the chance to manage the finances of the country, I think they will instil more fiscal discipline and Nigeria will be better for it”.

Gender Violence and healthcare are two areas where there is continuous cause for concern, with the country taking front stand in the maternal mortality issue.

And despite aggressive campaign over the decade, domestic violence has been on the rise, a cause for concern for international organizations such as UN Women.

Personal injury In case of gang raping, it is good news that the lower house in Abuja want any person convicted to jointly and severally face a minimum of 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.

They last week also recommended imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine of N100,000 or both for anyone convicted of willfully causing or inflicting physical injury on another person by means of rape, using any substance or object.

These were made known as the House unanimously adopted reports on a bill for an Act on violence against persons (prohibition) earlier sponsored by Abike DabiriErewa (ACN Lagos) DabiriErewa, while presenting the 51-clause Bill on the floor of the House said time had come for it to become enforceable law.

While we celebrate, let us keep in mind that Russia is getting ready to send a woman to the moon.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 33

Themes for your Home A theme unifies the decorations and makes an interior look harmonious and complete. There are many themes to choose from and each one brings a different mood to the room. Choosing a right theme for a certain room can make for unusual home decor.

Here are tips:A theme unifies the decorations and make an interior look harmonious and complete. There are many themes to choose from and each one brings a different mood to the room. Choosing a right theme for a certain room can make for a unusual home decor.

The themed decor is often used in kids rooms but the theme doesn’t always have to be taken from a cartoon or a comic book. A theme can be something more

W

Home Decor:

How To Choose Theme

abstract and allow your decorating fantasy soar. Think ocean theme, peaceful floral meadow theme or graphic black and white. But there are many themes to choose from.

Choosing A Theme…

Think about how it will suit the room and what mood will

it create. Does the mood suit the room’s purpose? It all depends on tastes. The light, inviting themes like a floral meadow can be used in a living room while the soothing sea-inspired decor can be used in a bedroom.

Study several favourite themes before deciding

NS O I S S E R P X

HEN the terror group believed to Boko Haram with the militants in the prebe known as Boko Haram first Yaradua South south is to completely miss began operating in Nigeria, little the point, both of the raison d’etre of the did we, the terrorized, know that it was to be two and their manner of operation. While a permanent fixture with members doing the one had a clear direction and had faces of a unthinkable: suicide bombing. sort, the other has supposedly remained Yet when the first arrests of members of the faceless. The objectives of the mindless group was done and the announcement of destruction of lives and property distinct in their private execution in a jail in NorthBoko Haram operations have remained eastern Nigeria rather than a much largely unclear. Calls, therefore, for amnesty anticipated trial was for the group can, at done, it was quite clear best, be futile. something was going on The Sultan of Sokoto that went much further is not the first than the ordinary. individual to call for The phenomenon has amnesty for the Boko reached its peak and is Haram, but the very on the decline, it might nature of terrorism be said; and boasts of makes this either coming down South for impossible or futile. operations have mostly Terrorism uses the remained just thatinstrument of fear, and boasts. The confusion, when the powers that therefore, arising from be compromise on the seeming exclusivity that position, they are of Boko Haram activities relinquishing power to the North has been to the terrorist and met with relative feeding the culture of indifference by other fear. It is a monster we parts of Nigeria. cannot afford to •Sultan of Sokoto To begin to compare create.

which one will fit.

Themed Decor Tips If you’ve chosen a themed decor for a room make sure it is properly accessorized. If it’s ocean-inspired decorative seashells and rocks can complete the aqua colour scheme. The right patterns in fabrics can also complete the theme and make the decor look more detailed.

Most people choose their decorating style for very personal reasons - for a lot of people it is simply a matter of taste...

Be inspired by other people’s interior design style Have you seen a style in a magazine, on TV or in someone’s home that you just liked? Then why not try it out in your own home...

Be inspired by places Does a certain style remind you of a wonderful holiday or trip?

A summer holiday to Tuscany? Backpacking in Asia?

A trip to France? A relaxing week on a tropical beach?

These are really good interior design themes to choose then, as your room will always remind you of your wonderful memories... ...and make you feel happy and relaxed when you are in it.

Perhaps you have always longed to go to Japan, India or Europe, and love

everything about that country...

This is another good reason to choose that theme, and surround yourself with colors and styles that remind you of your interests and passions...

Choosing the right interior design themes Choosing interior design themes and styles for your home does make a very strong statement about yourself and your personality - and there are some very striking styles out there!

Choose interior design themes that you truly love, and will be able to live with for a while.

Themes not Theme Parks Decide if you want to go with a single theme for your entire house, or keep it just for one room. There is nothing wrong with mixing themes and styles in your home but it is not a good idea to have a different theme in every single room (it’s meant to be a home not a theme park) Leave some rooms quite simple and neutral - for a nice visual rest from all the interest.

Subtle or Strong You can go as far as you want with your chosen interior design themes, just a few inspired accessories dotted around... ...or the full-on complete look - the choice is yours!

34 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com

….Sorry, it’s not about sitting down in the cloud typing!

Lower costs – If you’re looking to cut costs, cloudbased services can provide many avenues to savings from server maintenance, power and cooling, IT personnel, software licensing and upgrade expenses.

Scalability – Cloud-based services operate on a subscription-based payment model, a feature that allows for greater flexibility when it comes to technology usage.

You pay only for what you need, when you need it.

What’s this thing about

cloud computing?

F

or many businesses today, breaking even, is faster with the application of technologies.

Applying technologies also demands making decisions that deliver cost savings and increased revenues. These are the pressures of almost every Nigerian business manager today and also why it becomes imperative to look the cloud computing way.

What is cloud computing Cloud computing is a way of aggregating software and hardware services for the purpose of accessing them on the Internet, rather than through local hard drives and servers. This method of computing makes it easier and more affordable for SMBs to use enterprise-grade technology solutions provided by third-party providers rather than invest in expensive technology, more personnel and system upgrades.

Contrary to common assumptions, its not about sitting down in the cloud with a computer on your laps. Cloud computing is like an advanced concept of converged infrastructure and shared services.

Some of the providers like Google, will always explain that they got involved in cloud services due to how consumer applications are evolving faster than business software.

Before technology grew to this level, the best technology was only accessed at work. But now, the tools in our personal lives are even better and also occupy larger spaces – the iPad, iPhone, or the 10GB Gmail inbox, which can not be compared to the 500 MB inbox at work that requires constant deleting of emails to free up space.

Today, mobility has erased the thin line between work and play. Employees are becoming consumers too, demanding the

same flexibility of access at home, in the offices. Such freedom increases productivity but it comes with a biting cost Benefits Mobility – Because employees can access cloudbased programs and software from anywhere they have an Internet connection and from nearly any device, cloud

computing enables SMBs to mobilize workers and provide them with all the tools they need to do their jobs, whether they’re in or out of the office.

Moreover, cloud computing allows for greater collaboration between remote and on-site employees, making audio, video and Web conferences, as well as document sharing and instant

WATCH YOUR BACK!

Social media is too close for comfort O

BY LAJU ARENYEKA

nly a few years ago, life was simple. Intellectuals read the newspapers, and grumbled with their peers about the sad state of the world.

Polished women read magazines and were sometimes privileged to meet celebrities at social events. The average man listened to the radio and watched television; Screaming feedback onto a figure in one’s living room that was thousands of miles away. Life was simple when black berries were just fruits and ‘tweet’ referred only to the sound made by birds.

Life is not so simple anymore.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of people around the world can air their views on just about any issue including Genevieve’s

plunging neckline or Kim Kardashian’s visit to Nigeria.

Youtube is only a click away, so no government can lie about it when foreigners are killed by a terrorist group, just like millions around the world can view for themselves the closing of the doors to the Sistine chapel.

Of course we’ve always had a say, but thanks to the internet, we can now actually say it and be heard. It does not matter whether it’s well thought out, or hurriedly put together, we can work our magic fingers and press the enter button. Nearly four billion of us in the world with access to the internet can like and unlike, upload and download, chat, skype, tweet, comment, surf, browse and whatever other word

messaging programs, easily accessible.

Increased security and reliability – When you use a cloud-computing solution, your business data resides in a secure, offsite location and will be backed up frequently or automatically and sometimes even georedundantly in multiple locations. These data-backup features provide greater peace of mind as well as business continuity should disaster or unexpected disruptions to your business occur. there is in the English dictionary that has come alive by virtue of inventions we couldn’t have imagined years ago.

The internet reminds us of the Nigerian films where a calabash under the bed acts a money making machine.

Really, can you explain how sitting in front of a w h i t e screen all day could make someone a millionaire? Well, the answer to that s e e m i n g l y rhetorical question is ‘ yes’, forex, online trading, social media consulting…journalism, the list goes on and on.

Well then, the skeptics might argue that social media craze has deeply affected our command of t h e E n g l i s h

Reservations However, some people have reservations about the cloud.

The biggest challenge to the cloud is the resistance to change -anything which represents a fundamental shift in the way things are done is going to take time to understand.

There are also some notable misconceptions out there about the risks, like system security and reliability especially as the owner is no longer in control of where his data is kept.

But in many ways, cloud computing can be more secure than hosting data yourself.

For example, it generally takes 30-60 days for businesses to patch a vulnerability in their own computer systems. language. Horrible spelling errors mar assignment scripts as students spend all day dealing with short forms like LMKMD, ROTFLMAO (Rolling on the floor laughing my ass out) and HBD-(Happy birthday). Yet the same cannot dispute that youths are now, more than ever much more in touch with the happenings around them.

….Each of these, takes the secret off you to the public domain!

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013— 35

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orld Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film was observed allover the world last Monday, March 11, 2013. This day was created in 2010 by Javed Mohammed of San Francisco who proclaimed the day as a special observance to share and discuss Muslim culture. I do not want to go into whether it is accepted by some Shi’a or Sunni Muslims. But the fact that as innovative as it is, it is aimed towards using culture, art and film to create bridges of dialogue and understanding among people of different faith which ultimately can lead a more peaceful world.

Again, understanding Islam through its culture, dialogue,

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

Let's spread the Peace Message a time when many erroneously see the issue of Boko Haram as a religious ideals, at a time when both Muslims and Christians are being killed by those who hide under the

,

...an atmosphere of peace enables good relationship between people. It makes it possible for feelings of love and friendship to prevail; it engenders constructive activities to flourish. It is my passionate appeal and that of other concerned Muslims to engage in a campaign for peace nation-wide

and ?lm in a way will give the world an in-depth knowledge of the Islamic world based on correct information, actual facts, and a true analysis of the course of events.

At a time when Muslims and non-Muslims are seen as enemies rather than allies, at

,

cloak of religion, at a time when bombs were planted in places of worships, there is need to use the opportunity the day offers to extend the hand of fellowship to non-Muslims to exchange messages of peace.

It was done in London, US, and other parts of the world.

Delta Muslims beg Uduaghan to constitut e Pilgrims board constitute

T

HE Delta State Muslim Council, an umbrella body for Muslims in the state has called on the Delta State Government to reconstitute the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board saying the continuous denial of the Muslims of the Board is tantamount to negating the principle for which the board was established and could be viewed as discrimination.

At a press conference in Warri, the secretary of the Council Alhaji Wasiu Udi noted that the governor in 2011, reconstituted the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board but to this moment, the Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board has not been reconstituted even though we share a common building.

Alhaji Udi noted that Governor Emmanuel Uguaghan has not created an enabling environment for Muslims in the state to justify the unflagging locality and efforts in its support adding that it is fundamental importance for us to appeal for to the governor as a matter of fairness, justice and equity to treat Muslims as he is treating our counterpart.

Alhaji Udi said due to the non reconstitution of the Muslim Board, during pilgrimages, Pilgrims from the state usually faced untold hardship during the 30 days exercise.

The Council also alleged hijacking of government spon-

sored pilgrims slots by non Muslims in position of authority who in-turn sell them to people from outside the state.

The Muslim Council called for urgent re-organization of the Muslim Board adding that apart from the secretary, all other workers in the Board are Christians. He noted that this negate our religious rites.

The press conference was attended by Muslim representatives from across the 25 Local Government Councils of the State including Heads of Islamic organisations in the State.

Turbaning

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he turbaning ceremony of the Chief Imam of Sholumade/Odumade Hijra community central mosque Alhaji Jamiu Oshodi, takes place on Saturday 31st march 2013 at 10.30am.

The event which is to be performed by Alhaji Tajudeen Disu holds at Community Senior Secondary School, Igbogbo/Bayeku road, Ikorodu, Lagos.

JAMON holds Maolid

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he Jumuhiyat Aonulahi Muslim organisation will hold its Maolid Nabiyi celebration on Sunday March 17, 2013.

According to the host, Sheikh Ibrahimn Mutalib (Agbadatuwo), the event which will hold at La primary School, Ago-Hausa by 10am prompt will feature lectures, prayers and renditions of the virtues of Prophet Muhammad. (s.a.w). Fadilat Zakir Hamod will be on hand to render zikhir among others.

Undoubtedly, to take of any action that will contribute to a better understanding of the diversity of Muslim culture and in initiating dialogue with people of other faiths that may result in a more just, peaceful world, is another form of ibadaat.

Although many Muslims are unaware of this day but it is not out of place to consciously reflect on the need for exchanging the messages of peace in and around our immediate society and continue to spread the message of peace to all and sundry. By this, we will not only be teaching Islam, we will be correcting the misrepresentation the nonMuslims have about Islam.

That is the the best Jihad we would have done in our life time. As Muslims, we should know that peaceful activism is distinctly superior to violent activism, and that is why we need to exert more energy towards achieving peace at all

areas of our lives than being violent. According to a Hadith, “God grants to gentleness what He does not grant to harshness.” Come to think of it, an atmosphere of peace enables good relationship between people. It makes it possible for feelings of love and friendship to prevail; it engenders constructive activities to flourish. It is my passionate appeal and that of other concerned Muslims to engage in a campaign for peace nation-wide. It is time that leaders, scholars, and other well meaning Muslims in the country come together without any regional sentiment to send out messages of peace and practically showcase our resolve for enthroning lasting peace in the country. Islam is peace.

The Mischief Makers

S

ome people are wont to quoted out of context some

of the injunctions of the Quran like: ‘Kill them wherever you find them.’ (2:191) are those who are ignorant of the context and circumstance to which some of these verses were revealed. They only claim to read the Quran but they don’t understand it, yet they give the impression that Islam is a religion of war and violence.

This is totally untrue. Such verses relate in a restricted sense, to those who have unilaterally attacked the Muslims. The above verse does not convey the general principle of Islam. It was only giving direction to those Muslims who were persecuted, maimed and killed because they accepted Islam and Allah told them to stand up and defend their faith.

Again, the Quran was not revealed in the complete form in which it exists today. It was revealed from time to time, and under different circumstances, over a time span of 23 years.

If this is divided into years of war and peace, the period of peace amounts to 20 years, while that of war amounts only to three years. The revelations during these 20 peaceful years were the peaceful teachings of Islam as are conveyed in the verses regarding the realization of God, worship, morality, justice. Those who want to know will know while those who flunder their ignorance to cause mischief will only end up in hell. More text mesages. Thanks.

From left: Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Osoala, Alhaji Taofeeq Adeseun, Chairman, Lagos Zone 1 NASFAT, Alhaji Akinmade Fatai and Alhaji Animashaun Monsuru during a quarterly conference organised by Lagos Zone 1, NASFAT in Akasoleri, Ikorodu, Lagos.

NASF AT ccharges harges Muslims on Shurah pr ocess NASFA process

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HE Chairman of Lagos Zone 1 of Nasru-llahi-ilFatih Society of Nigeria, NASFAT, Alhaji Taofeeq Adeseun has sad that the understanding of Shurah process in Islam will help all Muslim organisation in the selection of their leaders without rancour. He gave this admonition at the Quarterly Conference organised by Lagos Zone 1 of NASFAT held recently in Ikorodu, Lagos.

Alhaji Adeseun who is also a Pharmacist stated that the Shurah process as the erudite scholar, Alhaji Mustafa Bello delivered would give enough understanding on the issue and

help Muslim organisations.

“What we have also been able to establish is a dispute resolution mechanism. We did that in one of the branches where there was dispute and we set up Shurah Review Panel and Alhamdullilah the result was good. So we want people to look beyound the selection process and give room for consultation which was a practice of Prophet Muhammad.(s.a.w) On the quarterly conference, he said: “One of the things we did when we came on board was to carry out a survey to determine what the situation was before we came. One of the

things we found out was that there was no regular meeting structure and we decided to put that in place both for the General House which is for Chairmen, Secretaries Financial secretaries and Women Secretaries on the one hand and the Zonal Executive committee on the other hand. So, having established that, we decided we should go the next step which is involving the Council of Elders, Youth Secretaries, Mission Boards Chairmen and Secretaries in a Quarterly Conference and I hope it will be regular,” he stated.

36—Vanguard , FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Activist makes case for Ijaw students

A

S agitations from the people of Niger Delta heightens, a prominent activist, Chief Michael Johnny, has lamented the rate of unemployment of Ijaw graduates in the oil and gas sector by government and multinationals.

Johnny spoke in Warri, when the executives of National Union of IzonIbe Students, NUIS, led by its National President, Awipi Peibulou, paid him a courtesy visit.

He identified illiteracy and lack of support for Ijaw students by government, its agencies and multinationals as the major problem affecting the Ijaw nation.

Johnny said it was time government and oil companies provided scholarships for Ijaw students and appreciable employment for Ijaw graduates in the oil sector.

He said the education of Ijaw youths must be paramount, and should be collectively supported by every true Ijaw persons.

He pledged to continue to support the union and education of Ijaw students.

‘Probe calls for Boko Haram amnesty'

VISIT: From right— Mrs. Peju Adebajo, Managing Director, Mouka Limited; Mr. Adedoyin Owolabi, President; Otunba Olufemi Deru, 2nd Deputy Vice-President, both of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, and Mr. Joesph Ede, Chief Financial Officer, Mouka Limited, during ICAN President's visit to the company in Lagos.

Community gives dredging firm 21-day ultimatum

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—OBUBU community in Udu Local Government Area, Delta State, yesterday, issued a 21day ultimatum to Westminster Dredging and Marine Limited to pay N500 million as reparation to the community over their dredging activities

ARRI—NIGER Delta for Credible and Visionary Leadership, NDCVL, yesterday, urged Federal Government to probe those calling for amnesty for Boko Haram members, saying they could be the sponsors of the Islamist sect.

The group, in a statement by its National President, King-Jerry Prebor, said: “We are shocked at comments made by some Northern leaders, including the highly respected Sultan of Sokoto, the governor of Borno State and Dr Junaid Mohammed.

“The known reason for the Boko Haram’s havoc on innocent citizens of this country is that they are opposed to western education, nothing else.

"They cannot, therefore, be compared to the Niger Delta militants, whom late President Musa Yar’Adua granted amnesty.”

in the area.

Decrying that the community and the creek connecting it to Oleri, the only source of drinking water to the villagers, had been polluted, the people also said “no aquatic life can survive in it.”

Aletter addressed to the company by the community

ASUU slams Bayelsa over new tax policy

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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DSS nabs IMT student over Internet fraud

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ENAGOA—BAYELSAowned Niger Delta University, NDU, chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, condemned the implementation of the new Personal Income Tax Act, PITA, by the state government, saying it was done without proper consultation and was a burden on the state workers.

However, Special Adviser to the Governor on Treasury Accounts and Revenue Matters, Timipre Seipulo, defended the new tax regime, describing it as workerfriendly and that it followed laid down laws in the constitution of the country.

The lecturers, in a state-

ment in Yenagoa by the ASUU, NDU chapter Chairman, Dr. Beke Sese, accused the state government of using the new tax regime to cut down the salaries of its workforce and shore-up internal revenue.

He said: “We are not against the new tax system, which is a constitutional obligation. The stance of the state government on the nonnegotiability with labour leaves much to be desired.

“This trend is sounding the death knell for several departments in the university.

Where a university professor will pay as much as N110,000 per month as tax out of his meagre salary of less than N600,000 is not the best way to retain or attract the best brains."

counsel, Mr. M. Segba, said: “Proper environmental impact assessment, EIA, should be carried out by the relevant authorities before the dredging activities continue to avoid more devastating effects on the ecosystem.

“Without any notice, the company had moved dredging equipment into the connecting creeks between Obubu and Oleri, where the Delta Leisure Park and Resort is located.

“They started dredging the creeks, which the locals solely depend on for their source of drinking water and being largely fishermen, the creek was their source of livelihood.

“The dredging activities of the Westminster Dredging Company have not only completely cut off a major source of livelihood of our clients, our clients are being pushed to annihilation by lack of portable water and are on the verge of epidemic outbreak.”

Calling for the EIA of the project before continuation, the community “demands that the company pays N500 million to the community as reparation for the destruction of the environment, the loss of rights of use of the creek, loss of the community source of livelihood and the psychological trauma the people have suffered as a result of the dredging activities.”

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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S A B A — D E LTA State Command of Department of State Security, DSS, yesterday, paraded a 21-year-old Ordinary National Diploma holder, involved in hacking the e-mails of high profile members of the public and duping them in the process.

Parading the suspect, the state Director of DSS, Mrs. Florence Ikanone, said the suspect “Chinedu Uziogwe, a 21-year-old, who hails from Umucha, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, and an OND holder in Mass Communication from IMT, Enugu State, was arrested at Peace Park, Enugu.

“His arrest was in connection with the defrauding of one Emmanuel Ogidi of N260,000 through hacking into his e-mail account and was about withdrawing N430,000 from Ogidi’s account before his arrest.

“His accomplice, one Franklyn Amobi, has since been arrested and is in Ogwashi-Uku prisons.”

She also paraded one Christopher Nwankwo over threat to life and assassination SMS.

Adoke trivialising Ayorinde's death— ANEEJ

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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ENIN—AFRICAN Net work for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, yesterday, insisted

that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Muhammed Adoke, was trivialising the death of Olaitan Oyerinde, former Principal Private Sec-

retary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

ANEEJ urged President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a committee to probe the role of the minister in the conflict-

ing reports submitted by the Police and DSS. It said manner Adoke reacted when he was confronted

by Oshiomhole shows that “he has some thing to hide.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—37

Uzere crisis blamed on Ogomudia, monarch face-off

BY FESTUS AHON

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GHELLI—THE protracted Uzere crisis has been blamed on the face-off between the embattled monarch of the kingdom, HRM Isaac Udogri and General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd) by a member of the Isoko South Local Government Transition committee, Delta State, Mr. Godspower Obaro.

Reacting to recent media reports, yesterday, Obaro said the chairman of the purported Uzere Peace and Development Movement, Mr. Israel Afiemo was not acting on behalf of the Uzere people.

NDLM vows to support Mutu for 2015

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IGER Delta Liberty Movement, NDLM, has vowed to support Mr. Nicholas Mutu, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in his political ambition in 2015, saying he knows what to do with political power by deploying same to the peoples’ benefit.

NDLM’s President, Mr. Ebiyekefe Stow, in a statement, appreciated Mutu, for his youth empowerment and numerous development projects in his constituency.

Farmers registration kicks off in Lagos

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HE Federal Minis try of Agriculture, in conjunction with Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, has kick-started the 2013 edition of farmers registration in all the 381 wards in Lagos State.

A statement by the Lagos State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Adegbola Olusi, said the exercise which will hold across the federation will last for 12 days.

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Rivers pensioners call off 3-day hunger strike ...as HOS intervenes

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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ORT HARCOURT— THE planned three-day hunger strike and prayers by Rivers State pensioners over alleged unpaid pension arrears by the state government, has been cut short, hours after the protesters stormed Government House, Wednesday.

The senior citizens, under the aegis of Rivers State Council of Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP, had marched to the gates of the Governor ’s Office, where they held a prayer session to draw government’s attention to their grievances when the state Head of Service, Mr. Samuel LongJohn, intervened on the protest.

Expressing their complaints, Rivers Council Chairman of NUP, Mr. Edward Abibo, told LongJohn that government owed the pensioners over N3 billion in pension increments between 2003 and 2007, as well as the federal share of retired primary school teachers since the responsibility was passed to state governments in 2003.

Abibo said: “Since several

entreaties by the pensioners failed to move government into action, we came to pray in hunger, hoping that somebody would listen, because these old men and women you see are dying from hunger as a result of unpaid entitlements.”

The protest planned for three days was, however, suspended following LongJohn's intervention, as he appealed for calm and urged the protesters to go home and allow appreciable time for their grievances to be conveyed to Governor Rotimi

WORKSHOP: From right: Mr. Frank Nweke II, Director General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group; Professor Jamie Onwuchekwa, Editor-in-Chief, Businessday; Mr. Oyinlola Ademola, Executive Editor, Tell Magazine and Mr. Ayodele Akinkuotu, Executive Editor, Tell Magazine, at the media workshop on anti-corruption, organised by Nigerian Economic Summit Group and the United Nations Global Compact, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele.

Police arrest alleged arms supplier in Delta

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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ARRI—POLICE have arrested a community leader, who allegedly armed youths from Orugbene community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State with weapons, including guns and cutlasses, to attack villagers in Asenkiri, a neighbouring community, and forcefully seized their motor-saws and other equipment, penultimate week.

The alleged arms supplier was nabbed following investigations by security agencies

into the incident.

An Oborotu community leader, Chief Evans Egbesekumor, confirmed to Vanguard, yesterday, that security agents had arrested the owner of the guns.

Egbesekumor, who was reacting to the interview granted the media by one Chief Johnbull Febakumor, that he was attacked by Ofougbene youths for standing witness against Oborotu community in a land dispute, said that Febakumor was the one fomenting trouble.

He said: “After all attempts

to persuade Orugbene people to return the seized items failed, the affected persons reported the matter to the Police and Joint Task Force, JTF, in Burutu and they got him and the owner of the guns, arrested.

“As I speak to you, the arrested boat and the owner of the guns are still in the custody of the police in Asaba. Febakumor was instructed by JTF to return the items seized

by Orugbene youths, rather than do that, he has gone to give false report to the media, bringing in Ofougbene into a matter he had no hands in."

Delta land suit: Govt objects to Ijaw's application for joinder

BY EMMA ARUBI

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A R R I — D E LTA State Government, at the resumed hearing of the land suit brought against it

by Okere community, Warri South Local Government Area, opposed the application for joinder by the Ijaw of OgbeIjoh.

The community, in the case before Justice Marshall Mukoro, is praying the court to restrain Delta State Government from forcefully acquiring their land measuring over 3.197 hectares.

It will be recalled that on the

Amaechi.

Acknowledging the government’s appeal, Abibo, who led the pensioners, dispersed the crowd with a vow to resume the protest if no meaningful response was heard from government in the next one month.

day the motion was set for hearing, Justice Mukoro was said to have been kidnapped on his way from Benin City.

At the resummed hearing, Monday, a new twist was introduced into the matter when one Clackson Aribogha and one other person from OgbeIjoh, through their counsel, announced their appearance as co-defendants, which the defendant objected to.

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Charles Ajuyah, who raised to the objection, said he wants to personally handle the matter and requested for a

short adjournment.

The plaintiff, Okere community, did not object to the joiner application, though it said it was a ploy to frustrate the case while the government was building on the disputed land.

Before adjoining the matter to March 27, Justice Mukoro promised speedy hearing in the matter and charged parties to be up and doing.

Meanwhile, the state government has already completed the construction of a model primary school on the said land that is expected to take off any time from now.

NAFDAC goes tough on drug counterfeiters

BY TONY NYONG

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YO—DRUG counter feiters in the country will, henceforth, face very stiff penalties as National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, will go all out to apprehend and prosecute culprits.

Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, while interacting with stakeholders during a Small Business Support Desk Open Day Forum for the South-South states, said: “As far as I am concerned, drug traffickers are worse than armed robbers. So, we have decided to review the Nigeria law and package it, using the best Nigeria legal minds among the Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Federal Ministries of Justice and Health, for a new bye law.

“Already, the new bye law has sailed through the Federal Executive Council and same will be presented to the National Assembly for consideration and subsequently passed into law.

“The new law will provide life jail, confiscation of assets of offenders and if proved the counterfeit drug led to the death of the victim, the asset confiscated would be sold to settle the victim's family."

38 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Seven schools win NOMD competition

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BY RUTH ODINIYA

BUJA — SEVEN schools have emerged winners of the Nigeria Of My Dream, NOMD, schools’ competition in Abuja.

Spokesperson of the organising outfit, Mrs Ngozi Alichi, said in Abuja that the need to inculcate the country’s ethics, values, patriotism, love and pride in children inspired the competition. According to her, the competition is geared towards boosting the moral and academic excellence the children.

Of the 15 schools that participated, seven emerged for the grand finale, including Model Primary School, Maitama; Model schools at Garki, Jabbi School of the Blind L.E.A Wuse 4 zone 5; El-Amin International School Abuja; Anglican Girls Grammar School, Area II; and Regina Pacis College.

Alichi, who solicited institutional support for the competition, described it as a great and noble cause that deserved institutional support by corporate organizations and public spirited individuals to make it a regular event and a nation project.

“The competition is only a vehicle for inculcating, encouraging and advancing our set goals and objective of entrenching enduring values of patriotism in our young minds,” she said.

She said prizes would be given at the grand finale to the participating schools and certificate of participation to the schools that took part in the competition.

Transition A WOMAN leader in Mbaise, Imo State, Madam Margret Akuwa Opara has died at the age of 62 after a brief illness.

Burial arraignment will kick off Friday, March 29, 2013 with a Christian wake-keep at Opara’s compound while interment follows the next day after lying in state and service of songs. She is survived by children, brothers, sisters, grandchildren and in-laws including the MD/CEO of Deacun Oil and Gas Ltd, Lagos, Chief Iheanacho Ekedo

Late Margret Akuwa Opara C M Y K

Ebonyi suspends 15 lecturers over alleged certificate forgery A

BAKALIKI — EBONYI State the augean stable and we will plans to upgrade the institution unapproved satellite campuses government, yesterday, stop at nothing to achieve this.” to a degree-awarding college and study centres of unrecognised institutions of He restated government’s had reached final stage. suspended 15 lecturers of the The aide warned that higher learning operating in the state’s own College of Education, determination to make the college a model for teacher government would, henceforth, state.

Ikwo, indefinitely.

Personal Assistant to the state education and maintained that clamp down on illegal and governor on Higher Education, Prof. Mike Itumo, told newsmen in Abakaliki that the affected lecturers were alleged to possess forged Masters and Doctorate degree certificates.

Itumo said the suspension had been approved by the institution’s disciplinary body and communicated to Governor Martin Elechi, adding that further sanctions would be given to the affected lecturers at the end of a full-scale investigation.

He said: “There is an ongoing investigation into the allegation and, as soon as it is concluded, further sanctions will be announced. Forgery is a criminal offence and our system frowns at it, and so we shall not hesitate to From left: Mrs Mercy Orji, wife of Abia State governor, Gov. Theodore Orji; President, Johns institute criminal proceedings Hopkins University Washington, Mr. Ron Daniels; Prof. Ruth Wedgwood and Chief Ojo Maduekwe against those found liable. after a lecture delivered by the governor at the University in Washington.

“We are determined to clean up

Customs, truck owners bicker over seized goods

BY KENNETH EHIGIATOR

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AGOS— NIGERIA Customs Service and owners of no fewer than 500 trailers loaded with essential commodities are at currently daggers drawn at Seme border over seizure of the trucks said to be in transit in the country on their way to Republic of Chad and some other African countries.

The goods-laden trucks were reportedly impounded by the Customs authorities in the last two months without words to the owners on why they were seized.

Addressing a press conferene at Seme border, yesterday, owner of the trucks, mainly Chadian nationals, complained that the vehicles were only on transit from Republic of Benin through Nigeria and had paid all the expected revenue to Nigeria Customs for passing through the Nigerian border, but wondered why the Customs impounded the vehicles without any explanation as to why the vehicles could not pass through Nigerian border.

Spokesman of the group, Alhaji Abu Na Muhammam, said the only explanation they had had from the Customs was that the trucks would be released, but were not told when and why the trucks were seized.

But spokesman for the Customs Command at the border, Mr. Ernest Olota, said it was not possible for vehicles in transit to be impounded, if all necessary fees were paid by owners.

He said the last time they had a similar experience, they were made to understand that it was due to security problems faced

by Nigeria and were, therefore, not allowed to pass.

He said: “It is unfortunate that two months after our vehicles were arrested and detained, the Customs authorities have not told

us anything as to why they impounded out vehicles and we paid all the fess we should pay,” he said.

Alhaji Na Muhammam, who noted that this last for seven months, said there was explanation to that effect then, but lamented that up till this time, no one had told them why the trucks were impounded.

Aba residents laud Orji over devt

BY ANAYO OKOLI

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BA — RESIDENTS of Aba, Abia State, have praised the efforts of Governor Theodore Orji’s administration to improve decayed infrastructure in the commercial city, saying the government had actually shown its presence in the city.

A cross section of the residents who spoke to Vanguard said they now believed in the government, having seen some physical developments on ground.

Emeka Ihuoma, a civil servant, said time for propaganda was over in the city.

According to him, for years, all the people of Aba have been used to mere propaganda, where roads are just built on the radio and that has made the people lose hope in government.

“I live here in Aba; it is now that we are seeing roads being built physically not on the radio. If you go round you see for yourself some roads built and others under construction.

I am not a big fan of Governor Orji but our people say, seeing is believing.

For Mrs. Eugenia Mbaegbu, a petty trader on Owerri Road, Aba, the present government has made them to believe that the situation of Aba, especially the ugly road and drainage situation, could change for the better.

Innocent Ihenko, a Keke operator, applauded the government for the road works going on in Aba. According to him, before now, we found it very difficult to operate here but now the situation is changing.

Anambra guber: Youths rally support for Andy Uba

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

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WKA — AS political activities for the governorship race of Anambra State slated to take place later this year begin to pick up, youths, under the aegis of Omambala Youth Forum, have resolved to support the governorship ambition of Senator Andy Uba. At a meeting in Otuocha, the Forum, made up of youths from the four local government areas of Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum and Oyi, said their decision to support Uba was due to what he had been doing for the area since he went into public office.

Chairman of the Forum, Mr. Innocent Offordile (Eselu Aguleri), who presided at the meeting, observed that though Uba represented Anambra South in the Senate, youths in the four local government areas which are in Anambra North would not forget the assistance he gave to the people of the area during last year’s flood disaster.

Tax expert flays budget delays

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TAX consultant, Mr. Chigozie Chinweze, has criticized the habitual delay in signing and the late implementation of budgets on yearly basis. This, he said, accounted for about 20 to 30 per cent shortfall in capital development and revenue generation through withholding tax.

Chinweze who is also a partner in Onuwabuchi Ukatu & Co. and a Corporate Affairs Consultant said though the 2013 budget was signed recently by the president the habitual late implementation that usually start around the second quarter of every year was cause for worry.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—39

From right, sitting: Dr. Bolarinde Joshua, 2nd Vice President, Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors & Valuers, NIESV; O. J. Idudu, Chairman, Estate & Valuers Board of Nigeria; Emeka Eleh, President, NIESV, exchanging pleasantries with Victor Enyinna, Airtel Regional Head of Cor- From left: Adetokunbo Fayokun, Oyo State Commissioner for Education; Mrs. Florence porate Sales & Enterprises (standing), after his presenta- Ajimobi, Chairman of the occasion and wife of Oyo State Governor; Chief Ayo Oni and Yinka tion, at the 42nd annual conference of NIESV, in Benin City. Ogunde, Principal Consultant, Edumark Consult, at the Seventh Edition of 'We Are The Future of Our Nation' programme, in Ibadan, Oyo State.

From left: Mr. Segun Awoyinfa, GM, 234give.com; Bez Idakula, singer/ Friends of Africa Ambassador; Mrs. Ini Onuk, CEO, Thistle Praxis Consulting; Mr. Gbenga Sesan, Founder, Paradigm Initiative, at a panel discussion hosted by Friends of Africa on empowering Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs and social entrepreneurship, using social media.

Rotn Chuks Ikokwu, Past president, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos Rotary Club, District 9110 (left) and his counterpart, Rotn Engr. Sunmade Agbe-Davies, at the 30th annual 2012 District 9110 Rotary International Conference, in Abeokuta.

From left: Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the organiser of women empowerment programme; Chief Henry Ajomale Chairman, ACN, Lagos State Chapter and one of the beneficiaries, during the presentation of cash gifts, at the programme, at Epe.

Chief Theodore Ezeobi, SAN, former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Lagos branch (left) and Mr. John Austin Unachukwu, Assistant Mrs. Vivian Ezeoba, National President, Naval Of- National Publicity Secretary, NBA, during the valficer's Wives Association (left) and Mrs. Tessy edictory court session, in honour of former chairIjioma, at the Second Inter House Sports of the man, NBA Lagos, Mr. Akin Akinbote, at the Lagos NOWA Secondary School, Navy Town, Ojo. High Court Foyer

From left: Ms. Omokehinde Ojomuyide, MasterCard Worldwide,Country Manager; Mr. Philip Miller, MasterCard Global head, knowledge acquiring centre; Mrs. Christabel Onyejekwe, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Executive Director, Business Development; and Mr. Kamil Olufowobi, MasterCard Worldwide, Acceptance Director, at the MasterCard leadership forum, on Merchant Acquire, in Lagos.

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From left: Ramesh Hathiramani, Group Chairman, Dana Group with Alex Mun-Yong Chung, Regional Head, Middle East & Africa Kia Motors Corporation and Jacky Hathiramani, Group Managing Director, Dana Group, during the launch of new Kia Quoris, at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau.

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY FRIDAY,, MARCH 15, 2013

Jigawa govt sets up FHC to boost health care services

ACN carpets Bauchi govt over face-off with striking teachers

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UTSE—JIGAWA Ministry of Health, yesterday, said it had set up Facility Health Committees, FHC, in its 628 health districts to mobilise community participation in management of health care services.

Dr. Tafida Abubakar, the Commissioner for Health, stated this while addressing newsmen on the outcome of a meeting between members of the committees and officials of the ministry in Dutse.

Abubakar said the committees were established in collaboration with Partnership for Transforming Health System, PATHS-3, to fast track health sector reform for sustainable development.

He said the partnership was to upgrade health facilities, provide drugs, consumables and equipment as well as capacity building programmes.

The commissioner said the partnership also focused on awareness creation and mobilising community participation on reproductive health, child care services and management of facilities at the grassroots.

NOA boss tasks politicians on sportsmanship

BY VICTORIA EDEMA

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BUJA—AS the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, go to the polls tomorrow, the Director General, National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri, has challenged the political class to imbibe the culture of peace and sportsmanship in elections.

Omeri spoke at a stakeholders’ forum on ‘Peaceful Elections’ organized by the agency in Bwari Area Council ahead of the elections.

He stated that the time had come when politics should be played the way it ought to be played; devoid of violence and acrimony during and after elections.

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BY SUZAN EDEH

AUCHI—CHAIR MAN of Action Congress of Nigeria,ACN, Alhaji Bappa Dafida has condemned the tactics adopted by the Bauchi State Government in handling its face-off with members of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS, saying the matter has exposed the government as tactless.

Dafida said said that Governor Isa Yuguda was wrong to have believed that every civil servant would support government’s bid to deprieve him of his/her legitimate income through the deduction of their professinal allowances and asked him to dialogue with the teachers to ensure improvement in the educational sector.

He spoke in an interview with Vanguard in Bauchi, yesterday.

Dafida said: ‘’The way the government is going about the situation is wrong because it is the right of any worker to protest against any form of discrimination or exploitation it is experiencing in the performing his duties.

Donations to charity should not be done out of compulsion, but willingly.

“I blame the leadership of NLC in the state for allowing the state government to

make deductions from workers salaries and allowances.

The organised labour have shown that it is not autonomous in its dealings with the government.

“When the government decided that it was going to establish the agency for orphans and vulnerable children, it should have made plans for its funding and not forcing the

workers to contribute from their salaries.

“In any democratic setting, it is wrong for the government to act as a dictator to the people and that is what the state government is doing to ASUSS. It is also wrong for the state government to file a suit in court against its workers and again go to the extent of detaining members of the union

in prison because it feels it is incumbent and has the power to manupulate things to its advantage.”

Blaming the organised labour further for allegedly selling out to the government, the ACN chiftain described the deduction of workers’ professional allowances to fund capital projects as wicked.

CELEBRATION: From left: Mr. Jia Ping, Commercial Consul, Economic and Commercial Section, Consulate General, People's Republic of China, Lagos; Mrs. Bola Adesola, Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank, and Mr. Remi Oni, Head, Origination and Client Coverage, Standard Chartered Bank, during the Chinese New Year celebration dinner, organised by the Bank in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele.

NYSC commences immunisation of Corps members against CSM in Sokoto

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OKOTO—ALHAJI Abdu Taura, Sokoto State Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, yesterday, said the scheme had started the immunisation of 1,399 corps members of the batch “A” 2013, against Cerebra Spinal Meningitis, CSM. Taura spoke to News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Sokoto, while giving an update on the scheme’s activities at the camp, which opened on March 5.

According to him, the immunisation, which started on March 13, is being conducted with the active collaboration of the state Ministry of Health.

He said: ”The ministry had since donated 1,500 doses of the CSM vaccines to the NYSC management and we intend to cover everybody, including the other members of the camp community who are under 45 years old. ”This is to further safe-

guard the health of the corps members due to the intense heat being experienced in Sokoto presently.”

The NYSC coordinator also said that adequate measures had been taken to ensure the

security of the corps members during and after the orientation exercise. ”Security agents who are armed to the teeth from the military, police, SSS and the civil defence, including others

in mufti, had been detailed to the camp for a 24-hour vigil,” he added.

Taura also said that arrangements had also been made to ensure the adequate provision of other logistics like water and electricity, among others.

1m people living with HIV/AIDS in Benue —BENSACA boss

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BY PETER DURU

AKURDI—EXECU TIVE Secretary of the Benue State Action Conmmittee Against Aids, BENSACA, Mrs. Ashi Wende, has said that more than 1,027,328 people in the state were currently living with the dreaded HIV/AIDS. She said the figure comprises 706,640 adults and 318,888 children, hence the need for anti retroviral therapy for the children.

Mrs. Wende said this yes-

terday, at a training pro gramme for media practioners on HIV/AIDS in Makurdi, the state capital.

She explained that out of the number of infected adults, 21,259 were new cases out of which 17,139 were women She said: “The HIV epidemic has lasted for several years with Benue State contributing significantly to the prevalence of the virus in Nigeria.

She further explained that the state government was taking proactive steps to check the

spread of the virus with the establishment of 40 treatment centres across the state. ”We have the highest number of treatment centres that are providing free anti-retroviral drugs to infected persons in the country; and we have drugs that could last up to 2015; that is why we are urging everyone to undertake free testing and counseling in order to know our status and check the spread of the virus,” Wende added.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 41

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44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

*Okorocha: It is the constitution in action

*Agbaso: It is political

The Okorocha/Agbaso war in Imo A ONCE cordial relationship between the governor and deputy governor of Imo State runs into a crisis of confidence.

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

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HIEF Sam Mbakwe is remembered by political historians as the weeping governor. Mbakwe would shed tears before anyone that would facilitate the way for him to attract development and funds for his many projects.

Now, a road immortalising the man who is reckoned as about the best achieving governor to have presided over Imo State is now the cause of tears for some prominent Imolites.

At the heart of the controversy now rocking Imo State is the controversy over alleged kickbacks for the reconstruction of the Dei Sam Mbakwe road at in Owerri which was awarded for N1.5 billion.

The deputy governor of the state, Mr. Jude Agbaso who was also the Commissioner for Works is being investigated by the State House of Assembly over allegations of having allegedly pocketed N458 million, almost half of the money earmarked for the road project as kickback.

It is an allegation he has denied. But associates of Governor Rochas Okorocha and some members of the Imo State House of Assembly following preliminary investigations believe Mr. Jude Agbaso has a case to answer. Mr. Agbaso and many of his associates are, however, alleging a desperate attempt by Okorocha to renege

on a gentleman agreement made prior to the 2011 election for the latter to serve only one term.

Okorocha is from Orlu zone, the most dominant political section of the state which produced Governor Achike Udenwa who served for eight years. Following Udenwa’s tenure, Chief Ikedi Ohakim from

Okigwe zone served for four years and his venture towards a second term was scuppered by the combination of forces that saw the Agbaso brothers from Owerri zone marshal forces with Senator Chris Anyanwu and other major stakeholders in the state to stop Ohakim who was considered unduly overbearing.

As the 2011 gubernatorial election approached, the seeming desperation of some major stakeholders to outwit Ohakim led them to overlook the zoning principle.

Okorocha, who had for long sought the gubernatorial office in between eyeing more juicy attractions in Abuja, was alleged

We're dealing with corruption in high places — Offor •Says Okorocha did not sign agreement for one term MR Chinedu Offor is the Imo State Commissioner for Information. In this interview he responds to issues surrounding allegations of corruption raised against the deputy governor of the state, Mr. Jude Agbaso and the governor’s involvement in the affair.

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

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HAT exactly is the issue with the deputy governor?

What is happening is a constitutional process and people should be happy about it.

There are suggestions that it is political and aimed towards 2015 Absolutely not and that is diversionary. It has nothing to do with that. What is going on is alleged corruption in high places.

I thought the Federal Government has set up all sorts of bodies to tackle corruption. Instead of just talking, we are practicalising it. Before, and in other states, if an allegation is made against a high government official it is covered up and brushed aside, but *Offor: Agbaso has issues here, we have zero tolerance for corruption. If you accuse anybody, we bring the man who accused you and you governor of Imo State. A few months ago, together and two of you would talk to each other. contractors were crying that they were not being The contractor told the house that the reason paid and all sorts of things, so this man who why he was unable to finish a paid contract was was handling a major road project and the that he had given half of it (money) to the deputy Continues on page 46

to have reached an agreement with Martin Agbaso, who is believed to have had a veritable claim to the governorship in the 2007 election having contested on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA. Whether there was a deal between the elder Agbaso and Okorocha remains the subject of much speculation in Owerri. But Martin Agbaso’s younger brother, Jude was nominated as Okorocha’s deputy to fly the APGA gubernatorial ticket for the 2011 election.

With Senator Chris Anyanwu and the Agbaso brothers coordinating from Owerri zone, Okorocha marshalling from Orlu zone, and Ohakim entangled even in his native Okigwe by Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, Ohakim’s famed claim to invincibility was punctured.

At that point in time there were suggestions that Okorocha had promised the Agbasos that he would serve one term.

But Mr. Chinedu Offor, the Imo State Commissioner for Information debunked that assertion yesterday, saying there was no such agreement.

Offor, rather, said that the evolving development in the state was a reflection of the determination of Governor Okorocha to allow the rule of law where it concerns corruption in high places. He also pointed to a convergence of forces between the Agbaso brothers and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Party leadership Earlier this week as the crisis deepened, the 12 PDP legislators in the State House of Assembly were summoned to meet with the party leadership where they were ordered not to join the impeachment plot against Agbaso.

Sources privy to the evolving development told Vanguard that Martin Agbaso who is seen as the real politician in the family recently began to forge an alliance with the PDP when he began noticing a fall of his fortunes in the Okorocha administration in Owerri.

It was gathered that Agbaso may have reached an agreement with the PDP in Abuja to save his brother. One source privy to the development disclosed that the PDP legislators during their stay in Abuja were also briefed by a top PDP chieftain with a national reputation for fixing the party’s problems and a senior operative of the administration who is working on the Goodluck Jonathan 2015 project.

The aim of the administration in Abuja it was gathered, is to put Okorocha on his toes since he is largely regarded as a threat and a possible running mate for the opposition in 2015.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—45

My story — Jude Agabso THE embattled deputy governor of Imo State, Mr. Jude Agbaso, earlier this week spoke to correspondents on the issues raised against him by the State House of Assembly. Excerpts: do with this money.

BY CHIDI NWOPARA

Why this bribe saga?

It stems from the various political players, permutations as to the situation about 2015.

I have heard stories about speculations of who runs in 2015 and who doesn’t run.

I know that is a subsisting agreement, which is in the public domain btw my elder brother, who is a politician and the Governor to hand over government to the people of Owerri zone in 2015. This has everything to do with this.

Sooner or later, this whole story would be unraveled. I have a robust working relationship with the Governor.

O

Approval of contractor I heard from him that he paid me N458 million in anticipation of the job I will offer him in the local government areas. The Commissioner of Works never issues jobs in the local governments.

The chairmen issue jobs in the local governments. I never issued till date, one single contract in any local government. So, how would this contractor offer me money in anticipation of such a thing I was not in a position to give?

At no point did I convey to Joseph Dina via SMS to pay me, or into any account, in any bank, any sum of money.

This story is intended to malign my person. The onus is on the investigating agencies to look at these accounts. N458 million is not N458,000.

N458 million cannot just

*Agbaso: Denies receiving bribe vanish like that. They should look for the money there. The money must be there. If it is not there they can put a tracer on

the money. It can be traced to the last account that it went. If they can forensically check they can follow the money into the

pocket of who took the money.

I never asked for this money.

I never received this money and I do not have anything to

On the one term agreement My brother has spoken about the agreement between them that the governor would hand over to the people of Owerri Zone in 2015. The Governor had spoken of the term agreement to hand over to the people of Owerri come 2015.

Why it is overheating the system in 2013 is what I couldn’t answer. I am caught in the web between these powerful political players in the state.

Let the truth prevail — Bledyn, PDP Pub. Sec CHIEF Bledyn Amajirionwu is the State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, in Imo State. In this interview he responds to issues emanating from the probe of the deputy governor of the state, Mr. Jude Agbaso and the party’s alleged involvement in the affair. Excerpts:

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

W

HAT is happening in Imo and your role in

it?

What I am interested in is the extent of fraud being exposed by this issue now.

There are so many issues that have arisen from this particular matter now. We have a governor in the state who has often times said that he would not mobilise contractors to site, ‘that you earn certificate and we pay you,’ and many people have gone to site in that manner, earned certificates and up till today have not been paid.

But in this case, a government verbally approved a contract for N1.3 billion and it was paid upfront. So that is an issue.

No due process was followed, you verbally gave instruction

that the man should be paid and he was paid N1.3 billion upfront. So, what level of fraud can we compare this with?

Are the legislators back now?

They have been back since and they have been sitting.

We hear you hosted them and gave them some money?

It is not true. The truth of the matter is that we are a political party, sponsored members to the House of Assembly and it is also the duty of the party that if there are fundamental issues, that you call your members and ask them the situation on ground.

But did you need to bring them to Abuja?

The leadership of the party is in Abuja. The leadership of the party wanted an interaction with them.

Including Chief Anenih?

I am not aware of Chief Anenih, but I am aware of the

,

N the alleged N458 million bribe demand Imo people massively and freely gave me their mandate.

I owe them. It is a known fact that the media is awash with the current stories of the goings on in Imo State.

At no point in time did I demand N458 million or any sum of money and from any contractor whatsoever and at no time did Joseph Dina of JPROs pay me N458 million as claimed.

JPROS is doing the job on Sam Mbakwe Road. I never knew the company, its major share holders or owners. They were introduced to the state by the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Jobs worth N1.5 billion can only be issued through the approval of the Governor.

In February 2012, while I was away on state duties in India, the Permanent Secretary sought approval from the Governor. He gave approval of N1.5 billion through the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Works.

Incidentally this approval was sent to Ministry of Finance, which instead of routing this approval to Ministry of Works, it was routed through the Accountant General and paid directly to JPROS Ltd. So, at no point did I give approval for the payment of the money. At no point did I pay the money to the contractor. The question now is: why would this contractor pay me N458 million for doing what?

These are the issues.

What we in PDP stand for is that they should get to the root of the matter and what is applicable, apply it

,

national leadership led by the national chairman.

We hear from the grapevine that the legislators were mobilised with $50,000

each?

To do what?

To remove Okorocha?

But 12 of them cannot remove Okorocha. It doesn’t make sense and if we really want to go that way to remove Okorocha, what reasons would we have to impeach Okorocha at this time.

We are trying to raise some issues and questions like this issue why would you award a contract for N1.3 billion and you pay upfront. Which due diligence permits that? These are the issues.

What we in PDP stand for is that they should get to the root of the matter and what is applicable, apply it.

So, you wouldn’t mind Agbaso being impeached?

If he went ahead to dupe the state of N458 million does he have the confidence of the people again? That is a vote of no confidence already.

46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

T

HE statement that Nigeria is a poor country with widespread poverty is axiomatic. It is estimated that more than 75% in the Nigerian population live in squalor and could hardly make a decent living from what they do. This situation calls into question the general assumption that a country blessed with crude oil and other mineral resources and also endowed with natural human talents would have anything to do with deepening poverty and its attendant sufferings and deprivations.

If it is believed in certain quarters that there might not be a direct link between poverty and Boko Haram insurrection, there is that indirect connection between idle hands and those bloody fingers that detonate deadly bombs. It is true that the fire of insurrection is constantly stroked by idle hands and empty brains. Here in Nigeria, we may not need the experience of the former President of the USA, Bill Clinton and the decisive writings of newspaper columnists to see clearly that all is not well with Nigeria as a nation.

Even within the rank of government apologists, there is this belief that things could be better in the prevailing circumstances.

I hold firmly to the believe that poverty is a fall-out from inflation and corruption and the poor official response to these evils. As noted earlier in this column, inflation is regarded as a process of rise in prices. Thus, inflationary process would come about as a result of changes in demand or supply conditions, or both.

However, the essential feature is that demand exceeds supply at the existing price. This is likely to occur once the zone of full employment is reached (3% of unemployment or less but no exact percentage would be given at the point where the inflationary process might commence). For example, if there is increase in demand without increase in output, there might be increase in price temporarily until output is expanded to meet increase in demand. Similarly, if the output is reduced, even at the existing level of demand, competition among buyers might push up the price temporarily until adjustment is effected.

07059197616

Poverty and gradual descent into a state of anarchy In the Nigerian context, if inflation is understood as “too much money chasing too few goods”, it stands to reason that the answer lies in increasing the number of goods that money can buy. Precisely, this means that increase in output is the direct answer to avoid increase in prices.

Inflationary process in a developed economy would always be at the point that when full employment is reached, but in Nigeria there is large scale unemployment and idle capacity in the manufacturing sector. Thus, the effective measure to combat abnormal rise in prices is injection of funds into the national economy to stimulate effective demand and thereby increase investments in the real economy.

The manufacturing sector would be influenced to increase output through reactivating idle plants and getting more hands on production.

However, to the surprise of many developmental economists, the official reaction to inflationary process and unemployment is a blind adherence to a tight monetary policy which includes a depreciated Naira.

It may be assumed that the defensive mechanism of a Nigerian whose income is threatened or affected by inflation is to find alternative means of maintaining a status-quo. Thus, the temptation to earn

more money by all means, right or wrong.

The punishing exchange rate of N157 – N160 to a $ has consigned many Nigerians to the users of second-hand articles or cars as prices of new commodities are beyond their reach. If corruption means earning money through non legitimate means, then the temptation of many Nigerians to defend their income threatened by (inflation) through all means becomes understandable.

The inequitable distribution of national income has created the zone of ‘Very Rich Nigerians‘ and that of ‘Very Poor Nigerians‘. There is no buffer zone of the middle-class to soften the anger of “the poor” against “the rich”. From the zone of the poor have emerged the corrupt (those who want to create more wealth), the armed robbers, the kidnappers, and the destructive agents of insurgencies.

It looks as if the power of money is the only thing recognized in Nigeria as the decider of everything.

In an environment where education is not cheap, where healthcare is expensive, and the standard of living is higher than the reach of ordinary people, and where social services are painfully inadequate, the road to anarchy is wide, smooth and tempting.

Taking into consideration the destruction

As Abuja vvo otes ttomorr omorr ow•• omorro

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

T

HIRTEEN Political Parties are fielding 46 chairmanship candidates for the Local Government Elections in the six area councils of the Federal Capital territory, FCT tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s election is the nearest opportunity that the residents of the federal capital have to determine who governs them as the Minister who acts as governor of the territory is appointed by the president.

Elections are to be held in 639 polling units in the 62 electoral wards in the six Local Government Areas that make up the FCT. The area council elections in the FCT are by law conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Head of Public Affairs/Political Parties Monitoring of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, FCT, Mr. Okezie Nwankwo while confirming the agency’s readiness for the elections said it has created 3,054 voting points for professional efficiency, adding that a maximum of only 300

people will vote in each voting point.

“We have 639 Polling units and we have created what we call Voting Points which total about 3,054 and the idea is that where you have concentration of people, so we map out a system where only 300 people will vote in a voting point,” he explained.

Ahead of the election, Nwankwo disclosed that the commission held many interactive sessions with various stakeholders including leaders of the political parties and their candidates, security agencies, the media and civil society organizations so as to have free, fair and credible elections throughout the territory.

He also revealed that the voters’ register had been reviewed and non sensitive materials made available and delivered to the six council areas stressing that the sensitive materials would be delivered to the various units before the election date.

He said, “We have reviewed and cleaned up the voters’ register, so as at now, we have a clean copy of the voters register

of life and properties in the North; the kidnappings and ritual killings in the South; and armed robberies everywhere; the difference between the Hobbesian “State of Nature”, and the Patriots description of a “failed state” is not too wide.

It must be emphasized that the current situation of the country is not an analysis of the failures of President Jonathan but rather, a lively discussion on what Nigeria our dream should look like, and what it is at present. A situation where Nigerians cannot move freely in their country and where foreigners could be kidnapped and killed mercilessly could not be described as an ideal one.

The truth is that Nigeria’s problems have been politicized and sectionalized, but vaguely analysed. The subject of Security which should be of national concern is treated as a party affair, for the PDP government alone to solve. This would get us nowhere as events unfold that insurgency has become more sophisticated and violent. Also, Nigeria‘s social problems have become more complex and more extensive to be left in the hands of a political leader, however clever and intelligent.

If the analysis of a ‘failed state‘ as described by the illustrious members of the Patriots seem offensive and frightening, it is up to the present leadership to devise means of preventing the rush to anarchy by trying other progressive policies that would appeal to more progressive elements in coming to the aid of the country.

There is no running away from a meeting of Nigerians to discuss amicably about happy relationships. You may call it any name that is suitable or convened under any atmosphere that would satisfy the yearnings of all Nigerians who would like to live a life of happiness and prosperity in a place called United States of Nigeria (USN). Some even envisage a new constitution which will ensure and preserve the federal nature of the country and not a unitary one being operated at present. It could be named Jonathan’s Constitution like Macpherson‘s Constitution.

the commission to contest in the elections, only 62 are expected to be elected.

Nwankwo said that there will be restriction of movement on Election Day. The Political Parties that are participating in the elections are Accord, Action Alliance, All Nigeria Peoples Party, Action

Congress of Nigeria, Labour Party, Peoples Democratic Party, Congress for Progressive Change, Social Democratic Mega Party, All Progressive Grand Alliance, United Peoples Party, Progressive Peoples Alliance, National Conscience Party and the Citizens Popular Party.

We're dealing with corruption in high places — Offor and they have been distributed to the 13 Political Parties. It is now in the public dormain.

“The materials were available three weeks to the election and as we are talking now the non sensitive materials are sitting in our various area councils, we will soon take delivery of the sensitive materials. And of course, there have been training and retraining of staff including the ad-hoc staff, they are all ready for the elections,” he stated.

The FCT Head of Public Affairs of INEC said that out of the 46 Chairmanship Candidates, only six will emerge as winners and out of 223 Councillorship candidates from the 13 Political Parties that have been cleared by

Continues from page 44 project was not going anywhere despite the fact that we had paid for it, so a committee was set up to find out why? His name is JPROS, a Lebanese. So when he was brought and asked why have you not done the job, he said ‘don’t be upset, half of the money you paid me, I have given it to the deputy governor of Imo State.

He also promised to give me more contract.'

So, the deputy governor was brought and the allegation was put before him, but he denied and in that case, what do you do, but to get an independent body which is the house which has the constitutional duty of oversight to investigate. He was asked, has

this man come to your house before, he said, no, the man has never come before and he said this when he was interviewed separately on oath. But the man when he was also interviewed separately said he has been to his house and that this is how his house looks like. When they were brought together to confront each other, then the deputy governor said ‘o yes, he came to my house, he gave me whiskey.’

And the man also brought a phone number through which the instructions on payment or whatever. The man challenged the deputy governor to go get his MTN log and he is still there.

But they are now diverting 2015, that Governor Okorocha does not like me.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—47

Merger:

PDP, INEC can’t stop us — CPC, ANPP, Oshiomhole

•We’ve nothing to do with PDP — African Peoples Congress

BY SONI DANIEL, CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, BEN AGANDE, HENRY UMORU, JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, GABRIEL EWEPU & ALICE FESTUS

party’s National Chairmen and Secretaries.

INEC was served the letter last week Friday and it was received and acknowledged, and we have it. “Although, officially, INEC has not replied to us, as I said, the process of registering the other party is defective by law, let them come out with evidence that the so-called APC has complied with what is required by law,” ObonoObla stated.

In his reaction, the ANPP stated that nobody could stop the merger of the opposition parties.

Speaking with Vanguard, Secretary, ANPP National Rebuilding and Inter-party Contact Committee, Dr George Moghalu said “the alleged registration of another APC by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to me is still a rumour.

L

Process of party registration Idowu said, “Yes, it is true that a group applied for the registration of the African People’s Congress last week.

This does not mean it has been registered because the law stipulates the process of party registration, which the must comply with. The APC group that has applied for registration is different from the APC group that has not yet applied.”

Promoters of African Peoples Congress had in a letter dated February 28 and signed by Barr Nwokorie Samuel Chinedu of Legal World Chambers, Abuja applied to the INEC “for approval to register ‘African Peoples Congress’ as a political party in Nigeria, having carried out a search on the proposed name to the effect that no other political party registered in Nigeria bears same.”

Leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) have accused the ruling PDP of propping up the African People’s Congress, to scuttle their merger.

We’ve nothing to do with PDP – African Peoples Congress Responding to this allegation, Barr Chinedu said on phone that there was no financial or political attachment between PDP and African Peoples Congress.

INEC's Electoral Act

*Buhari: Asked if PDP was funding the association, he said: “No, there is nothing like that.” On when the political association was formed, he said “it was formed long ago.” Asked how long, he responded, “I can’t remember, I am not interested in things like that.”

No force can stop us from using ‘APC’: The INEC clarification triggered furore within the political parties with the opposition parties castigating INEC for trying to work with the ruling PDP to still its registration midstream. The CPC and ANPP however warned that no force under the sun could stop the emergence of the All Progressives Congress with Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, spitting that INEC could ill-afford not to register the merger APC. A member of the Joint Merger Committee and National Deputy Secretary of CPC, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla and the Secretary of the ANPP who is also a member of the merger committee made the claim at different fora in Abuja. Obono-Obla told Vanguard that the confusion brought about in the name of the mega party, ‘APC’ and the alleged registration of African Peoples Congress, APC by the INEC to frustrate the merger arrangement was the handiwork of the PDP and INEC. He said: “It is all part of the intrigues; the PDP and INEC are apprehensive. Already, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari had said that there is no difference between PDP and INEC, so that is the pressure we are seeing.

They are filled with anxiety as

they have seen that these merged parties will have a landslide victory in 2015.

“We are registered political parties, whereby we cannot be placed on the same level as a political association. On February 5, it was announced that merged parties have formed All Progressives’ Congress, APC, and by law it is to notify INEC that these parties have formed a party.

“The process of registration between a political association and merging political parties is different. A letter written by a law firm is not the process. They can only stop us by giving a name if the process is proper; a process contemplated by the Electoral Act and the Constitution.

Political association ”It is required that a political association is to submit name, symbol, logo, manifesto, constitution, national and state headquarters addresses, and so on before it is registered, but this political association has not done that, so INEC cannot say they have applied to be registered.

"So we are not worried. APC has come to stay, and no Jupiter can stop us from using that name; and we are going to use that name. INEC cannot stop us because our party APC was dated February 6 and this other one written by a lawyer is on February 25.

“The three major political opposition parties merging have given notice to INEC that that name be reserved for APC solely, whose letters were signed by their

We have notified INEC of registering the All Progressives’ Congress, APC, and we are in the process, which is important to follow according to INEC’s Electoral Act. “We do not want to do things haphazardly, so we have officially informed INEC, and there is no need to panic, if not let INEC come out to tell us that we cannot be registered for so and so reason then we will respond,” Moghalu said.

The National Publicity

,

EADERS of political parties driving the All Progressives Congress (APC) are not willing to leave their acronym for anybody. They are boasting that neither the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP nor the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could stop them from using the acronym ‘APC’.

This is against the backdrop of INEC’s confirmation of receiving an application from a political association, African People’s Congress, APC, for registration as a political party to contest the 2015 general elections. The All Progressives Congress is yet to apply to the electoral umpire for registration.

Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the INEC, Mr. Kayode Idowu said in a telephone interview with Vanguard that the commission received the African People’s Congress application last week and that the process of registering it would follow laid down rules.

”In a genuine democracy, it is in our interest, those in power and those out of power, to create viable alternative platform for people to make an informed choice. No party is too good to rule forever, nor is any party too bad to be out of power forever.

We have seen what is happening around the African continent. Nigeria must live by example in many respect,” he said.

Nigeria must not be entrusted in the hands of APC Countering, the PDP warned Nigerians not to entrust the sociopolitical economic life of the country to the APC. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said in a statement that the nation would be doomed if the electorate hand APC power.

According to Metuh, the inability of the leaders of APC to dully reserve or register the proposed name of their party before embarking on bleeping jamboree and propaganda was the hallmark of political naivety, planlessness and a foreboding that the party would drive Nigeria to socio-political and economic brink should it be entrusted with power.

He said that the reality on ground had shown that the leaders of the APC were all the while grandstanding; writing footnotes and glossary even when the first chapter of their history was yet to be successfully

APC has come to stay, and no Jupiter can stop us from using that name; and we are going to use that name, INEC cannot stop us because our party APC was dated February 6 and this other one written by a lawyer is on February 25

Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed yesterday lambasted INEC for trying to work with the new APC, which he described as “phantom” to stall the registration of the merged parties.

In like manner, Oshiomhole said merger by political parties was a right that could not. ”I know that it is the right of political parties to merge. We have merged to form APC, All Progressive Congress; so, if people choose to trivialise it, it is up to them. I know that INEC will register APC because if they don’t they leave themselves open to accusation. ”Everybody knows that this has been on the national discourse over the period; it is not a new issue. And if people want to play these cheap games, first it shows that they are panicking and I don’t see any reason why people should be panicking.

,

written. “Nigerians are here confronted with an irony! It is an irony of a political party who without adequate planning, without a solid working rhythm, yet wishes to be entrusted to its effete, shaky shoulders, the fate of over 160 million Nigerians.”

Also Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio has dismissed as blatant lie claims by former Governor of Zamfara State and APC chieftain, Senator Sani Ahmed Yerima that some PDP governors had concluded plans to join the APC. Akpabio who spoke at the end the forum’s meeting in Abuja on Monday night said, the statement “is not true and it is false in its entirety”.

He said that, rather than dump the PDP for the APC, the governors from the ruling party were working round the clock and “determined to bring more governors into the PDP fold”.

48—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15 , 2013

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EGBIREMHON—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Beatrice Egbiremhon, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Beatrice Aghore. All former documents remain valid. Cargo Industries Company Ltd Warri, and general public please take note.

O G B O D U — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Rita A. Ogbodu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rita A. Menekporo.

All former documents remain valid. State Universal Basic Education Board (Asaba)and general public please take note.

EKWUEME—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ekwueme Chinyere Blessing, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okonkwo Chinyere Blessing. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General public please take note.

OLUSEGUN—I, formerly known as O l u s e g u n Adetimenyin, now wish to be known and addressed as Oluwole Adetimenyin. All former documnents remain valid. General public please take note.

A G U B ATA — I , formerly known as Paul Uzoma Agubata, now wish to be known and addressed as Paul Uzoma Adams.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

I YA L E K H U E — I , formerly known as Iyalekhue Amadin Lawson, now wish to be known and addressed as Imaghodor Amadin Lawson. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EDAFIADJEBRE—I, formerly known as Edafiadjebre Okeremute, now wish to be known and addressed as Ikolo Quincy Okeremute.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IGHOGBOJA—I, formerly known as Egere Paula Ighogboja, now wish to be known and addressed as Paula Ighoufuoma.

All former documents remain valid. Joedo Global Nig. Enterprise and general public please take note.

IDOGHO—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Lucia Urinrin Idogho, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Lucia Urinrin Ushie.

All former documents remain valid.

NIMASA and general public please take note.

OKAH—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Elo Endurance Okah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Elo Ake. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EDEH—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Edeh Dorathy Uchenna, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okonkwo Dorathy Uchenna . All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EDEVEPHRONA—I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Paul Edevephrona Ake, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Paul Ake. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

E G B U E R I — I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ifeoma Egbueri, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ifeoma Obi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHIME—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Chime Jane Chinenye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eze Jane Chinenye .

All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

UBULUKU—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ubuluku Rose Linda Vivian, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rose Shedrack Enadhe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AGBANUSI—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Agbanusi Abigail Chimalu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Egba Abigail Chimalu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ISOGIE—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajara Isogie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajara Faruq Olakunle. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWAJI—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Chidinma Patience Nwaji, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chidinma Patience Ajoku. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IWUALA—We, formerly known and addressed as Iwuala Obinna Oladipupo, Iwuala Chidera Sarah, Iwuala Adaobi Victoria, Iwuala Chinecherem Emmanuel, Iwuala Chidinma Adaeze Appollonia, now wish to be known and addressed as Victor Iwuala Obinna Oladipupo, Victor Iwuala Chidera Sarah, Victor Iwuala Adaobi Victoria, Victor Iwuala Chinecherem Emmanuel, Victor Iwuala Chidinma Adaeze Appollonia. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

RUEME—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Maye Elaine Rueme, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Maye Elaine Omagbomi.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ONOGBERIE—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Erezi Jennifer Onogberie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Erezi Jennifer JosephKalu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—49

Vanguard CLASSIFIED OYIRI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oyiri Abosede Abigael, now wish to be known and addressed as Muraina Abosede Abigael. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OGINNI —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oginni Modupeola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Akinwinsolu Johnson Modupeola.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ANOLUE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss U c h e n n a Ezinwannediuto Anolue, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Uchenna E.C. Chukwudi.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

DAN- CHINDA —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Maryam Dan-Chinda, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Maryam Samaila Sanusi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

O K PA R A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Udoka Okpara, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Udoka Eze-Martins.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWUDE —I, formerly known and addressed as Anita Chukwudalu Nwude, now wish to be known and addressed as Anita Chukwudalu NwudeChenge. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWOSU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Shine Dirich Nwosu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Shine Dirichi Pine. All former documents remain valid.

Medical Laboratory Science Council and general public please take note.

UCHE —I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Uche Maureen Ebere Onwuchekwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Maureen Ebere Majesty-Luke. All former documents remain valid. Federal Ministry of Information, Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Abia & Anambra states and general public please take note.

OBASI —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Obasi Lilian Chinyere, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onyiro Lilian Chinyere. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UMUKORO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Victoria Elohor Umukoro, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Victoria Elohor Idisi.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

E C H E M E — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Echeme Blessing Nnenna, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ojembe Blessing Ugochi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ANYIGBO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chinyere Blessing Anyigbo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chinyere Blessing Anyigbo-Ezenwa. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ONYEOGAZIRI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Joy Nwanneka Onyeogaziri, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Joy Nwanneka OnyeogaziriAnyigbo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ODESOLA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Odesola Happy Oghogho, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Emadamerho Happy Oghogho. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OPHI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ophi Juliet Oghenevwegba, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. William Juliet Oghenevwegba. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

ESOMU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Esomu Ese Lilian, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Asidi Beta Ese Lilian. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

O G B A R A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Besinibowo Isaiah Ogbara, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. B e s i n i b o w o Augustine Timbiri.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

MBANEFO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mary-Blossom I f e s o c h u k w u Mbanefo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mary-Blossom I f e s o c h u k w u Christopher Ubaka Nnedu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

KIRIBEIN—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Kiribein Ebi Hannah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Pereghebofa Ebi Hannah. All former documents remain valid. Secondary Schools Board, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State and general public please take note.

FATIEDE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Fatiede Jacquelin Ikiemoye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kemewon Jacquelin Ikiemoye. All former documents remain valid.

National Identity Management Commission and general public please take note.

EGBUCHE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Egbuche Ifeoma Juliet, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Aleke Ifeoma Juliet.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

BARO—I, formerly known and addressed Miss Baro Faith Oghenekaro Edoh, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Edoh Faith Oghenekaro.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

TAMARABRAKEMI— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Tamarabrakemi Malemi Blessing, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obinyoefoh Blessing Malemi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ADVERT HOTLINE 01- 8737025

L-r: National Convener, United Action for Democracy, Mr Jaiye Gaskia; National Coordinator, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy, Mr. Anwwa Musa Rafsanjani; and National Secretary, Zero Corruption Coalition, Mr. Babatunde Oluajo addressing newsmen on the pardon for DSP Alamieyeseigha in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan

L-r: Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu receiving the new OGAS Lantern recently introduced by Oando Marketing from the duo of Kehinde Babarinsa, LPG Development Manager and Bamidele Omolehinwa, LPG Marketing Officer, Oando Marketing PLC during a courtesy call to the Oba of Lagos Palace.

L-r: Mr Bunmi Oni, member, CIPM; Mr Abiola Popoola, President/Chairman of Council; Dr. Michael Omolayole, pioneer president; and Mrs Adepeju Okikiola representing Alhaji Bello Sali, Head of Service of the Federation during the groundbreaking ceremony of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria in Lagos. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

L-r: Dr. Sam Obamiyi, Dentist & Secretary General of Nigerian Dental Association, NDA; Ms Bakry Temitayo, dental nurse, KOTS Dental Clinic; Mr. Dexter Adeola, Brand Manager , Close-Up; Ms Sulaimon Omobola, dental nurse; and Dr. Ogundana Ayodele Charles, dentist, KOTs Dental Clinic, Surulere, during the Close Up Free Dental check activation in Surulere

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 PAV I L I O N T B S , L A G O S .

L-r: Dr Jumoke Odunsi, Managing Director, Wellcare Home Medicals Limited; Mr Akinmade Akinrolabu, General Manager, Business Development, Wellcare Home Medicals Limited; Mrs Tosin Adewale, General ManagerAdmin/Operation, Wellcare Medicals Limited, at a news briefing on Wellcare's home support services to the old and frail in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

50 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

MARCH 15 , 2013

Iraq war costs U.S over $2tn, study

T

HE U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans, expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest, a study released yesterday said.

The war has killed at least 134,000 Iraqi civilians and may have contributed to the deaths of as many as four times that number, according to the Costs of War Project by the Watson Institute for International

Studies at Brown University.

When security forces, insurgents, journalists and humanitarian workers were included, the war’s death toll rose to an estimated 176,000 to 189,000, the study said.

The report, the work of about 30 academics and experts, was published in advance of the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003.

It was also an update of a 2011 report the Watson

Institute produced ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks that assessed the cost in dollars and lives from the resulting wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

The 2011 study said the combined cost of the wars was at least $3.7 trillion, based on actual expenditures from the U.S. Treasury and future commitments, such as the medical and disability claims of U.S. war veterans.

Odinga files petition over polls result

D

E F E AT E D presidential contender Raila Odinga will today file a petition challenging the result of Kenya’s election, alleging collusion between the president-elect and the electoral commission, his allies said yesterday.

Odinga, the prime minister, has refused to concede the vote which saw Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces international charges for crimes against humanity, declared the winner in a tightly fought election on March 4.

•Raila Odinga But there has been no repeat of deadly tribal violence that shattered Kenya after a disputed 2007 election result.

Odinga has urged backers to stay calm while he

UK halts press regulation talks

T

HE British Prime Minister, David Cameron has called a halt to cross-party talks on press regulation, sparking anger from party leaders and victims of media intrusion.

Mr Cameron said he would publish plans for a royal charter to establish a tougher press regulator and will ask Parliament to vote on it on Monday.

With this development, both Labour and the Lib Dems said they were disappointed and surprised.

The two parties had backed statutory underpinning as recommended by the

Leveson inquiry into the press.

Nigeria/China trade exceeds N1.6 tn — Envoy

BY VICTORIA OJEME

C

HINESE envoy on yesterday said Trade volume between Nigeria and China exceeded 10 billion dollars ( about N1.6 trillion) in the last two years.

Mr Ji Peiding, the Chairman, Retired Diplomats Association of China said this when he led a Chinese delegation to Nigeria on a working visit to the Minister of Foreign

France backs EU arms embargo on Syria would consider arming

F

RENCH President Francois Hollande has said he hopes the European Union arms embargo on Syria will be lifted. “We are ready to support the rebels, so we are ready to go that far,” Mr Hollande told reporters.

Earlier, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France and the UK

challenges the latest outcome in the top court and says he will accept its decision.

Odinga’s petition will prove that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and Kenyatta’s TNA party conspired to rig the outcome, according to James Orengo, a senior official in Odinga’s CORD coalition.

“We are going to allege fraud. There was collusion between the IEBC and TNA. They entered into some sort of fraudulent enterprise and we are going to be able to show that,” Orengo, Kenya’s outgoing lands minister, told Reuters.

anti-government rebels even if the ban were in place. He said they would press for EU talks on the embargo to be brought forward, because of the situation’s urgency.

Speaking on France Info radio, Mr Fabius said the two countries shared “identical views” over lifting the arms embargo.

Affairs, Mr Olugbenga A s h i r u .

Ji, who is also the former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in China, said that the delegation’s visit to Nigeria would help explore ways in which both countries could enhance trade relations.

He said “In the last two years, the trade figures between China and Nigeria has exceeded 10 billion dollars; there is great possibility this figure will be further increased.

“This is because we have the will to cooperate further and we have great potentials; that is why I’m encouraging more Chinese entrepreneurs to come to Nigeria.

“We are ready and interested to partner in infrastructure, tourism, real estate and also mining,” he said.

The Chinese envoy said that sensitization of Chinese entrepreneurs was ongoing in ensuring that business practices were mutual.

51—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

TREBLE CHANCE Sunderland Blackburn Charlton Wolves Crewe Yeovil Accrington S Bristol R. Cheltenham

v Norwich v Burnley v Millwall v Bristol C v Shrewsbury v Swindon v Barnet v Rochdale v Rotherham

SOCCER TIPS Manchester United stunned by •80m Bale asking price DAVID Gill has approached Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about a deal for the 23-year-old, with the north London outfit hoping to tie the Welshman down to a new five-year contract

FOUR HOMES

Manchester United have made an enquiry for Gareth Bale but have been stunned by Tottenham’s €80 million asking price.

United chief executive David Gill has approached Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about a deal for Bale, only to be told the 23-year-old would command a near-world record fee if the Londoners were to sell him to a Premier League rival.

Tottenham are instead focussing on talks with Bale's advisors over a new five-year contract worth €175,000-aweek, which would shatter the club’s wage structure. The Welshman has been rewarded for his rise to stardom with new deals in each of the last three years.

Bale has told friends he is ready to reject a big summer move if Spurs clinch a place in the Champions League.

Bale has also attracted interest from Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich with his stunning displays this season, having scored 21 goals for Spurs in all competitions.

He has previously expressed an interest in playing abroad and Real Madrid remain favourites to sign him - but they might have to wait until 2014 at the earliest to land their man.

Tottenham are increasingly confident of holding on to Bale for at least one more season and that is reflected in the price quoted to United, with bids below €60m likely to be dismissed out of hand.

Bale was a guest at United’s home defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 earlier this month, but he will not push for a move away from White Hart Lane.

United’s interest in Bale again raises questions over the future of Wayne Rooney, who Sir Alex Ferguson insists will stay at Old Trafford despite reports that the LATE striker could be sold this summer.

The Red Devils appear to be in the market for a TIPS marquee signing this summer and have been exploring the possibility of re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

Ronaldo was sold to the Spanish giants in 2009 for a world record €93m fee but has so far refused to sign a new contract at the Santiago Bernabeu and has refused to rule out a return to Old Trafford.

1X 2 X 13 X PAIR 17 FOUR AWAYS 25 X 3 X 5 X 11 33 X 20 Shittu leads Millwall PERMUTATIONAVOID o F A Cup semi-final into FA int 7X 12 X 15X 19 NIGERIAN defender, Danny Shittu scored the goal of Wednesday’s FA Cup replay at Ewood 21 X 33 X34 RISKY only Park to hand his Championship side a Wembley semi-final place.

TIPS 39 Millwall thus return to famous Wembley Sta36 X 37 X 41 dium for the first time since 1999.

CREDIT Brighton 2 Ipswich 2 Leyton O. 2 Bury 3 Milton KD 3 Livingston 3 Oxford 3 Bristol R. 3

EXCELLENT Sunderland 7 Blackburn 7 Charlton 7 Wolves 5 Crewe 5 Yeovil 5 Accrington S. 5 Cheltenham 5

Shittu scored in the first half through a diving header to cap a performance that deserved commendation in the two games.

In the first leg, Shittu’s 40-yard shot and another shot in the second half had been close but he eventually made Blackburn pay with his goal on Wednesday.

Though there was a bit of a controversy on the events that led to the goal but Shittu and Millwall will believe they were the better of the two teams over the two matches and made their luck.

Referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a corner after Millwall midfielder Chris Taylor shot into the side net and replays showed that there had been no deflection on the shot.

X-RAY OF THE DRAWS Week 35 F.A cla ys Premier ship .A.. Bar Barcla clays Premiership 1 Aston V..

2 Chelsea 3 Everton 4 Man Utd. 5 South'pton 6 Stoke 7 Sunderland 8 Swansea 9 Tottenham 10 Wigan

v Q.P.R. v West Ham v Man City v Reading v Liverpool v West Bro v Norwich v Arsenal v Fulham v Newcastle

1 1 2 1 2 X2 XX X2 1X X2

.

NPower Football Championship 11 Barnsley 12 Blackburn 13 Blackpool 14 Brighton 15 Charlton 16 Derby 17 Hull 18 Ipswich 19 Middlesbro 20 Sheff Wed. 21 Wolves

v Watford 2 v Burnley XX v Peterboro 1 v Crystal P. 2X v Millwall XX v Leicester 2 v Nottm For. 1 v Bolton 2X v Birmingham 1 v Cardiff 2 v Bristol C. XX

NPowerFootball League One 22 Brentford 23 Bury 24 Coventry 25 Crewe 26 Doncaster 27 Leyton O. 28 Milton KD 29 Notts Co. 30 Oldham 31 Stevenage 32 Walsall 33 Yeovil

v Preston 1 v Colchester 2X v Hartlepool 1 v Shrewsbur XX v Portsmouth 1 v Carlisle 1X v Tranmere X2 v Scunthorpe 2 v Bournemouth 2 v Sheff Utd. 2 v Crawley 1 v Swindon XX

NPower Football League Tw o 34 Accrington S 35 Aldershot 36 Bristol R. 37 Cheltenham 38 Dagenham 39 Exeter 40 Morecambe 41 Oxford 42 Plymouth 43 Southend 44 Wycombe 45 York

v Barnet XX v AFC Wimbl'dn 1 v Rochdale XX v Rotherham XX v Burton A 2 v Bradford C. 1 v Gillingham 2 v Chesterfield XX v Fleetwood 2 v Torquay 1 v North'pton. 2 v Poirt Vale 2

Scottish League DivisionOne 46 Cowdenb'th 47 Dumbarton 48 Hamilton 49 Livingston

v Airdrie v Morton v Partick v Falkirk

1 2 2 XX

7 12 21 33 Revised Pairs 7 x 12, 15 x 21 33 x 37,41 x 49

52— Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013—53

LEADERS OF TOMORROW:

Persons of character or criminals? (3) •On Confraternities as secret cults

By OGAGA IFOWODO

T

HE harvest of this deliber ate policy of militarizing the campuses was bountiful. But the policy, it should be noted, predated Babangida; it took form with the military invasion of the University of Lagos in 1978 to put down a protest by the students of an arbitrary increase in school fees imposed by the regime of General OlusegunObasanjo. In the process, a student activist, Akintunde Ojo, was shot dead. Several students were injured and many more arrested. The president of the National Union of Nigerian Students, NUNS, Segun Okeowo, and several other leaders, were expelled.

Lecturers, including the wellknown mathematician, political analyst and columnist, Dr. Edwin Madunagu, were dismissed without the slightest regard for

OGAGA IFOWODO the rule of law, and many more kept under surveillance. The Vice-Chancellor of the University, the renowned historian, Professor J. F. Ade Ajayi, was summarily relieved of his position.

This dark moment in the history of higher education in Nigeria is what is popularly known as the Ali-Must-Go free education “jihad,” named after Colonel Ahmadu Ali, Obasanjo’s Federal Commissioner for Education (yes, he of Garrison politics fame as chairman of the PDP during Obasanjo’s second coming as head of state). Since then, uni-

versity autonomy and the sacred principle of academic freedom, a basic guarantee of meaningful intellectual inquiry, have been more of a dream than a reality, something that ASUU has tried valiantly but in vain over the years to recover.

From then on, it was only a matter of time before the culture of violence brought to the campuses with the guns and tanks paid for by the people would so percolate to every nook and cranny of university life, and transform the consciousness of the students (save those who remained steadfast, anchored to the local students’ unions and NANS), as to lead to the epoch of confraternities as vicious gangs and cults.

It was in the 1980s and 1990s, however, that the policy was implemented with the most sinister intent, driven by the sole aim, it seems possible to say in retrospect, of transforming university campuses into academic barracks - or miliversities, as one might call them. Vice-chancellors were handpicked and imposed on universities by successive military regimes against the laid down laws guaranteeing the autonomy and integrity of academic inquiry.

Babangida, ever eager to trample where angels dare not tread,would stretch the limits of the ridiculous with the extraordinary step of appointing a soldier, Major-General Sani Kontagora, as acting vice-chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University! All appointees had one overriding mission: to ensure that lecturers did not teach “what they are not paid to teach,” a clever ruse for completing the work begun by Obasanjo of purging the classrooms of any academic who dared to think independently; in other words, anyone who did not cower and grovel before the regime. Radicals and extremists, they were branded, and that became a one-way passport to dismissal.

Pyrates Confraternity Black Axe of Africa

In his position as visitor to all the federal universities, Babangida set up visitation panels that functioned as medieval inquisitions aimed at stamping out any whimper of dissent. The University of Benin where I was an undergraduate law student was a designated testing ground, a laboratory of military annihilation of university autonomy, the height of which was the summary dismissal of Dr (now Professor) Festus Iyayi, president of ASUU (ironically enough, in his case the charge, in effect, was that he practiced what he was paid to teach, though not for private profit as alleged); the late Dr Babs Agbonifo, who may have been more guilty by association with his friend Iyayi than for his own “sins”; Professor Itse Sagay, one of the most respected legal scholars the country has known and dean of the law faculty; and Professor Jackson Omene, a brilliant paediatrician of the medical school and the university’s teaching hospital.

In one of the rare instances of victory against the might of the military fully marshalled, the four lecturers went to court and had their dismissal quashed. Yet, when Iyayi returned to the class-

,

This is the third part of the paper delivered by Ifowodo at Oleh, Delta State, under the auspices of the Solomon Ogba Peace Group in Collaboration with Flomat Books. The first part was published Wednesday last week

Prof. Soyinka...started Pyrates Confraternity for peaceful purposes

Iyayi his concealed gun. I got this anecdote from Iyayi himself only four days ago, but you may wish to hear the full details from him!

What about the students? They did not fare much better - in fact, worse. The structure that houses the UNIBEN Students Union offices was originally named “June 12 Building” but had to be renamed in homage to William Obong, its Secretary-General who was shot in 1999 at the end of a meeting with the vice-chancellor during which he had maintained his opposition to a policy the administration had tried to force

I have not even bothered to list the atrocities of the cults, whether committed during inter-gang warfare or as violent robbery or as outright robbery and rape of innocent citizens

room, he was faced with a direct threat to his life. This was around 1996 or 1997. He had gone on invitation to the reading room of one of the student hostels to speak to a group of students on a hot national issue. On arrival, he was approached by a student - a sympathetic one, considering - who spoke kindly to him as follows: “Sir, I have great respect for you, but we have been told that this meeting cannot take place. We have orders to shoot anyone who refuses to leave.” And as he spoke, he lifted his shirt to show

,

down the throat of the university community. The general suspicion was that the university had collaborated with the members of a campus cult to silence him. True or not, one fact remains to give weight to the suspicion: till date, the murderers of Obong are yet to be found, let alone charged.

I could give more examples involving intimidation and infliction of bodily harm, citing the instances of the late Chima Ubani, president in 1987/88 of the Students Union of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Emman Ezeazu, of

the same university and president of NANS; Omoyele Sowore, president in 1992 of the University of Lagos Students Union, and countless expulsions and rustications but you know the facts as well as I do. I have not even bothered to list the atrocities of the cults, whether committed during inter-gang warfare or as violent robbery or as outright robbery and rape of innocent citizens.

Bulletin boards The pages of our newspapers “‘bulletin boards’ for reporting the daily exploits of members of secret cults,” as Rotimi puts it - are replete with sordid and gory details of such attacks, including two just last month: see the report, “Citadel of Violence” in The Insider Weekly of December 17, 2012 involving gun fights between and among members of the Brotherhood of the Blood (also known as Two-Two or Black Berets), Vikings, Black Axe, Buccaneer and Eiye, as well as the story “Cobbler Caught with Gun” in Saturday Punch of January 5, 2013 in which the cobbler, one Nonso Eze, explains how he came to be in possession of the gun, a tale in which he claims to have been caught unknowingly in a reprisal attack involving Black Axe and Eiye.

To be concluded C M Y K

54 —

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Arsenal left my players with black eye — Bayern coach B

AYERN Munich coach Jupp Heynckes said his team must learn their lessons from last night’s 2-0 Champions League disappointment against Arsenal.

Heynckes believes his team fell well short of their own expectations and this must be a lesson if they are to challenge for the Champions League, reports Goal.com.

“I must say my players are leaving here with a black eye,” said the 67year-old.

“I think I know European football, having had 150 games as coach in European Cups and I had warned my players.”

Bayern went into the game having won 3-1 at the Emirates in the first

Nani wants new Man U contract

leg last month, but goals in the third and 86th minute almost saw one of the most in-form teams in Europe exit at the last-16 stage.

“Arsenal have quality, they came to us wounded from the first leg. They were very motivated, driven and they got that early goal,”said Heynckes.

Olivier Giroud’s thirdminute tap-in was the perfect start for Arsenal as they set out to score three goals, a daunting challenge in Munich.

Heynckes had urged his players to evade an early strike.

“That was exactly what we needed to avoid. To go into the lead in the third minute makes it so much easier for one team and more difficult for the other,” Heynckes said

Nani

N

ANI wants to star for Manchester United and bag a new contract.

He said: “I want to show the manager that he can trust me and he can believe in me in every match.

“I want to show him my contribution can help win games.

“So I’ll keep working hard to make sure I’m ready to respond every time I get a chance.”

Ferdinand back in England squad

E

NGLAND manager Roy Hodgson has recalled Rio Ferdinand to the Three Lions squad.

The Manchester United defender is set to feature under Hodgson for the first time.

Ferdinand returns to international football after injuries to Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.

Hodgson said: “I’ve been following him for quite a while now and must have seen United play for or five times in the last five weeks."

CONTEST Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller (top) and Arsenal´s Spanish Mikel Arteta (bottom) vie for the ball during the Round of 16 second-leg football match in Munich. Arsenal won 2-0. AFP PHOTO

Refs made me lose $900,000 —Mayweather

B

•Ferdinand

Pistorius girl’s parents face eviction

T

HE parents of Oscar Pistorius’s slain girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp are being evicted from their home, a month after their daughter ’s death, the family said Thursday. ”They have been given notice on their home by the owners,” Reeva’s uncle Michael Steenkamp told AFP. “They are going to be vacating that house soon.”

Since their daughter

was shot dead at Pistorius’s Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day, Steenkamp’s parents have retreated to their home in the southern coastal city of Port Elizabeth.

Michael Steenkamp said he was not sure of the reason for their eviction, but said the owner may want to sell the modest home, located in a quiet outlying coastal suburb.

OXER Floyd Mayweather is known for his love of high-stakes gambling. But he didn’t love having money riding on the infamous Seahawks-Packers “Fail Mary” game that led to the end of the officials’ lockout.

In an interview on Jim Rome on Showtime, Mayweather said he gambled $900,000 on the Packers to beat the Seahawks in that game, which Seattle won on a Hail Mary on the last play — a play that most observers thought should have been ruled both offensive pass interference on the Seahawks and a gameclinching interception by the Packers, but that the replacement officials ruled a game-winning

•Mayweather touchdown catch by Seattle’s Golden Tate.

“That was 900 grand,” Mayweather said. “I was upset.”

Euro 2020 wil lak soul —Blatter

F

IFA president Sepp Blatter says Uefa’s plans to stage the 2020 E u r o p e a n Championship at venues across Europe could lead to a soulless tournament.

In January, Uefa announced that 13 cities, each in a different country, will host the tournament, with one hosting both semi-finals and the final.

Wembley has bid to hold the final, with Cardiff, Dublin and Glasgow all expected to bid to host group matches.

“Such a Euro lacks heart and soul,” Blatter told Germany’s Kicker magazine.

“A tournament should be played in one country. That is how you create identity and euphoria."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 — 55

Keshi defends new call-ups N

IGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has defended some of his fresh call-ups, saying they are good and only need to be encouraged to shine.

Michael Babatunde from Ukrainian club Kryvbas and John Ogu of Academica de Coimbra were surprise call-ups by Keshi for next week’s World Cup qualifier at home against Kenya.

“I have watched Michael Babatunde play; he is going to be a fantastic player and so too John Ogu and we have a lot of them outside there, young ones that are hungry to play for this country that you guys need to help build,” he said.

“You guys need to give them courage and confidence that they can do it.

We can’t keep relying on older players every day and we say we want to move forward; let us have people that will take over when this group leaves.

“Every player in that squad is good so we need to prepare ourselves in a way that we can be better in the game on March 23.

The most important thing is for my team to understand and know their role, task or function probably we will be good.” ·

•Efe Ambrose

F

LYING Eagles coach John Obuh has said as defending champions, the Flying Eagles will not underrate any team at the 2013 African Youth Championship in Algeria.

Obuh made this declaration on Thursday morning when the Flying Eagles touched down at the Ahmed Ben Bella international Airport in Oran.

“All the teams who qualified to feature in this competition must be good to reach this stage and so we will not underrate any of them,” said Obuh, who led Nigeria to a sixth AYC conquest two years ago in South Africa.

“What’s most important

•Keshi

Efe Ambrose banned for World Cup clash

C

ELTIC defender Efe Ambrose will miss Nigeria World Cup qualifier against Kenya next weekend because of accumulated bookings.

Coach Stephen Keshi had called up Ambrose, who played as a makeshift right back during last month’s Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

However, an official statement from the Nigeria football Federation (NFF) on Thursday said Ambrose will miss the match in Calabar after he got a

HE Confederation of African football has appointed officials that will handle their matches for this week end’s CAF Champions league and CAF Confederation Cup matches.

Also, NFF Consultant on refereeing matters and FIFA Advisor on referees Mr Linus Mba has been appointed as Match Commissioner for the return leg of the Confederation Cup Match between US Bougouni of Mali and Recreativo Da Caala of Angola, coming up in Mali on April 7.

Kano Pillars who in A.C Leopards have by far the toughest of all opponents have been handed Morrocan Refeerees and a Match Commissioner Fred Crentsil of Ghana.

The referees, Redouane Jihed, Rouari Bouazzi, El Meheaji Adbelazziz, and Tiazi Hicham are expected in Lagos via Royal Air Maroc Airline.

It will be recalled that A.C Leopards are current Confederation Cup champions. In the return leg, Pillars will have referees from Cote Divoire, with a Camerounian Match Commissioner.

•Obuh for us now would be our opening match on Sunday against Mali. You have a great advantage if you win your first match and that is what we wish to do,” the sweat merchant added.

The Nigeria U20s are booked into the three-star Eden Airport Hotel, which is a walk away from the airport

Quarter finalists emerge in Delta Governor’s Cup

yellow card against Namibia in a World Cup tie in June last year and was also yellow carded away to Malawi in Blantyre in the same competition.

New Enugu Rangers signing Chibuzor Okonkwo is thus expected to stake a stronger claim for the problematic right back position in the absence of the suspended Ambrose.

Meanwhile, officials confirmed that Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, will be presented with the

Caf appoints officials for Nigerian clubs, as Mba goes to Mali

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AYC: We won’t underrate any team — Obuh

The nation’s other entrant Rangers International are away to Vitalo club with Lesotho officials and a Central African Match Commissioner. In the return leg in two weeks time Algerian referees led

by Haimoudi Djamel will officiate with Andy Quamie of Liberia as Match Commissioner.

In the CAF Confederation Cup, Heartland will host U.S Bitam of Gabon with referees from Liberia while the popular and former chairman of the Ghanaian Football Association Alhaji Jawula is the match Commissioner.

AFCON trophy at his office on the evening of Thursday, March 21.

Eagles Continues from BP in Nigeria.”

“The team is in good shape especially after we beat Libya last month in Tunisia. We just need to maintain the same momentum and spirit. We can shock them,” he told Goal.com.

He said though Nigeria has always beaten Kenya in previous matches, there is a new positive spirit in the Kenyan camp and beating the Super Eagles remains a major possibility.

“We are no longer the underdogs we used to be when losing to Nigeria.

We have matured with

A

FTER days of soccer battle, seven schools have qualified for the quarterfinal of the ongoing Delta State Governor’s Cup Soccer championship. The zonal elimination began in time and grown in confidence,” he observed.

Oliech praised the decision to appoint coach Adel Amrouche to coach Harambee Stars and pointed out that the players are responding positively to him.

He regretted the absence of Parma midfielder Macdonald Mariga saying this denies the team great experience.

Mariga is currently nursing an injury and it is not clear when he will recover.

Oliech said he has settled down at new club AC Ajaccio and is enjoying himself in the French top league.

Continues from BP

•Siasia

if offered the job by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They have not offered me the job yet, but I am available and ready to work,” Siasia told MTNFootball.com The former international striker led the team to the final of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they were beaten in the final by Argentina.

He also guided the

Asaba, Agbor, Kwale, Oghara, Sapele, Okpara, Ughelli and Warri last Monday and ended on Wednesday.

Comprehensive secondary school, Ogwashi-Uku, finished top at Agbor zone after winning all two matches.

The school defeated Ugbolu Secondary School 11-1 in their first game before handing a 1-0 defeat to Niger Mixed secondary school of Asaba on Match Day 2.

In the game against Niger Mixed secondary school, Anene Ugo scored the only goal in the sixth minute to give his side the day. His left strike from the centre of the field was too much for Niger Mixed school goalkeeper.

Ugo and midfielder, Felix Oseme, won the heart of all spectators present at the venue with their accurate passes and style of play.

Siasia country ’s team to the final of the 2005 FIFA U20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

He was fired as Nigeria coach in October 2011 after he failed to qualify the Super Eagles to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

He has since not worked as a coach despite reports linking him with numerous coaching openings.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

New Pope loves football!

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HE new Pope has arrived, and he loves football!

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the Catholic Church’s new pontiff o Wednesday, becoming Francis I.

And it turns out the Argentinian clergy man is a massive fan of San Lorenzo, the team who tried to sign wantaway Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini in January.

The 76-year-old even had his own San Loren-

zo ID card in 2008 as published by The Sun of London.

Francis I is the first ever Pope to hail from the Americas.

San Lorenzo are having an average season in Primera A, currently sitting in 11th place.

Perhaps they hoped signing big-name Coloccini would papal over the cracks!

Kenya captain: We’ll shock Eagles in Calabar FIFA rankings:

Eagles remain static T

H

ARAMBEE Stars captain Dennis Oliech is confident the team can cause an upset when they face Africa’s champions Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier on March 23 in Calabar.

Oliech, who arrived in the Kenya on Tuesday, has insisted that Nigeria will be under pressure and with proper preparations, the Stars can dim their opponents away.

“The pressure will be on Nigeria especially having won the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. We will go into the match as underdogs. Everybody will be looking at how Nigeria will perform, this being their first competitive match after 2013 Afcon final.

“All we need to do is to prepare well and there is every possibility that we can get a positive result

Continues on Page 55

HAND OF GOD ... new Pope holding up a San Lorenzo flag in March, 2011. Photo: The Sun of London.

Siasia: I will take U-23 job F

ORMER Nigeria coach Samson Siasia has said he will be willing to tinker the country’s Olympic team

again.

Siasia said he has yet to be contacted to take up his former post, but he told MTNFootball.com he

PUZZLE

Spain remains the number one football team in the world while Germany, Argentina, England and Italy complete the top five teams.

African Top 10 Cote d’Ivoire Ghana Mali Nigeria Algeria Zambia Tunisia Burkina Faso Central African Republic Cape Verde Islands

•Yobo

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

would be willing to do the job again.

“I am available for the job to tutor the U23 team Continues on Page 55

HE Super Eagles of Nigeria remained static in the latest FIFA rankings published yesterday in Zurich, Switzerland.

The African champions remained the 30 best national football in the world but fourth in Africa behind Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Mali.

Although the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire who were eliminated in the quarter final stage of the last Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa lost one place, the Didier Drogbaled team remains Africa’s highest ranked team 13th in the world from their previous 12th position.

The Black Stars of Ghana also slipped one place down from 19 to 20th in the world but remain Africa’s second best national team.

AFCON semi-finalists, Mali are placed third in Africa but gained one step to the 24th as against the previous 25.

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Lash (4) 4 Vessel (3) 6 Lichen (4) 9 Skill (3) 10 Ratified (8) 11 Yank (4) 14 Taxi (3) 16 Moan (5) 19 Praiseworthy (8) 21 Board (5) 23 Wrapper (8) 24 Dreary (5) 27 Relations (3) 31 Bay (4) 33 Tested (8) 34 Title (3) 35 Warmth (4) 36 Pasty (3) 37 Gloomy (4)

DOWN 2 Suspend (4) 3 Indigent (4) 4 Unsteady (8) 5 Naked (4) 6 Principal (5) 7 Mineral (3) 8 Belt (5) 12 Mount (5) 13 Lead (5) 14 Headgear (3) 15 Void (5) 17 Fool (5) 18 Senior (5) 20 Contemplate (8) 22 Knowledge (3) 25 Free (5) 26 Avoid (5) 28 Pile (4) 29 Peel (4) 30 Strip (4) 32 Through (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Accord 5, Oppose 8, Ornament 9, Roam 10, Cos 12, Blind 15, Spa 17, Tor 18, Rot 19, Axe 20, Endue 21, Ado 22, Era 23, Arm 24, Par 26, Maxim 29, Pry 33, Stab 34, Argument 35, Screen 36, Esteem.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Cargo 3, Oval 4, Dwell 5, Often 6, Port 7, Scamp 10, Clasp 11, Steer 12, Bream 13, Index 14, Dream 15, Stamp 16, Agony 25, Attic 27, Again 28, Ingle 30, Range 31, Able 32, Emit. 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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