FG, PDP, othersattack Buhari

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61624

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

N150

Bring IGI MD, others in handcuffs, Senate tells IGP •P. 8

More buildings 'll collapse in 2012 — Minister •P.61 100 BRIDES WED IN KANO—Brides at the palace of the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, yesterday for a mass wedding of 100 divorcees and widows organised by the sharia police known as the Hisbah. The brides are first set of 1,000 women the Hisbah plans to marry off as part of strategy to curb social and sectarian unrest in the city. AFP PHOTO. See story Page 6.

2015 ELECTIONS:

FG, PDP, others attack Buhari •Say he is blood thirsty, should be cautioned •He is a regional leader — Presidency

•PDP talking rubbish — CPC Apple drops Google Maps, Debuts in-house ' —P.24 Maps' in 3D mode

Jonathan's watch —P.17

Crash in capital market 'll happen again — Soludo

Pg.6

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR, HENRY UMORU & DAPO AKINREFON

L

AGOS—GENERAL Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, came under attack as a man desperate for political power following his assertion, Monday, of the possibility of a bloody revolution in 2015.

The Presidency in a scathing dismissal lamented that the former Head of State had, through his assertions, reduced himself to a regional leader, noting Continues on Page 5

Anti-graft agencies plot to prosecute oil •P.7 thieves DEAR BUNMI:

His ex-wife is a pest •P. 46 Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 3

4 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

G/Bissau: Ikimi, others disagree over troops deployment

BY HUGO ODIOGOR

N

IGERIA’s decision to send troops to Guinea Bissau was greeted with mixed reactions yesterday by Foreign policy experts and decision-makers, who described the move as belated but necessary to halt the domino effect of insecurity in the West African sub-region. But others criticised it as the usual “father Christmas approach to international politics and diplomacy,” which has not yielded any dividend to the country in the end The Foreign policy experts who gathered at the 9th Brain storming session organised by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, in Lagos, said “Nigeria has not learnt lessons of its past military adventures in Liberia and Sierra Leone where it sent troops to rescue the two West African states only to be sidelined in the peacetime policies of the countries”.

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, during the Abacha regime, Chief Tom Ikimi, led the charge when he said the postwar policies of the countries that have received Nigeria’s foreign assistance has not been favourable to Nigeria largely because such gestures have been conceptualised without taking into account the long term interest of Nigeria into consideration.

Chief Ikimi said “the foreign policy of any country goes with its natural interest and it will be wrong for Nigeria to continue to offer assistance to nations without putting into consideration, its long term interest”. Chief Ikimi strongly disagreed with Ambassador Olu Adeniyi who said the tendency of Nigerians to demand for the benefits the country would derive from offering assistance to other countries have often been the reason for such countries to view such foreign assistance with suspicion. Ambassador Adeniji

•President Jonathan was also a one time Foreign Affairs Minister and was later moved to the Ministry of Internal Affairs by the Obasanjo adminstration. Ambassador Adeniji told the participants that “Nigeria has been long involved in promoting peace and development in Guinea Bissau, especially as it was the first country to grant that country’s nationalist leader Amilcar

Cabral, diplomatic visa during its struggle for freedom from Portugal”.

Ambassador George Obizor who was one time Director General of NIIA and former Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States, said “Nigeria should borrow a leaf from the United States which ensures that strings are attached to it foreign assistance”. Professor Akin

Hollande promises to open new pact in Europe left within hours on his first diplomatic foray — to Berlin, following a postwar custom for new French leaders to reach out to their German counterparts to solidify European unity.

F

RANCOIS Hollande walked up the steps of the Elysee Palace in Paris and walked out Tuesday as France’s first Socialist president since 1995, taking the helm of a country worried about Europe’s future and pledging to make it a fairer place. The 57-yearold rode to the presidency on a wave of resurgent leftist sentiment amid Europe’s debt woes and protests against capitalism around the world.

After ceremony steeped in tradition, Hollande displayed his populist

the surest way to guarantee peace, justice and happiness in the continent. The Director General of NIIA, Professor Bola Akin Terinwa said the 9th Brain storming session was part of the assignment given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by President Goodluck Jonathan to examine the contributions of Nigeria to international development, peace and security in Southern Africa where the leadership of countries like Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have develop antiNigeria attitude, regardless of the enormous contributions Nigeria made to the independent struggles.

Libya holds election next month

L

IBYA will be holding its first general elections next month, the first free and multi-party polls perhaps in 47 years.

Over a million voters have registered since voter registration opened on May 1. The two-week exercise is to end on May 14. But candidates and parties were given only eight days to register.

Parties and candidates competing for the 200 seats of the National Congress (parliament) have protested saying they won’t have enough time to meet the require-

ments in order to get them registered.

The parties also criticised the National Transitional Council, the interim government, for being slow to enact laws that regulate their work and formation. Libya will be holding its first general elections next month, the first free and multi-party polls perhaps in 47 years. Over a million voters have registered since voter registration opened on May 1.

The two-week exercise iended yesterday.

Greece faces fresh polls to break impasse New French President, Francois Hollande greeting the crowd. touch with a rain-soaked ride up the ChampsElysees avenue, standing tall in his vehicle’s

sunroof to wave to crowds lining the streets before getting out for handshakes with adoring crowds. Hollande then

Obama explains shift on same sex to Pastors

A

FTER making his historic remarks on same-sex unions last week, President Barack Obama led a conference call with black church pastors to explain his support for gay marriage, the New York Times reports. The call, which was held with “eight or so African-American ministers,” occurred about two hours after the president’s interview

Oyebode said “President Goodluck Jonathan should be given kudos for the decision to send troops to Guinea Bissau because of the security situation in West Africa which is degenerated fast”. He said Nigeria should have taken firm and decision action against the coup plotters in Mali and Guinea Bissau which have the propensity to develop into a sub-regional hot spot for anti-democratic forces. The Foreign Affairs minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru who examined Nigeria’s contribution of Nigeria to the liberation struggle in the former racist enslave.

He said it is in the interest of Nigeria to promote the culture of democracy in across Africa since it is

•President Obama

Barack

with ABC’s Robin Roberts. Obama explained to them that he struggled with the decision, pastors on the call told the paper,

but several voiced their disapproval. “They were wrestling with their ability to get over his theological position,” the Rev. Delman Coates, a Maryland pastor who was on the call, told the Times. The conference call was part of a quiet effort by the president to control potential political damage caused by his support of same-sex marriage.

G

REECE is headed for another month of political paralysis ahead of new elections in mid-June, after party leaders on Tuesday failed to reach an agreement to build a coalition government. The protracted deadlock and the prospect of an anti-austerity party winning the new vote hammered Europe’s markets on fears that the debt-crippled country could be forced out of the European single currency, triggering shockwaves throughout the 17-country eurozone.

“The country is unfortunately heading again to elections,” Socialist party leader and former finance minister Evangelos Venizelos said after the talks under

Leader of the Independent Greeks party Panos Kammenos (2nd from R) accompanied by party officials, arrives at the Presidential palace for a meeting.

President Karolos Papoulias collapsed. “It is heading back to elections in a few days under very bad circumstances, because certain people coldly put their short-term party interests above the national

interest.” Yesterday’s meeting of five party leaders under Papoulias was a last-ditch effort to overcome the deadlock after a first election in May left no party with enough votes for a majority in parliament.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—5

2015: FG, PDP, others attack Buhari Continues from Page 1 that Buhari even as a presidential candidate consistently showed himself as divisive person who did not even campaign in the south.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, denounced Buhari, as a man who would not mind trudging on the blood of Nigerians to achieve his dream to return to power.

Jonathan's critics also rounded on Buhari, describing his comments as being in the extreme.

The only respite for the 2011 presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC came from the party and the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP. The CPC dismissed the criticisms of Buhari’s statement as balderdash.

The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF in its own reaction noted that Buhari’s assertion was nothing new as it claimed that it had been severally parroted by other political leaders, including former President Olusegun

Obasanjo.

Speaking in Hausa language while receiving a delegation of the CPC from Niger State, Buhari was quoted as saying: “God willing by 2015, something will happen.

They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way.

“If what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, ‘the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood."

He was also quoted as describing the federal government as the biggest Boko Haram in the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati in the presidency’s reaction to what he described as an unfortunate statement from Buhari said: “But perhaps the most unfortunate part of the statement was the portion in which Buhari said that, “Since the leaders now don’t listen to anybody but do whatever they wish, there is nothing the north can do.

“We find it very sad that an elder statesman who

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

T

HERE is a lot to say for the pursuit of truth and honesty. A truly honest man is rare to find.

The desires of the heart and challenges of life and the weakness of the flesh makes honesty indeed a real challenge. But those who are honest will live in the land and those who are innocent will remain in it. Choose the right path.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays —Ralph Waldo Emerson

T

HE key to transforming our hearts and minds is to have an understanding of the way our thoughts and emotions work. We need to learn how to identify the opposing sides in our inner conflicts.

With anger, for example, we need to see how destructive anger is, and, at the same time, realize that there are antidotes within our own thoughts and emotions that we can use to counter it. So, first, by understanding that afflictive thoughts and emotions are destructive and negative, and, second, by trying to strengthen our positive thoughts and emotions, which are their antidotes, we can gradually reduce the force of our anger, dislike and so on.

The way to examine how thoughts and emotions arise in us is through introspection. It is quite natural for many different thoughts and emotions to arise.

When we leave them unexamined and untamed this leads to untold crises and challenges. This is why we need to adopt the conscious discipline of positive virtues such as love, compassion and kindness. We have to make a sustained effort, again and again, to cultivate these positive aspects from within.

once presided over the entirety of Nigeria can reduce himself to a regional leader who speaks for only a part of Nigeria.”

Noting with irony previous denunciations of Buhari by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who is now an associate of Buhari, the presidency s a i d : ”We now understand what his protégé and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Nasir El’Rufai, meant when he wrote in a public letter in October of 2010, telling Nigerians that Buhari remains “perpetually unelectable” and that Buhari’s “insensitivity to Nigeria’s diversity and his parochial focus are already well-known.”

Who can know Buhari better than his own political associate?”

“Come to think of it, as the CPC presidential candidate in the 2011 election, how many states in the Federation did he visit to campaign for votes? Buhari never bothered to campaign in the southern part of the country and consistently played up the North-South divide to the chagrin of patriotic and wellmeaning Nigerians. As the results revealed, Nigerians will never vote for anyone who wants to divide the country. Is Buhari going to continue to be a sectional leader?”

Rebuffing Buhari’s depiction of the Jonathan led administration as the biggest Boko Haram, Abati said: “The Federal Government led by President Jonathan is not Boko Haram."

“Buhari claims that the Federal Government does not listen. Such an accusation ought not to emanate from a man overthrown by his own handpicked colleagues in the military for refusing to listen to advice and behaving as if he had a monopoly of knowledge.

“When Buhari says that “if what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, ‘the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood”, we hereby state that it is Buhari himself who does not listen. He has

obviously refused to listen to the Nigerian People, the European Union, the Commonwealth Monitoring Group, the African Union and a multitude of independent electoral monitors who testified that the 2011 elections were free and fair and “the best elections since Nigeria returned to civil rule.”

On Buhari’s condemnation of the administration’s handling of the affairs of the oil industr y, the presidency fired back: “Major General Buhari (rtd) also boasts of his knowledge of the Petroleum Industr y because of his time as Federal Commissioner for Petroleum. We wonder why he did not boast of the infamous scandal that occurred in that ministry where under his watch billions of Naira (in the 1970s) were reported stolen, a matter which led to the setting up of the Justice Ayo Irikefe panel.

“Finally, we wish to make it known to Buhari that given his reference to “dogs and baboons”, perhaps his best course of action would be to travel to the zoo of his imagination because President Goodluck Jonathan was elected by human beings to preside over human beings and it is human beings who will determine what happens in Nigeria at any material time not “dogs and baboons”.

PDP slams Buhari The PDP in its own reaction through its national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said it was regretful that Buhari would again incite Nigerians to violence after allegedly causing the mayhem that followed the 2011 presidential election.

Metuh said: "The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calls on w e l l - m e a n i n g Nigerians, especially the Northern elders to call Buhari to order and ask him to spare the nation his thirst for blood,” Noting the events that followed the 2011 elections, he said: "We

POCKET CARTOON

need to remind ourselves that on April 21, 2012, Buhari was reported in the media as predicting a bloody revolution in 2015. The reports in the national dailies today quoting the same retired General as repeating that blood will flow in 2015 is another build-up to Buhari’s relish of funeral train.

"While PDP cherishes freedom of speech, assembly and association as the custodian of Nigeria’s democracy, we at that same time know that such freedom goes with i m m e n s e responsibilities. We condemn in no uncertain terms this shameful call for the spill of blood of innocent Nigerians to acquire political power.

"We appreciate Buhari’s frustration and antagonism towards the PDP. He has lost three times at the polls. But is Buhari really a democrat? Why is the blood of innocent Nigerians the only thing sufficient to quench his thirst for power? What Nigeria needs right now is ‘evolution’ in the true spirit of democracy.”

Describing the former Head of state’s statement as tr uly, undemocratic, unpatriotic and unstatesmanlike, he said: "It is on record that Nigeria is yet to recover from the huge losses it suffered due to such reckless and provocative remarks by Buhari before the 2011 general elections which led to a spate of bloody post-election violence across six states of the federation.

"The 22-man panel of enquiry led by Sheikh Ahmed Lemu confirmed

that Buhari’s provocative remarks played a significant role in the bloody violence that led to the death of at least 200 people, gruesomely injuring thousands and the displacement of more than 40,000 people.

"The panel categorically stated that Buhari’s pre-election utterances were misconstrued by his supporters to engage in the condemnable mayhem that greeted the aftermath of the presidential elections.

Buhari never apologized to the nation or to the families of the victims. Today, Buhari is again engaged in another build up of massive bloodletting and destruction.

"Nigerians should be worried over Buhari’s quest for power by all means as he begins chanting his old war song once again. We have no doubt that Buhari is suffering from combat withdrawal syndrome.

"As a basis for his inciting the public to take the law into their hands, Buhari has consistently said PDP government is not interested in transparency and social justice.

"To him, justice is only done when his party wins. Where it doesn’t, the PDP’s machinations will be blamed. He has repeatedly cited the Igabi Local Government, in Kaduna State, as an example of where free and fair election was conducted, simply because CPC won.

"On the issue of corruption, we challenge Buhari to prove to Nigerians that

Continues on Page 14

6—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Crash in Capital Market 'll happen again —Soludo zAs Ngama scores Oteh low

BY BEN AGANDE

A

BODIJA BRIDGE SWEPT AWAY— Bodija Bridge washed away by flood yesterday, following Monday night rain in Ibadan, Oyo State. Photo: Dare Fasube.

Kano govt gives out 100 widows, divorcees in marriage zPays N10,000 dowry on each bride, N20,000 for empowerment zBlind couple among beneficiaries

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

K

ANO — A BLIND couple, Batula Umar and Adamu Faidawa, and a Muslim convert, Isa Gamber from Lantang in Plateau State were among the first set of 100 couples who tied the knot at a mass wedding conducted yesterday at the Kano Central Mosque by Kano State Shariah Police, Hisbah Command.

Commercial activities were temporarily halted in the city as a large crowd turned up to witness the marriage ceremony that took place at the Kano Central Mosque located within the precinct of the Emir Palace. In line with Islamic tradition, the grooms and their accredited representatives were present at the mosque in a ceremony that was solemnized by the Chief Imam of Kano Central Mosque, Professor Sani Zaharadeen.

The brides were the first set of 1,000 divorcees and widows the sharia police screened for marriage to available suitors. Grooms were dressed in flowing robes as a Hisbah official read out the names of the couples at the mosque.

The brides were represented by the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, and the grooms by a senior government official on behalf of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Also in attendance were

the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, who also doubled as the father of the day and notable Islamic clerics in the city and beyond who witnessed the mass wedding bankrolled by the Kano state Government.

Pays N10,000 dowry on each bride Kano State Government paid N10,000 dowry on each bride on behalf of each groom, and also provided household utensils and furniture worth a hundred thousand and additional N20,000 each for economic empowerment of the brides.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the brief wedding ceremony, Director General, Kano HISBAH Board, Malam Abba Sa’id Sufi, explained that necessary steps regarding the health status of the grooms were ascertained in line with laid out procedure of the Board.

He disclosed that a Non Government Organisation headed by Hajiya Atine Abdullahi , executive director, Voice of Orphan Widows and Divorces of Nigeria (VOWAN) had notified the board of existence of over 1,000,000 divorces and widows in Kano which spurred the board to take up the challenge to fix them.

He lamented that in the past there was no contract agreement between

would be couples neither do we have proper arrangement in marriage before couples entered into marriage, stressing that the near absence of a social contract was principally responsible for the collapse of marriages among faithful in the city.

Beneficiaries react “I’m very happy today.

May God reward all those involved in this project,” 40-year-old bride Magajiya Ya’u said. One of the grooms married his second wife, as Islamic beliefs allow for up to four.

“I’m in high spirits today because I have married the woman of my choice virtually at no cost because the government has shouldered the cost,” said 55-year-old Sule Alaramma, surrounded by well-wishers outside the mosque."

Hisbah programme The wedding was a product of a Hisbah programme seeking to match divorced and widowed women looking to re-marry with available men. It aims to address what officials say is a high divorce rate as well as to provide a stable home environment for children.

Part of the goal is to reduce unrest in Kano, which has been hit by deadly violence blamed on Islamist group. Analysts say frustrated youths have helped fill the ranks of the Islam-

ists.

Women who volunteered for the programme included those left in difficult circumstances after the death of their husbands or a divorce in a region where arranged marriages are common.

The programme was run in conjunction with the Voice of Divorcees and Widows Association of Nigeria (VOWAN), and officials say all women participated on a strictly voluntary basis.

Women and men who qualified were allowed to meet each other at the Hisbah offices and decide on their own who they wished to marry.

“We are grateful to God that we have begun to realise our dream of marrying 1,000 women as part of the government’s commitment to mitigate the social malaise we are facing in our society,” the head of the Hisbah, Aminu Daurawa, said after the wedding conducted by the city’s chief imam.

“We will continue to conduct the weddings in batches and soon we will have the wedding of the second set of 100 women already screened.”

Outside the mosque, a large crowd waited at the gates while the sharia police screened grooms before allowing them to enter the mosque.

Armed policemen kept watch in the scorching heat amid drumming, singing and dancing.

BUJA —FORMER Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday, gave a gloomy picture of the Nigerian Capital Market as he told the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc committee investigating the near collapse of the Capital Market that no amount of regulation can stop the crash of the market as crashes are normal part of the stock market.

His testimony came on the day the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama, berated the Director General of The Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms Orunma Oteh for not doing enough to safeguard the capital market as her performance "should have been better, far far better than it is."

Soludo who appeared before the committee also defended his position on the global economic recession, saying he did not say it would not affect Nigeria but that the economy would not go into recession.

According to the former CBN governor, “stock market crashes will always happen: no amount of ‘reforms’ or ‘regulation’ will stop future ones. The jury is still out on what constitutes ‘appropriate’ regulation or ‘reforms’ of the market: debate raging in US now, over vs under-regulation."

Reflection of general economic situation

He said what was obtainable in the stock market was a reflection of the general economic and political situation in the country, adding that the committee should “think about Nigeria’s 'Newspaper Headline Index' — how many positive per week versus negative! Political economy of change in Nigeria is one step forward, three backwards! The Stock Exchange cannot be better than the systemic competitiveness of the economy. Investors are not stupid (when the Market was booming, Nigeria was not rated No.14 failed State in the world— think about this!) — see all the reversals of privatisations, etc. Stock Market is simply a barometer.

“How are we sure that the market is not just reflecting the fundamentals of the economy? What kind of market do we want— a market that leads the economy or that follows the economy? Let

us define our target/destination and how far we are from it before we know the appropriate vehicle to reach there.

“How come that since three years and with monthly oil price averaging $100 per barrel and over 2mbd, and with all the ‘reforms’ in money and capital markets (supposedly there is no more lax regulation/supervision) and despite Dangote’s over N2 trillion listing which lifted the market cap over N8 trillion, the market cap is basically today at the level I left it three years ago?”

Talking about his achievement in office, the former CBN governor said he came into “office with a unique background and experience with a vision and ambition to create a new financial system that would take the economy to realise its potentials as Africa’s largest economy; an International Financial Centre, and Africa’s financial hub,” adding that he “created a new banking system through Consolidation and 13-point agenda, which engineered a new Stock Market as one of its by-products.”

Ngama rates Oteh

In his testimony, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Ngama, when asked whether the competence of the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission played any role in the state of the capital market, said the lack of good working relationship between the Director General of the Commission and other Commissioners as well as Directors of the commission had also contributed to the comatose state of the capital market.

He said: “You can have all the certificates, you can go to school but you can decide to be incompetent. The performance (of the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission) should be better, far, far better than it is. It is not a mistake that the SEC Act says there should be a director general and three commissioners.

"From what I have watched, the body (SEC) is not one. The leg is apart from the hand. Since you (committee) have observed what is happening there, whatever your report says, as an employer, whatever you recommend, we will implement.”

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—7

Inflation rises to 12.9%, driven by non-food items

A

From left: Mr. Tunji Bello, Commissioner for Environment, Lagos State; Arc. Mike Oziegbe Onolememen, Minister of Works; Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance and Senator Idris Umar, Minister of Transport at Marine Beach bridge during the ministers' assessment of port access road, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

SUBSIDY PROBE:

EFCC, ICPC, CCB strategise on prosecution of alleged oil thieves

BY CALEB AYANSINA

A

BUJA —HEADS of anti-corruption agencies, yesterday, held a close door meeting on methodology to be adopted in prosecuting alleged oil thieves mentioned in the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee report on fuel subsidy.

The meeting held in the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, headquarters in Abuja was attended by the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde; ICPC boss, Ekpo Nta and the chairman of Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, Sam Saba.

An impeccable source told Vanguard that the meeting was held on how to prosecute the suspected oil thieves to avoid overlapping.

According to the source, the meeting will also give each agency the aspect of the report to focus and to evolve method on how to fight corruption in the oil sector.

Vanguard gathered that the head of operations of EFCC, Olaolu Adegbite, who heads subcommittee on subsidy scam made up of 60 operatives had started interrogation of heads of the indicted companies

in the N1.7trn fraud, after notifying the affected importers last month.

Officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and the Petroleum Product Pricing and Regulatory

Agency, PPPRA have been quizzed by the C commission.

The heads of ACAs af-M ter a closed door meetingY received a situation re-K port from Justice For All, J4A, on how to improve

the prosecution capacity of their teams.

Mr Bob Amot, who spoke on behalf of J4A, said they were in partnership with anti-graft bodies to strengthen the capacity building of prosecutors.

Power: Nigeria, France sign MoU for transmission expansion

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BUJA — THE Fed eral Government has entered into agreements with two French companies for the expansion of Nigeria’s transmission network, valued at about $200 million or N3.14 billion.

Under the agreements, which is said to have the blessing of the French Government, the companies will first undertake the feasibility studies for the transmission upgrade, and thereafter, select and construct a high voltage transmission line and substations.

The Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, for the kick off of the project was signed, yesterday, between the Ministry of Power and two French companies in Abuja.

Minister of Power, Prof.

Barth Nnaji and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Mr. Sola Akinniranye, signed on behalf of Ni-

geria while Mr. Jean Paul Mairesse of the Electricite de France, EDF, and Mr. Jean Philippe Trin of the Enterprise de Transporte et Distribution D’electricity, ETDE, signed on behalf of their companies respectively.

EDF and ETDF will source the funds from their home government to execute specific feasibility studies as well as select a specific project that will help expand the transmission grid.

Transmission glitches have remained the biggest challenge in Nigeria’s power delivery system, as the existing 330 and 132 kv network continues to suffer from prolonged and frequent outages, thus underscoring the need for fortification.

In a statement made available to Vanguard by the ministry, “the MoU has been in the works since 2008, when both countries executed a protocol for the development of electrification networks

in Nigeria, followed by a series of meetings to determine areas of need for the expansion of Nigeria’s transmission grid infrastructure.”

Talks on the project were said to have been concluded on November 28, 2011, with the parties agreeing to “execute a partnership agreement for the development of specific power projects in Nigeria.”

Nnaji was quoted as saying that the parties shall jointly identify and agree on a specific transmission project within the range of $100 million to $200 million, evaluate the feasibility for the project, and thereafter, select a project for implementation.

“Funds for execution of the projects— the construction of high voltage transmission line and substations that would be undertaken by the contractors— are to come from the French government in the form of a grant,” the statement added.

BUJA — NIGERIA’S inflation rate rose to 12.9 per cent in April, yearon-year, driven largely by non-food items and a very price stable comparative month in April last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed, yesterday.

Nigeria, Africa’s top energy producer and second biggest economy, is closely watched by emerging market investors and Africafocussed funds.

Though its economy is one of the fastest growing in the world and bond yields are attractive, poor fiscal management has had a tendency to build inflationary pressures. The figure compared with a 12.1 per cent increase in March, year-on-year.

Food inflation, the largest component of the index, fell slightly to 11.2 per cent, compared with 11.8 percent in March. The change in the overall index was largely because inflation in the month of April 2011 had been so subdued.

“The higher year-on-year change could be partly at-

tributable to base effects as the index was relatively more stable in April of 2011 ... lower price levels in April 2011 will reflect higher year-on-year percentage changes in April of 2012,” the statistics bureau said.

Inflation was worse in urban areas last month, registering a 13.4 per cent rise, compared with 12.4 percent in rural areas. Core inflation, stripping out volatile agricultural produce, rose by much more than the headline rate, by 14.7 percent year on year, the statistics bureau sAnalysts expect the upward trend in inflation to peak later this year, before it tails off slightly.

“Inflation will probably peak at 14.4 percent y/y in Jul-Aug, which is close to CBN and market expectations,” said Standard Bank’s Samir Gadio, adding that a sell off in bonds, whose yields are very inflation sensitive, was unlikely. Inflation is set to drop in Q4 2012 and reach high single-digits in early 2013, based on our forecasts,” he said.

Jonathan sued over move to reinstate Salami

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

A

BUJA—— THE Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has been asked to invoke its powers and abort any move by President Goodluck Jonathan to reinstate the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami.

Salami was on August 18, 2011, axed from office by the National Judicial Council, NJC, on allegation that he violated the code of conduct for judicial officers in the country by engaging in acts of “judicial misconduct.”

The plaintiff, Mr Noah Ajare, is challenging the powers of the NJC to make such recommendation despite the pendency of the subject matter of the substantive controversy before a competent court of jurisdiction, contending that any action taken by Jonathan in relation to the case would not only amount to sub-judice, but constitute a deliberate affront on the statutory duties of the judiciary.

Aside the NJC, also joined as defendants in the suit, were the President and the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF. In an originating summons he filed yesterday, Ajare sought a declaration

that all the meetings, discussions and recommendations for the reinstatement of Salami by the President, on the recommendations of the NJC, were illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, as the matter is subjudice.

The plaintiff further sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their servants, agents or privies from implementing, discussing and or rectifying the recommendations of the NJC in respect of Justice Salami pending the hearing and determination of pending court actions so as not to create a wrong precedent.

In a 22-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Omolara Adeogun, the plaintiff said he was not against the reinstatement of Salami, but wanted due process of the law to be followed in order not to set an unhealthy precedent, capable of sustaining such uncanny controversies in the future.

He noted that the matter was no longer personal for the original parties involved, saying it has assumed a national dimension with global attention and as such entails that caution must be observed.

8— Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, MAY 16,

2012

Varsity student to die by hanging for killing parents, siblings

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

K

VISIT: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and Tan San Lip, VicePresident of Crimsomlogic Plc when the governor visited the company headquarters in Singapore for ICT partnership in Delta State, weekend. Photo: Henry Unini.

ANO—A Kano High Court, yesterday, sentenced to death, by hanging, Bello Garba Bello, alias Baba, an undergraduate of Kano State University of Science and Technology for killing his parents and younger ones in 2010.

Bello was on September 13, 2010, arrested by security forces for killing his father, Garba Bello, a Director with SSS, his mum, Habiba Garba, younger sisters, Hafsat and Murjanatu Garba and his younger brother

Bring IGI MD, others in handcuffs, Senate orders IG z100 NIPOST retirees 've died waiting for pension — Retiree

BY HENRY UMORU

A

B U J A — FOLLOWING its alleged refusal to pay pensioners of Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, and other agencies of government, the Senate yesterday issued warrant of arrests on the Managing Director of Industrial and General Insurance Company (IGI) and the entire management over alleged pension fraud.

Chairman, Senate Panel probing the Pension scam, Senator Aloysius Etok, who signed the warrant of arrest, asked the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, to bring them in handcuffs next Tuesday.

According to Etok, ‘’the Senate hereby issue warrant of arrest on the Managing Director and the entire management of IGI to appear before us on Tuesday at 3pm. ‘’The Inspector-General himself must bring them in handcuff because they have caused a lot of problem to the people”.

IGI has been the underwriter insurance

company dealing with many government agencies but has allegedly failed to pay these agencies.

The Senate move followed the non-payment of pension to NIPOST retirees between 14 and 70 months, just as the representative of the retirees, Prince Adeniyi Adeleke, told the committee that no fewer

A

BUJA—THE Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development yesterday said out of a planned delivery of 26,061 housing units to tackle the gross housing deficit in the country through various

not being released. Any system that does not bring out money appropriated should be discarded.”

He told the committee that if there was no commitment on when the money would be paid, “my life will be in danger because my members will think I have compromised,” adding, “payment to underwriters should be stopped.”

FAAN MD surfaces at EFCC's office

BY DANIEL ETEGHE

L

AGOS—MANAGING Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr. George Uriesi, yesterday appeared before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in its Abuja office.

Vanguard gathered that Uriesi reported at the antigraft agency at 12 noon after the move by operatives of the commission to see him for clarification on issues raised in his (Uriesi) petition in Lagos on Monday failed.

1,871 housing units built nationwide — Minister

BY MITAIRE IKPEN

than 100 retirees have died while waiting for their pension.

According to him, N4.6 billion was appropriated for the payment of pension arrears to NIPOST retirees in 2009 budget, but the office of Accountant-General failed to release the money.

He said: ‘’The pensioners are dying, we are dying! The money is

public private initiatives, only 1,873 housing units have been completed nationwide while other projects involving 24,188 housing units are still ongoing. Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Amal Pepple, said this at a briefing in Abuja.

A source close to the agency, who claimed anonymity, noted that the attempt to arrest Uriesi may not be unconnected to a petition written to EFCC by the Airline Operators of Nigeria over alleged mismanagement of N44 billion revenue generations to the agency in the last three years.

But when our correspondent contacted the image maker of EFCC on phone, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, he could not confirm or deny the arrest, saying that he would get across to the reporter.

Also, the General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Akin Olukunle, could not be reached on phone as he did not respond to calls made to his phone.

However, as at press time, the outcome of the visit could not be ascertained by Vanguard.

It would be recalled that four EFCC officials and a police officer had stormed FAAN office on Monday morning and moved straight to the office of Uriesi and left exactly

10:45am after failing to see him.

As at the time the EFCC officers stormed the office, Uriesi was said to be in Abuja for a meeting.

When contacted on Monday, Olukunle could not decline or confirm the visit of EFCC, but rather said that the personnel could have visited the agency for verification of documents.

He explained that FAAN in recent time petitioned EFCC on some outstanding issues involving the agency and some of its concessionaires.

Khalifa, in cold blood at their family house on Zoo Road by Gandun Albasa Quarters in Kano metropolis.

The judge, Justice Haliru Abdullahi, said he was satisfied with the evidence tendered before him that the accused actually committed the five-count charge of homicide for which he was charged.

In his judgment, Justice Abdullahi said: “In the end, I found the accused guilty on the five-count charge and hereby convict him accordingly on each of the five counts.”

Justice Abdullahi, in a 66-page judgment, held that the five victims were killed as a result of various degrees of multiple injuries inflicted on them by the accused person contrary to section 221 of the Penal Code.

Justice Abdullahi stated that “in the light of the foregoing, I found that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable

doubt against the accused person on all the fivecount charge. I hereby sentence the convict to death on each count and he shall therefore be hanged by the neck until he is dead.”

The prosecution counsel, Shu‘aibu Sule, said the accused had confessed to have committed the offence in a written statement he made to the police on September 15, 2010.

He presented seven witnesses before the court including the younger brother of the accused, Farouk, whose testimonies supported the charges against the defendant.

The defence counsel, Mr. Ahmed Raji, had tendered a 17-page written address before the court explaining the circumstances leading to the death of the five persons and exonerating the accused from the charges preferred against him.

Insecurity can only be confronted by all —Jonathan

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

K

ADUNA — PRESI DENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, said the current security and developmental challenges facing the nation could only be confronted effectively if all stakeholders in the Nigerian project combine to not only build bridges of harmony, but also unleash the great human and natural resources endowment which Nigeria is immensely blessed with.

Speaking in Kaduna, at the opening of the Nigerian Air Force Air Exposition 2012, the President said: “As we vigorously prosecute our administration’s national

transformation agenda, I expect that members of our armed forces will continue to partner with us in the military tradition of courage, loyalty, dedication and steadfast patriotism as we strive to reposition Nigeria for accelerated growth and development.”

Towards this end, he said: “We are convinced that a strong, modern, and proactive military is pivotal to the attainment of the goals of the transformation agenda. It is against this backdrop that the 2012 national budget gave priority consideration to the enhancement of the operational readiness of our armed forces, the Police and other security agencies.

Okonjo-Iweala harps on 24-hr port operations

BY GODWIN ORITSE

L

AGOS—THE Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday, stressed the need for the country’s seaports to operate on a 24-hour basis, noting that “a more efficient port will boost the economy.”

Speaking while

inspecting the Lagos port access roads after trailers and tankers were cleared from them by the taskforce, the minister stated that the exercise was a prelude to paving the way for quick and effective delivery of cargoes.

The minister, who was in the company of Transport

Minister, Senator Idris Umar and Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Dr. Tunji Bello, commended the officials of the Professor Sylvester Monye-led Taskforce on Port Decongestion and the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—9

Briefly

NBA to mediate Lagos govt, striking doctors' impasse

Court shifts NURTW members' bail z LASUTH health workers blame incessant strike on govt

BY ABDULWAHAB plea till June 4 ABDULAH Chairman the branch, than any other person in committee to resolve the & CHIOMA

BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

L

AGOS—A Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere, has adjourned till June 4 for hearing in the bail applications by seven suspected members of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, who were remanded in prison custody by an Igbosere Magistrate's Court.

When the matter came up, weekend, before Justice Candide Johnson, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs Olabisi Ogungbesan, said she noticed that a letter employing the DPP to build the case file with all diligence was sent to the Lagos State AttorneyGeneral, and also sent to her on April 26, 2012.

The suspected NURTW members were alleged to have killed one Damola Dosunmu on February 19, 2012, at Ilupesi, Lagos Island, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 231 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Lagos needs 540m gallons of water daily

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

I

KEJA—LAGOS State Government, yesterday, said the state will require over 540 million gallons of water daily to address the water shortage in the state.

General Manager of Lagos Water Corporation, Mr. Shayo Holloway, at a briefing in Lagos, said the water requirement of the state may increase following the influx of citizens of other states into the state.

He said: “With the population of the state, our current water demand daily is about 540 million gallons per day. The state has an installed capacity of 210 million of gallons per day, leaving the state with a shortfall of 330 millions of gallons per day.” He said the drive by the state to maintain the installed capacity recently met a brickwall as two of its independent power plants in Iju and Adiyan developed mechanical faults.

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OBINNA

I

KEJA—THE Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has offered to mediate in the face-off between striking doctors in public hospitals in Lagos State and the state government.

Lagos chapter of NBA, yesterday, after its meeting, constituted a

impasse between the government and the doctors.

The eight-man committee, headed by Chief Gabriel Ajayi, SAN, is to, among others, schedule a meeting with the parties and resolve the issues as well as ensure that Lagosians do not suffer unduly due to the strike.

Mr. Taiwo Taiwo, said the lawyers felt it was part of their duty to resolve the crisis.

He said: “The branch believes that it was better to play a mediation role between the parties in order to find a solution to the problem in the interest of the poor people of Lagos State who obviously will suffer more

the state.”

Health Workers' Forum tasks govt Meantime, as the faceoff between the doctors and the government lingers, health workers under the auspices of Health Workers' Forum, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, INSPECTION:Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (2nd right), and others inspecting the feed mill factory during the presentation and official commissioning of Erikorodo Poultry Estate and the 4.65km Network Fish Farm Estate Access Roads at Odogunyan, Ikorodu Local Government Area, Lagos , yesterday.

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

I

KEJA—LAGOS State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, yesterday, said the failure to have state police in the country was a factor militating against curbing the excess and insurgency of terrorism.

Ipaye added that there was a bill before the state House of Assembly to regulate the activities of Okada drivers in the state.

Lagos makes case for state police to curb terrorism He said state police will address the challenges of security in the country, because each state will have the power to deal directly with issues affecting security of its people without recourse to the Federal Government.

On the recent judgment of a Federal High Court, Lagos, restraining the state from interfering with

the activities of Okada riders in the state, he said, the bill, when passed into law, will specify areas where Okada riders will operate and where they will not.

He said: “The bill is now before the state Assembly for consideration. The court did not say that Lagos cannot ban or regulate the activities of

EFCC witness exonerates ex-NIMASA boss from contract fraud

BY INNOCENT ANABA

L

A G O S — A N Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, operative and witness in the on-going trial of former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Raymond Omatseye, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, yesterday, told a Federal High Court, Lagos, that Omatseye did not benefit from contract awarded for the purchase of office equipment for the agency.

The witness also

admitted that the former NIMASA boss did not originate the requests for the purchase of the equipment nor did he take part in their procurement.

Omatseye is standing trial for alleged contract splitting.

Also, another witness, Mr Bulama Jarma, Director, Shipping Development, NIMASA, told the court that that due process of procurement was observed in the award of the contracts.

Ahmed, who said he took part in investigating the allegation against Omatseye, under crossexamination, said though

investigators established the award of contracts under Omatseye’s leadership, they could not link the accused with any of the benefiting companies, even after a search at the Corporate Affairs Commission.

He admitted that though the tender for the contracts were advertised in-house, on the company ’s notice board, none of the said tenders originated from the then DirectorGeneral personally as the requests for the items for which the contracts were awarded were not from the DG’s office.

Okada riders. What the judgment of the court said was that there must be a law in place before this can be done.”

Ipaye said the demand for the release of about 8,000 motorcycles allegedly seized by the government by Okada riders “amount to playing to the gallery.”

He said the government cannot be held responsible for motorcycles seized by security agents such as the police for the disobedience to traffic rules by their operators.

LASUTH, yesterday, advised the government to meet their demands to avert incessant strike in the state's healthcare system.

The forum is the umbrella body for Medical and Health Workers Union, MHWUN, Nigerian Union of Pharmacists, Medical Technologists and Professionals Allied to Medicine, NUPTAM. Others are National Association of Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria and Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria.

Chairman of the forum, Mr. Rasheed Bamishe, who gave the advise after the workers' congress in Lagos, blamed incessant strikes on the attitude of the state government to meeting workers' demands.

He said the forum had written to the government twice on some issues without any response, noting that the government should learn to meet their demands to avert industrial action.

He lamented that the new minimum wage for state health workers, which took effect in January 2011, was not favourable to them as a lot of their benefits had been cut off.

He said: “We are not pleased with what has come with the implementation of the new minimum wage as all of us have been returned to either Step 1 or 2 and rather than the steps ending at 15, it now ends at 12.

“This has never happened before and no other state apart from Lagos is experiencing this.

This will in turn affect our gratuity as this is determined by the amount you earn and, therefore, with these discrepancies, our gratuity would be shortchanged and our annual increment during years of service would also be automatically lost.”

Lagos Assembly sets up c'ttee on constitution amendment

BY EBUN SESSOU

I

KEJA—LAGOS State House of Assembly, yesterday, set up a committee to draft the state memoranda for the constitutional amendment being proposed by the National Assembly.

Chairman of the committee is Mr Ajibola Adeyeye.

The committee was set up by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Taiwo Kolawole, who presided over the day’s sitting, after Adeyeye raised

a motion on the advertorial by the Senate calling for memoranda towards the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

He said there was the need for the state and Lagosians to state unequivocally “our position on the proposed constitutional amendment, highlighting clearly, areas in the constitution that require urgent amendment as dictated by our interaction with the executive, judiciary and Lagosians at large.”

10—VANGUARD , WEDNESDAY, MAY 16,

2012

Police kill 4 robbery suspects on Lagos/Ibadan road

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

A

BEOKUTA—THE Ogun State Police Command, yesterday, said it killed four robbery suspects and recovered three locally-made pistols after bursting a robbery attack on a bus on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Marine road under bridge, after the demolition of illegal structures under bridges in some parts of Lagos Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, said in Abeokuta that the State by the Lagos Taskforce, yesterday. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye incident occurred about 9a.m. at Fidiwo village junction of the expressway in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the

BY DAUD OLATUNJI former Commissioner for projects on debt for the obtained loan from Brazil, state.

Information during state on “contractor it only sought for the Adejobi said the Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s financing.” permission from the state Divisional Police Officer of BEOKUTA—OGUN administration, Sina Adeosun said: “We are House of Assembly to the station in the area, State Government Kawonise, had alleged one year in office, there is allow the companies in Haruna Bashir, yesterday denied that the Senator Ibikunle no bond. It has been Brazil to construct some immediately swung into obtaining a N40 billion Amosun government had disapproved and capital projects on the action and met the bond from Brazil, but it obtained a N40 billion debunked. We are re- proposed arrangement, gangsters robbing the got the approval of the loan from a Brazilian engineering. We are not which was approved by passengers, who took to state House of Assembly financial institution. saying we are not going the Assembly. to borrow only N25 billion Reacting to the to borrow. We have taken “Brazilian loan is for its development allegation, the loans. We have borrowed another example of some projects. commissioner said some only N6 billion out of the misinformation. It is not a Commissioner for companies from Brazil approved N25 billion.” loan, it is contractors Finance, Kemi Adeosun, approached the state According to her, financing. We have not said this at a briefing in government with a “contrary to the allegation collected Brazilian loan.”

Abeokuta. proposal for some capital that the state government

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI Adeosun, who accused

Ogun denies taking N40bn Brazilian loan A

their heels on sighting the police.

He said the police shot four of the robbers during a gun duel. They died on their way to the hospital.

Adejobi, who claimed others escaped with bullet wounds, said items recovered from the robbers included three locallymade pistols, eight live expanded cartridges, and some weeds of Indian hemp.

He said: “An 18-seater hummer bus with numberplate Abuja, BRA 445 GWA, loaded with 18 passengers from North to Ibadan, on getting to Fidiwo was attacked by three of the passengers. One of them brought out a locally-made pistol and hijacked the vehicle, diverted it into the bush where other members of the gang were waiting for them.''

Fayemi threatens to prosecute Oni for impersonation ...says he was never governor

the past administration of misappropriation, said the government had discovered many shoddy deals allegedly perpetrated by the past administration.

According to her, N1 billion had been discovered during a review of banking transactions and charges recently.

It will be recalled that,

Rape: Osun expels 34 students protesting in support of Ijesa monarch

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO—OSUN State Government has expelled no fewer than 34 students of Ifelodun Grammar School, Kiloru,

Rampage: Police arrest 11 Adeyemi college students

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE—ELEVEN students of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, Ondo State, said to have masterminded Monday’s violent protest where 50 vehicles were allegedly destroyed, have been arrested by the police.

The institution was shut late yesterday by the management over alleged destruction of property worth millions of naira by the students.

Police authorities led by Police Commissioner Edgar Nanakumo, visited the institution yesterday to assess the extent of the damage by the students.

The students claimed that they took to the streets following the mysterious death of 20 of their colleagues in the last one month and perceived insensitivity of the

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institution's management.

School buildings were badly damaged while buildings housing banks and eateries on the school campus were destroyed by the rampaging students.

Police Image Maker in the state, Adeniran Aremu, said the arrested students had been taken to the Akure Police Headquarters for interrogation.

Aremu noted that “a unit of anti-riot policemen has been stationed at the college to protect the staff and other residents while investigations into the cause of the mayhem have already been commenced by detectives.”

Also, the school’s authorities have set up a committee to look into the matter, identify the culprits and determine the extent of damage done to college property and submit its report within three weeks.

who are natives of Ilowa in Obokun Local Government Area of the state for their alleged participation in the protest against continuous trial of the Alowa of Ilowa, Adebukola Alli, who is standing trial before an Osogbo High Court for alleged rape of an exfemale corps member.

The students were alleged to have protested on the premises of the state High Court, Osogbo, at a time they were supposed to be in school, an offence which the government said was against the child rights laws of the state.

Officials of the state Ministry of Women Affairs led by the Coordinating Director of the Ministry, Mr Femi Ayedun, who were on inspection visit to the school, were said to have ordered the immediate expulsion of the students until a clearance from the ministry pending the determination of their offence by the ministry.

Findings revealed that officials went to the school to find out the number of students that participated in the protest and discovered that all indigenes of Ilowa who were students of the school were absent from the school on the day the protest was held.

It was gathered that the officials who went with the pictures of the protesting students met with the students with a view to determining the particular students who participated in the protest but all the students denied knowledge of the protest.

The Principal of the school, Mr Amos Adedeji, who had earlier been invited by the ministry and asked to submit a report on the incident, said officials of the state Ministry of Women Affairs instructed the students to stay off the school until they were ready to tell the truth on their alleged involvement in the protest.

He said: “When officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs got to the school, they gathered all the students and found out that those who were absent from school on the day the protest in Osogbo. The officials made efforts to find out whether or not the students participated in the protest, and when it became obvious that the students were not ready to co-operate with them, they expelled them and asked them to bring their parents to the ministry to get clearance before they can return to the school.''

A

DO-EKITI— GOVERNOR Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, yesterday, threatened to drag his predecessor in office, Mr. Segun Oni to court , if he continued to parade himself as a former governor of the state.

Speaking in Ado-Ekiti while addressing a proJustice Ayo Isa Salami rally, the governor said, ''In the face of law, Oni was never a governor of the state.

“The judgment of the Appeal Court was very

clear and unequivocal that Oni was not validly elected in 2007 and was never a governor in the face of law because no law, either at the state or federal level recognises him as a former governor.

And, appropriate step will be taken to ensure that those that are impersonating are prosecuted and brought to justice.”

Fayemi called on President Jonathan to rise above pettiness by rebuffing the dissenting voices of some “charlatans’ in PDP, who are kicking against Salami’s return.”

Ladoja, Akala should not be walking freely — Lam Adesina

BY OLA AJAYI

I

BADAN—FORMER governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, has said in a normal society, ex-governors of the state; Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala and Senator Rashidi Ladoja, should not be walking free because of their antecedents, saying sooner, their party; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would become history in the South-West.

Adesina spoke, yesterday, at the commissioning of seven solar-powered boreholes constructed by Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, (Oyo South Senatorial District),

in Kudeti and other parts of Ibadan South-East Local Government Area of Oyo State.

While faulting Senator Ladoja for his perceived indecision over the political party he wants to join, said that the former governor was fond of declaring for PDP and also the Accord party, noting that this had clearly shown that those who voted for the Accord party and other opposition party had wasted their votes.

He said: “In a sane society, Ladoja and Akala are not worthy of walking freely in the streets because of their antecedents.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—11

Oshiomhole to PDP: Preach unity, not ethnicity

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

VISIT: Vice President Namadi Sambo (right), with Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Ryuichi Shoji, during a courtesy call on the Vice President at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.

Police in Bayelsa nab 35 suspected cultists

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

ENAGOA—THE police in Bayelsa State, yesterday, said 35 suspected cultists, including a 27-year-old man allegedly involved in the killing and burying of a youth at Edepie suburb of Yenagoa, have been arrested in the state in the wake of its renewed clamp down on cultism in the state.

State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe, said 25 of the suspects had been arraigned in court, while investigation was on going to ascertain the involvement of the others in cultism.

Olakpe said gunboats had been deployed to creeks in the state to stem piracy and flush out members of the rampaging cult groups, who had reportedly relocated to

the riverine enclave areas with a view to bringing them to justice.

The Army, Air Force, Navy and Police, he said, have commenced a joint patrol in Yenagoa, as part of efforts to boost security in the state.

Also in police custody is a 19-year-old youth who admitted to stabbing his play mate, Timibo

Albert, to death over a minor disagreement at Igbomotoru in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state. The suspect told journalists that he was playing snooker with the deceased Albert, when an argument ensued which degenerated into a brawl.

Speaking on the devel-

Delta community gives Agip 7-day ultimatum

BY FESTUS AHON

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G H E L L I — YOUTHS of Idheze, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State, have given a seven-day ultimatum to Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, to vacate their land or incur the wrath

of the community.

The youths, weekend, shut the company’s Isoko South 'C' location, which supplies oil and gas to Irri flow station.

The community’s youth chairman, Mr. Godspower Oregbor, said they would not relent in their efforts, until the company met their demands.

SGF lauds abolition of on-shore-off-shore dichotomy

S

ECRETARY to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has described as fulfilling, the battle for the abolition of on-shore-off-shore-oil dichotomy as more funds accrue from the Federation Account to the affected states for meaningful development.

Senator Anyim, who spoke during the gathering of Class 88 from Nigerian Law School, La-

opment, the state commissioner of police said: “We have exhumed the corpse for further investigation.”

He stressed the need for parents, community leaders and other concerned citizens to come together to help assist security agencies in combating crime in their communities.

gos, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, recalled how senators, during his tenure as Senate President, argued for the abolition of the on-shore-off-shore oil dichotomy in the Senate, saying: “Without the abolition, some governors would not be able to execute some development programmes in their states But let me say, whenever Godswill Akpabio speaks and recounts the flyovers, the

roads, among others, with what I saw, I am happy that our battle was not in vain. I think one of the achievements of Akpabio is this Akpan story. You can all agree with me that it is very difficult to get a house boy or girl from Akwa Ibom State now. ’’If we are pleased with what Akpabio is doing in Akwa Ibom State, we should identify, support and benefit from him."

Oregbor said the company had smooth operations in the community and frowned at its refusal to employ any indigene of the community as staff, whether direct or contract, since 1974.

He said the community leadership held several meetings with the company, particularly on the issue of employment, adding that the company had been making empty promises.

He said: “What we have been experiencing from NAOC over the years, is non-implementation of local content, non-employment of skilled and unskilled workers from the community and non-award of contracts to indigenous contractors recommended by the community.

“We gave two weeks ultimatum to the company on March 19, to meet our demands but since the ultimatum expired on April 2, nothing had been done about it."

ENIN—GOVER NOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, has condemned what he called politics of tribalism being preached by the opposition in the state, saying that the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, would continue to preach the message of peace, unity and development in the state.

Oshiomhole, who spoke during ACN's campaign in Afuze, Owan East Local Government Area and Sabongida Ora in Owan West Local Government Area of the state, said: “People of Edo State have the same ancestry and therefore we are one.

“The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate,

Charles Airhiavbere, is busy preaching ethnic politics and disunity, ignorantly saying that because I am not a Bini man, I am not qualified to be the governor.”

He added that the PDP candidate had proved his ignorance on several issues, offering the people what they already have.

“In January this year, we abolished the payment of school fees in primary and secondary schools, reduced the fees payable by students at Ambrose Alli University and provided free maternal care for women in government hospitals.

But when the PDP candidate was campaigning, he said he was going to make education and maternal health care free for the people who are already enjoying them,” he said.

I'll give priority to women, youths if elected—Airhiavbere

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—GOVER NORSHIP candidate of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State for the July 14, gubernatorial election, Maj-Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd), has promised that if elected, women and youths would be given priority in his administration’s soft loans and jobs creation schemes.

Speaking at Urhonigbe, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, during a campaign rally,

where he received some defectors from Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, into PDP, Airhiavbere said: “Women play an instrumental role towards raising children.

Therefore, it is clear they shouldn’t be left out. We will also ensure that acquisition centres are built in every local government area to enable youths acquire artisan skills in their areas of interest to break the deadlock of unemployment in the state and upon completion, would be given them soft loans to start their own business.”

‘Boko Haram': Police in Rivers call for vigilance

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

P

ORT HAR COURT— RIVERS State Police Commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, has enjoined people of the state to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security operatives.

Indabawa, who spoke on the recent threat by ‘Boko Haram’ to bomb some media houses in the country, urged residents to see security as a shared responsibility.

He appealed to media houses in the state to beef up security around their premises, adding that they should help sensitise the public on the need to be vigilant.

On the six policemen who beat a mobile policeman to coma, weekend, at Eleme Roundabout because he resisted their move to extort a commercial bus driver, the Police boss said they had been arrested and were being investigated.

CORRIGENDUM

I

N a paid advertise ment on Rev. Canon Joseph Abi Oghenekaro on Page 4 of yesterday's paper, we inadvertently put the Thanksgiving Service/Party date to hold on Saturday May 18, 2012, instead of Saturday May 19, 2012. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Delta robbery shoot-out: CP rewards gallant officers

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

A

S A B A — D E LTA State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, yesterday, made a N500,000 donation to officers and men of the force, who confronted the bandits who shot and killed a Divisional Police Officers, DPO, during Monday’s robbery attacks at Ibusa and Igbodo in the state.

He acknowledge that the robbers overwhelmed them (police) with superior fire power as the bandits were fully armed with rocket launchers and assault rifles, but praised his men for confronting them gallantly, saying that the donation of N500,000 was

COMMISSIONING: Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State (right) and his deputy, Mr. Nsima Ekere, during the commissioning of Late Engr. Diana-Abasi Ekere Orthopaedic Centre at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo.

NDLEA nabs 41 drug pushers in Delta

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

A

SABA—OPERA TIVES of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Delta State, have arrested 41 suspects in connection with various drug offences. They included a woman caught with 10 grammes of substance suspected to be cocaine.

NDLEA state commandant, Mr. Okey Ihebom, told reporters at Ogwashi Uku, Delta State, that the command also impounded 130.75 kilogrammes of substance suspected to be cannabis between February and April this year.

He said that among the arrested suspects was a notorious drug pusher, arrested on a tip off with

10 grammes of cocaine concealed in a purse.

The NDLEA boss warned dealers in hard

Edo: BNC endorses Oshiomhole

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—AHEAD the July 14 governorship election in Edo State, the Benin National Congress, BNC, has endorsed Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s second term ambition and warned politicians to desist from ethnic politics.

Members of the group,

in their thousands, during a procession in Benin City, yesterday, said Oshiomhole’s achievements in the past three and a half years, had brought life back to the state. They said it would, therefore, be unjust and unfair to people of the state, if he was not voted back to office.

Elder Idurobo Aigbekaen and Mr. Scott

Edo NCWS in protest march against spate of killings nationwide

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—MEMBERS of Edo State chapter of National Council of Women’s Societies, NCWS, yesterday marched through some major streets in Benin, Edo State, decrying recent killings in the state in particular and the nation in general.

The women were also at the Edo State House of Assembly and Government House, where they had audience with the Speaker and govern-

drugs to leave the state or be ready to face the law as his men were battle ready for them.

ment officials.

The women, led by the state president of NCWS, Mrs. Omoluru Enije, said they had watched with dismay and concern the wanton killings and maiming of innocent Nigerians throughout the country and called for peace.

The women, who said they endorsed peaceful co-existence, tolerance and adherence to due process in electoral matters, added that they were strongly opposed to violence, extra-judicial killings and destruction

of lives and property.

According to Mrs. Enije, who spoke with journalists at the premises of Nigeria Union of Journalists: “In the Northern part of Nigeria, terrorism occasioned by the ‘Boko Haram’ sect is ravaging the cities, killing and maiming innocent people in their hundreds daily and nothing seems to be done. Women are made widows everyday and children turned orphans “The issue of insecurity had reached an alarming rate and become worrisome."

Ogbemudia, who spoke for the group, said: “Politics aside, Edo people are satisfied with Oshiomhole's pedigree and governance-programme as well as the towering image and name that his political platform, Action Congress of Nigeria had earned for itself, on account of the tenacious pursuit for the fruits of democracy for downtrodden Nigerians, since coming on board as a registered political party in Nigeria.

“Our resolve is predicated on the verifiable transformative projects scattered across the three senatorial districts within the short period of three years, despite the lean resources accruing to Edo State. We cannot recommend anything less for the present and future interests of Edo people. We do unequivocally pronounce him as the beloved candidate of Edo people, and he should be overwhelmingly returned as governor in the July 14 election by the grace of God almighty and the ancestors of our land."

to encourage and further boost their morale.

He said, “In such a critical situation in the security parlance, we say you beat a retreat. When you beat a retreat, you stay alive to tell the story. It is just like this DPO, who died. Why? Many travellers were trapped and what he (late DPO) wanted to do was to clear the road for them. That was it.

He was one of our bravest officers. That was what he did.”

Two of the suspected members of the gang arrested with serious bullet wounds were paraded arrested before newsmen at the state police headquarters, Asaba, yesterday, along with items recovered from them.

PDP chieftain tasks Urhobo political class on unity

BY FESTUS AHON GHELLI—A CHIEFTAIN of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State, Mr. Jesutega Onokpasa, has appealed to the Urhobo political class to be united and bring an end to the acrimony and infighting plaguing Delta Central.

Onokpasa, in a statement, said; “I appeal to all Delta Central PDP faithful to unite. A situa-

U

tion where it has become fashionable for certain persons to cast aspersions on the leadership credibility of Chief Ighoyota Amori is hardly what the zone needs now for its progress.

“Chief Amori remains a leader many of us will continue to identify with, come rain or shine, and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who made him his Political Adviser knew what he was doing."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—13

CAN threatens to shut down unregistered churches in S-East

BY TONY EDIKE

E

NUGU—THE Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the South East, yesterday, threatened to close down churches operating in the zone without registration with the association.

Chairman of the association in the zone and Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, said some of the churches had become safe havens for men of the underworld.

He said the association would soon engage security agencies to clampdown on such churches which were set up for purposes, other than to fellowship and worship God. Bishop Chukwuma said: “We are very much weary and worried about some churches that are springing

up in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, committing atrocities and deceiving people and bringing bad name to Christianity.

“In South East, we are now out to make sure that any church not registered under any block in CAN and operating on their own without registering will be closed down. Some of them have become hideouts for thieves, armed robbers and k i d n a p p e r s . ” The Anglican bishop, who is also Chairman of Enugu State Christian Pilgrim’s Welfare Board, however, advised such unregistered churches to register with CAN without further delay or be ready to face the full wrath of the association.

He declared that the association would no longer fold its arms and watch some people drag the image of Christianity in the mud.

S-Court okays Rep's election

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

A

BUJA—A Member of the House of Representatives, representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Victor Afam Ogene of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, can now settle down and carry out his legislative duties as the Supreme Court on Monday upheld his victory at the polls in the 2011 National Assembly elections.

The development came as the apex court dismissed the

appeal instituted by Mr. Chukwuka Onyema of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against the March 29, 2012, verdict of the Appeal Court, Enugu Division, in favour of Ogene.

The Court of Appeal had on March 29, 2012, upheld the appeal brought before it by Ogene, who had challenged the decision against him by the lower tribunal as the actual winner of the House of Representatives election held on April 9, 2011 and a re-run which was held on May 6, 2011 for Ogbaru Federal Constituency.

Land dispute: One injured as hoodlums attack community

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—ONE person was injured yesterday as hoodlums numbering about 50 from the neighbouring Umuguma community, Owerri West local government area of Imo State attacked indigenes of Amawom in Owerri Municipal area.

Vanguard investigations revealed that the invaders, who were armed with weapons, including knives, were laying claims to a parcel of land.

Although no life was lost during the invasion but

Vanguard gathered that at least one person was injured and taken to hospital for treatment, while about four of the invaders were arrested.

Confirming the incident in an interview, the arrowhead of the agitation, Sir Macdonald Ebere, said that Area K, World Bank Housing Estate was the property of Amawom people, adding that nothing will make them to abandon their God-given land.

Efforts made to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Samuel Oodee, for comment failed as his mobile telephone was switched off.

BRIEFING—From left: Mr. Sampson Oloche, Senior Brand Manager, Star; Mr. Vivien Ikem CSR/ Sustainbility Manager; Mr. Tony Agenmonmen, Marketing Manager, Lager; and Mr. Edem Vindah, Media and Public Affairs Manager, all of NB Plc at a briefing heralding Star Trek 2012 held at Mega Plaza, Lagos. Photo: Sylva Eleanya.

Kidnappers abduct 6-yr-old girl in Enugu E

NUGU—UNKNOWN gunmen have abducted a six-year old girl, Miss Kosisochukwu Akilo, from her family house in Enugu.

The mother of the girl, Mrs Ebele Akilo, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Enugu yesterday that the gunmen broke into their house in the early hours of Sunday.

Narrating her ordeal to NAN, Mrs Akilo said the two armed men broke into the house located at No. 56, River Lane, GRA, Enugu, around 2 a.m. on Sunday through the toilet window.

She said the men demanded for money and her trinkets but she told them that she did not have any as her trinkets were stolen barely a month ago.

Akilo said they later asked for her children and she showed them where the four of them were sleeping, adding that they quickly grabbed her second

Men of valour

T

HE men of valour of the Mountain of Fire Ministries, South West 2, Regional headquarters, Ojoo road, Ibadan, holds its maiden session of men’s deliverance on Saturday, May 19, 2012 by 7:00 am at the church premises.

The programme, tagged “Stagnancy must die”, will also feature salvation, revival of glory, evil family pattern, restoration of destiny, among others.

Ministering is Pastor Edwin Etomi.

daughter, collected her phone and left the house on a bike.

“I cried and begged them to leave my daughter but they refused. I am calling on everybody to please help me find my daughter,”

she said.

Akilo, who works with the state Ministry of Lands, said the kidnappers had yet to contact the family.

When contacted, the State Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed

the report, saying the police were working on the rescue of the child.

“We have mounted intensive search for the child and I assure you that she will be rescued,” Amaraizu said.

14—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

2015: FG, PDP, others attack Buhari Continues from Page 5 only PDP members are corrupt. Before he does that, we want to remind him that the various sector probes going on at the National Assembly, most of which were initiated by PDP legislators, is enough testimony that PDP government will not tolerate inefficiencies and waste in government operations.

Maybe it is high time Buhari confessed to Nigeria the truth about the missing 53 suitcases.

"As a country ruled by military governments for more than half of its 50 years as a nation, political reforms need to be evolutionary not revolutionary. Part of this evolution is the PDP government’s renewed fight for accountability and transparency in governance as the foundation of comprehensive political reforms.

This commitment is not in response to pressure from international development partners, western nations or opposition parties.

"It is unfortunate that at this time of grave security challenge while Nigerians are burying their dead and counting their losses, Gen. Buhari, who wants to rule them, is further inflaming the orgy of violence."

CPC, ACF, CNPP defend Buhari The biting attacks on Buhari were immediately dismissed by the CPC which threw its weight behind its 2011 presidential candidate. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Engr. Rotimi Fashakin said yesterday that General Buhari was only reiterating what many Nigerians had been saying for long.

"They are merely talking balderdash; what General Buhari has said is what many Nigerians have expressed . Remember Professor Wole Soyinka had said election rigging is violence against people and that they have the right to confront violence with greater violence”.

Fashakin who alleged that the PDP connived with INEC to rig the

2011 general election and opposition parties had said it would not be business as usual in 2015, stressed, "PDP colluded with Professor Atahiru Jega INEC to foist Jonathan on us.

That’s why we are battling with this clueless government.

There must be sanctity of votes of Nigerian electorate.

"What Buhari was trying to say is that, it would not be business as usual. So, only the guilty should be afraid of retribution. It is certain that retribution is coming. So, why should PDP be afraid”?

The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF responding through its national publicity secretar y, Anthony A.Z. Sani said Buhari’s comment was nothing new as he noted that many eminent Nigerians including former President Olusegun Obasanjo had also inferred as such.

“Buhari has not said anything that has not been said before. What people are saying is that he should not have said it because he has mass appeal among the people.”

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, on its part also backed Buhari saying the call from the former Head of State

was for the enthronement of a transparent election process.

CNPP’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said yesterday: “The problem on ground now is due to the fact that many of those holding elective positions were not elected by the people, in actual fact.

Therefore they don’t have any sense of accountability and responsibility towards the people.”

There were also mixed reactions to the statement from notable stakeholders yesterday:

It’s an explosive statement— Sagay Constitutional lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay said “It was a very explosive statement. I agree that we have had enough of election rigging. All other countries have left us behind, countries like Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Every other country has been able to have free and fair elections except Nigeria; it is time for us to wake up and eliminate that disease from our democracy. So, I agree with him that we must have free and fair elections, but not on the issue of bloodshed

because that is a bit frightening and a bit extreme. But I think those who have been rigging and getting away with it, should also have a rethink that it is time for peoples’ vote to count. Nigeria has been left behind.”

That is Buhari’s opinion—Falae One time presidential candidate of the All Nigeria’s People Party, ANPP, Chief Olu Falae said “that is his own opinion. I am not sure whether 2015 is not too far away, given all the multitude of problems that we have. We can only pray that we survive till 2015. I am not even talking about elections; I am talking about the survival of this country because I think that is the paramount issue now.”

It’s a serious statement— Ayo Adebanjo

Former NADECO chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo said: “It is a very serious statement he made but it is also very difficult to fault him. One would not want any violence but for the sake of the country, should there be no free and fair elections, I agree with that statement. I cannot rule it out because people are tensed up.

For the elections to be conducted now and not reflecting the wishes of the people, heaven help us.”

It’s a reckless statement — Fasoranti On his part, National leader of Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti lampooned Buhari and described the retired general’s remarks as a ”reckless statement.”

Fasoranti said “that is a

very reckless statement coming from an elder statesman.”

His statement is a warning to Nigerians — Fasehun Founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Dr Fredrick Fasehun said Buhari’s remark remains a warning signal.

According to him, “I think he must have spoken too early but Nigerians desire to have a free, fair and credible election come 2015. The election of 1993, which was free and fair but was annulled, has left Nigeria bruised for some time. Mr Buhari is giving that warning, he is acting as an elder statesman and former Head of State who feels that unfair elections may be a stumbling block and progress in 2015. It is a warning which is good for the countr y. He is not threatening.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—15

EFCC, ICPC uncover fraud in FCT land administration

BY CALEB AYANSINA

A

BUJA—THERE was a stunning revelation, yesterday, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of ongoing scam in land administration at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

Acting Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, also urged Minister of FCT, Bala Muhammed, to restore sanity in land administration, saying the ongoing corrupt practices

in land administration in the FCT was capable of undermining government’s effort on development.

Mr. Ibrahim Lamode, EFCC boss, noted that people focused attention more on financial institutions when it comes to corruption, not knowing that there was land racketeering going on in Abuja that must be curbed, in view of the strategic importance of land to economic development.

The duo spoke at the public presentation of the report of A-Systems Study on the Federal Capital Territory Lands

Administration and A Documentary on Grassroots Involvement with Budget Process, in Abuja.

Lamorde said: “A lot of fraud is being perpetrated in land administration in the FCT. No day passes by without seeing people complaining. In fact, it is the biggest scam that is going on in the Federal Capital Territory.

“It is hoped that this report will be tactically applied in the area of land administration, not only in the Federal Capital Territory but also in the whole country. Land is important to all of us. I

thought it will be replicated in other parts of the country.”

In his remark Nta the minister ’s inauguration

of an 11-man committee to reposition land allocation procedure in 2010 was useless as the officials of Abuja Geographical

Information System, AGIS, allegedly bend the rule, collecting kick-back from the public before any allocation is processed.

Religion's boards ask for period of grace before scrapping

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

A

B U J A — EXECUTIVE Secretaries of both the Christian and Hajj commissions, yesterday, asked the Federal Government to give a time-frame for

disengagement from funding their affairs, saying they were capable of funding pilgrimages and other religious matters.

The board secretaries spoke at a meeting with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs in Abuja.

Chairman of the Committee, Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, had asked members of the commission what would be the fate of their commissions if the Stephen Oronsaye recommendation that the boards be scrapped was eventually approved by the Federal Government.

Mr. Kennedy Opara, Executive Secretary of the Christian Pilgrims welfare Commission, said Christians in Nigeria could conveniently fund their pilgrimages as long as the Federal Government provided a workable time-frame of total disengagement from “funding us to enable the commissions work out how to fund our activities.”

He explained that the commission generated a million dollar in Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, for the Federal Government last year.

Opara said: “What we want is a situation where the Federal Government can give us between five to 10 years period to get our bearings right. Then we will fund ourselves after the period of grace. ”Pilgrimages entail massive movement of people and these people are Nigerians so there is no way government will not be involved.”

Executive Secretary of Muslim Pilgrims Commission, Bello Mohammed, said Muslims, like their Christian brothers, could fund their pilgrimages, provided there was a disengagement time table of total withdrawal by the Federal Government.

He said the Oronsaye Commission perpetually harped on cost of funding as though Nigeria would remain in its present financial crisis without end.

He said: “We already pay almost 85 per cent of the cost. It is only 15 per cent of the cost that the government pays. If not the fact that both Israel and Saudi Arabia are outside the country, who would be talking of pilgrimages?

“If the activities of the commissions are eventually given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it may lead to institutional failure because we have been doing these things for long.”

16 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Restore Aondoakaa if Salami is reinstated — Tsav and grade restored. probe are today governors,

BY PETER DURU

M

AKURDI— FORMER Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, has faulted the call for the reinstatement of the former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, contending that if the Federal Government must reinstate Salami, the former Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Mike Aondoakaa should also be pardoned and his SAN title

Tsav,whosaidthisyesterday in Makurdi, stressed that the law should not be a respecter of any individual no matter how highly-placed.

He regretted that the nation’s legal system had been bastardised, a development which he blamed on high level corruption in the country.

Tsav said: “I have long expected this news because the application of law in Nigeria discriminates in favour of the big, corrupt and influential. People who were indicted in the power

protected by the immunity clause of our constitution.

The petrol subsidy rogues cannot be prosecuted according to the AGF. ”The Police Pension fraudsters are back in the comfort of their homes. The report of the ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, probe may end in the dustbin. I can go on and on. ”Why then must Justice Ayo Salami not be pardoned to safeguard and protect his pension and gratuity?”

VISIT: Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State (right), and Mr. Oti Ikomi, Managing Director of Keystone Bank, during a visit on proposed projects to be financed by the bank, at Government House, Ilorin, yesterday.

AGF makes case for ADR Court sentences undergraduate to death for killing parents, siblings I

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

K

ANO—KANO State High Court, yesterday, sentenced to death by hanging an undergraduate of the state University of Science and Technology, Bello Garba, for killing his biological parents and

younger ones in 2010.

Bello was on September 13, 2010, arrested by security forces for killing his father, Garba Bello, a Director with SSS; his mother, Habiba; younger sisters, Hafsat and Murjanatu, and younger brother, Khalifa Garba at their family house located

along Zoo Road by Gandun Albasa quarters in Kano metropolis.

The presiding judge, Justice Haliru Abdullahi, said he was satisfied with the evidence before him that the accused person committed the offences for which he was charged.

“In the end, I find the

accused guilty of the charges and hereby convict him accordingly on each of the five count charges,” Justice Haliru said, in his 66-page judgment, adding that the five victims were killed as a result of various degrees of multiple injuries inflicted on them by the accused person contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code.

“In the light of the foregoing, the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused person on all the five-count charge. I hereby sentence the convict to death on each count charge and he shall, therefore, be hanged by the neck until he is dead,” he ruled.

The prosecution counsel, Shu‘aibu Sule, said the accused had confessed to have committed the offence in a written statement he made with the police on September 15, 2010.

Defense Counsel, Mr. Ahmed Raji had in his 17page written address before the court, explained the circumstances leading to the death of the five persons and exonerated the accused from the charges preferred against him.

LORIN—THE AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN, yesterday, urged stakeholders to embrace the Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR, to ensure quick resolution of disputes among parties.

Adoke said ADR would assist the judicial system in the country in peaceful adjudication of cases within a short period of time and drastically reduce the numbers of cases being handled by the conventional courts.

This was contained in a paper entitled, Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Vehicle for Resolving Disputes in Nigeria, which he presented at the 7th Justice J. M. Adesiyun Biennial Memorial Public Lecture 2012,

organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ilorin Branch, in conjunction with Adesiyun Family, in Ilorin.

According to him, ADR was important based on its role in the smooth resolution of crisis, even as litigation was increasingly giving way for arbitration in the administration of justice since the judicial process had become inadequate in dispute resolution as it was slow, time consuming and expensive.

Represented by Professor Epiphany Azinge, SAN, Adoke noted that it is in the light of this that the civil procedure rules of some states of the federation were reviewed to accommodate the arbitration processes.

He recalled ancestral and traditional rules were used to resolve issues that had to do with family and community problems.

Northern governors meet

T

HE regular meeting of Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, holds tomorrow at Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina House, Kawo, Kaduna.

A statement by Mr. Daniel Shashere, Secretary to the Government of Niger State and Co-ordinating Chairman, Forum of Secretaries to the Governments of Northern

States, FSGNS, said the meeting will consider, among other issues, report of the Committee on Agriculture and New Nigerian Newspapers as well as security situation in the region.

He further revealed that the NSGF meeting will be preceded by FSGNS’ meeting today at 10am at same venue.

Lawmaker addresses Shettima's aide as ‘Your Excellency’ ring why the legislator the governor ’s name

BY NDAHI MARAMA

M

AIDUGURI— GOVERNOR Kashim Shettima of Borno State, yesterday, upbraided a member of the House of Representatives representing Askira Uba/ Hawul Federal Constituency in the state, who addressed his aide as ‘Your Excellency' and feeling jittery while addressing him, wonde-

could not even pronounce his name correctly.

The drama occurred when the legislator, Mr. Abdu Mshelia, led the House of Representatives Technical Committee on Health on a courtesy visit to Shettima at Government House.

Sources said the first sign that there was trouble emerged when Mshela became incoherent while introducing the Governor and some of his aides to his colleagues, pronouncing

correctly.

It was alleged that before the dust created by this error name could settle down, Mshella reportedly referred to the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Abubakar Kyari, as His Excellency.

The governor said: “Honourable Abdu, it is still surprising that you cannot pronounce or mention in full the correct names of your own governor, not to even express yourself in simple sentences.”

— 17 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012— substantially hostage to its recent past, and the riots which followed his announced victory further exposed dangerous faultiness which the political contest that produced his presidency had made more pronounced. Against a perceived far northern resistance, President Jonathan’s people whipped up their own regional passions. Our politics has never been more tribalised, and the centrality of faith in politics and governance never more pronounced.

“There are three times in a man’s life when it’s useless to hold him to anything: when he is madly in love, drunk or running for office.”

Robert Mitchum.

A

Jonathan's watch

President Goodluck Jonathan

W

ith a mandate all of his own since 2011, the nation could legitimately ask what all that struggle

by President Jonathan to become President was all about? To prove that he had a right to aspire and occupy the position, yes. To prove that South South people can ‘rule’ Nigeria, yes.

To prove that the northern establishment could be humbled and humiliated, yes. But what about going beyond the pound of flesh? Is it purely coincidental that Jonathan’s watch has been marked by the most frightening manifestation of threats to our security, and revelations of mind-boggling corruption? Certainly, it is fair to say that he had inherited some of these problems, but Jonathan was part of the Presidency since 2007, and effectively President since 2010. To say his presidency has been crippled by incipient regional hostility, a determined insurgency and unspeakable corruption is akin to

By any standards of judgment, President Jonathan’s watch is a difficult one. But he wanted the job, and he got it. From the moment he sat in Yar’Adua’s chair, he called the shots.

Now he is being judged by how he responds to the challenges he faces. Will he reign in runaway corruption by prosecuting people who swindled us of trillions in fraudulent subsidy?

Can he prosecute the big names behind the pension scam; the collapse of the capital market

Yar'Adua's legacies

H

e began well, denouncing the election that brought him to power, and committing himself to reform the electoral process. He failed to do this, when it became clear that reform in the manner the Committee under Chief Justice M. L. Uwais proposed, would transform our electoral system beyond the capacity of his party, the PDP to control and manipulate. His commitment to entrench the rule of law and fight corruption remained hollow slogans, as corruption became entrenched in the circle which surrounded him, and the rule of law found expression only in pamphlets. Grand visions involving developments of infrastructure and reforms in the power sector, petroleum and gas and land administration were defeated by massive corruption which had dug in, and an indifferent and lethargic public service. A resolution of the crippling crimes under the name of militancy in the Niger Delta involved potentially dangerous and expensive concessions, and the jury is still out over the long-term value of the Amnesty Programme. A substantially weakened President was persuaded to give a shoot-at-sight order literally on his way out of the country when the Yusufiyya insurgency was threatening to overwhelm the Police in Maiduguri.

In the execution of the order, the leader of the insurgency was executed, and the nation is being reminded of that act almost daily with bombs and bullets. An even weaker President was sold the dummy that tinkering with the

A night guard's difficult task

,

LITTLE over two years ago, Pres ident Umaru Musa Yar'Adua died, providing a natural solution to a messy political and legal logjam that was to haunt the rest of his planned four – year term. It is a sign of the present times and the conditions we live under that the Anniversary was barely noticed. There were certainly a lot more pages with paid adverts congratulating the Governor of Jigawa State for receiving an honourary degree than those which reminded the nation that its President died two years ago. Both his entrance and his exits were tumultuous events, and Umaru Yar'Adua’s life and death will be marked as significant watersheds in Nigerian history. He did not, strictly speaking, hand over the baton to President Goodluck Jonathan. You could say he dropped it, and Jonathan had to pick it with considerable difficulty in a race which started with so much promise, finished in a most controversial manner.

Umaru Yar'Adua was a good but complex man. He had many good intentions, and a bag full of personal and political limitations. He came into the Presidency in 2007 on the back of the most condemned election; from a Governor in a state where he learned that Nigerian politics bred intense bitterness and took no prisoners. His entire campaign for the Presidency of Nigeria was planned, funded and carefully choreographed by others who saw huge opportunities to milk his Presidency. He tagged along, with his own agenda carefully tucked away, hoping that when, not if, he became President, he would make a clean break with history.

The late President Umaru Yar'Adua rules of the public service under a tenure policy will transform the public service. The alarming crash in standards, efficiency and moral courage in the public service is the result the nation is paying for this folly.

Competent and experienced hands are being retired at moments when they are most needed, and the shocking revelations and unprecedented levels of stealing around pensions and the subsidy scams are in reality evidence of the failure of the public service to protect the public and public resources from pillage.

A weak and a sick President is a liability to governance, but a weak and sick President who was propped up by interests which had scant regards and respect for the law or the national interest became a major threat. The undignified and untidy efforts made to prolong Yar'Adua’s Presidency and keep Jonathan away at all cost necessary (and unnecessary) did little justice to the personal ideals of Umaru himself who, for all his failings, actually saw power as a transient element. In sickness and in the manner his death came about, the foundations of a bitter succession and the

perception of an parochial resistance against a Jonathan presidency took roots.

From the moment the law was turned on its head by a national resolve to end the drift after it became clear that Yar ’Adua couldn’t continue, the Jonathan presidency was marked by an indelible perception that it had to fight every inch of the way against massive northern resistance. The underdog image was given a boost in the contest for the PDP ticket, and the gang-up of northern politicians in the PDP against Jonathan’s candidature created opportunities to tap into massive primordial sentiments and sympathies. Now a northern, Muslim enemy became easily identifiable, and the foundations of much of the character of our present political environment were laid.

Ashes of wasted years

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resident Jonathan’s full watch began on the ashes of four basically wasted years, when the nation moved from a crippled presidency, to one shackled by petty and destructive opportunism and fatal miscalculations.

He came with a mentality that is

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saying that thieves have made the night guard’s job difficult. The job of the guard is to keep the thieves away, and not use them as the excuse for perennial theft.

By any standards of judgment, President Jonathan’s watch is a difficult one. But he wanted the job, and he got it. From the moment he sat in Yar’Adua’s chair, he called the shots.

Now he is being judged by how he responds to the challenges he faces.

Will he reign in run-away corruption by prosecuting people who swindled us of trillions in fraudulent subsidy?

Can he prosecute the big names behind the pension scam; the collapse of the capital market; the scandalous sales or ‘dashing’ of our assets under the privatisation programme? Can he find a way to limit and eliminate the dangers posed by the Boko Haram insurgency? Can he make a tangible difference between now and 2015 in the areas of power supply, unemployment among the youth and reform of the electoral process? The job of being a Nigerian President must be the most difficult in our current circumstance. It’s made more difficult because President Jonathan cannot blame anyone, if during his watch, Nigeria sinks deeper into crises.

18 —

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

IECEMEAL development will not help Nigeria. The national attitude to development is mirred in poor choices that highlight the blinkered approach to development. It should be cause for concern.

Why does every talk about transportation centre on roads? What about the rails? Does anyone spare a thought for water transportation, considering Nigeria’s vast coastal areas? Will investments in water transportation not be cheaper than the costly long bridges that we prefer in the coastal areas? Is cheaper air travel possible? Can industries benefit from cheaper domestic air freight of their materials?

Even with the concentration on roads, do the authorities have any interest in patronising local alternatives to the current construction materials that are mainly imported? A lot needs to change about transportation and other nexuses that enhance development.

When Chairman Senate Committee on Works, Ayogu Eze, raises alarm about the imminent collapse of the economy unless road development becomes a priority, he misses two major points. There is no economy, in the sense he means it, and the informal sector, a

Transportation — A complete change main sustainer of the ‘economy’ learns to operate without any assistance from governments. The result is the present chaos.

Governments try to style the economy after fanciful ideas that exclude more than 90 million Nigerians, those who have been tagged extremely poor. Roads do not lead to where they live. Their poverty is rooted in neglect of agriculture, the mainstay of the economy, which drains billions of Naira through revolving fertilizer and other scams.

However, Ayogu made the important point that, “If we are developing federal roads and the states and local governments are not collaborating with us, the road development efforts will not be robust and sustainable.”

Roads are doubtlessly important, but they are another drain on the economy. Without support of the rails and water transportation, Nigerian roads, no matter how well they are constructed, are doomed to short lifespans. In the coastal areas, the cost of constructing and maintaining road, would not make them a first option.

According to the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, “For Nigeria to be among the first 20 economies in the world, our road infrastructure needs to grow from 194,000 km to about 300,000 km. This will require huge investments by all the three tiers of government and the private sector.” The Minister too, missed the point. Vast road networks do not necessarily translate to lower cost of transportation.

Efficiencies in allocation of resources, lower cost of doing business, stability in government policies, improved skills would result in a more competitive economy. More kilometres of roads cannot achieve Vision 202020 without electricity and other key niches of development.

We need a comprehensive approach to development

OPINION

BY CHUKWUNONYELUM ANUWEZE Continued from yesterday

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HIEF Ojukwu, as the national leader of APGA, desired and worked for the reign of internal party democracy and quarrelled with Okorie just over this as an issue. Chief Umeh has succeeded in pursuing the dream, vision and programme of Ikemba for APGA by translating a paper strategy into living political reality in Igbo land, leading to greater party cohesion, stability and electoral achievements.

With his sterling leadership and party mobilisation qualities, APGA is set to become the party to beat in Igbo land and the country in the coming 2015 elections in Nigeria.

INEC, APGA and post -Ojukwu's challenges Actually, my historical analysis of APGA’s fortunes arose over the last interview held by Chekwas Okorie in a national daily where he expressed his intention to register with INEC, a new political party to be known as UPGA. Chief Okorie is not making any hidden programme of his agenda to float a new political party so soon after his eventual defeat by democractic party forces, backed by Nigeria’s highest court of the land that stood for a broader vision of internal party democracy led principally by Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu(God bless his soul),the great Biafran Head of State and Chief Victor Umeh,the ebullient democract and

INEC, APGA and leadership in Igboland (2) Igbo leader who took up the gauntlet and led the leadership tussle against Okorie’s belittling agenda to pocket the fortunes of Igbos in Nigeria into his individual party control. Soon enough after the Supreme Court ordered Chekwas to surrender the APGA certificate of registration under his illegal control to Chief Umeh,the authentic APGA Chairman, Okorie went on his way, including using a newspaper, to give reasons why he was floating a new political party. It will not make any sense to advance all the points why this defeated man decided to form a new political party. It will not be good for people to talk ill of or lie about the dead, as Chekwas did recently, especially when the dead happens to be a man who has sacrificed his all for Igboland. Hear him in an interview: "I couldn’t find myself going into open confrontation with him(Ikemba);I couldn’t find myself floating another political party to be in rivalry with him over a political space in the same area because each party has to have its own base. So I kept exploring the reconciliatory option until he passed on’’.

Cheap saleout! Until the great Ikemba passed on, he was never in any compromising position with Okorie who called him names and carried vile propaganda against him and Umeh and other APGA faithfuls once Ojukwu showed him

that APGA must enjoy internal and grassroots democracy for it to achieve the vision of liberating the Igbo man and women in Nigeria.

Until he died there was no meeting or reconciliation between Ojukwu and Okorie.

All the tissues of lies said in the said interview were, of course, cusped with the name he intended giving the new political party formed posthumously after the Igbo political party project. He said that the party after his personal dreams and selfish vision would be called UPGA(wait a minute—did somebody cry blue murder?) Please don’t, because Okorie is an expert in manipulating figures,images and icons to score cheap political gains.

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t was a wise breather for Ojukwu, even in death, and his Igbo followers in Nigeria and abroad, when in the Saturday Sun of March 24,2012,Chief Umeh,the National Chairman of APGA, alerted the nation on the underhand and selfish machinations of Okorie when he called upon INEC not to register UPGA, Okorie’s new party which he wanted to use to feather his convulted political nests as a democractic autocrat. In his own interview, Chief Umeh went on to explain why the new intended cloned party will go against the rule of law and best practices in party registration

due process: UPGA is an attempt to clone APGA-Ojukwu's dream party Umeh made the following expositions on Okorie’s double-dealing deception at individual and vindictive party registration efforts latest efforts: "We in All Progressives Grand Alliance have our reasons for not wanting Chekwas Okorie to register UPGA. One is that it is a rule that no political party should have similar acronym or name. The name United People Grand Alliance is similar to All Progressives Grand Alliance. We are opposed to it more particularly as when we wanted to register APGA in 2002 the name we submitted to INEC for registration was United Progressives Grand Alliance, but INEC rejected the name. We had to adjust to all Progressives Grand Alliance, that is replacing ‘United’ with ‘All’ to be able to scale INEC’s hurdle. That name APGA and UPGA sound similar. Moreover, UPGA has a historical perspective as an acronym. Our people and Nigerians can identify UPGA with the old party called UPGA (United Progressives Grand Alliance). Even today some people still pronounce APGA as UPGA. In the South East part of Nigeria, for instance, rural women and men only know UPGA; they don’t understand APGA. That was the old party they knew and supported in the past".

Concluded

*Mr. Anuweze, a political analyst, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012— —19

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OLARISING as the same sex marriage issue has become in America, and around the world (no thanks to the manner Americans tend to universalise matters that concern them), it simply won’t go away. And this past week, Barack Obama, the American president, had to make a clean breast of it by stating unequivocally where he stands on the matter. Of course, the fact that only days before Joe Biden, the Vice President, had said he was in support of gay marriage, indicated Obama could no longer shirk the matter. There was the danger of him being seen as weak and vacillating. He needed to make his position clear before it appeared inevitable, whether he liked it or not. Or so critics of the timing of the announcement say.

And so the President spoke, he said, in favour of freedom- in support of the right of Americans to choose who they desire as marriage partners even if of the same sex. It is ironic that in a matter as momentous as this, it was a Black man, the first to be elected president of America, that would speak in a manner that would set the millions of Americans who felt imprisoned by societal opposition to their

right to be with who they wanted in marriage- it was a Black man whose words would literally set the captives free. In the end, for the President, the decision was based on personal considerations after due consultation with his family and recognition that they, too, are in support of his position.

Obama’s endorsement of same sex marriage is a personal decision with national and international consequences. His standing for gay marriage has no legal effect whatever on the American constitution; it was a personal decision just as any that could have been made by any other American. But this was the American president, the first president ever to take such an emphatic stand that many an American politician feared could drown them politically. It is a measure of how far Americans have come on the LGBT issue that Obama could make such a pitch openly. Before now, no American politician conscious of their standing at the polls dare take such a bold stand as he has done.

The game was always to move like Babangida’s two-party system, a little to the right and a little to the left, depending on where the tide went- where public

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opinion swung. Even for Obama, the decision was a long time coming. As he put it, it had evolved over time during which he must have weighed the pluses and minuses of his chosen path. But more on this later. Suffice to say that his Republican Party rival, Mitt Romney, has been playing yo-yo on the gay rights issue.

I

n the run-up to his election to the Senate, he was pro-gay right. But now he is a vehement opponent of the same right that he had championed on his way up the political ladder. Obama had moved from a less assured support of gay rights to making an open and unequivocal statement in support of it. The question now is how this would play out in the elections that are just some six months away.

Obama, it is expected, may have to give up precious conservative African-American votes to pay for his decision to support gay rights.

But this might be more the wishful thinking of those who would

Edo 2012: The demise of PDP

BY OGBEBOR OSAZUWA

A

GBAZILO and Okpebho are two components of Esan People in Edo Central Senatorial Zone of Edo State. The late Professor Ambrose Folorunsho Ali and Professor Oserheimen Aigberaodion Osunbor belong to the Okpebho extraction, while the great statesman, the late Anthony Enahoro and the living legend of Nigerian politics, Chief Anthony Anenih, are of the Agbazilo extraction.

The fractured relationship between these people came to fore recently when the last primaries held recently. We now see the primaries as a covertly designed avenue for an Agbazilo son to emerge in 2016 making the Binis to lick their wounds after they must have lost the July 14 guber polls in the state.

But unknown to the promoters of the Agbazilo agenda, the coup so hatched is doomed to boomerang as both the Agbazilos and Okpebhos may never reconcile their political differences until a credible leader emerges.

February 25, 2012 guber primaries held in Benin signaled the end of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the "Heartbeat of the Nation" due to this grand design to put an Agbazilo son in Government House, not another professor from the Okpebho extraction.

Delegates smiled home after allegedly being well 'rewarded' in naira generously doled out by appreciative party chieftains.

Some delegates perceived to be loyalists of the erstwhile Governor of the state, Senator Oserheimen Osunbor were said to have been given extra money at the gate of Ogbemudia Stadium to make sure they do not vote for Osunbor.

This carrot and stick approach worked its desired magic as the message was clear: Do not vote for Osunbor or you will be severely punished.

Delegates from the three senatorial districts were given just one instruction from a national leader which was: 'do not vote for Osunbor’. Former factional Chairman of the party during the reign of Osunbor, Edward Sadoh, was screened out of the list of delegates because of his loyalty to Osunbor.

This was perceived as the handiwork of Mr. Fix-It who has a record that dates back to 1983 when he supported the then Governor of the old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia to beat his kinsman, Professor Ambrose Ali and eventually fought with same Ogbemudia. In 1992, after helping John Odigie Oyegun to emerge Governor, the leader tore agreement again and for the short period of that administration he fought Oyegun.

In 1999, the man worked for Lucky Igbinedion and ensured his victory at the polls, but what happened next? As usual, the leader fought Lucky to a standstill and efforts to de-register him from PDP led to sharp division in the party till date.

Lucky could not face the onerous task of governance as the leader’s overbearing presence forced him to make unpardonable mistakes. He had good intentions but was frustrated by the forces of our great leader.

This led to the formation of the Grace Group whose motto, ‘No man is god’, later transformed into the Action Congress of Nigeria, A CN, the party in power in Edo State today.

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It’s the same sex option for Obama

The task before Obama as the race to the White House in 2013 heats up is to see how to win more of the youths to his sides while retaining the votes of the Black population

rather find a reason, any whatsoever, to oppose the President’s continued stay in office. There are, no doubt, many who still see Obama’s election as president as a mistake that must be corrected. But what those sold on his reformist policies and the efforts he’s so far made to stabilise the American economy despite the downturn that ushered him into office in 2008- what this category of Americans would be calling attention to is the fact that the President’s support for gay rights shouldn’t be the dark cloud that should overshadow his impressive achievements. Black churches and their leaders would be helping Obama a long way by articulating the issues involved in the election as one that should not be driven by the purely cultural choices that the President had to make over his achievements in trying to drive down inflation, stabilise the economy while driving up employment figures.

The conservatives, on the other hand, would and have been having a field day criticising the President for what they see as politicising a cultural and social issue in order to curry votes of the gay community. Really, Obama may not have too much to fear from this camp of American voters whose support for him is at the best of time not as enthusiastic as it might and should be, had partisan considerations not taken the better part of their judgement. But on the plus side, in reaching this decision Obama might have set his eyes on young American voters, the same demographic that gave him firm and unstinted support in his 2008 bid for the presidency. Many in this group do not support their fathers and mothers in their opposition to gay rights. Same applies to educated Americans and others less interested in what they consider the personal choices of their

Sadly, July 14, 2012 will mark the demise of PDP in Edo State; perhaps after that the national leadership of the party will see the need to rescue Edo State from the death-grip of the leader

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General Charles Airhiavbere(rtd) should ponder over the fate of all the above governors with respect to what awaits him in the days ahead.

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he General should remember that the leopard does not change its spot and you do not teach an old dog new tricks; no pun intended.

The man has spent a fortune. It is no longer a rumour in Edo that he adequately mobilised party leaders to ensure he was returned unopposed. Well, too bad because his chances are too slim to even win his ward come July 14, 2012.

Back to the Uromi warlord. In 2007 another of his kinsmen emerged in the person of Osunbor.

Barely three months in office, the fireworks started in a manner that if Osunbor had survived the attacks, maybe he would have paid the supreme price to remain in office.

Nothing was spared to chase the Senator from office, both politically and diabolically, just because he was not the

fellow compatriots and what the President thought of these choices than in his ability to meet the objectives and promises that gave him the support of American youths in 2008. Obama would really need to reach out to these important demographic that has borne the brunt of many of the hard choices that the American economy has imposed on Americans. The Republicans, especially the ultra conservative Tea Party section of it, have done much to scuttle Obama’s economic policies in a manner that portrayed him as weak in taking on the opposition and standing firm on his belief; their belligerence and Obama’s conciliatory gestures have but served to disaffect the youths.

The task before Obama as the race to the White House in 2013 heats up is to see how to win more of the youths to his sides while retaining the votes of the Black population as well as reaching into so-called Republican enclaves. Whatever the case might be for Obama and the Americans, there is no doubt that his support for gay rights would not enjoy much sympathy in many parts of Africa, including Nigeria where the first Black American president apparently has a large following. Christian groups that have been opposed to the ordination of gay priests would see Obama’s position as manifestation of Satan’s plans.

But for Obama, his was a choice based on no less moral and Christian principle than that which enjoins us to treat our neighbours as we would like to be treated. Perhaps on this ground he would be forgiven.

CORRECTION: In last week’s article, I erroneously referred to former US Secretary of Defence as Christopher Gates when I had meant Robert Gates. The error is regretted.

anointed one.

Impeachment moves were made but they failed through the House. But then the court was finally used to remove him.

The last guber primary has further confirmed the pathological hatred that Mr Fix-It has for Osunbor as delegates were handsomely rewarded to humble him at Ogbe Stadium.

For Osunbor to have scored 22 votes was a miracle because the plan was to make sure he scored only a single vote, but some die-hard loyalists still went ahead to vote for him.

It is sad as Edo PDP rubbished the much orchestrated internal democracy in the party preached by President Goodluck Jonathan in Benin.

Mr Fix-It and his fellow cohorts carefully nailed the coffin of PDP in the state and buried it at Ogbe Stadium on February 25.

It is the end for Edo PDP in the Heart beat of the Nation that was once seen as the only party that could move mountains and relocate them to Uromi. The state woman leader, organising secretary and about eight members of the state executive have already decamped to AC N and more will follow The eventual winner of the predetermined primary, Gen Airhiavbere should watch his back very well because his emergence is to ensure he loses and this will create room for a national leader’s anointed son from Agbazilo, part of Edo Central, to emerge governor in 2016. By then the Binis would lick their wounds as Mr. Fix-It would impose him without apologies.

Sadly, July 14, 2012 will mark the demise of PDP in Edo State. Perhaps after that the national leadership of the party will see the need to rescue Edo State PDP from the death-grip of the leader.

*Mr. Osazuwa, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Benin City, Edo State.

20 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16,

2012

Kidnapping: Narrow escape for royal father noha community in her Toyota Avalon saloon car when she was forced to stop and then abducted by the gangsters.

When contacted on his mobile phone, PPRO Oodee, said the Command was aware of the reported kidnap of the citizens and was already investigating the cases.

Answering another question, Oodee passionately appealed to the citizenry to form the habit of passing useful information to the Police, stressing that the

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA, Owerri

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HE feeling in many quarters in Imo State presently is that these certainly are not the best of times in the Eastern Heartland against the backdrop of the prevailing security challenges bordering on armed robbery and kidnapping. The security situation in the state worsened Monday night, May 7, 2012, following the brutal murder of Eze Stanley Akuneto, the traditional ruler of Umueze-Abazu, Ogwa, Mbaitoli local government area of the state.

Vanguard Metro, VM, investigations revealed that the two gunmen, who were operating on a motorcycle, stormed the royal father’s palace at about 9pm when most people had gone to sleep.

It was further gathered from a villager, who did not want his name in print, that the gangsters did not betray their principal mission when they asked after the traditional ruler.

“When they were taken to where the traditional ruler was relaxing, they quickly shot him at close range and sped away on their motorbike into the dark night,” the villager recounted with grief.

Another woman, who could not hold her emotion as she spoke, described the late royal father as “a lover of his people, soft-spoken, sincere to a fault, unassuming and a fine gentleman”.

She wondered why anybody or group of persons would have conspired to snuff life out of the man, even as she denied that there was any form of crisis in the autonomous community.

Efforts made by VM to get in touch with the community’s Tra-

ditional Prime Minister, George Obinna Asi, failed as he was said to be “out of town on a business trip”.

When VM called the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Sam Oodee, for his comments, the fellow that picked his phone claimed the gadget had a problem which he was fixing and urged our Correspondent to call in the next 30 minutes.

The Eze –elect of Awo Mbieri autonomous community, Mbaitoli local council area of Imo State, Nze Oliver Nwaozuzu, was luckier because he was merely abducted by gunmen from his village church.

The euphoria of Nze Nwaozuzu’s recent victory at a plebiscite conducted in the community by the state government had hardly died down before he was picked by hoodlums.

VM investigation revealed that about five hours after his kidnap, the Eze-elect’s car, which was allegedly used to ferry him into the kidnapper’s dungeon, was spotted at the foot of the Niger Bridge, Onitsha, Anambra State.

A villager who spoke on strict grounds of anonymity lamented that “the community was thrown into palpable confusion” and he passionately appealed to the security agencies to ensure his safe return to his subjects.

Another middle aged housewife, whose identity could not be ascertained at press time, was reportedly kidnapped by rampaging kidnappers in Umunoha community, also in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state. VM gathered that the woman was on her way to Umu-

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Eze-Elect, Nze Nwaozuzu: Released after being kidnapped

of freedom again. The jubilation that greeted his return was unprecedented. He spoke about his ordeal to journalists.

He recalled with grief that his abductors were four middle aged men. They all pointed their guns at his wife, driver, personal assistant, a policeman in mufti and himself, as soon as they stepped out of Saint Peter’s Catholic Church, Awo Mbieri.

Nze Nwaozuzu gave a graphic account of how every

His abductors were four middle aged men; they all pointed their guns at his wife, driver, personal assistant, a policeman in mufti and himself as soon as they stepped out of Saint Peter’s Catholic Church, Awo Mbieri

organisation can only be effective if given credible tips.

Through sheer God’s grace and abundant mercies, Nze Nwaozuzu has breathed the air

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away from the church.

“It was sheer God’s grace that my life was spared. As God will have it, two of the young men told me that they were instructed not to feed me at all but instead, they fed me with moin-moin, beans and rice all through the three nights in the stuffy rooms where I was detained”, Nwaozuzu recounted.

The Eze-Elect equally revealed that he was detained in the same place with the Managing Director of Milan Pharmacy, Owerri, Chief Sylvester Okere. Answering a question, Nwaozuzu expressed belief that kidnapping is being perpetrated by a highly organised syndicate which law enforcement agencies need to tackle with clinical finesse.

It was not clear at press time if Nze Nwaozuzu paid any ransom to secure his freedom but the truth remains that these are not the best of times for Imo people!

other occupant of his car, including his wife that was constantly invoking the name of Jesus Christ, was ordered out of the vehicle a few metres

For corper, a scholarship reward on disaster management A

CORPS member, Abubakar Jimoh, is presently basking in the euphoria of being rewarded with a scholarship for his outstanding advocacy campaign on disaster risk reduction, DRR, in Nigeria during the service year. The recognition came courtesy of the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, who was full of praises for the corps member for his exemplary efforts.

The NEMA boss who made the presentation of a cash prize at the end of a quiz competition among secondary schools in Abuja which was organised by Abubakar last Friday, said that he was impressed by the volumes of contributions by the corper for distinguishing himself in several awareness programmes, including over 25 feature articles in the media, publication of a booklet on Ten Major Disasters which was translated into major Nigerian languages.

*NEMA boss, Muhammad Sani-Sidi (right) presenting the award to a corps member, Abubakar Jimoh.

The NEMA boss said: “I am overwhelmed and impressed by the contributions of youth corps members on national development and particularly encouraged by the contributions of Abu Jimoh through his writings and advocacies, that I find it necessary to offer him a cash donation to pursue a postgraduate programmes in Disaster Management in any of the six universities that offered the

course in the country”.

While reiterating the commitment of NEMA in strengthening its collaboration with stakeholders on disaster management and awareness campaigns, he called on youths to avail themselves of the opportunity of serving in volunteer groups and clubs set up on disaster risk reduction in the country.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 21

AFC to invest N480bn in sub-Saharan Africa A

FRICA Finance Corporation (AFC), a Lagos-based development financier, is considering potential investments worth $3 billion across sub-Saharan Africa over the next year, its chief executive has said.

Created in 2007 to help increase much-needed investments in the key infrastructure, transport and heavy industries sectors in Africa, AFC - 46 percent-owned by seven west African states including Nigeria and Ghana has already invested $500 million in projects worth a total $4 billion from Cape Verde to Zambia.

“In our sectors we see a lot of opportunities. We are currently reviewing investments totalling $3 billion across the continent.

That is what our pipeline is,” Andrew Alli told Reuters in the Kenyan capital.

These are projects from Senegal down to Mozambique. Virtually every country in sub-Sahara Africa has a power deficit so there is obviously quite a lot of opportunity in power.” Alli said AFC - part of a growing phenomenon of Africans investing in their own continent - also looks for a commercial return on its investments, was looking to conclude the potential deals soon.

“It is almost certain that we won’t invest in all of them but we would expect to review them and close them over the course of the next year or so,” he said. Alli, whose organisation invested $50 million in Kenyan cement firm Athi River Mining this year, praised the Kenyan government for policies aimed at encouraging private investments in the energy sector. “We see potential for electricity investments in Kenya and particularly for renewables, both geothermal and also wind,” Alli said, adding that they were

SMEDAN pledges to support NEPAD Business Group

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HE Small and MediumEnterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has pledged its support for the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) Business Group Global Partnership Week. The Director-General of SMEDAN, Alhaji Muhammad Umar, made the pledge when he received a delegation of the group, led by its Executive Secretary, Dr Aniebo Roberts, in Abuja on Monday.

He said that SMEDAN was willing to partner the group’s activities to develop the small and mediumenterprises in the country.

Umar promised to encourage other relevant government agencies to partner with the group “in its efforts to effect a desirable change in the economy of Nigeria through the development of the private sector ”.

According to him, SMEDAN support for the partnership is with the belief that better results and efficiency can be achieved in the development of the small and medium-enterprises.

in talks with other firms they could invest in.

“We probably are looking to put in total at least another $100-$150 million into Kenya in the next 18 months if things work out correctly.”

Other potential investments being evaluated include some in the Nigerian power sector where planned privatisations later this year could open up opportunities, Alli said. AFC

is also assessing investment opportunities in Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana and Ivory Coast, where they have already secured approval to fund construction of a tall bridge in Abidjan, Alli added.

“Infrastructure is the skeleton that economic growth generally hangs,” he said. Alli said the main risks facing investments in Africa include a slowdown in the global economy,

which could cut demand for export commodities, and changes in governments that often lead to sudden shifts in policies. Policy reversals happen quite often. When a new government comes in they reverse policies that the previous government had put in place and businesses that had reacted to the first set of policies can be left high and dry,” he said.

From left: Nigeria’s Ambassador to China, Ambassador Aminu Wali; DG SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu, and Mr. Mohammed Suleiman, Head of Chancery, during talks on the draft cooperative agreement on standardisation of Chinese exports to Nigeria.

Infrastructure projects, FTZ to drive Africa’s growth D ESPITE the global economic crisis, Africa’s growth and development trajectory remains positive with sub-Saharan Africa set to grow at more than five percent. This was the conclusion of international investors, business and political leaders at the 2012 World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa in Addis Ababa on Africa’s remarkable transformation.

Africa offers the highest returns on investment of any region and is home to seven of the ten fastest growing economies in the world. The Economist projects that WEF Africa hosts Ethiopia’s economy will grow at 8.1% between 2011- 15 making it the 3rd fastest growing economy in the world.

Over the last decade the continent’s economic output has tripled while subSaharan Africa is set to grow at about 5% for the next 10 years, second only to emerging Asia as the fastest growing world region.

Yet, according to Miller Matola, Chief Executive of Brand South Africa, “Africans have not defined their economies and growth prospects to the world but have allowed international bankers, political analysts and credit ratings agencies to take the initiative and write up, or sometimes even

belittle, the African growth story” .

Speaking in Addis Ababa, Matola said Africans were now demonstrating greater confidence in their continent.

“According to recent Ernst & Young research, three of the top five fastest growing investors into new projects in Africa from 2003 to 2011, were the African economic power houses: South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.”

South African investment into Africa has grown at a rate of 64.8% in this period.

Explaining the many factors behind Africa’s phenomenal growth since the turn of the century, Matola said these included greater democratisation and stability, economic reform, urbanisation, improved uptake of ICT and financial services, a younger, growing and more affluent population, and the on-going resources boom.

To encourage further continental growth South Africa is orientating its government policies, regulations and institutions to support African investment and integration. Matola stated that, the world is slowly waking up to the massive projects underway to build new roads, rail, ports and other infrastructure that link previously isolated countries and regions, and that

is accompanied by the expansion of free trade areas which will eventually encompass the whole continent.

177.60

+0.45

2,240.00

-79.00

20.26

+0.04

111.53

-0.73

94.61

-1.52

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING CFA KRONER EURO POUNDS RIYAL SDR FRANC DOLLAR WAUA YEN RENMINBI

0.2864 26.7679 199.037 248.6957 41.2489 237.3253 165.7027 154.7 237.0913 1.9384 24.4711

0.2964 26.8545 199.6803 249.4995 41.3823 238.0924 166.2383 155.2 237.8576 1.9447 24.5507

0.3064 26.941 200.3236 250.3033 41.5156 238.8594 166.7738 155.7 238.6239 1.9509 24.6302

CBN Exchange rate as at 14/05/2012

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Mutual funds value rises by N1.26bn in April

BY MICHAEL EBOH

T

HE Net Asset Value, NAV, ofmutual funds listed on the Memorandum Quotation segment of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, appreciated by N1.264 billion in one month, between March and April 2012.

Specifically, the mutual funds’ value, according to data obtained from the Securities and Ex-

change Commission, SEC, rose by 1.46 per cent to close at N88.1 billion for the month of April 2012, from N86.836 billion at which it ended the month of March.

The funds also appreciated by N525 million in one week, rising by 0.6 per cent from N87.575 billion at which it closed for the week ended, April 20, 2012.

Equity based funds,

with a total NAV of N40.618 billion, recorded the highest valuation in April, followed by Real estate funds with a NAV of N16.334 billion and balance based funds recorded a NAV of N12.356 billion.

Money market funds’ NAV stands at N7.01 billion, Ethical funds recorded NAV of N5.741 billion while Bond funds

trailed with a total NAV of N5.428 billion.

Union Homes Real Estate Investment Trust Scheme, managed by Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, recorded the highest NAV of N14.108 billion, followed by Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund, managed by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited with a NAV of N12.464 billion

and Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund also managed by Stanbic IBTC Asset, with a NAV of N6.79 billion.

ARM Discovery Fund, managed by Asset and Resources Management, ARM, Company Limited recorded a NAV of N4.637 billion; FBN Heritage Fund, managed

by First Bank of Nigeria Plc, recorded NAV of N4.122 billion; SIM Capital Alliance Fund, managed by SIM Capital Alliance Limited’s NAV stood at N3.453 billion and Zenith Equity Fund, managed by Zenith Bank Plc

posted NAV of N3.448 billion.

Others are: Coral Growth Fund, managed by FSDH Asset Management Limited N3.282 billion; Kakawa Guaranteed Income Fund, managed by Kakawa Asset Management Company Limited - N2.936 billion and Stanbic Ethical Fund, managed by Stanbic IBTC Asset N2.849 billion among others.

Unilever’s dividend policy gets shareholders commendation …pays N1.40 dividend

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM & PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

S Mr. Tunde Lemo, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria and founder of Tunde Lemo Foundation (TLF), handing over the keys of the ultra-modern clinic he donated to Nigerian Red Cross in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Omatek financial facility is totally restructured — Seriki

BY PETER EGWUATU

O

MATEK Ventures Plc has disclosed that it has restructured its credit facilities with its bankers following the intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The company further revealed that for the past three years it funded its activity with the internally generated revenue without the support of banks’ money.

Speaking to capital market correspondents ahead of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to hold on Thursday, 17th May, 2012, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Omatek Ventures, Engr. Florence Seriki, said, “We are happy that we survived the turbulent period when our banks refused to lend to the Small and

Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) due to the banking sector crisis that culminated to the CBN’s intervention.

Afribank Plc, our main banker had already blacklisted and listed us under the Credit Risk Management System (CRMS), hence we could not be able to fund our consumer scheme which was our main source of income and effectively deprived the company of its working capital, thereby threatening the corporate existence of the company “However, we thank God that all this is over as the Omatek Board made formal complaints to CBN and Asset M a n a g e m e n t Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and met severally with the Executives of AMCON and CBN at round table meeting, where it was

resolved that AMCON would return Omatek back to the defunct Afribank, while CBN would release Omatek from the CRMS list.

“By December 2011, AMCON and CBN restructured the final debt after they deducted the arbitrary interest accrued and credited the company with the N300 million owed Omatek to reduce the company’s accrued debt. The final balance outstanding was restructured for a period of seven years with one year moratorium.”

Seriki, further disclosed that Omatek has renewed its offshore facilities after the 10 year old facility was suddenly terminated by Afribank.

She noted that Omatek will return to its past glory after 2012 when shareholders will begin to reap bountifully from their investment.

According to her, “Our

s h a r e h o l d e r s understand the situation and environment where we operated upon. We really faced many challenges arising from the restructuring of the Nigerian banking sector; thank God we are out of it. We will manage the consumer schemes with the various states governments.

We already have eight banks in this scheme.

Also today, our factory stills source its raw materials from first class manufacturers in Asia called- the BIG Players; these are factories where the foreign brands purchase from. Quality is therefore assured.”

The company in its financial year ended December 31, 2011 posted a turnover of N348,973 as against N1.048 billion in 2010; Net fixed Assets stood at N1.976 billion as against N2.298 billion.

HAREHOLDERS of Unilever Nigeria Plc have commended the Board and management for their consistency in creating value for them through steady dividend payment over the years.

They also gave the Board the approval to pay the recommended N5.491 billion dividends, which translates to N1.40 per share dividend to all members of the company.

Giving the commendation at the 87 th Annual General Meeting, AGM, in Lagos, the shareholders said the dividend, as well as the financial performance, is laudable given the harsh operating environment manufacturers are subjected to in the country.

Speaking on behalf of other shareholders at the meeting, the duo of Mr. Boniface Okezie, National Chairman, P r o g r e s s i v e S h a r e h o l d e r s Association of Nigeria, PSAN, and Mr. Timothy Adesiyan, another shareholder, called on the company to go back to its tradition of combining dividend payment with bonus issue, saying that they were so rewarded six

years ago.

They observed that turnover growth of 16.9 per cent as against 5.2 per cent in the corresponding year in relation to the distribution cost and administrative expenses of N2.5 billion and N9.2 billion respectively were testimony to efficient cost management spearheaded by the Chairman of the Board, His Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman noted that the turnover grew from N46.807 billion in 2010 to N54.724 in the review period, while profit after tax went up to N5.59 billion from the previous N4.180 billion, a 10 per cent increase over the previous results.

He also explained that earnings per share increased by 31 per cent from N1.11 per share to N1.45 per share in 2011, while operating margin improved from 14.5 per cent in 2010 to 15.0 per cent in the review period.

He stated that the performance for the period reinforced the company’s capability to continue to win the hearts of its consumers through brands which create a better future, saying, “Our strong fundamentals attest to the success of our growth initiatives and our commitment to continue to invest into the future and deliver sustained shareholders value.”

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 23

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya

Select ICT events z WAFICT 2012.

Holds May 8 – 10, 2012 at New Eko Expo Hall, Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. z Broadband Asia.

Holds 8th - 9th May 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. z5th Annual Roaming World Congress.

Holds 14 - 16 May 2012, in Madrid, Spain. z Tetra World Congress 2012. Holds May 14 - 17, 2012 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

,

zNorth Africa Com. Holds 15-16 May, 2012 in Tunis, Tunisia.

Preview

New inventions shaping life and living

Microsubs could clean oil spills

M

AGNETICALLYguided microsubmarines originally developed to deliver drugs in the body could now be used to clean up oil spills.

A team of researchers, led by Prof. Joseph Wang of the University of California- San Diego, found that applying a water-repellant coating to the outer surface of the subs allowed them to slip easily through the water while also absorbing oil droplets. Laboratory tests have been promising, although many more subs would be needed for real world efficiency.

I N S I D E

‘Smart regulation crucial to broadband roll-out’

BY EMEKA AGINAM

W

HILE the In ternational Telecommunications Union's (ITU), 2012 regulatory report released last week highlighted the vital importance of national regulatory framework in accelerating broadband rollout and stimulating the development of new digital goods and services, participants at the just concluded West African Information and Communication Technology Congress, (WAFICT) 2012 rose up from the conference saying that except effective national regulatory frameworks were put in place by the African governments including Nigeria, achieving broadband roll-out may be far fetched.

For majority of the speakers at the event that ran side by side with exhibition series, broadband penetration in most African countries including Nigeria is still very low compared to what is obtainable in other parts of the world.

While voice gap is getting narrower on the continent, data gap, according to the speakers seems to be getting wider by the day, meaning that broadband roll-out has become a matter of necessity.

At the forum, speakers were able to harmonize views on how best to achieve broadband penetration through effective and smart regulations.

New policy frameworks

Meanwhile, according to the ITU new report, the huge volume of data

Telecom firms and quality of ser vice issues

zAngaye

,

DIARY

zAjayi

z Toure

One of the most difficult challenges to wide scale broadband infrastructure deployment is the issue of right of way.

While this issue seems intractable, there are obvious solutions

generated by fixed and mobile broadband applications means that most countries are now facing a critical ICT infrastructure deficit. Given the importance of broadband to each country’s ongoing development, this deficit, the report say is fast becoming a major public policy issue requiring the formulation of new cross-sectoral broadband policy frameworks. Encouragingly, over 130 governments have today adopted or are planning to adopt a national policy, strategy or plan to promote broadband.

“Ensuring investment

iOS 6: Apple drops Google Maps, debuts in-house ‘Maps’ in 3D mode

and innovation without stifling competition is the key challenge today’s ICT regulators face,” sITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré., said, adding that “In order for all citizens to benefit from the economic growth driven by broadband, huge and sustained investments in networks are needed.

This report looks at how regulators could help, and what innovative regulatory measures might be able to achieve.”

Nigeria ripe for broadband

Earlier in his presenta-

tion, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian telecom regulatory agency, Dr. Eugene Juwah told the gathering that Nigeria was ripe for broadband. With more than 90 million active lines available for the population compared to 400,000 years back, this was a huge performance at 64.98% teledensity compared with some 0.44% in 2001.

“The world has taken voice telephony as basic while moving fast into the new world of data transmission that defines the speed with which businesses are

Glo rewards dealers with SUVs, credit lines

zJuwah conducted in the cyber space , the internet. .

Broadband is simply characterized by the speed at which the internet highways transmit data from one end of the world to another or from one computer to another.” he explained.

Stable regulation, challenges

Although the regulatory environment in the country has remained stable and attractive to the global investment community, according to Juwah, there still remain a number of challenges.

One of the difficult challenges to wide scale broadband infratsructure deployment, according to him is the issue of right of way.

“State government could move away from the current practice of imposing one off charge for right of way based on Continues on Page 26

Facebook killing SMS traffic — Report

24 — VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Telcos and quality of service issues

F

OR the nation’s mast, all such networks telecommunica are cut off in that area.

That is not all, there is tions companies, it’s the rainy season and also the issue of multiple a double one at that. Gen- taxation. Despite the fact erally in this part of the that issues relating to telworld, the rainy season is ecommunications are on underway, and for the the exclusive legislative next few months, torren- list, state and local govtial downpours will be- ernments, in a bid to come normal experience. shore up their internal revThat is something we can- enue generation efforts not do anything about, have serially turned tosince the regulator is wards telcos. In a bid to Mother Nature whose get them pay the levied whims and caprices are taxes, base stations are above that of mere mor- often shut down, and between the time such statals.

But for our telcos who tions are shut down, payare in another kind of ment made and they are rainy season apart from reopened, many subscribthe one decreed by na- ers get cut off. As a matter of fact, ture, these are It is unsathis issue not the best of voury and of multiple times in so far taxes is as quality of leaves a lot to one that service is conbe desired if the regulacerned. There found is no gainsaydata generat- tor so worriing the fact ed on the some that that millions of Nigerians same sector by it facilitated the setcould not comtwo govern- ting up of plete calls or could not ment agencies an industry working even connect indicate so group to for a call in the tackle the last few much dispariissue. weeks, or T h e n ty months. Even there is the phones misplaced in the house by problem associated with toddlers could not be infrastructure, like roads reached when you try to construction and rehabiluse another phone to lo- itation, for example. cate it; you recover such When contractors mobiphones after a long, ardu- lize to site and begin ous search while the tod- work, earth-moving dler is busy at another equipment often damage mischief. Funny, not so? infrastructure installations It’s either your party can’t like oil pipelines (one rehear you while you can sulted in a pipeline fire in hear, or vice versa, or your which scores were roastparty just can’t be ed to death in Lagos on reached. It is a problem- May 16, 2008), fibre optics cables, huge water atic situation.

But, like Late Chief pipes, and others.

At the end of the day, Obafemi Awolowo once said, problems are like services and products deplants; if you go to the liveries through these roots, they can be solved. pipelines and cables are What are the roots of these disrupted and form part of problems? They are many, the overall poor quality of and put together, indicate service in whichever secthe type of society we live tor is so affected. Who is in, which also spells the to blame? The point is that operating environment of these indicate how disorour telcos. Serially, the ganized things are and by business infrastructure of now, an infrastructure the telcos are damaged or map indicating where otherwise vandalized, es- what is should be availapecially cables and base ble. On the flip side, the stations. If thieves go to a security situation in the base station and cart away country needs to improve, the generator powering it, while social responsibiliit follows without fail that ty appreciation should go subscribers in the area cov- up. Even a common thief ered by the base station should know that by stealare immediately cut off. If ing the generator of a you factor in co-location, base station, he won’t be where the business infra- able to call his accomplicstructure of as many as es. four telcos are on a single

,

iOS 6: Apple drops Google Maps, debuts in-house ‘Maps’ in 3D mode A

PPLE has an in credible headline feature in development for iOS 6: a completely in-house maps application. Apple will drop the Google Maps program running on iOS since 2007 in favor for a new Maps app with an Apple backend. The application design is said to be fairly similar to the current Google Maps program on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, but it is described as a much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience.

While Apple has always had full control of the actual iOS Maps application design, the backend has belonged to Google. That will change with iOS 6 thanks to their purchases of Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9; acquisitions that Apple has used to create a complete mapping database.

Now that the application

A 3-D map with street view is fully in-house, it is being referred to simply as “Maps” (some people call the current version Google Maps because of the backend). We reported prior to the launch of iOS 5 that Apple and Google had extended their Maps deal, and now it is obvious when that deal ends.

Signifying the application’s complete re-write is a new logo for iOS Maps: it is basically a

redesigned version of the current iOS Maps icon with a view of Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop Campus, but redrawn with a new color scheme.

Apple’s replacement for Google Street View will likely also be an inhouse solution. C3 Technologies worked on street view capability as shown in the photo above.

The most important aspect of the new Maps application is a powerful

new 3D mode. The 3D mode does not come enabled by default, but users simply need to click a 3D button that is conveniently and visibly stored in the app. Perhaps under the fold like the current traffic, pin, and map view buttons.

This 3D mode is said to essentially be technology straight from C3 Technologies: beautiful, realisitic graphics based on de-classified missile target algorithms.

Piracy harms our economy, by NCC, Microsoft

BY EMEKA AGINAM

W

HILE software pi racy stifle innovation, harm local economies, the software giant, Microsoft in collaboration with the Nigerian Copyright Commission.

NCC, at the just concluded World Intellectual Property day held recently in Lagos said that unless software piracy was fought with concerted efforts,local economies will continue suffer.

Commemorating this year’s World Intellectual Property Day in Nigeria, Microsoft organized a round table to discuss how the use of non-genuine software threatens legitimate businesses and creates a negative impact on both global and local economies.

The event attracted participants from different sectors of the economy including Mr. Babatunde Adetula, Director, Ibadan Zonal Office, Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr. George Spiff, Managing Director, Steelcon Global Hitech, Mr. Seyi Owolabi of Multichoice Nigeria, Ugochi Agoreyo, Anti-Piracy Manger, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa and Serge Ntamack, Anti Piracy Lead,

Microsoft WECA. Lending his voice to the clarion call by other panelists for the creation of sound IP policies in the countr y, Serge Ntamack, Anti Piracy Lead, WECA, observed that, “Counterfeiting only thrives in places with weak or non-existent IP laws.”

Similarly, Mr. Babatunde Adetula, Director, Ibadan Zonal Office, Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) while explaining the impact of piracy explained that,

“Piracy is like a cankerworm to the nation’s economy. It is like a caterpillar that eats up the pillars of the economy. If not checked, pirated software, pirated books and broadcasting would damage the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are involved in property innovation and development.”

“Intellectual property is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. Piracy is a global issue that needs to be addressed to ensure software innovation and de-

velopment.”, he said.

Mr. Adetula reiterated the agency’s continued drive to ensure that those involved in piracy are punished.

Earlier in her response, Mrs Ugochi Agoreyo, the Anti-Piracy Manager, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, said that piracy has continuously discouraged economic development and encouraged the success of pirates due to increased patronage in pirated innovations.

NUPTIALS: From left, MD of Connect Technologies, Chris Uwaje; Mrs Chioma Ekeh; Ashim Uwaje, Mrs Karin Uwaje, and Chief Leo Stan Ekeh of Zinox Technologies at Ashim's nuptials, recently.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY,MAY 16, 2012 — 25

Glo rewards dealers with SUVs, credit lines

S

ECOND National Carrier, Globacom, last weekend gave attractive prizes including 10 top of the range SUVs, special crystal trophies, 43 utility vans, multimillion naira credit notes and Samsung Galaxy Notes to 124 top performing Business Associates at a grand event held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.

The Business Associates were rewarded for their outstanding performance in selling Glo’s products across the country.

Top among the Associates honoured at the event was Easy and Quiet Ltd., who emerged Best Performing Glo Business Associate nationwide and was rewarded with the latest model of Range Rover Sport HSE, a Hyundai utility van, one million naira credit note, Samsung Galaxy Note and a special crystal trophy, courtesy of Globacom's Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. The presentation of the key to the Range Rover Sport by Globacom’s Executive Director, Mr. Adewale Sangowanwa, supported by the company’s Director of Customer Care, Ms. Maria Svennson and the company’s ambassador, Odunlade Adekola, climaxed the evening as the entire hall was raptured in a blaze of confetti, palpable excitement, high defini-

BY EMEKA AGINAM

A

GLO REWARDS DEALERS: Glo’s Executive Director, Mr. Adewale Sangowanwa (left) and Director of Customer Care, Ms. Maria Svensson presenting a key of latest Range Rover Sports HSE to Glo's Best Performing Business Associate Nationwide, Alhaji Mohammed Anthony at the 2011 Business Associate Awards, weekend in Lagos to reward the company’s outstanding dealers. Right is Glo Ambassador, Odunlade Adekola. tion celebratory music and colourful lighting.

Don P Communications and Sozabat Nig. Ltd were second and third, and were rewarded with the latest Toyota Land Cruiser VX.R V8, Hyundai utility vans, multimillion naira Credit Notes, Samsung Galaxy Notes and special crystal trophies.

In his message at the event, the Chairman of Globacom Limited, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. reassured the dealers and Globacom’s subscribers nationwide that the company would continue to break new grounds and

tackle the challenges of providing high quality and affordable telecommunication services. He urged the dealers not to relent in “your support as we strive to make Globacom a household name across Africa.”

“As we celebrate together this evening, we are happy to inform you that Globacom is constantly reinventing itself to give total quality service to our esteemed subscribers. We have remained the market leader in introducing innovative products and services into the Nigerian telecom sector. We have also maintained our posi-

tion as the most rewarding telecommunication network.”

Speaking on behalf of the dealers, Chairman of Easy and Quiet, Alhaji Mohammed Anthony said all the Business Associates were deeply impressed by the prizes Globacom gave them. He thanked Globacom for the gesture, which he said, will spur them to greater performance in the months ahead. He also gave Almighty God for making it possible for him to emerge as the overall Best Performing Dealer for Globacom nationwide.

T

HE golden days where SMS traffic and revenue simply continued to grow are almost over, as customers are now moving part of their mobile communication traffic over to Facebook.

Facebook is killing the mobile operators’ SMS traffic and revenueFor many years and in many countries, SMS has been an excellent source of revenue for mobile operators - often generating almost 20% of the operators’ turnover. But those days are almost over. The question is whether there is anything at all that mobile operators can do about this?

First the operators thought their mobile portals would be their next big cash cow, and more recently they thought it was going to be mobile data. Imagine their disappointment when it turned out that the competition on the mobile market became so tough that they had no option but to sell mobile data as inexpensive flat rate products.

Today, over 800 million people around the world use Facebook on the Internet and over 425 million of them use Facebook on their mobile phones.

Measured in minutes of

Olufuye heads newly formed African ICT Alliance

Facebook killing SMS traffic — Report use, Facebook probably transports more mobile traffic, number of messages and time spent online than the world's largest operator.

People who believe that Google is currently the biggest threat to mobile operators may not realise exactly how much time mobile customers are using on Facebook and how Facebook is currently changing the way over 800 million people communicate on a daily basis.

The biggest difference between Facebook and Google is that Facebook is a communication tool that people use to keep in touch with their family and friends every day.

In many ways one can compare Facebook’s development in the mobile industry to how the Internet affected the media in-

dustry. Market players like Google, Skype, Twitter and MSN are only marginally important to the mobile industry compared to Facebook.

The question is whether operators can do anything to limit the damage that Facebook is making on their cash flow? Is there any way that mobile operators can retain their SMS revenue even though customers are using Facebook to communicate? Strand Consult believes the answer is yes and that the solution is quite simple.

If you look at how most operators market and sell SMS, you will see that most operators charge the customer for each individual SMS he or she sends.

In practice this means that the customer has a choice between sending an SMS that the custom-

er knows costs money, or alternatively use his flat rate data subscription to write a message via Facebook if the recipient is on Facebook.

However mobile operators in Denmark have been selling SMS as a flat rate product for a number of years. A Danish customer pays between €3 to €6 for a flat rate SMS subscription, that is part of their mobile data subscription package. This has resulted in almost all Danish mobile customers purchasing a SMS package every month as part of their mobile subscription, without questioning whether they need it and also without worrying about how many or few SMSs they actually send per month - as they feel their SMSs are "free".

Research from strand reports.com

NOTHER organi sation to further the frontiers of ICt on the continent, Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA) has been formed.

With Dr Jimson Olufuye , WITSA Vice Chairman for Africa and former ITAN president, as the initial Chairman of AfICTA, the founding countries of the Alliance are not limited to Nigeria, Gambia, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia and South Africa.

However, the founding countries are all members of the World Information Technology & Services Alliance (WITSA), which harnesses the resources of the ICT sector in over 80 countries around the world to play the same enabling role in the glo-

bal environment.

Olufuye in his remarks said that the goals of the ICT alliance were to support effective local and continental advocacy, improve digital literacy, partner with the African Union and related agencies to achieve Information society targets, engage African ICT professionals and experts in global ICT governance dialogues and enhance Africa's competitiveness in the sector.

"AfICTA will encourage multi-stakeholder dialogue fostering accelerated and ICT enabled development in Africa and the use of cutting-edge innovative technologies including mobile, computing and satellite technologies to achieve an Information Society in Africa.", he said.

StarTimes slashes prices with digitalisation

BY DOTUN IBIWOYE

I

N line with the mandate of the Federal Government to digitalize all television broadcasting by January 1, 2015, NTA StarTimes TV has slashed the price of its decoder to complement government’s effort to bring digital TV to every home in Nigeria.

At a press briefing, Chief Operating Officer of StarTimes, Mr. Joshua Wang, stressed that Nigerians also needed to be compliant with the world by removing analogue and moving to digital.

He said: “In creating a clearer picture of this transition, one needs to know the concept behind digital migration. It is basically the process of converting TV broadcast signals from the current analogue format to digital technology. Of course, this would spring a lot of changes in people’s television experience like having to buy

Y

high definition television sets and getting rid of standard definition television sets.

“Also getting a set-top box which is used to receive digital signal. But the major problem is the question of readiness and acceptance of this transition by Nigerians: Are Nigerians ready for a digital life? Do they even know what it is? A lot of sensitizations are obviously needed here.

“StarTimes decoder at N3,900, you can imagine the number of Nigerians that would be opportuned to start experiencing digital TV. Put aside the GoodTimes and great channels of sport, music, movies, news, e.t.c. that is packed up in StarTimes decoder, it is also a liberator to digital life.

StarTimes has always been a saving intermediary between digital technology and Nigerian populace.”

Yahoo! boss quits

AHOO! Inc. said Chief Executive Officer Scott Thompson stepped down after failing to correct errors in his credentials and the company is revamping its board, handing a victory to activist investor Daniel Loeb, who pushed for the overhaul and said the Web portal is mismanaged.

Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo’s head of global media, was named interim CEO, and director Fred Amoroso will become chairman, the Sunnyvale, California-based company said in a statement yesterday. Amoroso replaces Roy Bostock, the

non-executive chairman, who is exiting the board immediately. Yahoo agreed to add Loeb to its board along with two other directors nominated by his fund, Third Point LLC, to end a proxy fight.

Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo’s head of global media, was named interim CEO. Third Point, which owns about 5.8 percent of Yahoo, stepped up pressure on Yahoo since flagging discrepancies in Thompson’s resume on May 3. The departure of Yahoo’s third CEO in just over three years adds to upheaval at a company that was once a leader in Web search and information.

26 — VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Glo rolls out fixed lines with data in Benin City ‘Smart regulation crucial to broadband roll-out’ Continues from 23 distance to a new regime of periodic revenue steams from heir right of way assets” he said.

Strategy for broadband services

As a means of the Commission's regulatory intervention, Juwah made case again for Open Access Model for broadband deployment.

“This is a model that provides a framework for sophisticated infrastructure sharing. Using this model, the broadband infrastructure market will be unbundled into three layers including the passive, the active and retail layers” he added.

For the DG, National Information Technology Development Agency, Prof. Cleaopas Angaye who was represented by Vincent O Olatunji, Deputy Director, Strategic Planning and Research at NITDA, developing countries still have a lot to do in bridging the existing digital divide.

According to him, lack of clear-cut broadband policy that could create the enabling environment and encourage private sector stakeholders to deliver the ‘last Mile” broadband access to homes and corporate organizations remains a major challenge.

This can only be achieved through the concerted effort of all stakeholders in implementing a comprehensive policy and plan and sustain it as a drive of the knowledge economy revolution.

“For West Africa to fully benefit from the development and the opportunities of the emerging information age, it will depend on how we are able to reduce the digital divide to initiate, support and maintain our socio-

economic development towards an information and knowledge economy” he explained.

Similarly, in the opinion of Engr. Lanre Ajayi, the President of Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria, (ALTON) told the gathering that economic development will continue to stagnate in Nigeria unless broadband deployment is given priority attention.

“It is sad that we do not have broadband policy. I

strongly believe that broadband should be regarded as part of a country’s critical infrastructure with right policy.

That is the only way Nigeria and the rest of African continent can bridge digital divide.

This is the time now” he added.

Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, the Editor-in-Chief of IT & Telecoms Digest, Mr. Mkpe Abang had told the audience that it was time to declare broadband as national emergency.

WAFICT 2012: From left, ATCON, President, Engr. Lanre Ajayi; CEO Teledom Group, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem; Director, Communications & CSR, Airtel, Mr Emeka Oparah; EVC of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah; Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, and Editor-in-Chief of IT & Telecom Digest, Mr Mkpe Abang at the opening of WAFICT 2012 in Lagos.

Way forward

In order to bridge the digital divide in West Africa through broadband, he suggested that there was need to put in place and implement a comprehensive “Broadband Policy ” with requisite strategic plan for implementation. This should be vigorously pursued with appropriate timeline/Milestones. A regional body like ECOWAS, he said can take this up and encourage all member nations to implement at their own pace.

“West African countries have embraced ICT as the new tool of achieving sustainable socio economic development.

However, the cost of access is still very high in the sub region. Hence, necessary measures should be put in place to encourage broadband deployment in order to make this important component of ICT available to all in the sub region.

From left, EVC of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah; Mr Mkpe Abang, and NCC Chairman, Peter Igho at the event.

Dr Vincent Olatunji of NITDA (representing D-G, Prof Cleopas Angaye), Dr Ekuwem and Dr Juwah at the event.

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N its continued effort to use information and communications technology ICT as a veritable tool to boost economic development in Nigeria, Glo Mobile has extended its fixed line services in Benin City, Edo State Capital through its Broad Access network.

With the wider coverage, more individual and corporate customers will now enjoy the unique offering of high quality voice, data transmission and high speed internet services.

The fixed line service which was launched in the city last quarter of 2011 currently covers residential, commercial as well as industrial areas of the state capital. These include Government Reservation Areas (GRA) such as Government House, Gapiona Area, BeninAgbo Road, Adesuwa Road, Etete Road. Other areas covered include the entire business districts of Mission Road, Akpapava, Forestry and Ring Road.

Head of Glo Broad Access, Karun Menon said

in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday that deployment of Glo’s Broad Access strengthens the company’s position as the leading provider of Information, Communication Technology (ICT) services in Nigeria and that Glo constantly strives to delight its customers.

“This is one way our technology will serve our customers better, Menon said, adding that several high networth customers have already been connected to the network in the city.”

He said the network has also covered Oba’s Palace, Airport Road, Upper Sakpoba, Plymouth, Ekenwan, Upper Sakpoba, Oba Market Road, Wire Road, Lagos Street, Dawson and Cooke Road.

Also covered are Ezoti Street, Plaza Road, Lagos-Benin Expressway, University of Benin, Murtala Muhammed Way, Ikpoba Hill area, Federal Government College Road, Plaza Road, High Court Road, 1st East Circualr Road, Airport Road and Ugbowo.

Facebook in $100b IPO as CEO, Mark Zuckerberg turns 28

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ACEBOOK's chief executive turned 28 on Monday, setting in motion the social network's biggest week ever.

The company is expected to start selling stock to the public for the first time and begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Friday. The IPO could value Facebook at nearly $100 billion, making it worth more than such iconic companies as Disney, Ford and Kraft Foods.

At 28, Zuckerberg is exactly half the age of the average S&P 500 CEO, according to executive search firm Spencer Stuart. With eight years on the job, he's logged more time as leader than the average CEO, whose tenure is a little more than seven years.

Once Facebook begins selling stock, Zuckerberg will be expected to please a host of new stakeholders, including Wall Street investment firms, hedge funds and pension funds who will pressure him to keep the company growing.

Young as he may seem — especially in that hooded sweatshirt — Zuckerberg will be about the same age as Michael Dell and older than Steve Jobs when those two took their companies, Dell Inc. and Apple Inc., public. In his years as Facebook's CEO he's met world leaders,

z Zuckerberg rode a bull in Vietnam while on vacation, started learning Mandarin Chinese and as a personal challenge, wore a tie for the better part of a year.

Facebook started in Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room in early 2004.

Known as Thefacebook.com in those days, the site was created to help Harvard students — and later other college students — connect with one another online.

People who've observed Zuckerberg closely say his age is an asset. His is the generation that grew up with social networking, with computers all around them and the Internet as something that's always existed. Many of his employees are younger than him, as are a lot of the up-and-coming technology entrepreneurs with whom he competes.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY,MAY 16, 2012 — 27

Ekeh advocates ICT ministry in Imo

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HAIRMAN of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, has advocated the establishment of an Action Plan on ICT Youth Empowerment and Knowledge Economy for Imo State. Speaking at the just concluded Imo Youth Summit, the Zinox Boss said that the global recession of 2008/2009 revealed that youth unemployment was a major threat to economic method of teaching and growth and political quality of what is taught. stability. He mentioned “Besides, the the Arab Spring as one automation of the uprising that proved that learning process which the unemployed youth of smart classroom brings the world had become too makes the model teacher restive. At the national to keep teaching forever level reference was made as the recorded materials to the instability in the oil can be relied upon even producing Niger Delta, in the absence of the The religious riots of the teacher”.

North, the high crime rate and kidnapping in the South East. Ekeh said that the greatest problem facing leaders today all over the world was how to find gainful employment for the teeming population of unemployed youth.

He argued that Imo State should put in place a plan designed to build a generation of young Imo citizens empowered with ICTs to actively participate in the Information Society and consistently contribute to the development of the State. The plan would aim at exploiting the potential of ICT, and to find effective and innovative ways to put this potential at the service of Imo Youths. He recommended a number of activities that would achieve the set objectives. His advice was that the Imo state government should officially establish Imo Youths ICT4D Network and align it to other youth networks in the country and continent; establish youth training and information centers and support existing training centers for youth e-skill language and development; design and Geography. setup ICT Youth There are also locally incubation centers in at developed lesson plans least 10 LGA’s of the State; for Photoshop, establish Youth Incubation Dreamweaver and Funds for the 10 centers Acrobat with a promise and providing opportunity of including the for youth in research and Illustrator to complete the d e v e l o p m e n t ; quite didactic nature of establishment of ICT the bundle.

Centers that guarantee a However, for parents multi-media exposure. who are desirous of bringing up their children to join the global league of highly competent ICT users, the product helps the schools become accredited testing centres for the Adobe Certified Associate examinations which will give the children an internationally accepted qualification of competence.

•Leo Stan

Teledom smartens learning in Nigeria with smart classroom technology STORIES BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

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HE Nigerian education sector is set to receive a boost as one of Nigeria’s technology companies, Teledom International Limited, introduces Smart Classroom teaching system. The technology was exhibited at the recently concluded West African ICT conference, WAFICT Expo 2012 in Lagos.

CEO of the company, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, described the technology as a good enabler to the teachers in thinking smart, teaching smart, creating smart and innovating smart. He said that for the students, it makes learning smart, exciting and great fun.

The system involves the networking of students’ desktop or laptop systems in the class to the touch-screen sympodium which transfers whatever the teacher writes to an interactive whiteboard in front of the class. What the teacher writes is recorded centrally in the sympodium server as well as in each of the students’ desktop or laptop computers.

In the past couple of years, the education sector in Nigeria had been described as experiencing declining standards. Teachers have complained about the lack of basic infrastructure and conducive or enabling environment for effective teaching amongst other challenges.

However, experts have noted that an average Nigerian child, if exposed to the type of learning environment his counterparts in developed countries have access to, would perform better than what obtains today.

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part from the incessant breaks in the school system due to industrial disputes between teachers and the government, the classrooms in an average Nigerian school lack modern equipment and teaching aids to make learning a pleasure and

excitement.

Ekuwem maintains that with the introduction of the smart classroom, a large part of the challenges has been dealt with. He said; “With the smart classroom system, the teacher fully engages the students’ attention as the multi-media equipment bombards the students’

senses for higher stimulation”.

He continued; “It allows the teacher to produce and modify resources quickly and easily, permits real times access to internet-based information and resources and allows access to a wide range of information in different formats”.

The technology enables easy revision through recorded lectures for date-andtime-specific playback on laptops, PCs, and DVD players. With the recorded class sessions for future playback, complacency on the part of teachers is eradicated, resulting in reasonable improvements in the

A typical digital/smart classroom

Learning Curve also arrives with digital classroom I

N what appears another endorsement of Nigeria as the West African hub for intellectual information and communication technology, Learning Curve, has introduced the celebrated and highly commended digital teaching aid, Door to the Digital classroom which has recorded tremendous success in countries like South Africa, Botswana, Senegal and Zambia, among other southern African countries.

The company, an Adobe Platinum Partner also established an office in Lagos to take care of the entire sub_region.

The innovative software designed for educational institutions is coming into the country after a long negotiated

agreement with Adobe, which now allows it to present the very cost_effective new licensing programme into Nigeria and by extension to the rest of West Africa.

Managing Director of Learning Curve Mr. Tim Smith, who is also in Nigeria for a demonstration of the of the training product said that, “our high school programme called the Door to the Digital classroom is very extensive and works on the basis of a consolidated range of products from Adobe who have the vision of what can happen when you give children the opportunity to go wild and create.”

Tested and proven over

the years, these applications according to Smith can be used in the industry to help teach vocational skills and are used extensively in art, design and IT web authoring. Designed to run on either a mac or windows environments, the Adobe Learning Curve Kit contains among other things total training DVDs for all applications.

Considering the range of students which the product aims at training –from primary to secondary school, the Learning Curve package has in it the quite popular Academia Skills builder which is a range of flash games that help learning of subjects like Mathematics, English

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 29

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RESTIGE Assurance Plc has posted a profit after tax of N255.990 million for the financial year ended December 31, 2011 according to the company ’s audited result released by the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, last week.

The figure represents a 47.51 per cent decline from the profit after tax of N487.698 million recorded by the company in 2010.

Experts are of the opinion that the decline in profit after tax may not be unconnected to the apathy for insurance from the public and the declining purchasing power of the average Nigerian.

Meanwhile, net assets of the company stood at N4.743 billion as against N4.755 billion recorded the preceding year while gross premium income stood at N4.173 billion in contrast to N3.860 billion realised in 2010.

Prestige Assurance which is an active underwriting firm in the Nigerian insurance sector recently got the pledge of its core investor, New India Assurance Company Limited to make its technical and managerial competence available. New India said the move is to reposition Prestige to become more competitive in the local market.

Chairman of the company, Mr. Annur Sekar, who made the assertion in Lagos said that the low insurance penetration in the country was in itself an opportunity for deepening the growth of insurance in the Nigerian economy.According to him, the fact that Prestige Assurance survived the harsh economic conditions in recent times, having been in existence in the country in the last 60 years was a testimony to the healthy business

BRIEF SWAN urges women on national devt

By PROVIDENCE OBUH

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From left: Bola Akingbade, Chief Marketing and Strategy Manager, MTN; Face of MTN Pulse, Davido and General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi during the launch of MTN Pulse, in Lagos.

Prestige Assurance records 47% decline in PAT STORIES BY ROSEMARY ONUOHA environment in the country.

He assured that New India would continue to provide both technical and technological support to Prestige Assurance to ensure that its market share goes up in the near future.

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ekar who compared the Nigerian insurance market with that of India observed that market penetration poses great challenge to the two markets,

saying the only way out of this crisis is the creation of innovative products that addresses the needs of the insuring public.

He also advised that the operators should make use of appropriate channels of distribution to get their products across to the insuring public wherever they may be and in a timely manner too.

The Chairman also advised that the operators must strive at all times to sustain the interest of their customers in insuring their properties by way of meeting their claims

NIA calls for perception change on insurance

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HE Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA, has urged Nigerians to change their negative perception about insurance saying that the sector has changed for the better.

At a media parley in Lagos, Chairman of NIA, Mr. Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi said that the poor public perception is affecting the growth of the sector hence the public should do a u-turn and begin to see insurance in a new light.

Ladipo-Ajayi said “Most Nigerians are averse to insurance because they don’t see any value in it, but the truth is that insurance offers a lot of value.”

He said that people think that insurance is an additional tax just as they think that putting on the safety belt is to prevent law enforcement agents from arresting them,

whereas the purpose is to save their lives.

“People don’t have that attitude to risk matters they just see it as an additional liability. People don’t see it as a safety precaution they just see it as a way of avoiding being apprehended,” LadipoAjayi noted.

Meanwhile, the NIA chairman has advised members of the public to always read their insurance policy documents, saying that policy documents are now written in plain language.

The NIA said insurers have made the language of the policies they sell user friendly so that insurance buyers can ask questions where necessary before taking their final decisions.

Ladipo- Ajayi also said that it is so far satisfied with the performance of its Customer

complaint bureau set up last year to mediate between its member companies and the insuring public.

He said though the industry regulatory authority the National Insurance commission has its own complaint bureau but that as a self regulated industry, the insurers did not want to wait for the government bureau to settle issues for them but has set up its own bureau to serve as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

He said NIA has zero tolerance to any member that would disobey the verdict of the bureau adding that all members agreed to abide by any judgment spelt by the bureau but that any customers of any insurance company who is not satisfied with the judgment of the bureau is free to seek redress in a law court.

needs whenever the need for this arises. He also assured that New India would always support Prestige and uphold market regulations for the growth and development of the country, enforcement of discipline by the regulator and protection of policyholders’ rights in Nigeria. According to him, “strict regulation is the same all over the world, particularly now that insurance organisations are expected to do things in a different way and embrace Solvency II and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)”.

Owned 100 per cent by the Indian government, New India Assurance Company Limited prides itself at the largest nonlife insurance group in the Afro-Asian countries with the exception of Japan and it retains 51 per cent stake in Nigeria’s Prestige Assurance Plc. New India has subsidiaries in over 20 countries across the region and retained its solvency rating of A- by AM Best, an international rating agency. Prestige Assurance was set up in Nigeria about 60 years ago and owned wholly by New India and in observance of the Indigenisation Decree of the Federal Government in early 70’s, the company transformed into a Nigerian firm with New India retaining 40 per cent stake in it. During the last recapitalisation exercise in the country, New India restated its confidence and commitment to the Nigerian insurance industry by increasing its stake in the company to 51 percent, making it the core investor in the company.

HE society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN) has called on Nigerian women to engage in active labour to accelerate national development.

SWAN said the call is part of efforts to further reduce the level of poverty in Nigerian homes, SWAN Chairperson, Mrs. Tokunbo Adegbola who spoke during a lunch in honour of the 47th ICAN President said, “The ordinary Nigerian woman out there should see herself as a citizen that has right and exercise that right, these are the right to live, the right to work, the right to do everything that a man does.

“She should not be inhibited by being a married woman, do not say because you are married to one man, that man can seat on your lap, No! Tell the man that with two working it is better than one working, do not fight him, because we do not encourage fighting, but you must let your spouse know the benefit of two hands rather than one hand.”

Asked about the society, Adegbola said the society of women Accountants is that section of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) that is mainly women. She said the society has taken it upon herself to ensure that it impact on both the women who wants to be an accountant and the women who are already accountants and the community generally.

Half of Americans not contributing to retirement plan

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CCORDING to a new LIMRA survey, 49 per cent of Americans said they weren’t contributing to any retirement plan; Americans ages 18-34 were more likely (56%) to be among those not saving.

“The findings from this survey were disturbing, given that people will increasingly need to rely on their personal savings to make ends meet in retirement,” said Matthew Drinkwater, associate managing director, LIMRA Retirement Research. “It was especially troubling to see that a larger portion of younger Americans – who are less likely to have a defined benefit plan – are not saving for retirement in IRAs or defined contribution plans. In order to have the adequate savings necessary to meet their financial needs in retirement, which could last 20 or more years, it is critical that these individuals begin saving systematically early in their working years.”

VANGUARD VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

BRIEF IMF cuts sub-Saharan Africa 2012 growth forecasts

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UB-SAHARAN Africa’s economies will expand at a slower rate in 2012 than earlier projected, undermined by global financial distress and a sluggish recovery in South Africa, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday.

Africa’s growth has remained above 5 percent in the last eight years, underpinned by strong prices for its natural resources, better governance and growing disposable incomes.

In its latest Regional Economic Outlook, the IMF forecast 5.4 percent growth this year from 5.1 percent in 2011.

Its previous projections were 5.9 and 5.5 percent respectively.

“The growth outlook for 2012 is somewhat less favourable than outlined in the October 2011 Regional Economic Outlook, with the growth projection for 2012 now cut by almost one-half a percentage point, driven in large part by the weaker economic outlook for South Africa,” the IMF said.

Growth in Africa’s economic powerhouse was likely to be a relatively modest 2.7 percent this year and 3.4 percent in the next, held back by its reliance on trade with Europe and close links with western financial markets, the Fund said.

Nigeria’s Dollar Bond Yields Advance for Third Day as Oil Drops

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ORROWING costs on Ni geria’s $500 million of dollar bonds climbed for a third day after oil fell below $94 a barrel in New York for the first time since December as Europe’s debt crisis worsened.

Yields on the Eurobonds of Africa’s biggest oil producer due 2021 rose seven basis points, or 0.07 percent, to 5.437 percent as of 11:48 a.m. in London, the highest since May 1.

West Texas Intermediate crude dropped as much as 2.6 percent to $93.65 per barrel.

Greece failed to agree on a unity government and European Union officials considered the nation’s possible exit from the euro.

Brent crude, trading at about $110 a barrel today, should drop to $100 as supply outweighs demand, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said yesterday in Adelaide, Australia.

“Upside risk is growing,” Charles Robertson, the London- based global chief economist at Renaissance Capital, wrote in an e-mailed note today.

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Sterling Bank: Growth for steady returns

By BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

company. Sterling Bank had chosen to divest and focus on core commercial banking operations.

With the gain from discontinued operations, net profit accruable to shareholders rose from N4.18 billion in 2010 to N6.69 billion in 2011. Key underlying profitability ratios showed mixed performance.

The proportion of operating expenses to total revenue reduced from about 50 per cent to 45 per cent, showing a better cost efficiency and productivity.

Non-interest income improved to 27.5 per cent of total earnings in 2011 compared with 19.5 per cent in 2010.

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TERLING Bank Plc over the years has demonstrated ability for consistent growth and steady returns on investments for its shareholders. This uniqueness was once again confirmed by its operating report for the year ended December 31st 2011, which shows a generally positive performance outlook as the bank’s sustained focus on quality growth and gains from successful merger and divestments impacted positively on profit and loss accounts as well as balance sheet positions.

The report showed a larger, nimbler, and healthier and more efficient bank. With almost a double in total size and 61 per cent increase in loans and advances, the bank more than halved the proportion of non-performing loans to surpass the 5.0 per cent industry target.

Sterling Bank witnessed appreciable growths across income lines with 110 per cent increase in non-interest incomes and 23 per cent increase in the larger interest income resulting in 49 per cent growth in gross earnings.

Significant increase in net earnings enabled the board to declare cash dividend per share of 10 kobo, which translated into double digit

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•Yemi Adeola, GMD/CEO Sterlin Bank PLC doubled by 104 per cent from N199.27 billion in 2010 to N406.52 billion in 2011.

Consequently, total liabilities also doubled from N233.26 billion to N463.5 billion.

Shareholders’ funds amounted to 8.1 per cent of total assets in 2011 as against 10.1 per cent in 2010. The proportion of equity funds to loans and

,

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Sterling Bank witnessed appreciable growths in the top-line and bottom-line, with a 60 per cent increase in net earnings enabling the bank to earmark about N1.6 billion for distribution to shareholders as cash dividends while retaining N5.11 billion to work for further growth yields at current market consideration. Besides, stronger earnings reassure on the sustainability of the bank’s upwardly dividend payout.

However, lower margin occasioned by industry-wide tight liquidity also impinged on underlying profitability of the core banking business and overall average profit.

Capital adequacy Sterling Bank’s paid up share capital increased by 25 per cent from N6.28 billion in 2010 to N7.85 billion in 2011. The increase was due entirely to the shares exchange that resulted from the merger with Equitorial Trust Bank (ETB) Limited during the year. Shareholders’ funds grew by 56 per cent to N40.95 billion as against N26.32 billion. Total balance sheet size nearly doubled at N504.43 billion compared with N259.58 billion. Total deposits

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advances stood at 25.6 per cent in 2011 compared with 26.5 per cent in 2010. Permanent assets/ equity funds ratio stood at 22 per cent as against 16 per cent in previous year.

Assets quality terling Bank improved further on its assets quality in 2011 sustaining an effective credit risks assessment framework that ensured that the bank surpassed assets quality target while achieving a robust loan growth. While gross loans and advances grew by 53 per cent in 2011 non-performing loans dropped by 29 per cent indicating a bad loans/gross loans ratio of 4.9 per cent in 2011 as against 10.7 per cent in 2010. With the ratio of 4.9 per cent in 2011, Sterling Bank has surpassed Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s industry target of 5.0 per cent. Probable

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threat from non-performing loans to equity funds halved from 44 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent in 2011.

Profitability Sterling Bank witnessed appreciable growths in the topline and bottom-line, with a 60 per cent increase in net earnings enabling the bank to earmark about N1.6 billion for distribution to shareholders as cash dividends while retaining N5.11 billion to work for further growth. Gross earnings grew by 49 per cent from N30.39 billion to N45.17 billion.

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nterest incomes had grown by 23 per cent from N24.47 billion to N30.17 billion while non interest income doubled by 110 per cent to N12.41 billion compared with N5.92 billion in 2010. However, with interest expenses rising by 56 per cent from N10 billion to N15.6 billion, net interest rose marginally from N14.47 billion to N14.56 billion. Operating expenses stood at N20.44 billion in 2011 as against N15.16 billion in 2010. With exceptional income of N554 million and tax write-back of N1.18 billion, profit after tax and exceptional item rose from N4.18 billion in 2010 to N4.64 billion in 2011. The bank also realised N2.04 billion from the sale of some subsidiaries as it started the divestment from non-core banking businesses to focus on core banking operations. It should be recalled that the CBN had requested banks to either divest from their non-core banking businesses or restructure them into a holding

owever, with lower lending rate, net interest margin dropped from 59 per cent to 48 per cent. This also reflected on average pre-tax profit margin, which slipped from 12 per cent in 2010 to 7.7 per cent in 2011.

Earnings per share stood at 51 kobo in 2011 as against 33 kobo in 2010. The board of the bank has recommended a dividend per share of 10 kobo for the 2011 business year, indicating a dividend cover of 5.10 times. This reassures that the 10 kobo payout may serve as the base for future dividend growth, underlining significant headroom for dividend yield in future. Return on equity improved from 15.9 per cent in 2010 to 16.3 per cent in 2011.

Return on total assets however slipped marginally from 1.4 per cent to 0.7 per cent.

Liquidity The liquidity position of the bank improved in the immediate past year with more cash backup against liabilities. The proportion of cash and bank balances to total liabilities improved from 12 per cent coverage in 2010 to about 20 per cent in 2011. Loans and advances/total assets ratio stood at 32 per cent in 2011 as against more than 38 per cent in 2010 while loans and advances/ total deposits ratio closed 2011 at 39.3 per cent compared with 49.8 per cent in 2010.

Governance and structures Sterling Bank is owned by highly diversified group of individual and institutional Nigerian and foreign shareholders. With almost a quarter of equities held by foreign shareholders, State Bank of India has the largest single equity stake. At the last count, the bank has some 100,000 shareholders.

The board and management of the bank is stable. Alhaji Sulaimon Adegunwa still chairs the board while Mr Yemi Adeola leads the executive management as group managing director.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 31

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HELSEA are facing a Bayern Munich side on the brink of disaster — according to German legend Steffan Effenberg.

Potless Bayern last week saw their German Cup hopes shattered by B o r u s s i a Dortmund, who also landed the Bundesliga title.

Former skipper Effenberg admits the Bavarians are t o o

“predictable” and overly reliant on wing stars Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

And he insists the only way for the Munich men to save their season is to beat Chelsea in the Champions League final.

Effenberg said: “It is not good when you are always hoping that Ribery and Robben won’t get stopped.

“Given the quality Bayern have, they have got to be able to play other systems too.

They are too predictable.

“A win in this game would save their season.”

Effenberg wore the armband the last time Bayern won club football’s greatest prize in 2001.

And he has called on current captain Bastian Schweinsteiger to prove

his mettle in Saturday ’s showpiece final.

Effenberg added: “There is a lot of hope resting on his shoulders and he cannot buy any more time — he has got to work now.

“Sooner or later, he has got to be there to lead this team.

“I am keen to see whether he can cope with the pace — he has got to play intelligently.”

32 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

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ormer Bayern Munich right-back Willy Sagnol feels his old side are more motivated than ever ahead of their Champions League final with Chelsea.

The Champions League cup was paraded around Munich on Monday and Sagnol, who won the trophy with the club in the 2000/01 season, believes the side have what it takes to win Saturday’s final at their home ground.

Both Bayern Munich and Chelsea finished their domestic seasons in disappointing fashion, but will be able to declare this campaign an overwhelming success with Champions League victory.

“The players’ motivation is at its peak. They will be prepared to produce a great performance,” Sagnol said.

“It doesn’t make any difference whether Bayern faces Barcelona or Chelsea.

The way Chelsea plays football is maybe even better for Bayern.”

Meanwhile Paul Breitner, the official UEFA ambassador for the final and former Bayern star, also believes the time is right for the Bavarians.

Breitner gave little credence

This is Chelsea Champions Le

Sagnol: Bayern primed and ready to Bayern’s DFB Pokal final loss to Borussia Dortmund at the weekend, saying the 5-2 loss would not affect their confidence.

“Considering how Dortmund won the league title twice in row - on the one hand you have to respect that

achievement. But in the international competitions we are one step ahead,” Breitner said.

“What we do now is up to us.

But hopefully we can compensate the league situation with the international.”

Bayern Munich and Chelsea have met on two occasions so far in the Champions League.

In the quarter-finals of the 2004/05 season, the Blues made it to the semi-finals by winning 4-2 at Stamford Bridge before losing 3-2 in Munich.

David Luiz insists Chelsea’s players fe this is their year in the Champions Leagu and claims he can keep Bayern Munich star-laden strikeforce at bay in Saturday final.

The Brazilian centre-back is set to declar himself fit after suffering a hamstrin injury in the FA Cup semi-final again Tottenham on April 15.

And after stunning wins over Barcelon and Napoli on their way to the final again Munich, which will be played in their hom ground, the Allianz Arena, Luiz says h feels the fates are conspiring for Chelse despite them missing four players throug suspension.

“It’s not my time, it’s Chelsea’s time said Luiz. “Yes, we have four great playe out, and it will be difficult without Joh Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Rau Meireles.

“But we have other players that can d an excellent job and win this Champion League.

“I know Munich have Arjen Robben Mario Gomez and other players who ar fantastic and deserve to play in this final it’s one difficult game.

“But Chelsea want and hope that whe we finish the game we will win th Champions League.

Cec h: We mus Cech: mustt outsmar outsmartt Ba Bayyern

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*Cech

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e’re just three days away from the biggest football match of 2012. The UEFA Champions League final will see German giants Bayern Munich play in their home stadium against a Chelsea side that know they must win if they hope to play in Europe

etr Cech considers Chelsea to be underdogs in the UEFA Champions League final, but believes pressure will weigh heavy on Bayern Munich.

The Blues face the German giants on May 19, with the biggest prize in European club football up for grabs.

Roberto Di Matteo’s side have, in disposing of Barcelona in the semi-finals, already shown that they have what it takes to claim continental glory for the first time in their history.

They will, however, have to see off Bayern on their own patch if they are to get their hands on the trophy, with the final set to be staged at the Allianz Arena.

“It’s a final and you would think that the chances are 50-50, but to play at your own stadium and have your own dressing room again next year.

No. 1: Didier Drogba

Bayern Munich will need more than one goal to win the Champions League final.

That’s because as sure as the sun rises, Didier Drogba scores in big games for Chelsea.

I don’t believe Roberto di Matteo’s team will win the game.

But if I were only allowed one bet on this match, I would put my money on the Ivorian finding the back of Bayern’s goal.

No. 2: Mario Gomez

Mario Gomez has 24 goals in 36 Champions League matches.

is a huge advantage,” Chelsea keeper Cech told CTK. “This coincidence of events has made Bayern the favourites. We will try to outsmart them in some way.”

While Cech believes fortune has favoured Bayern, he hopes the expectation they find themselves under will aid Chelsea’s cause.

“The final is about how the two teams cope with the pressure,” added the Czech shot-stopper. “They are the favourites as they play at home but the pressure is bigger on them than it is on us.

“That might be to our advantage, it might be a disadvantage. We will have to wait and see how the match goes.

“Either way, we will try to make their role as favourites as unpleasant as possible.

In domestic play, no one else on Bayern has even half the number of goals the big striker has scored.

Gomez can quite simply light up the board. Bayern expect him to score. Bayern need him to score.

No. 3: Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery versus (I’m

*ABRAMOVICH

10 most likely goal-scor guessing) Jose Bosingwa could very well decide the Champions League final.

The suspension of Branislav Ivanovic will hurt Chelsea here.

I’m not saying Bosingwa can’t defend—well, no, actually I am saying exactly that.

The left side of the attack will be highlighted and circled on Bayern’s game plan. Ribery will be fed the ball again and again, and Bosingwa will be beaten again and again.

No. 4: Arjen Robben

The right side of Bayern’s attack is the one place on the field where Bayern and Chelsea will meet strength vs. strength.

Arjen Robben attacking Ashley Cole

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 33

Malouda injur injuryy gives Blues headache

a’s year for the eague ague — Luiz

F

lorent Malouda gave Chelsea another Champions League final injury scare as they warmed up for their clash with Bayern Munich by beating Blackburn 2-1.

Malouda was arguably the Blues player who started Sunday’s last Premier League game of the season at Stamford Bridge with the best chance of breaking into their team at the Allianz Arena.

But he failed to complete the first half, giving caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo another fitness fright as he pulls out all the stops to get David Luiz and Gary Cahill back in time.

Di Matteo, who rested virtually all of his likely Champions League final lineup yesterday, said of Malouda: “We took him off — precautionary — with a little problem with his hamstring.

“Hopefully he’ll recover as soon as possible.”

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The news was not so good on Luiz and Cahill, with Di Matteo admitting their fight to get over their hamstring injuries would “probably” continue right up to the day of the final.

He added: “They are getting better day by day.

We’re going to try to push them this week in training and see how far we can take them.”

Di Matteo appeared more resigned than ever to Saturday ’s game being his last match at the helm, claiming he would have “no problem” if winning the Champions League failed to convince Chelsea to keep him on.

The Italian joined in with yesterday’s lap of honour, along with Didier Drogba, who threw boots into the crowd in what appeared a farewell gesture from the soon-to-be out of contract striker.

*Malouda

Bayern boss warns Abramovich

Loew inal would be Loew:: Losing CL ffinal bad news for Germany

OMAN ABRAMOVICH has to stop interfering in Chelsea team affairs if he wants success in Europe.

That’s the opinion of Bayern Munich’s veteran boss Jupp Heynckes.

The German. 67, is preparing to take on Roberto Di Matteo’s Bluesin Saturday’s Champions League final in Munich.

And he issued the warning after hearing how previous Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boashad to explain his tactics to the owner.

Heynckes said: “I would not expect to have to explain my tactics.

“A manager can never accept someone at the top influencing decisions about the team.

“That sort of thing would have to stop. You can have success at one point and even win the European Cup. “But to instigate developments and form a team, you need a different philosophy.

efeat for Bayern Munich against Chelsea in Saturday’s Champions League final would hit German confidence ahead of Euro 2012 next month, national team coach Joachim Loew said yesterday.

Bayern, who lost to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final last week, are eyeing their fifth European crown when they take on Chelsea in Munich. Eight of Bayern’s squad will then join the national team, preparing in Italy, on May 25.

“If they lose again in a final, after their league and German Cup losses, in their own stadium ... then disappointment would be great which I think would mean I would need to give them (Bayern

R

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*Loew

rers in Champions League final

will be a matchup worth watching.

Cole won’t mark Robben entirely out of the match, but I think Bayern will decide to focus more on the opposite side of the field.

No. 5: Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard is going to find it tough going against Bayern Munich’s much younger and much more mobile midfield.

But the 33-year-old has bags of goals in the Champions

League over the years, and you cannot discount the possibility that he’ll step up and smash one into the top corner.

If he’s going to score, it will be arriving late at the top of the area.

No. 6: Juan Mata

With the exception of t h e i r demolition of QPR a f e w

weekends back, Juan Mata hasn’t been consistently brilliant for Chelsea over the last month or so.

He was so ill-suited to the Blues’ tactics in two matches against Barcelona that he might as well have been watching from the stands.

And his recent form in the Premier League has fallen off the scintillating pace he set for himself earlier in the season.

No. 7: Thomas Muller

Thomas Muller has scored three goals in Bayern’s last

players) two or three more days to process that,” said Loew.

“They would then need a bit longer to find their motivation but they would find it. Because the Euros are also a huge target. But a defeat would be, I think, a bit of a low blow for us,” he told the German football association in an interview.

Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer, defenders Holger Badstuber, suspended for the final, Jerome Boateng and Philipp Lahm as well as Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez have been called up for the tournament co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

three matches.

He’ll also be lining up against a notably second-choice midfield from Chelsea.

Frank Lampard cannot keep up with the much younger man.

No. 8: Daniel Sturridge

I was going to include either Fernando Torres or Daniel Sturridge in this list.

I wasn’t going to include both.

So the youngster gets the nod because he’s been wonderful for Chelsea all season long.

No. 9: Michael Essien

Michael Essien is only likely to play due to the suspensions of Raul Meireles and Ramires leaving Chelsea short-handed

in midfield.

He is not the player he once was, but for one big game in front of all the world’s cameras, Essien can step up to the challenge.

A long-shot, but not one I would bet money against.

No. 10: Jerome Boateng

The Champions League final could very well be decided from a set piece.

From those situations, I’m going to take a flyer on the powerful 6’3" centre-back from Bayern.

I know. He doesn’t have a prodigious goalscoring record. But I’ve got a feeling about this one.

C M Y K

34 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY

16, 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan

Egbin sub station

POWER PROMISE A YEAR AFTER:

Expectations for electricity get darker

T

HE promise: “By God’s grace, by December 2012, Nigeria will not only celebrate one day of uninterrupted electricity supply, but we would celebrate one week, one month and so on of uninterrupted electricity supply,” President Goodluck Jonathan assured his audience, at the inauguration of The Roadmap For Power Sector Reforms, on August 26, 2010 in Lagos.

Besides, this pledge that was made at Eko Hotel and Suites, the President had during his numerous campaign tours to Bauchi, Nassarawa, Kano, Kaduna, Ondo among other states, promised an improved power supply before the end of the year (2011) through the Integrated Power Project (IPP) initiative of the Federal Government. In Bauchi particularly, Jonathan had during a courtesy call on the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu, pledged reasonable power supply in the first quarter of his administration, if elected president in 2011.

Also, a summary of the power sector promise, as gathered by VanguardFeatures, VF, indicated that in the days preceding the April 19, 2011 presidential elections, the president promised to provide C M Y K

stable power supply by the year 2015 so that small and medium scale industries can thrive again; ensure that Nigerians do not use generators more than two times in a week; explore the coal deposits in Benue and Kogi states for improved power supply; construct more dams to build more hydro-power stations; reduce the importation of generators at least 90 percent in the next four years; raise power generation to about 4,747 megawatts by December 2011; put an end to epileptic power supply in the country just as fuel queues at petrol stations were ended. This deluge of promises, no doubt raised the hope of Nigerians, who had been groping in darkness. But more than a year since the promises were made, there are more questions on the pledge than answers.

T

he efforts: However, investigations indicated that the federal government did not go to bed after the pledge, as efforts where reportedly made to increase the inherited 3,600 megawatts, MW. For instance, in the past year, about 4, 200 megawatts of electricity was reportedly generated from the various power stations in the country,

until 13 December, 2011.

Supporting this claim is the Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, who told Nigerians in February, that the nation’s power generation, as at then, was 4,400 megawatts, representing more than 40 percent of the expectation in 2012.

He said that the power generation had increased by more than 40 percent since President Jonathan was elected in May, 2011. “This is a tremendous achievement for the president and the government to have improved power supply that way; why you see people all over the country saying there is availability of power and that

,

AGAINST the backdrop of President Goodluck Jonathan’s promise of a remarkable improvement in power generation and distribution , the country still supplies barely 3,600 to 3,800 megawatts of electricity currently. With the prevailing situation, doubts are high about the possibility of his administration delivering on his promise a year after; CHARLES KUMOLU reports.

according to the statement, the projects which were delivered in March, would strengthen transmission and distribution infrastructure in the country. It said that two of the projects were located in Oworonshoki and Ojo transmission stations in Lagos, while that of Kaduna were located in Zambia Crescent and Narayi sub-stations.

Lawal also said that Ojo and Oworonshoki sub-stations, which initially had transformers with installed capacity of 2x30 MVA, had been upgraded to 2x60 MVA each, and added that the projects were executed under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) Lot 11 contract. Also, the

Gas energy is just a palliative when compared with power generated by coal;the gas is just not there, that is why we are suffering today despite all the funds and efforts channeled into it;I can equate our situation to running a race outside the track

they are receiving power now better than before,” he said at the opening ceremony of a gymnasium built for workers at Egbin Power Station in Lagos.

Further checks also revealed that in line with the promise of an improved power sector, the government recently said it has completed four projects that will boost electricity supply in Lagos and Kaduna states. In a statement, Yakubu Lawal, the spokesperson for the company, said that the projects had been handed over to PHCN and

,

ongoing unbundling of the Power Holding Company, PHCN, despite the controversies trailing it, is also seen as part of the promised road map to constant power supply. It was also gathered that the issue of the power sector, was also central among the reasons the President visited Germany recently.

A Presidency source, who confided in this reporter, said: “power sector reforms is dear to Mr. President. You will be glad to know that he also sought technical assistance in Germany

recently, people did not know, the man is concerned about it and very soon the machines would arrive Nigeria.” Similarly, the Gas Revolution, which was launched in March 2011, is also seen as important to the power sector reforms, given that most of the nation’s power plants, depend on gas turbine to operate.

While all these efforts were supposed to have translated into significant increment in the generation and distribution of power supply, VF gathered that the desired output is yet to be achieved. “Nothing has happened in the power sector since the President promised steady power supply, I have not seen any thing, there is no different from what we had in the past, he needs to get focused on this power issue, hence it is a problem that can be solved," a social critique and former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, told VF. He said: “As far as I am concerned, Jonathan has done nothing in the power sector since he became President. Corruption has increased in his tenure, darkness has increased also. The recent claims that he has fulfilled his campaign promises is not true, because we have not seen anything done. The best thing is to declare an emergency in the power sector, so that the problem can be tackled totally. Power is the engine room of the economy, so he should focus on power. It will be a disservice to the nation if after all the promises he made, the power situation in the country would remain in its present state.”

The crisis: Tsav’s position, which also captured the mood of the generality of Nigerians was not totally denied by the government, as Power Minister recently apologised to the nation for the drop in electricity

Continues on page 35

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—35

Dr.Nnaji, Power Minister money.”

He however, acknowledged that there are teething problems at the moment, adding that, “other problems, which have remained intractable, include inadequate supply of gas and water, as well as the slow pace of the privatisation of the sector.”

The Kaniji dam

Expectations for electricity get darker

Technical grounds While Egbin was on technical grounds, Kainji, it was gathered, was because of excessive water leakage which could cause a flooding of the station.

Accordingly, the shut down of Kainji Hydro Power Station came on the heels of the loss of 625MW power supply from shortfalls in gas supply to leading thermal power plants in the country. The gas supply shortfall led to a drop in daily electricity generation from 4400MW to 3775MW; the loss of 330MW from Kainji left the country with about 3445MW daily.

Egbin, Olorunsogo Phase 2, Sapele, Geregu, Omotosho and Ughelli power plants were affected by disruptions in gas supply to the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) which provides natural gas to key thermal power stations in the country. The decline by over 180 million standard cubic feet (mscf) led to a considerable loss of electricity generation. And the implication is that a nation that was promised about 9000MW at December 2011, is currently managing barely 3,600 to 3,800MW, against its 10,000MW daily need. Given that this power promise which was made during the electioneering period, is yet to have a clear direction nearly one year into the life of this administration, doubts are

mounting whether the President would deliver on this promise.

The public anger: Like Sav, who passed a vote of no confidence on the presidency, President of Akaikenga (a panIgbo socio-cultural organisation), Dr. Sylvian Ebigwei, is among those, who are not comfortable with the slow pace of the ongoing fixing of the power sector. He regretted that huge efforts at ensuring steady electricity since Jonathan came on board, has not translated into meaningful result.

He lamented: “I just came back from my home in Okpanam, Delta State and I am using generator as I talk to you right now. All through the period we were at home there was no electricity, though we have a sub station there. The government is doing a lot and spending a huge amount of money on the power sector but it has not really translated into a meaningful impact on the population. And

,

Continues from page 34 generation from 4,000 to 3,000 megawatts, a significant drop that has compounded power problem in the country. Nnaji said: “We are sincerely sorry for the ongoing load-shedding being experienced as a result of the scheduled maintenance of some gas plants in the country.”

This failure, inquiries showed, was occasioned by the shutdown of 1,080MW Egbin power station and the 760 MW Kainji Hydro Power Station, in February and March this year.

to stop damaging pipelines.

Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow when Jonathan leaves.”

Also reechoing Ebigwei stance, National Publicity Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Engr. Rotimi Fashakin said: “The recent admission by the President that planning defect (by his government) for the Independent Power Project (IPP) has accounted for the bungling of the schedule of the delivery of power to the Nigerian people, is enough to vitiate the unfortunate statement that the president has fulfilled his election promise. The Nigerian roads are in more parlous state than the situation two years ago. The poverty level in Nigeria has become worsened to the extent that millions of Nigerians are still living below one dollar ($1) per day.”

But the Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Initiative, Dr. Sotonye

To produce electricity from gas is easier but you have to look at your environment before embracing such method

we keep on saying that the way and manner the government is going about it, is faulty. That is a faulty start.”

Explaining, why he is angry about the manner the President’s Power Promise is being pursued, Ebigwei said: “A country like Nigeria that is volatile in terms of political and economic instability, should not have based the generation of electricity on gas. We are not comfortable with it. To produce electricity from gas is easier but you have to look at your environment before embracing such method. The source of the gas is not reliable because of the attendant volatile nature of our polity. Today Jonathan is the president of the country, which made the militants

,

Nkoror, would not agree that there has not been an improvement on what was obtainable before now. He told this reporter: “We are regulators but honestly, I would be fair to say that there is marginal increase, there is a departure from the past. It was obvious in the early period of the year.

Although there were technical faults that led to reduction, but the re-engineering of the sector is ongoing. We are aware that the minister has apologised for this, what the government needs is support. This is not time to crucify the authorities. Even the increment in the tariff is part of efforts to fix the sector, I am assuring Nigerians that they would soon get value for their

Power sector roadmap Nonetheless, in view of these problems militating against the reforms a lot of people want the government to evolve new ways of surmounting the hiccups holding the power sector roadmap down.

The way forward: Against this backdrop, Ebigwei suggested that the nation taps into its abundant deposits of coal. “The United States, for example, generate the bulk of its electricity from coal and US is the largest user of electricity in the world.

So, once you fire a coal turbine, to stop it is very difficult. Nigeria has abundance of coal. I would suggest that we tap the opportunities offered by coal, that would save us from the challenges posed by gas turbine.

There is every need for government to embrace the coal alternative.

“Let us forget the issue of environmental pollution because t h e greatest polluters of our environment, is the US, China, Japan, but all these countries depend on coal for their energy needs.

G a s energy is just a palliative w h e n compared w i t h power generated by coal.

The gas is just not there, that is why we a r e suffering

today despite all the funds and efforts channeled into it. I can equate our situation to running a race outside the track.

“You have to be sure that you have adequate supply of gas before you start using it for power generation. Nearly everywhere that there is gas turbine, there is no gas. Hydro is equally good and better than gas, but unfortunately Kainji dam has not been serviced for many years. I will advise the government to put more energy on the production of electricity through coal and hydro, rather than wasting resources on gas turbine. We can also explore the utilisation of wind and solar energy. We have to emulate countries that have got it right in their power generation efforts.”

In other climes: Comparatively, countries like South Africa with a population of about 47 million people generates 43,000 megawatts, a sharp contrast to Nigeria's 4,000MW, of which 1,100MW is generated from the private sector including Shell and Agip.

Per capita power capacity Also, Brazil with a population of 180 million has an installed capacity of 90,000MW. Thailand, with 70 million citizens has 40,000 MW; the United States of America with 300 million people generates 937,000MW; the United Kingdom, with 60 million people enjoys 77,000MW while Germany, a country of 83 million people, generates 115,000MW. Relatedly, VF discoverd that Nigeria’s per capita power capacity is 29 watts per person compared with Brazil’s 480 watts per person or America’s 2,900 watts per person or India’s 110 watts per person. Ghana with 1,800MV for its 21 million citizens, has about 85 watts per person.

36 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Laide Bakare drags 9ice, Emeka Ike, others to movie location

•Laide

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OLLYWOOD star actress, Laide Bakare, is already putting finishing touches to her multi-million Naira movie tagged ‘Jejere’ (Tumor) which is set to hit the screen any moment from now.

The movie, first of its kind in the Yoruba film sector in Nigeria , parades the best hands in the industry, including uncommon faces from the English sector.

Already on the final leg of

the shooting in the ancient city of Oshogbo , the movie is a superhero special that m i r r o r s various problems plaguing t h e society. It d e a l s exclusively with the g i r l c h i l d value and lack of interest to the importance of female children in most Nigerian families.

‘Jejere’ tells the story of a woman who has eight female children but whose husband, against her obvious fast deteriorating health, insists she must give him a male child or be ready to forfeit her marriage. The end is as touching and communicative

based on aged black African traditions. The movie which next and final shooting would be in Lagos this week, also deals with the insecurity issue affecting the nation, corruption, mass unemployment, robbery and kidnapping and menace of bad leadership, while it proffers the way forward.

Gongo Aso crooner, 9ice, plays the lead role in the movie that took two years to achieve novelty. Other star actors and actresses featuring are, renowned Igbo actor, Emeka Ike, Faithia Balogun, Akin Lewis, Obi Alex- O, Segun Ogungbe, Ebun Oloyede, and other notable artistes.

The movie, on its release by Sim Line International (formerly Front Row Productions) owned by the pretty actress, will be shown at cinemas before producing it into VCDs and DVDs for home use later.

Kanye West dumps Kim Kardashian

K

ANYE West has ended his quickie relationship with Kim Kardasian after she tried to bring her reality show cameras along with them for the “Watch the Throne” Euro-tour.

According to MediaTakeOut’s source, the hot and heavy relationship hit a speed bump when hip-hop mogul, Kanye West invited reality TV star Kim Kardashian to join him, Jay-Z and Beyonce on the European leg of their “Watch The Throne” tour.

Kim said yes, and then went behind Kanye’s back and arranged to have her reality show TV crew join her and record Kanye, Jay-Z and Beyonce for her trashy show. When Kanye found out he quickly ended the relationship, uninviting Kardasian and unceremoniously dumping her.

News of the relationship between what some people have described as the ‘two most narcissistic people in the world’ first broke when Kim Kardashian was spotted leaving Kanye’s house in the morning in the same clothing she was wearing the previous night when she went in.

That same day Kanye released a song in which he rapped about falling for Kim while she was still dating Chris Humphries Kanye’s song “Theraflu” included the lyrics: “And I’ll admit, I had fell in love with Kim / Around the time she had fell in love with him / Well that’s cool, baby girl, do ya thang / Lucky I ain’t had Jay drop him from the team.”

TMZ claimed that the two lovebirds had been ‘eyeing’ each other since 2004.

However, TMZ’s source maintained that “they never acted inappropriately while Kanye was with Amber Rose, or while Kim was with Kris Humphries.”

•Kanye West and Kim

•Robert, NEXIM boss

leading role and strategic partnership with relevant key stakeholders in the creative arts and entertainment industry to deepen capacity and enhance funding access to all the value chains in the industry. “Receiving the award on behalf of Mr. Roberts Orya, MD/CEO of the Bank, Ms. Dorothy Ogbutor, Head of Specialized Business thanked the NFC for the prestigious honour and pledged the Bank’s continuous support to grow the entertainment sub-sector through collaborating with relevant agencies to provide enabling environment for

NEXIM Bank bags ZUMA Film Festival award

F

EW week after it unveiled Black Ivory Communications as its first beneficiary of the Federal Government Intervention fund for the entertainment industry, other initiatives and collaboration with different arms of the entertainment industry came to the fore during the citation of the financial institution while being bestowed with a Life Honours Award at the just concluded ZUMA International Film Festival at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.

The Nigerian Film Corporation; organisers of the biennial festival noted that NEXIM Bank was being honoured in recognition of its

practitioners in the industry to make Nigeria a viable and profitable film destination.

The Bank which was fully represented at the various technical sessions during the four-day event, reiterated its commitment to ensuring the development of a viable financing structure that would facilitate sustainable development of the industry and general financial well being of industry practitioners.

The Bank also encouraged stakeholders in the industry to be well structured and be business minded so that revenue streams from their intellectual properties would be easily verifiable and auditable for ease of granting credit facilities.

Davido collaborates with Akon

BY OPEOLUWANI AKINTAYO

D

Meanwhile, if MTO’s report is anything to go by, it means that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s relationship has ended as quickly as it began. g the development of a viable financing structure that would facilitate sustainable development of the industry and general financial well being of industry practitioners.

The Bank also encouraged stakeholders in the industry to be well structured and be business minded so that revenue streams from their intellectual properties would be easily verifiable and auditable for ease of granting credit facilities.

AMI Duro crooner who also got signed on to MTN as an ambassador of MTN Pulse, Daviod has stepped up his game.

The fast rising star is collaborating with Senegalese Konvict Music boss and singer, Akon, on the remix of his rave making single, Dami Duro.

He disclosed this, to Blue Revolution Entertainment in Miami, saying that the remix of Dami Duro featuring Akon will be out sooner than his fans expect it.

However, while in the studio with Akon, Davido has also shot new and hot videos titled “Yoruba Love Song and Oversees respectively.

These videos features Shina Rambo in Maimi.

He’s also preparing for

the debut of his first album slated for July at the Eko Hotels and Suites Expo centre, Lagos.

•Davido

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 37

Restructuring school curriculum to address unemployment

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA

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ECENT reports have shown that at least 71% of Nigerian youths are unemployed, and this is distressing because about 70% of the population of this country comprises young people.

By implication, youth unemployment has continued to hamper development, security and peaceful coexistence, being that Nigeria constitutes diverse entities from multi-cultural and religious backgrounds. Thus, there is no gainsaying that the various bands of youths springing up across the country in the guise of militancy bear a link with unemployment since such actions are a calculated outburst of frustration.

This trend is worsened by the fact that yearly, our higher institutions of learning pour out millions of graduates who are greeted with the challenges of unemployment to their dismay,

and because this contradicts their hopes and dreams, these young minds are left with little or no option other than embracing activities like crime and militancy that tend to deny the nation peace, security and social development.

This trend in unemployment has become a major concern to analysts especially as the problem continues to oppose national development with both its economic and social consequences.

In the light of these, Peter Anosike, a motivational writer and analyst who spoke with Woman’s Own recently in Lagos lamenting the spate of unemployment, attributed the trend to the curriculum being used in the tiers of learning in the country.

Anosike who is the author of the book, Dangote’s 10 Commandments on Money, said that rather than prepare students to be self-reliant upon graduation, the curriculum

leaves them societydependent.

Rather t h a n heaping the blame of y o u t h unemployment o n government’s How equipped are they to face the reality of unemployment? inability to create jobs, lampooned the 6-3-3-4 system of he recommended that serious knowledge of money-making education whose purpose he said efforts be made to scrap or at best and management or how to attain had been defeated, decrying that financial freedom, would always reform the curriculum to be in the system was yet to achieve the lead to frustration. tune with the realities on ground.

Entrepreneurial studies should desired results.

The system, he explained, be included in the curriculum.

Entrepreneurial studies either by commission or omission “Students need be encouraged ike many analysts also, he has suffered from lack of fund. also emphasized the need to set up enterprises that are The right teachers and facilities relevant to their disciplines; like to introduce the teaching of to impact technical knowledge entrepreneurial studies as well students studying education, are lacking. Hence, we still find setting up crèche and food and as making skills acquisition and virtually every student nutrition or technology students vocational training compulsory in clamouring for major courses setting up baking spots on the high and higher institutions such as Medicine, Engineering, of learning so that students campus so that they would Pharmacy, Law, etc. No student graduate with the enterprise. would stop depending on their can proudly say that he wants to With an already developed certificates as the only means for study carpentry or tailoring in the entrepreneurial spirit, they would survival. “It is unfortunate that higher institutions of learning. the same continue with the businesses This also goes a long way to show instead of going to look for paid curriculum that the value system is still the employment.

On graduation, used about 30 same. And this makes students some might even employ others years ago want to crowd into this accepted when the to join them in the business”, system to the detriment of the Anosike stressed. population of the country was less than 80 million is still in use now that the country ’s population is almost hitting 200 million.

T h e curriculum is outdated and should be Devoid of skills: Another economy and future of the thrown into analyst Dr.(Mrs.)L.O. Binitie- country as nothing much has the dustbin. It does not seem Cassidy, an educationist, also been done to let the students to prepare the blamed the curriculum for the know that they could still be youths for the increasing preference for successful by belonging to the time we are in studying abroad over studying other professions like furniture making, fashion designing, to because it has here in Nigeria.

“Our school curriculum is not mention but a few. outlived its Having observed that the usefulness. in line with what is going on internationally.

Primary school curriculum had over the Probably those that education has been revamped, years continued to teach students drafted it did secondary education has been to believe in their certificates for not foresee improved upon, but tertiary fat-paying jobs and not in the present education has been untouched themselves, Peter Anosike also population for years! When you have a recommended that ‘Motivational e x p l o s i o n . graduate of mechanical Classes’ be included in the Otherwise, engineering who has never had curriculum, adding, “Instead of they would anything to do with practical, telling students that their h a v e seeking employment with certificates are roads to elstructured it another graduate practically darodo, it will help them realise differently; skilled, you have no choice but that with the ongoing global more towards to employ the one who is economic crisis, they would need s e l f - efficient! So, we could see that to personally identify and tap into dependence there is skill deficiency in our opportunities that abound just than towards curriculum. Government has not like other men and women have s o c i e t y - done well in making our schools done to survive. This way, our dependence well-equipped”, Dr.Cassidy graduates would come out like wounded lions or dynamites b e c a u s e said.

6-3-3-4 system ready to explode and conquer the education Again, Peter Anosike world”. without the

L

‘

The curriculum is outdated and should be thrown into the dustbin. It does not seem to prepare the youths for the time we are in because it has outlived its usefulness. Probably those that drafted it did not foresee the present population explosion

’

38 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Airtel decries multiple taxation, regulation STORIES BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

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HE Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Rajan Swaroop has decried the spate of multiple taxation and regulation in the Industry, whilst saying that telecoms operators are groaning under heavy financial demands by government agencies.

Swaroop who spoke at the 2012 Edition of the West African Information and Communications Congress (WAFICT) in

Lagos said independent tax consultants working for different Local, State and Federal Governments are making life unbearable for telecoms companies as they slam outrageous levies and taxes on operators.

Swaroop, who was represented by Osondu Nwokoro, Regulatory Affairs Director, said, aside the financial harassment from different government bodies; many telecoms operators are unable to plan their operations

due to multiple regulations.

His words, “It is important that we understand that multiple taxation and regulation are two different issues.

For instance, if a particular operator has a base station in a particular community, he is faced with the challenge of paying all manner of levies and taxes to different governmental agencies for just that base station.

Also, he is faced with the challenge of multiple regulations from

different government agencies.”

“At the end of the day, the customer is made to suffer for this as some of these agencies usually shut down base stations, thereby preventing engineers from performing routine maintenance work. Just imagine an operator with more than 2,000 base stations. Indeed, the impact is huge and customers are made to suffer unjustly,” he said.

He also noted that government is also losing revenue as

independent tax consultants are raking in handsome profits from the exercise. “Without a doubt, if telecoms operators are making

Royallux Classic hits market

I

N a bid to assert its hold on the skin beauty category of the Nigeria market, the management of Hardis and Dromedas Limited, makers of Royallux beauty products has introduced a new formulation of cleansing astringent- Royallux

La Casera enters with new Thematic campaign

T

ELL the apple story, the new thematic campaign of the La Casera apple flavour from the stable of The La Casera company Limited debuted on a boat cruise penultimate week.

The campaign, according to the company will see consumers tell their own apple story, since it is believed that life itself is a collection of stories.

Flagging off the campaign, Mr. Prahlad Gangadharan, Chief Operating Officer of The La Casera company, said as a continuation of its 10th anniversary celebration the La Casera apple campaign is to bring about a better connection between the brand and its consumers in an exciting way.

Prahlad said that the campaign which is pivoted on excitement, energy and fun, is the major intrinsic brand offerings of the La Casera apple drink which is designed in a manner that engenders interaction with consumers.

Corroborating, Dave Van Rensburg, General

Manager Marketing described the campaign as an expendable platform that will build an emotional connection with consumers by encourag-

ing them to participate by sharing personal stories for a chance to win prizes.

According to him, consumers will have the chance to participate in

radio hypes on the La Casera apple story during select radio phone – in programmes on radio station in key cities in Nigeria for a period of a month.

Rensburg sid consumers are expected to call into the programmes to share their apple stories and also log on to the company’s website.

O

•From left: Mrs. Eyinade Olushola, winner of a generator in the on-going Legend Real promo, receiving her prize from an official of Nigerian Breweries (NB), in Lagos.

Ogbodo smiled home with a 32'’ LCD TV, while also won for himself a brand new Generator.

The two lucky winners were handed over their prizes at the Nigerian

Breweries Plc headquarters in Lagos recently.

On hand to officially present the prizes to the winners were Messrs Moses Ogbodo, Lagos

Business Unit Manager; Mr. Lucky Oiwoh, District Manager, Lagos Central, Mr. Idowu Adeshina Chika, Lagos Regional Trade Marketing Manager and Mr.

DN Meyer holds 2012 dealers forum

D

N Meyer Plc, paint manufacturers has treated its customers across the country to its 2012 dealers forum.

The forum provided DN Meyer and its customers an opportunity to discussions on ways to

Classic into the market.

This was disclosed to newsmen by the Chairman of the company, Mr.Chike Obidigbo at a briefing held in Lagos recently.

According to the chairman, the rationale behind the new offering is in line with commitment of the company to meet the ever changing need of its consumers alongside the desire to reinforce its strength as a local brand .He said “the essence of why we are in business is to meet the needs of our consumers.

Having identified this need, we deemed it fit to bring product that would meet their yearnings.

That is why we have taking it upon ourselves to introduce this new offering. Our drive is to fill all existing gaps in

Again, Coca-Cola sponsors BBA

Legend promo produces first batch winners First batch winners in the on-going legend Extra Stout Real Deal Promo has emerged.

The promo saw Adebara Samuel Olusegun, Moses

more money, it means more taxes for government. But if they are making losses or less profit, government gets little or nothing.”

improve their business relationships.

Sir Remi Omotoso, Chairman of the company who was represented by Mr. Adeola Omosebi, Managing Director/ CEO, said that the forum

was an opportunity for the company to intimate the dealers with the progress it had made so far which includes the current policies of the Company, its focus this year and the outcome of the various researches

being carried out by the Company with respect to new products”.

The Chairman, Strategy, Finance, & General Purpose Committee of the Board of DN Meyer Plc, Prof.

Arogundade Rotimi, Lagos North District Manager, all of Nigerian Breweries Plc. Mr. Funso Ayeni, Senior Brand Manager, Legend - Nigerian Breweries Plc., while speaking on the development, expressed delight that winners have begun emerging from the promo. He described Legend Extra Stout as a brand that delivers on its promises.

He said: “We are happy at this development. It goes a long way to show that we are a responsible

NCE again, CocaCola Nigeria Limited said it will be sponsoring the 2012 Big Brother StarGame. reality show. The 91-day show started May 6.

According to the show producers, M-Net, the Big Brother StarGame is an international television reality show that involves participants from 14 African countries and is screened in 47 countries across Africa.

Contestants in the show are selected from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This year, Big Brother Stargame introduces a twist in the format by allowing all contestants to be paired up at the point of signing up and entry into the reality TV show.. The contestants will stake their claim for the ultimate cash prize of $ 300,000. Viewers can tune in to watch the launch at 7.00pm on Sunday May 6, and thereafter, the show will be screened live 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 91 days on DSTV Channel 198, with repeat broadcast and highlight shows on Africa Magic.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 — 39

Why we prescribed uniform for Imo civil servants — Duruji DR Obinna Duruji, the Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy in an online interview reviews the first year of the Rochas Okorocha administration and responds to contentious issues that have recently stirred the political ambience in the state. Excerpts:

H

OW would you analyse the first year of the Okorocha administration in Imo State?

I like to say that this government has exceeded the widest expectations of Imo people.

Nobody expected in the last one year that Imo State would embark on free education as was promised during the campaign; that even then it would be extended beyond the campaign promise to the tertiary education level.

The massive road constructions in the State are nothing short of a revolution.

Already over one thousand roads are under construction in all the rural communities across the State, not including Orlu main town, not including Okigwe main town and Owerri main town. There are rural roads in the excess of one thousand and these do not include the massive resurfacing and patch works across the State.

In the area of infrastructural development, legacy projects like the Hand of God “Akachi”, – the tallest hotel is being built

P

RAYING for those in authority is one of the basic injunctions of the Christian Faith. The early Christian missionary, Paul who was originally from Tarsus in a letter to one of his close aides, Timothy wrote that prayers should be made for all men and then for “kings, and for all that are in authority;” Given the imperial oppression of the Roman emperors, there was no doubt that Paul’s injunction would have been received with serious misgivings by some of the Jewish converts at that time.

As with the Jewish Christians at the turn of the millennium, so I believe it is with many Nigerians today.

Praying for Nigerian leaders is definitely not an easy obligation for anyone that knows the foibles of our leaders.

In the years of military dictatorship it was indeed easier to wish and indeed silently pray for the demise of some of the country ’s more brutal dictatorships. In those days it was indeed comfortable for many journalists to go to Afghanistan, that is, to focus on things outside the country using such as an

in Imo State, the tallest tower in the world is being built in Imo State, and many more. So in the last one year it has been nothing short of a revolution in Imo State. This is also inclusive of human capacity building.

Security has been beefed up by the provision of vehicles and state of art technology. Now there is a reward of N1, 000,000.00 (One Million Naira) for anyone who gives any information leading to the arrest of a kidnapper or to the bursting of a kidnap ring.

Workers in the state are against the administration’s plans for a fourth tier of government. Why are you bent on it?

The government is bent on the policy of fourth tier government, better called Community Government Council because the policy is part and parcel of a larger policy of decentralization which is the fourth cardinal principle of Rochanomics.

During the campaign, Governor Okorocha addressed

,

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

Now there is a reward of N1, 000,000.00 (One million naira) for anyone who gives any information leading to the arrest of a kidnapper or to the bursting of a kidnap ring

*Duruji: Nothing wrong with workers' uniform

These things are going on, on a daily bases and it couldn’t have been any better. No state government has recorded the kind of feat that this administration has recorded in the last eleven months.

local government system to drive development to the rural areas. To achieve that objective of rural development, it has become imperative that the frontiers of governance be decentralized from state and

local government to the communities; hence the fourth tier concept.

those in authority?

Such a citizen would have been even more dazed or disconcerted by the revelations in the report of the ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives on the utilization of subsidy by petroleum importers.

That House report on subsidy should have been a godsend for the administration to burnish its image. Imagine what a decisive implementation of the recommendations of the report or a determination to show itself as being on the same page with the House on the issue would have done for the image of the administration.

These developments or seeming inclination to selfdestruct have sometimes led me to question the possibilities of saboteurs in the administration.

Are there close pretenders or buddies who are desperate for the President to fail or to be seen to be failing?

Even when it has opportunities of celebrating its little successes the administration easily bungles such opportunities.

Last Monday as I learnt that the President had given his assent to the bill increasing the

retirement age of university professors to 70 years, I called the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie who confirmed it and added that he and some of his officials were even in Abuja for the signing ceremony. But as is becoming common for the little successes of the Jonathan administration, that ceremony that would have given a little positive image to the administration was botched at the last minute.

Sometimes, it is even tempting to believe that the President may well not bother with his image.

Such impressions are dangerous for a democracy and it is the reason why none of us, even those who have given up on any good coming out from the administration should give up on praying for the administration.

As Paul told Timothy, praying for those in authority would ensure that we lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Now who doesn’t want that? So, on your knees fellow Nigerians!

,

the communities, and assured the Imo electorate that if elected he would turn things around by establishing fourth tier of government. The basis or reason for its establishment is because of the failure of the

POLITICAL METABOLISM with

EMMANUEL AZIKEN

On your knees please! allegory of things at home. As a dweller in Afghanistan for most of the years of the military I do remember many times turning on the radio with a silent wish to hear the sound of martial music heralding the termination of a military regime. Albeit, in almost all cases I went away disappointed.

The enthronement of democracy with the ascent to power of those the majority of Nigerians may have supposedly elected should have changed my frame of mind. Democracy indeed, should have gravitated me towards supplications for the stability of our leaders. But these days as I exchange banters with the ordinary men trudging the battered streets of Lagos, it is all

apparent that many are not inclined towards supplicating for those in authority. he reason is very obvious.

Nigerians believe that they are indeed being taken for a ride by those in elected office. Indeed, party affiliation today does not differentiate the contempt majority of the citizenry hold for elected office holders.

As some would ask, why would a Nigerian who lost his relative whether close or distant, to the growing insecurity in the land at the end of last December, and who only a few days later was faced with the more than 100% increase in the prices of petroleum prices arising from the withdrawal of the alleged subsidy in the price of petrol pray for

T

The workers say that many

Continues on page 35

40 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

A

HEAD of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, gubernatorial primaries in Ondo State, a governorship aspirant under the party's platform, AKINOLA Awodeyi-Akinsheyinwa, in this interview, disclosed that intra-party crisis would not trail the eventual outcome of the exercise.

He also noted that the wave of decamping from the ruling Labour Party,LP, is an indication that the incumbent administration has failed.

Akinsheyinwa also spoke on other issues. Excerpts: WHAT has prepared you for the governorship of Ondo State?

My emergence had already been predicted over 30 years ago by the late sage, Pa Adekunle Ajasin during one of his second term campaigns.

He emphasised the need for free education, which was the focal point of his government then. He said one day, one of the beneficiaries of the free education scheme would become the governor of the state.

I was privileged to be there, he came down from the podium and held on to my hand and said Aone day this young boy will become the governor of this state.

Secondly, when I was delivering a lecture at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, one of the commissioners from Ondo State heard what I was saying and he came to me asking me to come and do all the things I was saying for the state.

He arranged a meeting for me with the governor, Olusegun Mimiko at the Government House around 8.00 pm. Immediately he saw me he recognised because we had met before. I told him that it was an opportunity for the state to be among the energy dictators so that Ondo State can be like a mini Dubai.

After explaining to him he said he was sorry that he could not understand what I was saying that he would call his Chief of Staff. I met with the Chief of Staff and he too told me he too had a limited understanding of the project.

He then introduced me to the current Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinyele Abimbola Ogundipe, who was then the Special Adviser to the Governor on Finance and Investments.

After then, we agreed to form a 10-man committee, five from me and five from them.

We were not successful due to the way it was handled.

Then I came to myself and said if these people without much know-how can govern this state why can=t I? That was what prompted me to contest. Being a member of the

ONDO GUBER:

How Ajasin endorsed me — Akinsheyinwa Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), I went back to my party to explain the situation of things and my feelings. I also saw the crying and yearnings of the people then I decided these mediocre cannot continue to be ruling us.

With over 30 aspirants contesting the gubernatorial ticket how do you intend to emerge as the candidate of the party?

Many are called few are chosen, I pray that the chosen one should be me. But what I will want you to know is that they are all credible candidates because ACN parades the best candidates so far. The party knows how to run its affairs. Secondly, if you see numerous candidates like this it shows the government of the day is not performing.

If he is performing no cabinet member will decamp to contest against him. You cannot see his party chairman and special adviser defecting to another party to contest against him. In my party we have a way of doing our primaries and our leaders know the best way to do this and by the grace of God I will emerge victorious.

I can assure you that

process by the party leadership?

Point of correction, we do not select. We do primaries like every other party. Our leaders have a structure on ground and the structure of emergence by any candidate will be put in place. I can assure you that nobody will decamp if he does not win because we are one big family.

We are in one accord. God willing, once I win the primary I can assure you that all the members will support me because I am the first aspirant to declare my ambition for over two years now, and I worked closely with former chairman to revamp the party.

So to me there is no fear.

*Akinsheyinwa: ACN will win between now and June nothing less the seven to eight commissioners will leave the cabinet and join ACN. So we are the party to

beat.

What is the assurance that post-primary election crises will not derail your party after the so called selection

If you are not picked as the candidate, will you still stay in the party and continue with the battle?

I told you I am a progressive. God forbids, if I am not chosen as the candidate of ACN I will continue to fight for the party's course. I cannot leave the party, I was part of the people that revamped the party so why should I run? Everyone of us cannot be the governor, one must emerge while the other supports.

Why we prescribed uniform for Imo civil servants — Duruji Continues from page 34 of them would be laid off?

It is only fear. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.

There is no reality to it and there is no basis for the fear.

Nobody will be retrenched.

It is not even redeployment in the negative sense. It is a matter of secondment.

Secondment is temporary transfer for specific assignment.

Secondment is a preferred terminology than transfer But your contenders say the arrangement is illegal?

What is their basis? Did they cite any section of the constitution that has been violated or that prohibits it?

Something can be illegal by virtue of prohibition or by contravening an existing section of the law.

In this case did they cite any authority or explain the basis for their insistence? The mere fact that the opposition is saying it does not make it a fact.

Section 7 of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 as amended authorizes the state House of Assembly to establish a system of governance for the Local Governments.

The Constitution recognizes 774 Local Governments and empowers the State House of Assembly to establish a system of government for them, and it is within the premise of the authority, that the House of Assembly is creating the Community Government Councils. Local Government Councils cannot hang in the air; they are made up of autonomous communities.

Under Law no 6 of 2006, the State House of Assembly established criteria for creation of autonomous communities.

Within that authority to create autonomous communities is also the authority to establish a structure for their governance.

The governor has been accused of prescribing a

particular uniform for workers in the state. How true is that?

When you say prescription, without debating the issue, you hire people, you prescribe rules and regulations for them.

What is wrong with uniform for civil servants that makes them look dutiful; that enhances their sense of decorum, their sense of prestige; enhances their sense of self worth, enhances their sense of performance?

What are the negative connotations? Has anybody articulated any negative factors associated with the uniform – black suit on white shirt and red tie for men and black suit on white blouse and red scarf for women? Has anybody faulted it in anyway? The workers themselves have not complained. They have applauded it instead.

What was the basis of the relocation of the state university from Owerri to the governor’s hometown?

The relocation of Imo State University was informed by the National Universities Commission’s deadline to the state government to relocate the Imo State University or the university will lose its accreditation.

So of all the contentious sites for possible relocation of Imo State University, the only one that is not in contention is the location in Ogboko where there is a lot of space, there is serenity for academic endevours. It is not in contention and the people very much welcome it.

Those were the concerns of the University Relocation Committee. All the other possible locations are in contention.

For one reason or the other, it is also important to state that Ogboko is in Imo State and there is no legal prohibition against relocating the University to governor’s local government or home town.

Vanguard, WEDNESD AY, MA Y 16, 2012—41 WEDNESDA MAY

MIDWEEK SERMON

with SAM EYOBOKA sameyoboka@yahoo.com

That the legacy of Pastor Mfon may linger BRIEFLY...

RCCG Apapa Family holds 5th Excel celebration

T

HE Redeemed Christian Church of God (Apapa Family) holds the 5 th edition of the Annual Excel celebration on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. Ministering will be the RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

This year’s event with a theme, "Change Catalyst" has its focus on the youths as the core agent of Change and the Change Catalyst in the society.

The Family also plans to feed 100,000 people and will set up an Excel Academy---a mentoring institution for youth leaders.

Pastor Adeboye is expected to endow a professorial Chair in Mathematics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

*Convocation

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HE Council of Foursquare Men (CFM) of great Benin district has concluded plan to host its 2012 annual convention with a theme “Go Forward” and scheduled for Friday to Sunday at Evidence of the Gospel, Km 11, Benin-Lagos Expressway, Benin City. District Overseer, Rev. J.M.O Rogho, Rev. Omoluabi, Pastor (Mrs) Pat Olumhese and Pastor Isaiah will minister at the convention which will feature family & health talks among others.

*Pastor Bimpe Eskor-Mfon (middle) presenting gifts to Rev. Dele George (2nd right) while the Little Saints and other members of the PEF watch.

C

REATOR of television serial, Heaven’s Gate, Pastor Eskor Mfon, first of five children of Mr. Asuquo Ima Mfon, was a dynamic spiritual leader, devoted philanthropist and an innovative entrepreneur whose illuminating light was unceremoniously extinguished on Monday, April 30, 2007 at the age of 54, reports SAM EYOBOKA. Pastor Eskor’s innovative plans were put on hold after a sudden illness in June 2006. After undergoing medical treatment in the UK, he and his family were looking to his return to Lagos, when suddenly the Lord called him to glory.

To mark the fifth anniversary of the passage, the leadership of

Pastor Eskor Mfon Foundation, a registered Non-Government Organization that works to provide under-served youth ages 13-26 with the training and exposure required to excel in the visual, performing and literary arts decided to extend a hand of fellowship to the Little Saints Orphanage, Palmgrove, Lagos.

PEM Foundation was inaugurated by Pastor (Mrs.) Bimpe Eskor-Mfon in April 2009, as a means of sustaining the late Pastor Eskor Mfon's dreams of empowering a vibrant generation that would emerge as Nigeria's greatest leaders. Pastor Eskor was a husband of one wife, Adebimpe (nee Osinulu) with whom he had three

children; Oluwatosin, Asuquo and Ima. On hand to receive the delegation, was the president of Little Saints Orphanage, Rev. (Mrs.) Dele George who introduced members of her staff and some of the little saints before taking them to the common room where they watched a documentary on the orphanage.

“We try to emulate the excellence of Jesus Christ by giving the saints the very best of food, clothing and education. The first set of graduates will come out of Crawford University this year,” she explained, adding that education is the main focus of the orphanage which was established in June 1994.

According to Rev. George, the

orphanage, the first to be registered by Lagos State government, has made tremendous impact in the state, stating that it has reduced infant mortality and enhanced adoption rate in the state. Stressing the need for families to foster children, she also noted that 40 of the little saints have been adopted to Netherlands.

Responding, the widow of Pastor Eskor, Pastor (Mrs.) Bimpe Mfon with her daughter, Tosin and other members of the Foundation in tow, told the crowd that when the unexpected happened in 2007 she never imagined that she would be able to pull herself together and match on.

“The pain of loosing my husband would just be pain if we do not impact others. I wonder how he managed to impact others while he was here with us; that is why I want his legacy to continue,” she noted.

She later presented numerous packs of food items, drugs and provisions including rice, vegetable oil, noodles detergents, sugar etc. for the inmates of the four homes scattered across the different parts of Lagos, with a promise to return for more partnership with the home. “We will definitely come back,” she promised after a briefing by Little Saints Orphanage on areas of major needs in the home.

The delegation which was in a hurry to catch up with other engagements for the rest of the day which including a thanksgiving service at their home and the formal launching of the Pastor Eskor Mfon Foundation, PEM Foundation at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre.

RCCG donates washing machines to General Hospital

By SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA

T

HE pastor in charge of Lagos Provinve 23 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Brown Oyitso recently lamented the rate at which Nigerian medical practitioners are migrating to other climes to practice their trade, stressing that such is not good for the nation’s development.

Speaking at a presentation of two washing machines and 100 bed sheets and pillows to the General Hospital, Gbagada in Lagos by the RCCG Lagos Province 23 as part of its corporate social responsibility, Pastor Oyitso, who was accompanied by his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Helen Oyitso and several zonal pastors and members of the church, said it was not in the interest of the overall developmental interest of the nation.

According to him, brain drain is as a result of the dearth of adequate medical equipment to practice their profession, saying “the other day I read an advert in one of the papers of vacancies

From left: Chief Medical Director of Gbagada General Hospital, Dr. Peter Oriafo receiving a washing machine from the Pastorin-charge of RCCG Lagos Province 23, Pastor Brown Oyitso while Pastor Helen Oyitso and others look on.

in Egyptian hospitals for Nigerian medical experts. We have medical professionals here if only they will be given the right tools and equipment to work with.”

He also expressed concern ov-

er the penchant of wealthy Nigerians to travel to India and other nations for medical treatment just because of the dearth of appropriate medical facilities to take care of their medical needs, saying “one of our pastors was

at the Gbagada General Hospital some time ago where she found out that the hospital seriously lacked bed sheets and pillow cases.

“She saw patients lying on empty mattresses and when we discussed with the hospital authorities they confirmed that this is one of the areas of critical needs; so we decided to come in. We are not just giving them bed sheets and pillow cases, we are also giving them two washing machines to be able to dry clean and maintain the sheets and dry them,” he stated.

According to Pastor Oyitso, “what we are doing today is in fulfillment of the vision of the RCCG G.O., Pastor Enoch Adeboye who had told us that the Church should no longer be seen as an organ which takes from the people without giving back to the society. He therefore urged us to reach out to the community or neighbourhood where we operate and touch the people’s lives positively.”

As part of this social gospel, the pastor hinted that plans are afoot for the Province 23 to organize neighbourhood medical

check ups in the Gbagada area because “we have discovered that several Nigerians go about their various chores with undetected deadly diseases. The best form of medical care is through prevention and so we will go into every household in this area for medical diagnosis of different medical conditions.”

Responding, the chief medical director of the hospital, Dr. Peter Oriafo said the Lagos State government is doing its utmost to upgrade all its medical facilities for the noble purpose of health tourism.

“In the past three years there has been tremendous transformation of the erstwhile bushy Gbagada General Hospital with rapid infrastructural development to upgrade its facilities to world standards. The Cardio Renal Centre and the Open Heart Surgery and Kidney Transplant Centre are some of the projects currently under construction, some of which have been structurally completed and would take off before the end of the year,” he said.

42—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16,

2012

Osun: Reforming the education policy and its standard P

By OYINTILOYE OLATUNBOSUN

RIOR to the inception of the present administration in Osun State, no one would ever have thought that the tremendous reformation being witnessed in the education system in the state today could be possible. Public education was a ruse and in shambles, to the extent that no one could dream of enroling his or her wards in a public school, except those without the financial capacity to afford private schools.

The students, especially of primary schools extraction were roughly dressed and malnourished, schools buildings were in dilapidated state, students’performance was abysmally poor, there were no instructional materials, while the tuition fees in the state-owned tertiary institution was outrageous.

Regardless of the poor system, parents had to struggle to pay tuition fees for their wards, even when the immediate past government claimed that education at the primary and secondary levels were free. After his assumption of office as the Governor of Osun State on November 27, 2010, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in line with his quest to promote functional education and improve its standard, took the bull by the horn and put together an educational summit, involving the best brains within the state and beyond in the educational system to identify the problem facing the system and advise the government on what to do to revamp the decayed system.

Reduction in tuition fees The resultant effect immediately after the education summit was the reduction in the tuition fees of the tertiary institution by 50 per cent. The students who were paying between N45,000 and N50,000 in the polytechnic are now paying maximum of N25,000. For Colleges of Education, it was reduced from N28,000 to maximum of N20,000; and for Osun State University (UNIOSUN), the Medical Students who were paying N198,000 are now paying N100,000, while non-medical students who were paying N155,000 are now paying maximum of N75,000.

Meanwhile, the medical students of UNIOSUN who have been stagnated and could not continue their medical training because there is no Teaching Hospital in the institution now have cause to rejoice, as the gov-

Osun State governor, Aregbesola

ernment is spending N146 million to sponsor them to Ukraine to complete their medical training. The government is picking up all the bills for the two years programme from the tuition fees, to air tickets, procurement of visas and invitation fees, accommodations, immigration services, medical investigations and insurance and the cost for language training among others.

In line with the recommendation of the summit that conducive environment must be provided for the students to learn fast and perform beautifully, the government of the state has launched a programme called O'Schools, which would be overseeing infrastructural development of the schools. Under this programme, 170 state of the art mega schools are being built across the state, 100 of which are for elementary schools (Grade 1 to 3) which is 1,000-capacity; 50 middle school (Grade 4 to 8) also of 1,000-capacity and 20 High Schools (Grade 9 to 12) of 3,000capacity each. The prototype of the elementary school is about to be completed in Osogbo, while the prototype of middle and high schools are currently being built in Ile-Ife and Ejigbo respectively.

Also, the administration has reviewed the School Feeding Programme for primary one and two pupils and the programme is now called O'Meal. It was critically examined by the present administration that the foods were being prepared in dirty environments, while the quality and quantity of the food was very poor. However, the programme has taken a new dimension, as it has been extended to pupils in primary three and the kids are now being fed with food, rich in high protein and fruits.

On Mondays and Thursdays, the pupils are being fed with

Chicken, with food, rich in vegetable and fruit; on Tuesdays, they are being fed with beef and some other nutritious meals; on Wednesdays, they are fed with fish and on Fridays, they are fed with eggs with their menu. The programme is costing the government N1.56 billion in a year.

Things took a new dimension when Governor Aregbesola reviewed the programme and declared that once a student is qualified to be in SS3, it is assumed that such students had been prepared for the final year examination and as a result, the government would pay the WAEC fee for such students.

Still not satisfied with the way the students in the public primary and seco n d a r y schools are kitted, the government has decided to sew standard uniform for the students in a unique way, by using the style that

will promote the Yoruba culture and the local producer of Adire.

For the elementary school, the design reflects Adire alone, for the middle school, it reflects Adire with state crest on it, while for the high school, it is Adire, combined with plain fabric.

The representatives of all the existing religions, PTA, students and other stakeholders in the state were in the committee that chose the designs of the proposed uniform.

For the sewing of the uniforms, 3,100 indigenous tailors, that is 100 tailors from each local government and Modakeke Area Office would be recruited to sew the uniform and the project is costing the government N1.85 billion. Before the advent of the present administration, between N200 and N1000 was being given to primary schools for running cost per term per school and with this, parents were being overburdened with series of levy. To reduce the burden, Governor Aregbesola directed that for whatever reason, no

teacher must collect a penny from any student for their education.

Presently, the running cost per term has been placed on N400 per child, which translate to minimum of N75,000 averagely per school per term for primary schools.

For the secondary schools, they were being given N150 per child per term and it has now been increased to N550 per child per term. Also instructional materials like chalks, exercise books, attendance register, black board cleaners among others, running to over N150 million had been provided for primary and secondary schools across the state.

Also, to take care of interest of teachers, the present administration has created office of TutorGeneral, which would be of the same status with Permanent Secretary and the office will be filled by teachers in the three Senatorial Districts of the state. They will be in charge of education and handle the welfare of teachers. •Olatunbosun is Assistant Director, (Community Forum) Bureau of Communication and strategy, office of the Governor of Osun State.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—43

Dirge to Comrade Oyerinde TRIB UTE TRIBUTE

By TONY IYARE

sumed as the Special Adviser, Special Duties but was appropriately re-designated as the Principal Secretary to the Governor/Head of the Governor’s Secretariat. He had actually been pencilled by the NLC NEC few months back, to take over as substantive General Secretary but for the governor’s request that

The dove they crushed TRIB UTE TRIBUTE

By ADEWALE ADEOYE

T

HIS Thursday, the sky will shed tears, the cloud will scream, heaven will quake and the stars will mourn, the arrival of a guest uninvited, given a brutal exit from mother earth, for being a man of peace.

Yes, another soul will go down under the rubbles of sand. He will live there, that six-feet hole, down the unseen, all alone: his bones, his flesh, his eyes, his skin, his skull, his humanity. And then his oratory, his brain, his skill, his rare knowledge, his wisdom, his being and then his earthly greatness, will be lowered, all not by his own free, will, prior and informed choice.

Olaitan Oyerinde.

Four men, we were told, walked up to his house in Benin, an ancestral community which agelong custom and values forbid such. The impish fellows rose up their Re-engineering nozzles and shot him, process probably several times, to ensure he was dead. In Just like other comrades who enlisted Late Olaitan Oyerinde...gunned downed by unknown the most boorish manner, to support the re-engineering process assailants these beasts, we were of a new Edo State, being pulled from this should be put on hold until after his told, first met his wife, and then Olaitan’s the brinks after 30 years of near absence first term. cousin, who was then sleeping in Olaitan’s of any meaningful governance, his work Although Oyerinde neither had the bedroom. He was not to be found, so they was steeped not only in the dialection luxury of writing his epitaph nor design- made for his living room. There they carbetween theory and praxis but also form ing his tombstone like Thomas Jeffer- ried out their devilish act in the most besand content. son, one of America’s most accomplished tial, gruesome fashion. They killed him, at Olaitan Oyerinde started his trade presidents, what is comforting is that he the glaring, awed presence of little chilunion career in 1992 when he was apimmortalised himself with the quality of dren and a bewildered wife. Olaitan’s anpointed Assistant General Secretary by his work. As a man of wits, Oyerinde gel, probably had two options: either to the Iron and Steel Senior Staff Associawould have humorously dismissed the pounce on the killers and in blind rage, tion of Nigeria, an affiliate of the Senior possibility of being accorded a state buri- tear them with her teeth, or to allow them, Staff Consultative Association of Nigeal. But he got that from the governments ria, which metamorphosed into the Trade of Edo and Osun states. He also got a Union Congress of Nigeria. While in the heroic chant from his comrades who union, he was actively involved in the travelled from far flung places in the pro-democracy movement, which was country to bid him goodbye both in Bewaging a relentless battle against the nin City and Ede. But some will in fact military and the interim government. He argue that these platitudes do not matwas the Lagos State Chairman of the ter as his revolutionary path was already Campaign for Democracy (CD) under strewn in gold. the national leadership of the late Dr They may be right. After all, Wolfgang Bekololari Ransome-Kuti. He was also Amadeus Mozart, one of the world’s reexecutive director, Centre for Worker’s nowned classical in a rage of confusion, to flee, with the music composers hope that she could still save a bleeding, Those who killed him must know was too poor to nei- helpless husband.

They should not have killed him. But ther afford a casket that they can neither kill his spirit nor purchase a they did, in the most heartless, brainless, grave, when he callous, inhuman, wicked and spiteful mannor his steel resolve, that a better Edo kissed the dust in ner. We do not know yet who killed him, State and nay Nigeria, is possible 1891. Although he but certainly they must be people that dewas buried in an test logical thoughts, illiterates that dread Rights (CWR) and a member of the Ni- unmarked pauper’s grave almost with- knowledge, vagabonds that dread wisdom. gerian Tenants Association (NTA), a out any tune, the celebration of his cen- The last time I met him was last year in group floated to defend tenant rights. tenary in 1991 reverberated around the Benin, months ago. We spoke on the fuAs head of department of Industrial world. Olaitan prepared for immortality ture of Nigeria. and International Relations as well as with his quality work and great sense of Olaitan stood for critical, logical special assistant to the NLC president, duty. He demonstrated extraordinary de- thoughts. He was Homo Viator in the stuOyerinde established a reputation for votion, well-acknowledged competence dents’ movement of the mid-1980s. I met thoroughness, uncommon brilliance, and a passionate loyalty to his labour him first around 1986, not too long after deep commitment to the values of the constituency. In the Government House, his suspension from the Kwara State Polytrade union movement and capacity for Benin City, he was the focal and contact technic for students’ union activism. creative thinking and initiative. This person for the entire Labour Movement. “Kwara Tech” as we called it, was habitat explains his rapid rise in the NLC. Like Those who killed him must know that for some of the most vibrant students union other comrades in the Labour movement, they can neither kill his spirit nor his cadres, the school was the wealthiest, conhe was involved in the electioneering steel resolve, that a better Edo state and sidering the retinue of radical elements, campaign of Comrade Adams Oshiom- nay Nigeria, is possible. Oyerinde’s and in fact, Kwara Tech was the father of hole and co-authored the manifesto en- name will certainly be laced in gold, many universities, given its penchant for titled My Vision, My Mission. when the history of a new Edo state is producing radical, progressive elements, In November 2008, following Oshiom- written. Like Moses Kotane in the South fired by the dream to make Nigerian great hole’s victory at the courts, the gover- African struggle, his soul soldiers on.. and break the circle of want and represnor sought and obtained the NLC’s con•Iyare is Special Adviser, Media Af- sion and despotism that have been the lot sent to release Comrade Olaitan to work fairs to Governor Adams Oshiomole. of Nigerians. with his administration. Olaitan re-

T

HE sordid news of his brutal mur der in the wee hours of penultimate Friday by some shadowy gunmen, resonated with anger, anguish, disgust and wailing in many homes where Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde was loved and admired for his resourcefulness, literary craft, creativity, industry and gifted wits.

For a state still enmeshed in the grief of the tragic loss of three journalists in a convoy crash, occasioned by a death truck that suddenly veered off its track and headed for the Governor’s staff car evincing suspicion, this was stretching the pall of anger to its wits end.

As principal private secretary to Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Oyerinde, 44, was dutiful, was constantly on the grill and worked under immense pressure. He cut a deep intellectual bent, a high sense of recourse to history, possessed a rich literary acumen, was particularly blessed with a mouthful full of creative humour and had an amiable mien which he brought to bear on his work of oiling the engine of the governor’s office.

He understood Marxist-Leninist theory and he domesticated it. He dreamt of a people’s revolution in Nigeria. He worked tirelessly for it. He built cadres. He gave lectures to students and workers on weekends, outside the prying eyes of our tormentors. He was in Calabar in 1989, when the first modern attempt was made to establish a Workers’ Party. I saw him then.

He stood for the tallest dream for the people of this country. The Nigerian radical movement has many tendencies, but Olaitan blended. He was good to all the sometimes fractious tendencies, factionalised along mutually exclusive ideological lines. One of his saddest moments was when the CD broke into two factions. Even then, there were no guns shot, no heads broken, it was a division informed by differences in ideology. Chima Ubani and Beko Kuti went different ways. The cadres formed lines behind each of them, after the convention in Ibadan. It was painful.

But there was never a bitter note left. The CD was in a position to have taken over leadership, of at least a huge section of Nigeria in the post military era, like the ANC in South Africa.

Rekindling the flowers Olaitan, by the time you came, the locusts have eaten up the flowers, the grass have withered, and now, the locusts are killing those who have come to rekindle the flowers for a new life, for the good of all. All the efforts flew away, like chaff in a whirlwind, but maybe for a destined purpose. Maybe Nigeria as a country is destined not to be saved, though the end is yet to be seen. Given the culture of debate in our tradition, against their own gangterism and bullying, death from within is an anathema. This is why it is difficult for me to believe that, as the mischief makers wish to suggest, that Olaitan’s murder was within. Edo has one of the largest concentration of progressive cadres, our tradition was and is critical thinking, logical criticism which informed and informs the outcome of our collective actions. I fear, we fear, that this murder may have been masterminded from without, by the same leopards, not known for changing the skin, with the main aim of withering the psychology of a political leadership in Edo on the heels of an election, destabilize the state, cause confusion, and wear down the stone-cast spirit of a people desperate for transformation.

We have seen this over and over in recent years, of armed hooligans, taking over the space of contest, killing dialogue, fueling fear and trembling and sustaining a culture of agony, all in the bid to cow the people and give the oppressors unquestionable access to power. When will the killings stop? When will our leaders stop laughing when we are crying and dying?

How many times shall we shake our heads before they know that we are downcast?

How many more souls will perish before they know deaths have become as numerous as sand on the ocean shore? How many more tigers will be killed by dogs and cats?

How many more lions will be swallowed by ants? What of the melancholy that lives with Olaitan’s children, and hundreds, if not millions of Nigerians now, in this rotten shape, almost forever? Olaitan used to weep for Nigeria, but now he weeps no more. Those that will cry and weep for ever are those whose hands are stained with the blood of this innocent dove. But this remains a mere wish. The task now is to find the killers!

,

Olaitan used to weep for Nigeria, but now he weeps no more. Those that will cry and weep for ever are those whose hands are stained with the blood of this innocent dove

,

,

,

44 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,

By CHINENYE OZOR

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HE police in Enugu State are now trying the unravel the circumstances surrounding alleged stage-managed suicide of a 32-yearold house wife, Mrs Obioma Onuh on March 14, this year.

Obioma, a native of Ogene Umonu, Umuida Enugu- Ezike in Igboe Eze Local Government Area of the state was found dead under a local apple tree (Udala) in the early morning of March 15, with a loose rope around her neck, after having been stabbed in the stomach, thighs and her breasts.

However, relations of the deceased are strongly raising alarm by pointing accusing fingers at some people close to her former husband whom they also alleged were only trying to hoodwink the public over the issue. They said that the former husband (names withheld) married Obioma between April 23 and 24, 2010, after he had paid a bride price of N15,000. According members of her family, both of them have been living together at the husband’s village in Umuonu until recently when they started having misunderstanding as her former husband was said to have planned to marry a second wife following the inability of Obioma to get pregnant for him.

Obioma’s father, Mr Jonathan

MAY 16, 2012

A-L-L-E-D-G-E-D S-U-I-C-I-D-E

Police arrest man over death of wife in Enugu Abugu, who spoke in an interview with Crime Alert said that his late daughter ’s death was stagemanaged as her husband had planned to marry a rich lady in the area, who had bought him a car which he was now using for his kabu-kabu business. ‘’My daughter was a peaceful woman who could not have killed herself for any reason. She was a petty trader at Nkwo Iyida Market in the village. The day they killed her, she was in the market selling her goods until about 9pm before she left for her family house. Few days earlier, she collected about N240,000 from the thrift society she belonged to but this money was stolen immediately she was killed. Is it

possible for somebody who wants to hang herself to stab herself all over the body leading to the perforation of her stomach. The branch of the tree where she was purportedly found dead was less that six feet and she was sitting down with one of her legs stretched and the second one folded. ‘’The police should find out why her husband started jubilating early in the morning that his wife who failed to bear a child had killed herself without even reporting the incident to either the police, his relations or anybody in my family.

Her younger sister met her where she sold provisions just before she closed for the day on the fateful she was killed. The correct thing would

have been to divorce her and marry the woman who had enticed her with money or at worst, marry two of them.

In this part of the world, polygamy is not sinful, so why kill anybody because you want to marry another. When he came to marry my daughter, I initially refused but he insisted and later brought his people for marriage in my house as demanded by custom. ‘’It is sinful to kill and whoever lives by blood should die. We learnt that the people that killed my daughter were hired from a neighboring local government and that her husband lured her out in the night on the pretext that they were going to visit his relations nearby. We also learnt that her husband actually led her to the point

S-H-O-O-T •Police in Apapa kill two robbery suspects •as residents hail action

By EVELYN USMAN

T

•Recovered motorcycle

•Recovered weapon and charms

HE resounding gun shots from a four-man robbery gang on two commercial motorcycles popularly called okada, rattled residents of Apapa, last Thursday, with everyone taking to his heels. But at the centre of the scene of the gun shots was a woman who had gone to one of the new generation banks around Calcutta Crescent to withdraw an unspecified amount of money. The robbers who apparently laid ambush for her, opened fire to scare away intruders and dispossessed the helpless and fear-stricken woman of the withdrawn cash.

However, as they were about to flee from the scene, policemen from Apapa division who were on a routine patrol swooped on them, thereby leading to another round of sporadic shootings, which again, sent people scampering for safety.

In the process, two members of the gang were gunned down, while

the rest bowed to the superior fire power of the policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer, Mohammed Mu’azu, as they managed to flee the scene.

After the dust had settled, residents and customers who had gone for to one transaction or the other at separate banks, throng the scene,to behold the sight of the gunmen who had incisions on their thighs and knees, with charms tied round their shoulders and necks. Just then, three persons; a man and two women among the crowd, identified one of the dead men as a member of the robbery gang who at different times attacked them.

As if that was not enough, another man, simply identified as Alhaji, who managed to meander his way through the crowd, also corroborated their claim. In his case, Alhaji claimed that the bearded deceased attacked his brother two weeks ago, shot him in the leg and

made away with the sum of N550,000.

He said: “My brother is still in the hospital. He had successfully withdrawn the amount from the bank and was heading home, when all of a sudden, two okada intercepted the one my brother was riding on. They asked him to bring the money he went to withdraw and before he could fathom what

•CP Lagos State, Manko — We are ready for more action

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—45

Court orders biz man to provide accommodation for wife and kids

where the hired killers caught her and started beating and stabbing her while the man watched. They are claiming that Obioma abandoned the nine days prayers and fasting she embarked upon for the marriage proposal to succeed and committed suicide. This is untrue. They were already married and her husband met her where she was selling fruits at Peace Mass Transit park junction along Umuida road.

“After the marriage, Obioma even used the money she saved from her petty trading to purchase a motorcycle for Ugo, who was jobless when she met him.

He was actually using the motorcycle for his Okada business before he met this one that bought him a car.

When Obioma found out that her husband wanted to marry a second wife, she even offered to look for a young girl for her husband, and this is a common practice here. In fact, she found three different girls for her husband to marry either of them, so she had no reason to commit suicide.”

The police confirmed that one suspect said to be a husband to the deceased was arrested over alleged suspicion that he knew the circumstances leading to the death of Obioma but said that the suspect had been transferred to the state police headquarters in Enugu for proper investigation of the matter. ‘’We arrested the suspect following a report that the circumstances leading to Obioma’s death was questionable.

The suspect’s behavior when his wife was found dead raised some issues and this is what we want to find out.

As at now, we are not with the suspect as he has been transferred to the Homicide Department in Enugu.

They will give you the latest information,’’ the police in EnuguEzike said.

O-U-T they were up to, this one (pointing to one of the dead gunmen) opened fire and shot him on the leg before he forcefully collected the money and fled.”

Residents of the area who lauded effort of policemen from Apapa division, however, decried the untold harassment they have been suffering in the hands of robbers whenever they went to withdraw money from banks. The robbers often, as gathered, disguised as commercial motorcyclists and always station around banks, waiting for their preys, only to strike at the slightest advantage. At other times, particularly when customers drove in their vehicles, they would intercept them, shoot into the air and collect the withdrawn amount. Not even those who go to withdraw money with ATM, according to them, were spared.

F

ollowing the disturbing development, a stakeholders meeting on security between banks in Apapa and the Apapa Police division was held, where police support was solicited . At the end of the meeting, Crime Alert gathered that policemen from the division intensified their patrol around areas where banks are situated, with some of them in plain clothes patrolling on foot. The killing of the two suspected robbers believed to have been terrorizing bank customers, was attributed to strategic measures put in place by the division to address the worrisome trend.

However, security report, according to

C M Y K

By BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

A

Grade ‘B’ Customary Court sitting in Oshodi, Lagos has berated a Lagos businessman, Chukwudi Obi, for failing to provide accommodation for his wife and children, giving him an ultimatum to provide accommodation for his four children.

Chukwudi was alleged to have secretly ran away with a new lover, abandoning his children and wife in the village, so as avoid any disturbance on his plan to marry a new wife.

The court gave the ultimatum after Chukwudi’s wife, Nkechinyere Obi, noted that her husband lives in a three-bedroom apartment with his new wife, leaving her to put up with friends and family.

“As I speak to you, our first two children are still in the village where their father dumped them.

My eldest son is ill and has yet to receive good medical attention. I would have brought them with me to Lagos but I have no home of my own” she added.

It will be recalled that before now, the court had told Chukwudi to provide the children with a good accommodation and take care of their welfare.

Nkechinyere told the court that her husband (Chukwudi), whom she got married to in 2003, did not do as ordered.

Nkechinyere had approached the court to stop her husband from taking a new wife. She also told the court that sometime in February, her husband lured her and the children to their village in the east and abandoned them there so as to enable him carry on with his plan to marry a new wife.

Responding to why he failed to do what the court told him to do; Chukwudi said he could not afford to pay N4,000 monthly as rent for the one-room apartment that his wife secured, adding “maybe her relatives could foot the bill.”

The acting Court President, Mrs R. I. Adetola expressed surprise when told that what she asked Chukwudi to do was ignored by him. Adetola noted that she had discussed the issue of accommodation up to five times with the petitioner ’s husband but all that has yielded no result.

“Why should you give birth to children when you know you won’t take care of them? Or do you want them to join the army of miscreants sleeping under the bridge. You are hereby given four weeks grace period to provide them an accommodation” she said and adjourned the case till June 11 for further hearing.

•The deceased, Obioma

police sources, revealed that some of the robbers usually come from the densely populated Ajegunle area of the state.. For instance, the two suspects that were gunned down were reported to be residing in Ajegunle.

To this end, residents of Apapa have called for an intensified patrol by police divisions in Ajegunle, with a view to checkmating activities of unscrupulous individuals who usually came from the area.

One of the residents who identified himself as Akinfisoye Gboyega specifically called on the DPOs in police divisions around Ajegunle to join in the patrols, pointing out that it would go a long way to boosting the moral of their subordinates. According to him, “ for instance, the DPO Apapa division, is always seen patrolling the environs with his men and we learnt he led the team that killed these robbers. If all DPOs, particularly those in Ajegunle, where most of these robbers come from will follow suit, it will go a long way, not just only to nipping activities of robbers in both areas in the bud but will also arrest these robbers before they leave their

By BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE areas. Without that , these evil people will continue because N Apapa Chief Magistrate Court immediately they finish operating, in Lagos has granted bail to a 35they would escape through the year old man, Prosper Oguchi, who several exit points.” was arraigned for allegedly forcefully Recovered from the dead suspects having unnatural sexual assault on 11were a cut -to-size locally made gun year-old boy through his anus. Chief with one of their unregistered Magistrate Amos Adeyemi granted the operational motorcycles. accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 Meanwhile, policemen at Apapa with one surety in like sum, directing division, as gathered, have that the surety should show evidence threatened to wage war against of tax payment to the Lagos State unscrupulous elements in the area, Government. saying that the death of the two The accused, who is of no fixed robbery suspects was enough to address, is facing a one-count charge send a warning signal to others. of unnatural carnal knowledge but

Suspected homosexual in cour t for assaulting 11-yr-old boy

A

pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him before the open court.

Police prosecutor, Cpl. Friday Inedu, told the court that the accused on Dec. 6, 2011 at 4th Ave., ‘E’ Close, House 7, Festac Town, Lagos, lured the boy (na mes with held ) and sex ual ly assaulted the victim through his anus.

In his words: “Oguchi, forcefully had unnatural sexual assault on the boy through his anus” adding that the offense contravened Section 259 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The case was adjourned till May 23 for further hearing.

46—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

His ex-wife is a pest

Dear Bunmi, I HAVE been with my current boyfriend for about a year now but mum took one look at him and nearly had a heart attack! I’ve just finished my OND and planning to continue with my studies. I am in my early twenties. My mum’s grouse with my boyfriend is that he was a cult member when he was in the university.

Simply because he was implicated in one of the campus clashes does not make him a monster.

He has now graduated and has a teaching job with accommodation thrown in. Since my mum’s disapproval, I have been seeing him secretly but he now wants us to get engaged so we can live together.

I can’t just imagine mum’s response to that!

I don’t want to choose between my boyfriend

and my mum because I love them both. Any advice as to what to do?

Latifat, By e-mail.

Dear Latifat, You must realise that your mother has your best interest at heart.

Cultism has been a frightening topic for years now and that your

boyfriend was implicated gives your mum reasonable grounds to worry. Naturally, she feels uncomfortable about her little girl going out with a ‘cultist’ and you resent this.

You obviously love your man and in the end, your mum will have to come to terms with this.

Arrange a meeting be-

Can I improve on my technique?

Chidima, By e-mail.

Dear Bunmi, A FEW years ago, I was in my first serious relationship. Although I loved my partner, I was too tense during the physical side of lovemaking.

I am currently involved

with a nice and considerate man and sex will definitely be on the menu. I don’t want to ask my new love to teach me the techniques of good sex. Do you have tips on how to improve my technique in bed?

He used me for sex friends and I should feel free to call him whenever I needed anything.

He’s left me completely devastated. I tried to reach him on his mobile but his wife uses it now.

I’m tempted to go to his business premises to speak to him face to face. Should I? Vivian By e-mail.

Dear Vivian, You were a married woman when you met this married man - what future did you think would be in that kind of an encounter? You wouldn’t be the first woman to experience heartache when, out of boredom in their marriage, look for excitement somewhere else.

You met this man when he was ill and vulnerable. Now he is well, he’s a different person.

And while this man may not have set out to mislead you, he has.

What started as a bit of fun suddenly got serious

and he couldn’t handle it.

Don’t get in touch with him again. He’s made his feelings clear and he’s not worth your tears or your pride. You were engulfed in a fantasy and are now having trouble facing reality.

But you have to, you’ve got your children, your job and a husband who needs you, so put them first.

They’ll give you everything this man can’t.

Dear Chidima, Ordinarily, a lover who cares for you would be delighted to teach you how to have sex, and he’d find it a real turnon to be the one to give you real pleasure. But if you want to raise your game before hand then try these tips a sexual expert recommends: Get a full-length mirror and look at yourself all over-naked. Regularly massage yourself again, all over. And really learn to relax into your pleasurable sensations.

Invest in a vibrator and master the art of making it work for you.

Practise giving yourself different sensations.

Teach your new partner to give you the pleasure you give yourself. And remember, sex should be flirt. Use your imagination, flirt, tease, enjoy each other.

,

Dear Bunmi, I AM in my early forties, married with children. My husband was married before and had a child from another relationship before his divorce. I am a trained nurse and four years ago, I met this gorgeous man in the Male ward.

He was actually a private patient brought in by one of our consultants to use the facilities at the teaching hospital where I worked.

I was flattered when he started showing interest in me and within weeks, we started a relationship as he was in a private room.

His wife visited from time to time and I kidded myself that he was not in love with her as he was always grumpy with her. We arranged to meet after he was discharged but he later cancelled. He later phoned that we shouldn’t meet again as so many people would be hurt. He said we should be

tween the two of them, possibly brokered by a close relation. Your mum must agree to meet him if you will eventually get married. She won’t stop loving you although she will probably be upset.

But your boyfriend will not hang around forever, playing second fiddle to your mum.

Don’t get in touch with him again; he’s made his feelings clear and he’s not worth your tears or your pride; you were engulfed in a fantasy and are now having trouble facing reality

,

Dear Ronke,

,

My mum resents my boyfriend

Dear Bunmi, I’VE lived with my current boyfriend for nine months. He has three children with his ex-wife and he’s still in touch with them - they live a few streets away from us.

The problem is, his ex is always phoning or leaving text messages with a crisis, expecting us to help financially.

She’s also allowed the children to run wild and the eldest has dropped out of school. Though we do what we can, it’s not enough for his ex. How can I sort out this nightmare?

Ronke By e-mail.

It’s obvious that your man and his family are still very much involved with each other emotionally. Because they live close by, he’s in constant touch. His ex and their children have regular problems and it is understandable he spends time sorting them out.

The question you have to ask yourself is - are they so involved with each other, there’s no room for you? If you feel you and your man have a real bond and you are an important part of his life, then hang in there.

But if, in fact, you feel you’re an outsider, then its time to draw the line and move on.

Arrange a meeting between the two of them, possibly brokered by a close relation; your mum must agree to meet him if you will eventually get married

,

I want Dad off my back Dear Bunmi, I honestly can’t stand my dad at the moment!

He treats me like a child even though I am in my late 20s and don’t live at home. This makes me hopping mad.

Most times, I wish he would crawl under a rock and die because of the way he looks down on my achievements. So what, if dropped out of the university? I’ve made a good use of the computer training I did and have a lucrative cyber cafe. But he believes cyber cafes are used by criminals to con people.

He hasn’t even been to visit my cafe.

I’m about to get married and it would give me a great pleasure to

do it without letting him know!

Abel, By e-mail.

Dear Abel, Your letter sounds as if it’s been written by a child who’s having a massive tantrum!

It’s as if by treating you like a little boy, your father is making you, act like one. Or could it be the other way round?

By acting like a child, you’re making your dad believe you are still one, so he treats you that way.

So, grow up. Stop seeing your father for a while and start to back off. If you can be more adult around your dad, he’ll get the message and treat you like one.

Share your problems and release your burden.

Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Vanguard anguard,,

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

GEMINI; If you allow minor domestic challenge to go out of hands you would be the loser to the detriment of your cause. Make sure temper don’t overshoot acceptable limit, especially around 8.48pm till mid-night.

CANCER; As the day progresses you will encounter challenges you will need to handle with maturity.

But here is a day when element of good luck will see you through.

LEO; Although there will be challenges they will serve as the needed tonic to make head-way; certainly success indicated for you. Be cautious from 8.48pm till mid-night VIRGO; You are likely to over do things to the resentment of people within your base of operation. It is important you respect your superiors. Be family minded.

WEDNESD AY , MA Y 16 WEDNESDA MAY 16,, 2012

— 47

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

P

ARDON me if I have hurt you. I do not mean any offence.

However, I am asking a question: Are you a thief? Don’t answer it until you have fully digested the passage.

Conventionally, a thief is someone that

Are you a thief? steals another person’s property. I guess the issue will now be which person’s property am I accusing you of stealing? Now read this: Do you cut corners? Do you accept benefits for doing

TERROR MUDA

nothing? Do you get something without giving anything? Do you play smart? Do you expect to reap where you did not sow? Its your own idea about life just taking, taking and taking? What have you giving back to the

in “Never say goodbye”

society? If you have given nothing to humanity and your answer to the other questions are in the affirmative, then you are a thief. You are stealing from humanity.

Don’t just live, add value to your living by giving something back to your society.

By Kola Fayemi

LIBRA; If you don’t accord the law and it’s agents needed respects you may walk your way into avoidable trouble. Deception is around; be warned.

SCORPIO; You may find yourself between some difficult people who want you to do their different biddings. Let reason be your guard so that you are not used painfully.

SAGITTARIUS; If care is not taken you may be deceived just to pick cashew nuts from burning fire for others the way you can get your fingers burnt. Watch carefully from 8.48pm.

CAPRICORN; Those of you working late this evening will need to be on your guard, especially between 8.48pm till mid-night as minor but costly mistake is possible. All of you should think of the law and say no to whatever cant be placed above board.

AQUARIUS; Friends may unconsciously disappoint you today; that is to say it is better you don’t expect too much from promises made to you especially from 8.48pm.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

PISCES; Those of you who have been rigid of recent may be paid back in your own coins. Try your best to pacify your spouse and/or other important partners of yours.

ARIES; This is the wrong time to fan embers of discord, especially within your working arena. Getting things done properly will earn you success. Be loving.

TAURUS; Deception is in the air today. Unless you are very cautious those who thought they are more clever would take undue advantage of you to the detriment of your finances. Do away with gambling with matters-of-the-heart.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

Can colour help?

Dear Joshua I have it nice in some areas of my life while other side can not be said to be Ok Why? Somebody tells me that combination of good colours can assist; is it true? Anyway what are my colours, love life, socials, luck and the future?

Funke. Lokoja.

Dear Funke, Yes good colours can enhance good prospects and mitigate some hard aspect if applied at the right time rightly.

Here is where a few challenges are indicated. Although you are the disciplined type, because of closeness between Venus (love) and difficult Saturn (tough challenges/delay) you just can not totally escape frustration here. But as Saturn will not put one on trial without adequate reward you will eventually be rewarded and be happy. Yet have it at the back of your mind that you must not expect too much here. Luckily for you as Lucky Jupiter will soon be at a positive angle to your natal planets very soon, things will soon improve very rapidly.

Yours is an active and happy social life. But then if POLITICS comes your way do not say no. It is important you don’t give in to negative spiritual side of life.

Your POWERFUL MIND, both YOUR PERSONAL and OTHER PEOPLES’ INFLUENCES are many times sources of your SUCCESS. Then eleventh hour help assistance and or help always come your way some times when hopes are almost lost. You are meant to achieve GREATNESS. YELLOW/GOLDEN and black are your favourable colours.

Commen3

by Lawrence Akapa

48—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

CSOs oppose national health bill zAsk Jonathan to sign same sex marriage prohibition bill

BY ETOP EKANEM

A

coalition of Lagosbased Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, led

by Engr. Jerry Okuwosa has called on President Goodluck Jonathan not to assent to the National Health Bill of 2008 to avoid selling the future of Nigerians to foreigners.

A release by Mr Sonnie Ekwowusi on behalf of the CSOs, said unless articles 51 and 53 of the bill were expunged, its passage would spell doom for the future of Nigerians.

They argued that section 51 of the bill aims at legalising the manipulation of aggression and violence against Nigerian children

(embrayos and zygotes) since it solely entrusts the authority to issue a written permit to anyone wishing to trade on this from the Ministry of Health.

Okwuosa said: “The President must not allow the passage of the National Health Bill 2008 until articles that are anti-life are expunged from it and

WORKSHOP—Mr Emmanuel Ulayi, Executive Director, Civic Duties Awareness Initiative, CIDAI, (left), and Head, Monitoring and Evaluation, CIDAI, during a two-day workshop on 'Access to Justice for the Poor', organised by Legal Aid Council and World Bank, at Arewa Hotel, Kaduna State.

parties not consulted or fully represented have been given proper attention and hearing.”

The body also urged the President to declare the sale and trafficking of human ovarian eggs and embrayonic tissues and the cloning of human beings as banned under any conditions in Nigeria as obtains in other parts of the c o u n t r y .

The group also reaffirmed that same-sex attraction was a learned habit that could be unlearned because there is no “gay gene anywhere” in the world and Nigeria’s laws are against lesbianism and h o m o s e x u a l i t y.

Mr Sonnie Ekwowusi, a lawyer noted the coalitions support the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act 2011 because the acts of lesbianism and homosexuality are not part of African culture.

He also urged the President to quickly assent to the Same Gender Marriage Prohibition Bill (2011) without further delay to ensure that the parade of homosexuals and lesbians are stopped permanently.

Chime vs other PDP guber aspirants: Anxiety in Enugu over judgment delay

BY CHINENYEH OZOR

N

SUKKA—THERE is anxiety in Enugu State, following alleged delay in delivery of judgement on the validity or otherwise of Governor Sullivan Chime’s nomination as the ruling People’s Democratic Party’s, PDP, candidate for the 2011 election.

Judgement in the preelction matter between two former governorship aspirants the PDP, Alex Obiechina and Anayo Onwuegbu on one hand, and Governor Chime on the other, was originally scheduled for April 23, after several postponements but was again adjourned sine die by Justice Adamu Bello, causing anxiety that the 90 days deadline allowed for judgement after final addresses had been adopted would soon elapse, thus denying the litigants justice.

According to court rules, judgement on matters filed in court, either through

originating summons, petition or writ of summons must be delivered within 90 days after the final addresses by counsel, unless the presiding judge asks for fresh adoption of such addresses at the expiration of the 90 days statutory period.

The political tussle in the state started in 2010, following disagreement between the governor and the former National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, over the chairmanship of Nwodo’s political ward in Ukehe, Igboetiti Local G o v e r n m e n t .

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had told the Abuja Court that the primaries under which Chime emerged failed to meet legal requirements, thus strengthening the belief by the opposition that he would eventually lose the case, as the commission was not represented in accordance with the law.

Also, Chief Obiechina, is challenging his exclusion from the primary after he

had satisfied the requirements of the PDP. He wants the outcome of the primary nullified, just as the Anayo Onwuegbu’s faction argued that the

primary, which produced Chime and the State and National Assembly candidates, did not comply with the 2010 Electoral Act and PDP constitution.

Insecurity: Lamido blames nation's leaders

BY TINA AKANNAM

D

UTSE—GOVERNOR Sule Lamido of Jigawa State yesterday blamed the current insecurity challenges facing the country on lack of accountability and prudent management of resources by some leaders in the country.

Lamido spoke when he received the Commander of the Third Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Kano, Brig-General Iliyasu Abba, who paid him a visit.

He, however, asked the Federal Government to improve welfare of security agencies to boost their morale in combating crimes. According to him, security men would work harder if their moral is

boosted through improvement in welfare, even as he assured of his support and cooperation with security agencies.

Daniel mourns Shofoluwe, Ige

T

HE death of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos Prof Babatunde Sofoluwe has been described as a big blow to the country’s academic community and its education development given his sterling contributions in the sector.

Former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who is also a distinguished alumnus of the institution, said this in a condolence to the wife of the departed academic, Dr (Mrs) Funmi Sofoluwe.

"I received the news of the sudden demise of our amiable, dedicated, thorough, professional and gentle-

man Vice-Chancellor, Prof Babatunde Sofuluwe with rude shock and disbelief.

By this development, the nation has been robbed of the invaluable services of a thorough bred administrator in the education sector.

In a related development, Otunba Daniel has urged the family of Sir Dele Ige to take solace in the worthy legacy he left behind. He said the Yoruba race and indeed the nation have lost a worthy elder statesman in Sir Dele Ige, a selfless and patriotic Nigerian who contributed his own quota to the development of the nation.

Lagos House directs Mushin LG to dissolve exco of Ladipo traders' association

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

L

AGOS State House of Assembly has directed the Mushin Local Government to desolve leadership of Ladipo Market Traders’ Association headed by Jonathan Okoli and set up a Caretaker/Market Management Committee to run the affairs of the association in the next three months to end the leadership crisis that had engulfed the traders’ association in the past five years.

In a recommendation by the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Public Petitions, it de-

clared that the leadership crisis bedeviling the market had degenerated into unprecedented violence just as it had become a major threat to peace in the local government.

According to the House, the committee should consist of three representatives each from the Okoli group; the Okechukwu Imo group, Paramo Development Ventures, and the Mushin Local Government Area, with the aim of taking charge of affairs of the market, ensuring peace, as well as organising a free and fair election of new executive within three months.

Chuka Ofili passes on

C

HIEF Chuka Sunday Ofili, 56, (Ezekwesili Okpe), Chief Executive Officer, Mercent Technologies Ltd, is dead.

Burial rites will kick off on May 24, with a wake keep at his residence in Mafoluku, Lagos while the body will be conveyed to his hometown, Ugbene-Uvuru in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State on June 1 for another wake keep to be followed by interment the following

day. Thanksgiving will hold on Sunday, June 3 at St. Partricks Catholic Church, Uvuru.

zLate Chuka ofili

Witness disowns signature...insists it was forged

BY INNOCENT ANABA

A

prosecution witness in the on-going trial of Mr. Yusuf Adeleke, a Lagosbased lawyer, before an Ikeja Magistrate Court, Lagos, Mr Monsuru Taiwo, yesterday, insisted that his signature was forged in respect of a suit before a Federal High Court, in Lagos in 2007.

The witness, a land Surveyor, in his evidence at

the resumed hearing in the case of perjury and forgery against the lawyer, Adeleke, told the court, under cross examination, that he came to know about the forgery of his signature, when confronted with some documents at Force Headquarters, Abuja. Trial magistrate is Taiwo Akanni.

The prosecution had alleged that the accused with others at large, sometime in March 2011, at the Lagos State High

Court conspired to commit perjury and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 518 (6) of the criminal Code Cap C. 17 Vol. II Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2008.

The prosecution had also alleged that the accused and others still at large, forged the signature of Monsuru Taiwo by presenting himself to the Clerk of the court as Monsuru Taiwo.

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012—49

Time to get help for your angry personality I

F you are angry, hostile, or have vio lent behaviour, it is important to find help. Anger signals your body to prepare for a fight. This reaction is commonly classified as "fight or flight."

Experts say when you get angry, adrenaline and other hormones are released into the bloodstream, then your blood pressure goes up, your heart beats faster, and you breathe faster.

Many people mistakenly believe that anger is always a bad emotion and that expressing anger is not okay. In reality, anger can be a normal response to everyday events. It is the right response to any situation that is a real threat. Anger can be a positive driving force behind our actions. Anger can also be a symptom of something else, depending on how often a person feels angry and how angry the person feels.

Hostility is being ready for a fight all the time. Hostile people are often stubborn, impatient, hotheaded, or have an "attitude." They are frequently in fights or may say they feel like hitting something or someone. Hostility isolates you from other people.

Anger and constant hostility keep your blood pressure high and increase your chances of having another health problem, such as depression, heart attack, or a stroke.

Young persons who say they often feel angry and hostile also more often feel anxious, stressed, sad, and fatigued. They have more problems with alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, and eating disorders than teens who do not have high levels of anger.

Violent behavior often begins with verbal threats or relatively minor incidents, but over time it can involve physical harm. Violent behaviour is very damaging, both physically and emotionally. Violent behavior can include physical, verbal, or sexual abuse of an intimate partner (domestic violence), a child (child abuse), or an older adult (elder abuse).

Violence causes more injury and death in children, teenagers, and young adults than infectious disease, cancer, or birth defects. Murder, suicide, and violent injury are the leading causes of death in children.

Standard Chartered, Arthouse Contemporary raise N9.92m in aid of ‘Seeing is Believing' B Y CHIOMA OBINNA

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HE auction and donations of Afri can artworks organised by the Arthouse Contemporary and in collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank last week in Lagos, raised a total of $62,000.

With over 28 million beneficiaries of its Seeing is Believing (SiB) project across 17 countries, the Private Bank team of Standard Chartered, Nigeria says blindness is a concrete example of the Bank's long-term commitment to its markets as well as addressing an issue that impacts health and economic productivity in the Bank's communities.

Launched in 2003 to celebrate the 150th anniversary, SiB is Standard Chartered's global initiative to tackle avoidable blindness in communities especially among children, and to raise awareness of blindness and visual impairment.

Executive Director, Private Banking, and Mr. Richard Howarth, said: "The

personal service delivered by our African Private Bankers is with our clients in mind. Our Private Bankers are experienced and passionate relationship managers with extensive knowledge and understanding to appreciate the clients' needs and aspirations.

He added that with the growing worldwide interest in African art, the bank was pleased to showcase contemporary African art to increase awareness for our global initiative of tackling avoidable blindness."

Managing Director, Arthouse Contemporary, Mrs. Kevita Chellaram noted that the sponsorship was a good example of how a large international company can make use of its relationships to leverage its own donations while positively impacting the society.

“For Standard Chartered, it is clear that community investment is not a separate, 'nice to have' activity, but an integral part of their strategy and part of their brand promise to be Here for good.''

Drugs: Ogun cautions community pharmacies

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• Anger, over time is damaging to health.

ROPRIETORS of community pharmacies in Ogun State have been admonished to always purchase genuine drugs and avoid fakes in order to prevent untimely death of patients.

They should also restrict their practice to dispensing drugs only and stop prescribing drugs to patients as this is the function of medical doctors.

Permanent Secretary in the Ogun State Ministry of Health, Dr.Tunde Olowonyo who gave this advice in Abeokuta while declaring open an interactive meeting between state Pharmaceutical Inspectors, Gener-

al Pharmacists Employers and Superintendent Pharmacists, said rather than allow pharmacists prescribe drugs, their employers should engage a medical doctor who would examine a patient and prescribe, after which the pharmacists will be left to administer such drug on the patient noting that "it was very important for them to limit themselves to their profession".

Olowonyo enjoined the employers to give pharmaceutical inspectors the required cooperation to enable them advice and rectify deficiencies in registered premises.

"Inspection should not be seen as an exercise that only involves the compilation of an inventory of faults and ir-

Don't use strike as instrument of bargaining —OLADOSU B Y SOLA OGUNDIPE

C

HAIRMAN of the Lagos State branch of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, AGPMPN, Dr. Olayinka Oladosu has appealed to the Lagos State Government and the Medical Guild to re-evaluate their present position on the impasse within the health sector in the interest of the good people of Lagos State.

Oladosu, who urged that strike should not be used as an instrument of bargaining in the present dispensation, said lobby and dialogue were much better options.

Speaking in Lagos at a press briefing held by the Association to state its position on the current health sector crisis in the state, made the

appeal against the backdrop of loss of lives trailing the sacking of the doctors and subsequent events, urged both parties to sheath their swords and embrace constructive negotiations for the sake of peace.

"We want Nigerian citizens who need our services to be attended to as a matter of right, irrespectiveof the prevailing circumstances. At the same time, our colleagues should have total rethionk of their present strategy of using strike as a tool for conflict resolution.

Also speaking, National President of the Association of Dr. Anthony Omolola urged the Lagos State Government and the sacked doctors to be more focused towards fashioning a way out of the imbroglio, saying that the interest of the patients and the image of the medical profession remained par-

amount.

He called for constructive dialogue as the only way out of the current logjam in the health sector in Lagos state as a result of the crisis brought about by the sack of 788 doctors in the employment of the Lagos State Government.

Expressing dissatisfaction about the current strike and all attendant problems in the state health sector, Omolola said: “We are ready to sacrifice to bring succor to patients. This is a moment of reflection, a moment where we need to have a re-think about the happenings in Lagos State.

“However hard the situation may be, succour and solution must come. \We believe that strike should be last option to get something in a conflict resolution. We believe in the dialogue process in conflict resolution,” he stated.

regularities, but an opportunities to assist and motivate legal stakeholders in the drug industry and correct specific deficiencies for the ultimate benefit of the citizens of the State" he noted.

In a statement , Information Officer in the Ministry, Miss Seun Oyelade, Olowonyo said that with thorough inspection, drugs of proven efficacy and safety will reach the citizenry.

Director, Pharmaceutical Service, Pharm. Modupe Olurin said the meeting was convened to enhance communication between the parties, saying the objective of the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria was to ensure a standadised practice at community level.

Overall objective is to enable access to qualitative pharmaceutical care and provide a conducive environment for the overall benefit of the community.

50 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

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Phone hacking: Ex-News of the World editor charged with perverting justice STORIES BY UDUMA KALU

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ORMER U.K. tab loid editor Rebekah Brooks, her husband and four close aides were charged Tuesday over alleged attempts to conceal evidence in Britain’s phone hacking scandal — the first prosecutions since police reopened inquiries 18 months ago into wrongdoing by the country ’s scandalhungry press.

News Corporation Chief Executive and Chairman Rupert Murdoch gave evidence at the Leveson Inquiry at the High Court in London last April 26. But British lawmakers Tuesday said Murdoch is however unfit to run a major international company and should take responsibility for a culture of illegal phone hacking that has shaken News Corp. The PMs focused on the failings of the 81year-old, his son James and a company which they said had showed “willful blindness” about the scale of phone-hacking that first emerged at Murdoch’s News of the World newspaper.

But Murdoch, who has spent millions of dollars on the scandal, said he is also a victim. “I think the senior executives … and I were all misinformed and shielded from anything that was

Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of News International leaves the High Court in London after giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry Tuesday going on there, and I do blame one or two people for that, who perhaps I shouldn’t name, because for all I know they may be arrested yet, but there’s no question in my mind that maybe even the editor, but certainly beyond that someone took charge of a coverup, which we were victim to and I regret.”

Previously, two people were jailed in 2007 for hacking the phones of members of the royal household. Brooks, 43, who quit as News International chief executive in July, faces three separate allegations of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice — an offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Alison Levitt, the principal legal advisor to

Britain’s Director of Public Prosecutions, said that Brooks is alleged to have concealed material from police — including computers and other electronic devices — and is accused of removing seven boxes of material from News International archives. Brooks’ husband Charlie Brooks, a racehorse trainer; Brooks’ former personal assistant Cheryl Carter; the exhead of security at News International Mark Hanna; Brooks’ exchauffeur Paul Edwards; and Daryl Jorsling, a member of the firm’s security staff, also face allegations of obstruction of justice.

Levitt confirmed that a seventh person, who was also a member of News International security staff, would not face any charges.

Nigerian nabbed in US for using dead man’s ID for 20 yrs

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OR 20 years, coworkers on the security team at one of the nation’s busiest airports knew him as Jerry Thomas. His real name, authorities say, was Bimbo Olumuyiwa Oyewole, a Nigerian who used the name of a murder victim to hide his status as an illegal immigrant.

Though there’s no indication of any other intent or transgressions, the revelation comes the same day a federal report says security breaches at the Newark airport were mishandled.

Authorities say Oyewole worked undetected for years as a security guard and later a security supervisor.

Oyewole captured by the police yesterday Oyewole, 54, worked at the airport, starting in 1992, using the name of Jerry Thomas, who was killed that year in New York City. He was arrested, after an anonymous tip, at his home in Elizabeth on Monday and faced charges in-

cluding identity theft, authorities said. It wasn’t immediately known how Thomas’ personal information was acquired.

Police in New York didn’t say whether Oyewole was a suspect in the July 20, 1992, killing of Thomas in Queens.

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l-r: Chief of air staff, Air marshal Mohammed Diko Umar; President Goodluck Jonathan with Governor Yakowa of Kaduna State and minister of state for defence at the 48th Nigerian Airforce day celebration in Kaduna, yesterday. Photo: Olu Ajayi.

SWEARING-IN: Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, congratulates Mr Nick Opara Ndudu (right) after being sworn in as Commissioner for Economic Planning at Owerri

From left: Mr. Dami Ayodele; Tolu Odukoya, Brand Manager Lucozade Sport; Dr. Grace Otinwa, Associate Professor of Exercise Physiocology Human Kinetics and Health Education,UNILAG, and Mr. Habeeb Adeleye, Account Manager, Lucozade Sport, Connect Marketing Services at the 2012 Gym Instructors Forum At Ariel Suites, Lagos. Photo: Oscar Ochiogu.

L-R: Mark Oluwanisola, secretary; Alabi Adebunmi, chairmen/president, and his wife, Easther Adebunmi, all of Return To Your Creator Outreach Mission at a press conference on the fundraising for Mission's new campsite in Lagos.

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Labour Minister denies plot to break NLC

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

A

BUJA— MINISTER of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, yesterday, denied knowledge of an alleged plot to break up the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and register a parallel labour centre, saying “there is no such application from any federal government

agency before his ministry.”

Wogu who spoke against the backdrop of the allegation by the NLC that the government was plotting to break it ahead of rumoured fuel price hike, said it was not within the purview of the federal government to apply for registration of any trade union.

He said: “I have called a

Expect more building collapses this year— Minister

By LAIDE AKIBOADE

Chief Ernest Shonekan (2nd left) flanked by Mr Babs Omotowa, MD, NLNG, Chima Isilebo, GM Production, NLNG and Dr Osobonye R LongJohn, Chairman Board of Directors, NLNG at the NLNG Plant, Bonny Island, Rivers State, yesterday.

Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwanbo(left); National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Dr Bamanga Tukur and the Party National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola during the Gombe State’s PDP Solidarity Visit to the National Secretariat in Abuja, yesterday

Yar'Adua a true servant leader —Sambo

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BUJA—Vice-Presi dent Namadi Sambo, yesterday, presented to the public a book on the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and extolled his servantleadership qualities.

The book entitled: “The Servant Leader 2 - 3 Years Presidential Watershed of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua," is written by Mr Emmanuel Adeda.

Sambo said at the presentation of the book that the country lost an apostle of servant-leadership, saying the late Yar’Adua was loving and compassionate as he had expressed love for all Nigerians and showed genuine affection for all without bias.

He maintained that the late Yar’Adua served Nigeria “faithfully until his untimely end,” adding: “The late President popularised the concept of servant-leadership in Nigeria.

“It is a generally held belief that the late President Yar’Adua had wanted to genuinely and meritoriously serve the Nigerian people up to the end but his

illness and eventual death cut short this avowed intention and service to the nation. During his inaugural speech of May 29 2007, President Yar’Adua had this to say: ‘I will serve with the fear of God; I will serve with humility and I will be a servant-leader.”

Sambo on transformation While restating the commitment of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to following the path of transforming the country, Sambo urged Nigerians to support the Federal Government in its quest for the progress of the country.

“President Jonathan is honest, patriotic, transparent and fair and would faithfully implement the programmes that would make the country one of the twenty most developed nations by the year 20:2020.”

In his remark, the chairman of the occasion, Chief Solomon Lar, observed that the late president initiated

a fresh dimension to governance in Nigeria.

Lar, who was represented by former Minister of Information and Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana, challenged everybody to obtain a copy of the book as it would be useful to serving and aspiring leaders.

Guest speaker, Alhaji Maitama Sule, said Late President Yar’Adua was a just and fair leader who died for the service of his fatherland and urged leaders to always emulate the late president.

Also speaking, the author of book, Adeka stated that the book, “Servant Leader 2”, should be regarded as a modest contribution to the leadership process in Nigeria.

He said:“It is hoped that the public will find it useful in assessing leadership styles in Nigeria. It is hoped that in reading the book, people will admire the fact that what we need in Nigeria is committed, visionary, honest leadership driven by respect for the rule of law.”

A

BUJA – Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon Ewa, yesterday, said Nigerians should expect more building collapse, especially during the ongoing rainy season.

Ewa who stated this at the National Technical Workshop on Collapse of Building in Nigeria organized by Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, NBRRI, in Abuja, said: “For example, in the first quarter of this year (2012), there have been loss of lives, injuries and loss to the economy from building collapses in Awka, Anambra; Gwarinpa, Abuja; Ilorin, Kwara; and I am informed that we should expect some more collapses as the rainy season goes by. It

is, therefore, clearly a national problem.”

He assured Nigerians that the ministry was set to lay a foundation stone of NBRRI cement pilot plant in Ota, adding that this would make the country join the global community on the potency of pozzolana cements.

Vice President Namadi Sambo, who declared the workshop opened, noted that the Federal Government will be very happy if it was advised on how to find a permanent solution to the challenge. He said: “As a pragmatic and seasoned professional in the construction sector myself, the issue of combating the incidences of collapse buildings in Nigeria has been of concern to me as well as the government.."

Sacked Lagos doctors: Fashola, NMA parley deadlocked

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HE scheduled meet ing between Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and leadership of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, to find ways of resolving the dispute involving the sack of 788 doctors by the state government yesterday ended in a deadlock.

The meeting, earlier slated for 4 pm did not hold till about 6 pm due to tight schedule of the governor who played host to three ministers of the federation led by Finance Minister, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Those at the meeting held late into the evening at Lagos State House, Ikeja, included Governor Babatunde Fashola; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe, other senior state officials from the state Ministry of Health and representatives of the NMA led by its President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele.

Speaking with newsmen after the botched meeting with the governor, Dr. Enabulele, described the meet-

ing as inconclusive and unfortunate, adding: “No conclusion has been taken, we believe that even the government will be open to engage the association on the need for us to speedily resolve this unfortunate crisis in the health sector.

meeting of my Ministry and labour unions and that meeting will take place on Monday and the issues to be discussed are those current issues that are already being talked about in the media like registration of new trade union centres. Well the allegation in the media is that Federal Government is bent on registering a union as a parallel trade union, I have not received such application from the federal government. It is not within the purview of the federal government to apply for registration of any trade union. First of all I debunk that there is no such application from any federal government agency before me. I equally debunk that there is no such application from any interested union and having said so the current position is that there is no application before the Minister of labour and productivity or cannot be located anywhere in the Ministry.

“The point is that the extant labour law has given the Minister of Labour and Productivity authority to accept application for registration of trade union because there is a department responsible for registration of trade union which is domiciled in the ministry of labour and productivity and once such applications are received by the ministry there are procedures to be followed and these procedures are not done behind the scene.

They are straight forward procedures and equally we are guided by the International Labour Organisation ILO convention that states how trade unions are to be registered this are procedures that has to be followed."

Boko Haram kills 308 in 118 attacks — minister

M

INISTER of Po lice Affairs, retired Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade, said, yesterday, the Boko Haram sect has so far carried out 118 attacks in six northern states and the FCT, killing 308 people.

Olubolade who enumerated the achievements and challenges of the ministry in the last one year at the on-going ministerial press briefing said the attacks were carried out in Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Niger, Yobe and Plateau states.

He said that 33 suspects connected to the group were arrested, adding thatgovernment was ap-

preciative of the concerns of Nigerians to issues of personal safety and security, and has taken concrete measures to ensure peace and stability in the country.

According to him, criminal gangs have taken advantage of technology to perpetuate evil acts and assured Nigerians that the police were being trained and equipped to combat the new security challenges. “It is important to note that achievements of the police in stemming crimes and terrorism is not so publicised, but I can assure that the police are making progress."

62 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Ronaldo deser deservves Ballon D’Or — Mourinho Giggs, FFergie ergie are bes bestt e evver .. . Says Messi's goals count for nothing

J

OSE MOURINHO reckons Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the next FIFA world player of the year over Lionel Messi.

Barcelona star Messi has picked up the Ballon D’Or for the last three years, collecting his third award in January.

Ronaldo scored an astonishing 46 La Liga goals this campaign – although, unbelievably, that was still four short of Messi’s haul of 50 league strikes.

Real boss Mourinho said: “Cristiano has to win the Ballon D’Or, not because he has been the top goalscorer — he was that already last season — but because his goals have delivered a title.

“Messi scored 50 goals that weren’t worth anything, in the same way that Cristiano scored 42 last season that didn’t stand for anything.

“He hasn’t been able to win the Pichichi (topscorer in La Liga) and I

believe he should be compensated with the Ballon D’Or.” Mourinho described his first league title in Spain as the toughest he has ever won.

“All the titles are well recognised, this is undeniable.

“But I can say that this was the most difficult of the seven titles I have won.

“This was more difficult because we had an opponent that is recognised as the best team in the past few years.

“Throughout the whole tournament there was a great pressure because if we drew we could lose points in the title race. For this reason it has been the most difficult, but also very deserved.”

R

YAN Giggs has been named the Premier League’s greatest player and Alex Ferguson the top boss.

The Manchester United pair scooped the gongs as football celebrated 20 years of the Prem.

Giggs is United’s most decorated player while Fergie has won 12 titles since taking over in 1986.

Fergie blames time ffor or title loss

A

STAND BY YOUR MAN ... Real Madrid boss Mourinho and his star player Ronaldo

City in for RVP

M

ANCHESTER City are ready to swoop for Robin van Per-

RVP MOVING VAN? ... Robin van Persie is set for key talks with Arsenal

sie.

The Arsenal skipper, will today hold showdown talks with Gunners manager Arsene Wenger over his future.

The Dutch striker, 28, is entering the final year of his £80,000-a-week contract and new champs City are preparing an opening offer of £20million.

His agent Kees Vos has been spotted at the Etihad Stadium.

Yet Vos said: “We’re keeping our negotiations confidential.

“I have been to a lot of Premier League games this season — including City ones.

“I watch a lot of players — my life does not revolve around Robin van Persie.”

Arsenal are expected to try to persuade Van Persie to agree a new four-year deal worth £130,000 a week.

They will also offer a £5m signing-on fee in a desperate bid to stop yet another one of their key players joining the exodus to the Etihad — following Emannuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy and Sami Nasri.

One thing’s for sure, City are not going to stand still after their stunning title triumph.

As well as Player of the Year Van Persie, they also expect to land £25m Lille midfielder Eden Hazard.

City hitman Sergio Aguero said: “It can only be good when you strengthen during the summer period.”

Di Matteo tips Chelsea to make history R OBERTO Di Matteo is intent on masterminding “something extraordinary” in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final against Bayern mMunich and has brushed off the prospect of it being his last match in charge of Chelsea.

“I have a big drive and a big motivation to do something extraordinary for this club. That’s all I want to do. Whatever comes afterwards, ther’s always a reason why

things happen.

“This game can decide the history of our football club. It would be the first time we would win the European Champions League. That’s all that matters and all we’re thinking about and focusing on. It’s a massive game, a big game for the club, a big game for our players. I’m not suggesting it’s just another game. We have to go into it with the knowledge we have the quality and experience to win it.”

Former Old Trafford star Gary Neville said: “Ryan Giggs will go down as the most successful British footballer of all time and I cannot see anyone ever overtaking him.

“He has surpassed all records in terms of domestic titles and he has incredible desire, quality and spirit. He’s just fantastic to watch every single week.”

LEX Ferguson has come up with the most bizarre reason yet for Manchester United’s title defeat, City were allowed to finish after his side. The Red Devils thought they had retained the crown after winning at Sunderland.

But 13 seconds later news filtered through that City had beaten QPR in injury time.

Fergie said: “The Premier League needs to look into it.

“No team should be finishing after the other. We thought we’d done it.”

Lapor or Laportta blames Barca ffor Guardiola’s exit

•Guardiola

F

ORMER Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes that the club’s board are responsible for Pep Guardiola’s imminent departure and claims that the directors have now made a panic decision in appointing Tito Vilanova as their new

coach. Laporta claims that the former Spain international is walking away because he was not given adequate backing from above, something he believes the Barca board swiftly attempted to make amends for by naming current assistant coach Vilanova as his replacement. ”It is a panic decision after not having done more for Guardiola,” the former Blaugrana supremo said to Catalunya Radio. ”Barça are in a cycle of change and Guardiola dared not try do so because he did not have enough support from the board''

Pardew scoops Manager of the Year A ward Aw

A

•Drogba

TIME TO KILL ... Alex Ferguson wants games to finish at same time

LAN Pardew has scooped the LMA Manager of the Year award.

The 50-year-old boss led Newcastle to a fifthplaced finish in the Premier League.

He said: “Coming from my fellow managers, this really is as good as it gets and has to be the highlight of my managerial career so far.

“This award is not just for me though. Everything we have achieved as Newcastle this season has been achieved as a result of an incredible team effort.

“The board, my coaching staff, backroom team, players and our magnificent supporters – they all play a crucial role and I thank every one of them.”

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 —63

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS:

Keshi names Eagles tomorrow

Ok oyaThomas, Odogwu, Galadima, S Oko a-Thomas, Kof o Nw ok edi bag NOC P atrons ofo Nwok okedi Patrons

A

S the days draw clos er to its Annual General Meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, has appointed four prominent Nigerians as Patrons of the body.

The four heavyweights are foremost Philanthropist Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, Industrialist Chief Sunny Iwedike Odogwu, foremost Sports Administrator and former Chairman of Nigeria Football Association Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima and former Weightlifting President Chief(Mrs) Kofo Nwokedi.

The Executive board of

the NOC which approved the nominations and appointments said that they(appointees) richly deserved their appointments they were purely based on recognition of their meritorious service to Nigerian sports and the Olympic Movement in particular.

President of NOC, Engr Sani M. Ndanusa

had since congratulated them.

Consequently, their investiture as Patrons is scheduled to take place on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of the Committee which takes place on Thursday, 24th May at the prestigious Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Lesh coaching clinic ends

T

HE second edition of the annual Lesh Tennis Club Kids Coaching clinic ended at the weekend at the University of Lagos tennis courts Akoka.

Over sixty kids from Primary and secondary schools around the Akoka axis completed the week-long coaching clinic.

UPER Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, will tomorrow in Abuja unveil his hit squad for the three big games in the month of June.

Already, 24 home boys have been sweating it out in Abuja for the past two weeks, ahead of the international friendly against Peru in Lima on May 23. A list of 17 will be made out of the 24, to be joined by five foreign-based players who have been called for the purpose.

On Thursday, at the FIFA Technical Centre, National Stadium, Abuja, Keshi will name the team that will confront Namibia and Malawi in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Calabar and Blantyre respectively, as well as the 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier against the Amavubi

FIFA names Sudanese refs for Eagles, Namibia

W

ORLD footballgoverning body, FIFA has named Sudanese referee Khalid Abdel Rahman as the centre man for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the

Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Brave Warriors of Namibia, which is scheduled for the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar on Sunday, June 3.

FIFA also, on Tuesday,

confirmed the tie for the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar following the withdrawal of candidature of National Stadium, Abuja by the Nigeria Football Federation.

He will be assisted by compatriots Waleed Ahmed Ali (1st Assistant), Mohammed Idam Hamid (2nd Assistant) and Badr El Din Abdel Gadir (4th Official).

'RIP Fergie’ banner Continues from BP

to a quote by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson prior to a derby game in 2009 when, after being asked if he ever saw a time when his team would be underdogs against City, he replied: “Not in my lifetime.”Manchester City have since issued an apology to their rivals for Tevez’s actions.

Joel Obi’s Injur y Injury star tles Keshi Continues from BP quickest of recoveries”, Keshi enthused, adding that Obi will have to be replaced by another player yet to be named.

There are already indications that a new player would be invited in the stead of Obi, as the national team technical crew make last minute adjustments to its team list that is scheduled to be announced any moment from now.

In Tuesday ’s morning’s training, 17 players featured instead of 18, as Barnabas Imenger was given an off day to shake off the knock he picked up at his club in the hotel gym. He said

later that he feels less pain in his troubled knee and should be back in training by Wednesday.

Heartland’s duo of Obinna Nwachukwu and Daniel Akpeyi, as well as Warri Wolves foursome; Chigozie Agbim, Azubuike Egwueke, Sunday Mba and Ossai Uche, who formed the spine of the national team at the moment were also absent in the morning training due to late arrival from continental club assignments. But they will be part of Wednesday’s morning training as they arrived camp later to join in the battle for shirts for the trip to Lima, Peru on Saturday.

FIF A names FIFA Sudanese refs for Eagles, Namibia

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

—Page 63

Joel Obi’s Injury startles Keshi S

UPER Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, has expressed dismay over the reported injury to Inter Milan of Italy midfielder, Joel Obi, declaring that the player has always been in his plans

in the national scheme of things.

Keshi said in Abuja at the team’s Bolton White Apartment camp that even if the player was not on his list for the upcoming qualifiers in

TODAY'S

jured player to camp, one thing is certain he has many years ahead of him to serve his fatherland”. I wish him the Continues on page 63

Sunshine w ar th Africans war aryy of Nor North

S

UNSHINE Stars have acknowledged being paired in a tough group in the 2012 Caf Champions League.

The Akure Gunners will face Esperance of Tunisia, Etoile du Sahel Sportive and AS Chlef of Algeria all north African clubs in the group stage of the continent’s biggest club football competition this year.

Sunshine Stars’ head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote agrees it is a tricky and tough pairing for his team.

•Keshi

June, he still feels a bitter sense of loss by the injury and wished the fledgeling midfielder quick recovery. “It’s sad that he’s injured, he’s a promising players but we cannot invite an in-

PUZZLES

“No doubt the other teams in our group are quality sides and surprisingly they are all North African sides. At least we know our opponents before we kick a ball and now we will work towards reaching the semifinals.

“Agreed we are the only team in the country remaining on the continent.

We will have to give everything to fly the country’s flag well and I am confident we have the team to do so,” he said.

Midfielder Ekundayo Ojo believes his side’s YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

home form in the group stage will be key in reaching the last four.

“Well, we are in a very tough group. If we can win all our three home games and get one away win, we are through to the semifinals,” he said.

•Injured... Joe Obi is assisted by an Inter medic as he limps off the field.

RIP Fergie’ banner puts Tevez in firing Manchester United by the Argentine forward by line again holding a banner pro- a City supporter during

C

ARLOS Tevez add ed an unsavoury chapter to the simmering rivalry between Manchester City and

claiming ‘RIP Fergie’ during his club’s Premier League title trophy parade through the city.

The banner, handed to

the 90-minute open-top bus parade, is believed to have been a reference

Continues on page 63

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 4 Accepted (5) 7 Penalise (6) 9 Resin (3) 10 Girl’s (3) 12 Whelp (5) 13 Cut (4) 15 Readjusted (5) 17 Rest (6) 19 Nobleman (4) 20 Inn (5) 22 Sick (3) 24 Swung (7) 27 Sister (3) 28 Skeleton (5) 31 Granting (4) 33 Purity (6) 35 Happening (5) 37 Scheme (4) 38 Hurry (5) 39 Solidify (3) 41 Consume (3) 42 Awe (6) 43 Gem (5)

DOWN 1 Splatter (6) 2 Introduce (6) 3 Tree (3) 4 Ribbon (4) 5 Sharp (5) 6 Shop (8) 8 Idol (4) 11 Abdicating (9) 14 Act (4) 16 Vend (4) 18 Scheme (4) 21 Conquered (8) 23 Departed (4) 25 Naked (4) 26 Ooze (4) 29 Refer (6) 30 Whole (6) 32 Dissuade (5) 34 Hash (4) 36 Meat (4) 40 Moo (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Prod 4, Cat 6, Shed 9, Her 10, Commerce 11, Omen 14, For 16, Sloth 19, Consider 21, Reset 23, Delegate 24, Banal 27, Tin 31, Fold 33, Adherent 34, See 35, Read 36, Lid 37, Huge.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Room 3, Damp 4, Corroded 5, Tier 6, Shoal 7, Hem 8, Erect 12, Scrub 13, Union 14, Fib 15, Reset 17, Organ 18, Hated 20, Relished 22, Ten 25, Arose 26, Aided 28, Call 29, Arch 30, Snug 32, Lea.

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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