First Lady, 30,000 women ground Abuja by Vanguard Media Limited

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61948

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N150

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Oil activities cause N160 trillion devastation in N-Delta, by Kuku

From left: Professor G G Darah, Panel Chairman; Hon Kingsley Kuku, SA to the President on Niger Delta; Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Chief of Naval Staff and Major General Bata Debira, Commandant, Joint Task Force Operation, JTF, during the conference on Oil Theft and Illegal Bunkering in the Niger Delta organised by Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta and Presidential Amnesty Committee in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele. Story on Page 8

First Lady, 30,000 women ground Abuja BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH, ALICE FESTUS & FAITH GORA

•Hold rally with drummers, dancers •Residents, workers groan over traffic chaos •Military aircraft mount surveillance, soldiers take over streets •President, First Lady urge peace, positive change AT EMEKA ANYAOKU'S BOOK LAUNCH

BUJA —NIGER IA’S Federal Capital, Abuja, was literally grounded, yesterday, as about 30,000 women drawn from 36 states of the Federation, led by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, held a

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Mr & Mrs

BOOK LAUNCH—From left: Amb. Jibrin D. Chinade, Chairman Organising Committee; Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori, Deputy Governor, Osun State; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru; the celebrant, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Chief Launcher, representing Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr Leke Pitan and former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo unveiling the book "Footprints of an Iconic Diplomat", at MUSON Centre, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Diran Oshe. SEE STORY ON PAGE 9, MORE PICTURES ON PAGE 16.

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Three PDP Northern govs visit Tukur

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POCKET CARTOON

VISIT—From left: Governors Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto State; Sule Lamido of Jigawa State; National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State after a meeting at the residence of the PDP National Chairman in Abuja, yesterday.

First Lady, 30,000 women ground Abuja Continues from page 1 rally to sensitise women in the country on the

gains recorded so far in enhancing peace and women empowerment. The event, which was

LIFEWORDS BY PASTOR ITUAH

Leaders choose who to bestow favours on, but fairness and justice require that every person led must be given equal access and opportunity.

TAKE HEART

held at the Eagles Square, effectively cut off workers from the imposing Federal Secretariat on both Shehu Shagari Way and Ibrahim Babangida Road, forcing them to trek to the office.

Surprise for Abuja workers, residents

BY ELLA RANDLE

E in the moment. Don’t worry about the past and the future. Contentment is reached when you make the most of the present. Changing your outlook more positively makes it much easier to be content. Stop comparing your life against others. Enjoy and make the most of what you have — Wiki How Love your job. No matter how much you earn, no matter how much training in a specific field you have, no matter how much you think ought to follow the “right path”, working in a job you dislike will not bring you contentment. Even your perfect home life cannot overcome the daily grind of a much-detested job. The key is to accept that you might not be cut out for the career you chose for yourself. And to accept that happiness may just come with a much less well paid job that comes with greater fulfilment. Readjust your life’s priorities. Trust and have faith. Learn to trust more and learn to have faith in both others and yourself. This may seem difficult at first in a world where you are taught to “trust nobody but yourself ” but if you cannot even trust yourself, even that adage is erroneous. Forget the negative connotations about trust. Be a pragmatic trust-warrior by accepting that there will be some people who will abuse that trust but for every abuser, it is likely there will be nine people who reciprocate your trust, or who eventually come around because someone cared enough to trust them. Hang onto this belief doggedly and change your outlook about life.

The event, which took workers and residents by surprise, also prevented commercial and government drivers from dropping their passengers, mostly workers in their designated bus stops around the secretariat. Instead, hordes of stern-looking and guntotting security men, who had descended on the venue before dawn, ordered them to stop some 200 metres away from the Square, which is surrounded by the Federal Secretariat. As vehicular and human traffic was effectively cut off from all the routes leading to the venue of the rally, tagged, “Nigerian Women Rally for Peace and Empowerment”, frustrated motorists were directed to any

available route. This led to a traffic snarl in most part of the day. Consequently, all major streets in the business district of Abuja were blocked by traffic, giving traffic wardens a hectic day. While the traffic chaos lasted, armed soldiers and battle-ready policemen took positions on strategic road intersections, frisking commuters and pedestrians. The armed men on the streets were given aerial support by military helicopters, which hovered over the venue of the rally, making occasional displays, as they flew past. At the rally,Dame Jonathan, backed by Vice President Namadi Sambo and some ministers and their spouses, relished the show as thousands of women danced and marched past them. The First Lady smiled and waved at the women groups, as the floats ferrying them drove past. Women in various military and paramilitary agencies in the country and women organisations gave goodwill messages to the President’s wife. Speaking at the ceremony, First Lady, Dr. Patience Jonathan, who is also the President, African First Ladies Peace Mission, explained that the show was intended to mobilize and galvanize Nigerian women towards greater contribution to peace and the overall development of the Nigerian nation. She stated that women have an important role to play in sustaining and advancing the cause of peace and development in the country. She described Nigeria as one of the best endowed countries in the world, stressing that with greater understanding and love among all Nigerians the country would certainly achieve her full potentials.

First Lady hails women The First Lady gave kudos to the various women groups from all states of the federation and the FCT for their support, while thanking the President and many state governors for giving the womenfolk opportunity to serve at various levels in the civil and

public sector. Among those who attended the ceremony were Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, FCT Minister Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, many female and male ministers, including the Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, the First Lady of the Republic of South Africa, Mrs. Jacob Zuma and the first ladies of two other African countries. Also present at the event were members of the diplomatic corps, Federal Executive Council, National Assembly as well as wives of state governors among others. The rally was spiced with musical and cultural renditions, and among those who rendered highly inspiring music at the ceremony were Onyeka Onwenu, Inyanya, Johnny, Yinka Ayefele, Sani Danja and Young Snatchers.

Security lock down in Abuja The security lockdown in Abuja, Vanguard learnt, was also necessitated by the suspicion that some insurgents had planned to attack certain places in the country this week. As a result of the rally and the snarl in the city, major institutions could hardly operate for most of the day. The rally, which was attended by women from across the states, began from the Old Parade Ground through some designated routes in the FCT and terminated at the Eagles Square. Most commuters, who spoke with Vanguard , described their ordeal as horrible and blamed government for inflicting such hardship on

them. Abiodun Azeez, a taxi driver said: “The traffic was just too much. I wonder if the organisers took into consideration the havoc caused the ordinary citizens, whose means of livelihood was disrupted for the day. “I met the traffic right from the Yar'Ádua Centre and immediately turned away from that road and followed another route only to be confronted by a more serious snarl in the town. For that reason, I had to drop my car and take a special drop, which could not take me to my office because security men stopped the driver before the Eagle Square. Emmanuel Ayara, a businessman said: “I dropped my car at Area III Junction. I stay in Mararaba and I work at Commerce Plaza in Area III. Yes, there was a little traffic at AYA, but initially I wanted to pass through Central Area; I couldn’t pass through Central Area because of the traffic. That is why I decided to drop my car and use taxi to come to town yet I couldn’t move in town, you can see me with my load that is why I just had to drop with my load and walk.” Mrs Grace Kani, a worker with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Abuja, lamented the effect of the lockdown on her business, saying it was not a pleasant experience to be trapped in traffic for over five hours. Adeniyi Akanni said: “It was very difficult getting here and it is affecting our business and for me, I will just abandon that central area and I will not carry passengers going down that way because if I go there, I will get stuck there.”

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Court remands 18-yr-old, another over rape

BADAN — AN Ibadan Chief Magistrate's court in Oyo State, yesterday, remanded two men in prison custody for allegedly having unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl. The two accused persons, Ariyo Fawemi, 24, and Adetoro Ademola, 18, were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and rape. The prosecutor, Inspector Ade Adebusuyi, told the court that Fawemi and Ademola and two others now at large conspired to commit the crime. Adebusuyi said the accused persons also had unlawful carnal knowledge of one Biola, 17. The crime was committed on July 31 at 8pm. at Apata area of Ibadan. Adebusuyi said the offence contravened sections 357 and 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol.11, Laws of Oyo State, 2000. The pleas of the accused persons were not taken. Chief Magistrate Olusola Adetujoye ordered them to be remanded in prison custody pending the receipt of legal advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution. The case was adjourned to September 11 for mention.

Woman injured in kerosene explosion BY EMMA AMAIZE

ARRI— A MOTHER of six, Mrs. Bread Bear, was burnt in a kerosene explosion in her home at Sandfil village, 2 Warri Overside, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, Wednesday night. Vanguard gathered that Mrs. Bear, an indigene of Kalafiogbene in Bomadi Local Government Area of the state was burnt beyond recognition. A Niger Delta activist, Alhaji Yusuf Eregebene, who confirmed the incident, said the victim had been responsible for her husband who had been bedridden for the past 15 years. He said: “The source of the bad kerosene that exploded, as she tried to light a lantern at about 8.30 pm on Wednesday, was not known.”

How fake army major duped citizens of N10m, vehicles ...suspect, others paraded BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

ENIN CITY— SOLDIERS attached to the Edo State joint military anti-robbery unit, code named Operation Thunder Storm, yesterday, paraded one Kabiru John from Nasarawa State, who allegedly defrauded several persons of over N10 million while parading himself as an army major. Parading the fake army major and other suspected criminals at the 4 Brigade Army Headquarters, Benin City, Army Public Relations Officer, Capt. Roselyn Managbe, said the suspect had perpetrated frauds, including tricking one Ayeni Friday and one Tony Kabaka into parting with their vehicles. She explained that Kabaka parted with his Lexus SUV , in exchange for securing entry into the army school for his son, as promised by the fake army major. Kabaka, chairman of Akugbe Ventures, is one of the consultants to the Edo State government on revenue generation. Managbe said soldiers from the brigade also arrested suspected robbers, including Monday Aigbe, an ex-convict and a suspected narcotic dealer, Mrs. Josephine Ochini. According to her, “on June 20, 2013, one Mr. Ayeni Friday of 17, Eguaeveon Avenue, Benin City complained to troops of Operation Thunder Storm that he gave his vehicle, a blue Chrysler 300 2005/2006 model without regis-

tration number to one Major John Kabiru of 4 Brigade Provost Company for repairs on May 28, 2013. He said efforts to retrieve his car from him proved abortive. “Our preliminary investigation revealed that Mr. Kabiru John had been parading himself as a major in the Nigerian Army. It was also revealed that he claimed to be serving in 4 Brigade as the Officer Commanding the Provost Company. It was further revealed that he was always seen around dressed in full military gear while involving himself in all forms of shady deals and duping unsuspecting victims. “Mr. John Kabiru confessed that the Lexus SUV which was recovered from him with registration number EDO BF 607 USL belonged to one Mr. Tony Kabaka of 18, Etete GRA, Benin-City. "The suspect claimed that he trickishly collected the Lexus SUV from the victim with the promise that he would secure admission for his son into the Nigeria Defence Academy. He also confessed that he had duped several unsuspecting persons under the pretext of either helping them to join the Nigerian Army or securing admissions for their wards into military institutions.”

Dismissed from army in 2006 John who claimed to have joined the army in 2003 said he

Pastor in court over alleged homosexual activities

BUJA — A 27-YEAR-OLD pastor, Emmanuel Onyiuke, yesterday, appeared before an Abuja Senior Magistrate Court, Karu, Abuja, charged with homosexualism which he was said to have practised on a 19year-old. Onyiuke, who is the General Overseer of Divine Power Healing Ministry in Jikwoyi, FCT, committed the alleged offence on August 2. The accused was arraigned on a four-count charge of causing hurt by means of poison with intent to commit homosexual and unnatural offence. Prosecutor Atteh Effiong told the court that the accused gave the 19-year-old some alcoholic drinks, which were laced with sleep inducing substance. He said: “The victim woke up and saw himself lying on the bed of the accused person in his bedroom. “The accused had sexual intercourse with him through his anus against his will which left him with serious injuries afterwards” The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The counsel to the accused made an oral application for bail. Ruling on the application for

bail, Senior Magistrate Anna Akobi granted bail to the accused in the sum of N200,000 and a surety in like sum. Akobi held that the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 10, who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court. She adjourned the case to September 19.

was dismissed in 2006. He also said he graduated in Electrical Engineering, from Nasarrawa State Polytechnic. He said: “I served at 82 Battalion, Jos, but I was dismissed in 2006, with the rank of private. I was doing it (impersonating) because friends that I knew thought I was still in the army. I have

learnt to think good things, I have learnt to stay out of crime and stop parading myself wrongly.” Some of the items recovered from the fake army officer included one fake JTF staff tag, International passport, combat gears, an army kit bag, a digital camera and vehicle number plate.

Kabiru John, the fake army major

Policeman kills Customs officer in Lagos BY GODFREY BIVBERE & SEGUN SHABI

AGOS — PORT operations at the Tin-can Island Container Terminal (TICT) were, yesterday, halted for hours following the killing of a Customs officer by a mobile policeman. The deceased Customs officer was assigned from the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to escort containers from the port. The policeman, identified as Sergeant Peter Adegbesan, was said to have left his service riffle uncorked when it fell from his hand and started firing. Adegbesan was said to have attempted to control the riffle. As

he lifted it, the Customs officer, Assistant Inspector O. A. Oro was hit severally by bullets from the gun. He was said to have died before he could be rushed to the hospital. In reaction, the clearing agents who were at the scene of the incident descended on the police officer, but for the intervention of some dockworkers, the killer cop would have been beaten to death. Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of TinCan Island Command of the NCS, Chris Osunkwo, described the incident as unfornate, saying the policeman has been placed under protective custody at the Apapa Port police command.

Mechanic bags 6-month jail for beating up man

BUJA — A FCT Senior Magistrates’ court in Karu, Abuja, yesterday, sentenced a mechanic, Ikechukwu Colma, to six months in prison for beating up Monday Mohammed of Kugbo Village, Abuja. Senior Magistrate Omolola Akindele passed the judgment after the convict pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of criminal force and intimidation. Akindele did not give the convict an option to pay a

fine. Earlier, the prosecutor, Cpl. Umar Mohammed, told the court that Mohammed, the complainant, reported the case at Karu Divisional Police Station on August 8. He said the convict beat up the complainant at his car wash stand following an argument over N15,000 which he said the complainant owed him. The prosecutor said the complainant was rushed to the

hospital after the incident, were he was treated for injuries sustained during the beating. He said that the offence was contrary to Sections 264 and 397(b) of the Penal code. When asked by the magistrate if he used force on the complainant as charged by the police, he admitted he did. In her ruling, Akindele sentenced the convict to three months in prison for the offence of criminal force and three months for intimidation.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—7

Ex-Visafone staff docked over alleged N586,000 theft BY ONOZURE DANIA

Suspects in the murder of The UNIPORT FOUR at the Rivers State High Court,Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke

Guard, woman nabbed over man's decomposing corpse in Lagos BY EVELYN USMAN, JONAH NWOKPOKU, JIMOH WILLIAM and MICHEAL NWOPOKE

AGOS— THE Lagos State Po lice Command has begun investigation into the discovery of a man's decomposing corpse in his apartment at 9, Ezemegbu Drive, Okota area of Lagos. Two persons, a security guard attached to the building and a woman have been arrested in connection with the discovery. The deceased identified as Sylvanus Ikelie Okoye, from Abidi Umu Ochi, in Anambra State and a trader in Lagos Island, was reportedly last seen two weeks ago,with his whereabouts unknown and his apartment under lock and key. Residents said they had been perceiving stench but never suspected it was that of a decomposing corpse, until yesterday. Eye witnesses told Vanguard that landlord of the three-storey building met the guard discussing in hush tone with someone. Out of curiosity, he was said to have requested to know what the discussion was all about, only for the security man to inform him that Ikelie’s keys and phone were handed over to him two weeks ago. The landlord was said to have contacted policemen at Ago division who visited the house, comprising eight flats, consequent upon which the apartment was opened, only to discover Okoye's decomposing body. A pestle and a knife suspected to have been used to murder the 39-year-old man were reportedly found in the apartment . When Vanguard arrived the

scene, yesterday, occupants of the building were no where to be found while everyone approached kept mum. A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “The landlord said they have been perceiving foul odour which they assumed was from a dead rat. The

security man said a woman who sells provision downstairs gave him, Okoye's key and phone. On her part, we heard she said the items were given to her by an unknown visitor to keep for the owner. "Everyone who knew him described him as an easy going fel-

The building

low and an introvert. We were all surprised that a thing like this happened without anyone’s knowledge until now.” The deceased’s brother, Edmond Okoye, who was invited by the police said he did not know that his brother had been missing since two weeks. His late brother, according to him, was not married. He said: “I was called by the landlord that they have not seen my brother for sometime and that his phone and house key were in their custody. I rushed to his place and when we opened the door to his flat, we saw his body smelling. A rope was tied to his neck,with a pestle and a knife on his bed. He, therefore, appealed to the police to carry out a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of his brother’s death and bring the perpetrators to book.

Police, robbers in gun duel, one nabbed By DAUD OLATUNJI

BEOKUTA — THERE was pandemonium, yesterday, in Abeokuta as men of the Ogun State Police Command and a gang of robbers engaged in a gun duel, forcing residents and others in Agbeloba axis of the state capital to scamper for safety. One of the robbers was arrested while others escaped after a hot chase by the police aided by commercial motor cycle operators (Okada riders). It was gathered that the gang went for an operation in the area, but before they could attack, the police had got wind of its pres-

ence and sent a detachment of mobile policemen attached to the Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, after members of the gang. An eye witness told Vanguard that the security operatives chased the gang’s operational vehicles around Agbeloba/Pepsi way in the met r o p o l i s and eventually demobilized their vehicle, but the robbers reportedly kept driving recklessly which caused the anxiety. The robbers were later forced to stop when they got to Pepsi/ Agbeloba axis of the metropolis cordoned off by police vehicles. It was gathered that Okada rid-

ers in the metropolis also joined the police in the chase and were stoning the two occupants of the demobilized vehicle before their movement was eventually halted. Speaking, state Command Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “The men came in to operate. We got information that the vehicle was moving suspiciously within Abeokuta metropolis. Our mobile policemen attached to the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at the Ibara axis gave them a hot chase. We were able to get one of the suspected robbers while the other fled."

AGOS — A 35-YEAROLD former Visafone staff, Endy Dalvin Ogbeide, was yesterday docked before a Lagos Magistrate's court, sitting at Igbosere, for allegedly stealing N586,000. The defendant, who is facing a three-count charge of stealing and issuing dud cheque, preferred against him, was arraigned before Magistrate O. A. Fowowe. The police prosecutor, Babaji Ishaku, told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offence between June 2012 and June 14, 2013. He said the defendant on June 2012, at House 54C Road 57, Victoria Garden City, in Ajah Lekki area of Lagos, obtained 70 cartons of Huggies diapers worth N560,000 and four shirts belonging to one Miss Queensley Kehinde Eweka, with pretence to pay. He assured her that he was going to pay on or before July 31, 2012, knowing that it was false. The prosecutor said the defendant in August 2012, issued a Guaranty Trust Bank Plc dud cheque number 0197 for N80,000 dated August 29, 2012 to the complainant and when she presented the cheque for payment, it was dishounred on the ground that there was insufficient fund in the account. The prosecutor also claimed that Ogbeide issued a Fidelity Bank dud cheque number 10838059 for N100,000, to her on April 25, 2013. He added that the defendant issued another N100,000 Fidelity Bank cheque number 10838060 dated May 3, 2013. On May 31, 2013, he also issued a Fidelity Bank cheque number 10838062 for N100,000. He also issued a N100,000 Fidelity Bank cheque dated June 14, 2013 to Eweka and when she presented it for payment it was also dishourned due to insufficient funds in the account. The prosecutor said that the offence committed was contrary to sections 312, 319 (B) of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011. However, when the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty and Magistrate Fowowe granted him bail in the sum of N100,000, with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to September 12, 2013.

8—Vanguard , FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

BY CLARA NWACHUKWU & MICHAEL EBOH

AGOS—THE Federal Gov ernment, yesterday, said it will cost about N160 trillion ($1 trillion) to restore the environment in the Niger Delta, following the devastation brought upon the region by crude theft, illegal bunkering and oil exploration activities. Speaking at a conference on Oil Theft and Illegal Bunkering in the Niger Delta, in Lagos, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, said oil theft had attained a worrisome dimension and had become a problem of urgent and strategic national importance. He said that while several estimates have been made regarding the cost to the national economy in lost revenue and pipeline repair, no one had calculated the cost to the environment and the livelihood of the people of the Niger Delta. Kuku said: “Its impact on the communities of the Niger Delta, on our environment, our health and our livelihood is even more serious. “In many communities, fishing and farming are no longer possible because of the damage to the environment on which our people depend for their livelihood. “No one has calculated the cost of restoring the environment. But extrapolating from the cost of restoring aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico, following the BP Gulf Coast spill of 2010, the cost to the Niger Delta will amount to more than $1 trillion.”

Perpetrators feared He added that the incidence of illegal oil activities was attaining a dangerous trend and was already undermining social structures, noting that if allowed to fester, it could turn the Niger Delta into a gang land, as perpetrators of the crimes are feared, revered and commended in some communities. Kuku said: “Like most illegal economic activities, it hardly takes time before arms, drugs, gangs and other anti-social activities become part of the deadly mix. “I am not sure we are there yet. But if we, the community leaders of the Niger Delta, and governments at all levels do not act decisively, we will unfortunately get there soon.”

‘Oil companies are involved’ Speakers at the conference organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, also accused oil companies operating in the region of collusion. According to them, the government, through the Joint Task Force, JTF, cannot cover all the pipelines in Nigeria. They said that it was the responsibility of the oil companies to monitor their facilities with ad-

Oil activities cause N160trn devastation in N'Delta— Kuku zBiggest crude theft occurs at export loading terminals

CONFAB ON OIL THEFT: From left— (sitting) Professor G. Darah, Panel Chairman; Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Chief of Naval Staff and Mr. Kingsley Kuku, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Committee. Standing from left: Mr. Henry Ugbolue, Special Assistant to Kuku; Dr. Ade Abolurin, CommandantGeneral, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Mr. Ziakede Akpobulokemi, Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, during the conference on Oil Theft and Illegal Bunkering in the Niger Delta, organised by Mr. Kuku's office in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele. vanced information communication and technology equipment. Elder Timi Ogoriba, a prominent Niger Delta activist, said it was time perpetrators of crude theft and illegal bunkering were identified and brought to book, adding that this will help address the issue. Also speaking, Mr. Patrick Akpobulokemi, Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, branded some of the oil majors as hypocrites, displaying double standards in their operations in Nigeria. He said the problems in the Niger Delta were as a result of greed and insincerity on the part of the oil companies and other stakeholders. He said the oil majors were made to be responsible in their home countries and in other countries where they operate.

On Bonga spill Akpobulokemi, citing an incidence, said: “There was an oil spill in Bonga and Shell was fingered for the spill since the ruptured pipeline belongs to it. “Instead of accepting the responsibility for the spill, Shell resorted to arguments and denials, saying the spill was caused by a third party and not its fault. “These can not happen elsewhere. In the West, BP has been barred from oil contracts in the United States, following the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These things can only happen in Nigeria.” Similarly, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, also accused oil companies of thievery, saying that the larger incidents of crude theft take place

at the various export loading terminals in the country. He said: “What you see in the creeks is child’s play compared to what happens at the terminals. The biggest crude theft takes place at the export loading terminals. “Nigeria is the only country where vessels load with plus five percent, and this should not be.” He said the oil companies must redefine their processes and also adopt practices and measures that will put a stop to the menace.

‘Evils of oil’ Speaking further, Akpobulokemi, noted that but for the efforts of Mr. President, he would have concluded that oil was a curse to Nigeria. He argued that oil discovery had brought about mental laziness, numerous environmental and health problems as well as societal ills. He said: “Oil is the cause of numerous problems in this country. It is the reason people are engaged in underage marriage; it is the reason for the numerous politicking; the talk about zoning is because of oil; in some local governments, things are not done as they should be done. “The officials receive their allocations and share it among themselves; then you see them in Abuja, instead of in their local councils. This is because there is free money to be shared and all these is because of oil. “The distortion in our thinking is because of oil. Marriages are breaking up because of oil. Nigeria would have grown bigger and we would have ex-

celled more than this if not for oil.”

Solutions On the way forward, Ezeoba said the oil majors should adopt scientific practices and the use of advanced technology in their production activities, while also clearly establishing a right of way for their pipelines to ensure proper surveillance. He further called on the oil companies to revisit their Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, practices, making sure that the socio-economic imperatives of the community within which they operate are fully respected and taken care of. Ezeoba said: “The mentality of handouts must stop. The community must have a hand in deciding what constitutes CSR. “Also, the oil majors should ensure that their CSR is tilted towards human capacity development. That is, their CSR should empower people to fend for themselves. “This will make the people become change agents and drive development in the region.” He urged the oil majors to have a rethink in their approach towards securing their economic assets such as the pipelines, noting that if the pipelines were adequately secured, incidences of oil theft will be reduced. He said: “Make products available to the people of the Niger Delta. It is a shame that although oil is obtained from their domain, the people hardly see it, and when they do, the products are sold for thrice the official prices.” He emphasised the need for enhanced collaboration between

agencies of government, the communities, oil companies and other stakeholders.

Alaibe, Akpobulokemi, Abolurin The former chief executive of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Timi Alaibe, called for proper diagnosis of the number and volume of oil being spilled, adding that appropriate technology will help address the issue. Akpobulokemi argued that military approach cannot stop the menace. He called for a robust surveillance system, while youths will be actively engaged by the oil companies, especially by creating employment opportunities for them. The Commandant-General, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Dr. Ade Abolurin, said modern scientific equipment were necessary, while oil companies should give communities avenues for manpower development.

Roll call Other personalities at the conference were Professor Gabriel Darah, who chaired the panel during the discussion segment; Elder Timi Ogoriba, a prominent Niger Delta activist and Reverend Nnimmo Bassey, Coordinator Oil International. Others are Major-General Bata Debiro, Commander, Joint Task Force, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield; Che Ibegwura, community leader from Rivers State; Mr. Bayo Olowoshile, General Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, among others.

Vanguard , FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013— 9

of the best and most refined technocrats that Nigeria has ever produced. “An articulate and first class gentleman, Chief Anyaoku can always be relied upon to deliver a delicate message without embarrassing or hurting the listener.” Chief Ekwueme said: “Chief Emeka Anyaoku and I have enjoyed a very close relationship since 1963. He is a great man, a polished gentleman, who rose from the ranks and does not joke with his work and has distinguished himself exceptionally. “He is somebody all of Nigeria, Africa, and indeed the world should be proud of.”

Mbeki speaks ALMAJIRI EDUCATION: From left— Mr. Chike Uweazuoke, Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education; Professor Charles Onocha, Acting Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, and Mr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of State, Education, during the minister's interaction with civil society groups on the Almajiri education scheme, in Abuja, yesterday.

Nigeria'll not disintegrate, but...— Anyaoku zJonathan, Obasanjo, world leaders, others eulogise him BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, Deputy Political Editor

AGOS—FORMER Com monwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has advised those postulating that Nigeria could be dismembered before 2015 to have a rethink because “Nigeria will not disintegrate.” However, he wants the country restructured into a federation of six units to firm up her unity, reduce the cost of governance, boost socio-economic growth and eliminate destructive competition for power at the centre, which he said gives rise to ethno-religious crises. Anyaoku spoke to Vanguard, yesterday, in Lagos, shortly after the presentation of a book, Footprints of An Iconic Diplomat, a pictorial biography, at the MUSON Centre, Lagos. The diplomat, who spoke on a day that President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, world leaders and eminent persons showered tributes on him, gave reasons he did not join politics after a chequered career at the Commonwealth and elected to offer the country’s leaders his experience in an advisory capacity free of charge.

things would turn around given the current state of affairs in the country, he said: “We have hope, provided we do certain things. “I have said that the present structure of governance we have in the country is not serving us well. In my view, this country should return to true federalism so that we can achieve two things. “First, we can reduce drastically the enormous cost of administration with the existing structure of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Secondly, we can reduce or, in fact, eliminate the destructive and destabilising competition for the control of the all powerful centre because it is that competition that fans the flames of religious and tribal differences in the country. “If we return to a federation of six units, I believe, we can do much better than we are doing. We were in fact doing better as a country in the first years of our independence when we had four regions. “The regions were competing in a healthy manner. The centre allowed them; the centre was not in a position to impede their development efforts. We should return to that arrangement.”

‘Why I didn’t join politics’

On disintegration

He said: “When I returned to Nigeria, I decided to make available to the country’s leadership my experience in an advisory capacity pro bono (without charge). “I decided against joining politics in our country because the nature of our politics is not one that I will feel very comfortable in.” Asked if there were hopes that

On the prediction that Nigeria could disintegrate before 2015 beginning from next year, when the country will attain 100 years of amalgamation, Anyaoku said: “I don’t think this country will disintegrate. “I think this country will find the wisdom to adopt what I have suggested in terms of

structure of governance and once that is done, the country will thrive.”

Jonathan’s tribute President Jonathan, who was represented by Ambassador Gbenga Ashiru, said the launching of Anyaoku’s pictorial biography was “a fitting tribute to a worthy son of our great country, a father, brother, friend and uncommon idol whose legendary exploits in public service transcend the ordinary routine.” Describing Anyaoku as “a rare icon of our time,” the President said he was glad that there existed a consensual perception of what Anyaoku represents for humanity. He said: “While acknowledging the wisdom and the veracity of this great work we are launching, it is the man himself that fascinates me the most. Chief Emeka Anyaoku, to me, represents an enigma of out time. “His world straddles the labyrinth of professionalism that is enamoured in a rich and sound philosophical foundation and discharged with an intellectual and scholarly precision. “Yet he embodies the basic ethics that edify societal values and harmony with nature. The world view through his spectacle represents a collective vision of peace and general well being of the global citizenry.”

OBJ, Tinubu Chief Obasanjo, who chaired the event, described Anyaoku as a detribalised and quintessential Nigerian, who is worthy of emulation. Tinubu, the Chief Launcher, who was represented by Dr. Leke Pitan, said it was unfair and an understatement to merely refer

to Anyaoku as ‘iconic diplomat’ because his accomplishments towered beyond diplomacy. He said the celebrant, who turned 80 recently, was close to “what we can call the Mandela of our nation” because he is a bridge-builder. On her part, Awolowo-Dosunmu said Anyaoku, who chairs the Dr. Obafemi Awolowo Leadership prize committee, is a delightful person to work with. She said: “He is a gentleman. He is intelligent and accomplished, but when he talks to you, he makes you feel as important as he is.” Presidential Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs, Chief Ben Obi, said Anyaoku is a great statesman, a man, who had brought great pride to Nigeria.

The book Reviewed by Ambassador Martin Uhomoidhi, the 199-page book contained tributes from eminent leaders such as Dr. Alex Ekwueme, General Theophilus Danjuma(rtd.), former South African presidents, Thabo Mbeki and F. W. de Klerk, and Governor Peter Obi. Danjuma, in his tribute, said: “Chief Emeka Anyaoki is easily one

To Mbeki, whatever Anyaoku said carried weight because “he is one leaders that has been accepted globally. “From my own point of view, our (South Africa) association with Chief Anyaoku was in the fight for the liberation of our country South Africa. He did not need to be convinced or persuaded by us to engage in the struggle. “Whether in Zimbabwe or South Africa or anywhere else, Chief Anyaoku felt very much that he was part of that struggle. He was very keenly interested in the objective of our liberation: that we must make a success of it. “We trusted him and considered him our representative within the Commonwealth, not just for South Africa as a country but for the reconstruction of Africa.”

Obi Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State said: “Chief Emeka Anyaoku has been a global model, not just to us here, but a brand globally. He reached the peak of public service and he did this in a style worthy of emulation. “For me in particular, when I see and talk about Chief Anyaoku, I feel like the chief executive officer of a global brand. At times, I got worried how Nigeria and the world at large can create good brands that can be celebrated in years to come. “So, as we celebrate Chief Anyaoku, my own worries are what I can contribute to the children so we can celebrate them tomorrow.”

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Fashola extols Lagos House members on leadership BY EBUN SESSOU & MONSOR OLOWOEPEJO

AGOS—LAGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday, commended members of the State House of Assembly for being a beacon of leadership in the administration of the State. He said this during a condolence visit to him by members of the House on the death of his father. The governor, who noted that his father’s death was a blessing to the entire Fashola family and Lagos State in particular, said: “There is no better way to thank God, who took the life of a Muslim in Ramadan month and at the night of majesty. “Although at the end of the day, my father was a happy and fulfilled man, his life was

not void of tribulations.” Earlier, Speaker of LAHA, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, said the death of late Fashola was a great loss to the entire Lagos State, especially those who had encountered him while he was alive. The Speaker, who led members said words were not enough to quantify the legacies the late Fashola left behind. He said: “Everyone who had encountered him knew he was a jolly fellow. He had left a message for us to be just and humble. That is, we should be peaceful and selfless in service. He did not die in vain, he had left a legacy behind.”

CONDOLENCE VISIT: Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly (middle), with other members of the state House of Assembly, during a condolence visit to Governor Fashola over the passage of his father, late Pa. Ibrahim Ademola Fashola, at Lagos House, Ikeja. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

APC clarifies position on LG autonomy BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

Customs seize four containers moved by system hackers BY GODWIN ORITSE

AGOS—THE Port and Terminals Multi-Purpose Services Limited, PTML, Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has seized four containers laden with prohibited items just as it raked in a total of N33.8 billion for the second quarter of the year. Briefing newsmen yesterday, Customs Area Comptroller, Tajudeen Olarewaju, said the containers were falsely released by persons who hacked into the Customs’ computer system using officers’ password. According to him, “It is no longer news that one of our support pillars in the duty of revenue generation, Mearskline Shipping, withdrew its services for undisclosed reasons. The Command has, however, redoubled its efforts to plug the loopholes caused by that action. “Inspite of the situation the Command generated a revenue of N33,836,998,293.00 in the first half of this year while in the corresponding period of 2012, a sum of N33,716,362,583.00 was generated indicating an increase of N120million. During the period under review also, the Command in the pursuit of its anti-smuggling duties had some consignment detained for various reasons.” Besides, the four seized containers, six other vehicles were also seized due to violation of various import regulations.

AGOS — THE All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, insisted that its governors were not against autonomy for local governments, as reported in the media, describing the reports as “a gross misrepresentation” of the governors’ position. The party’s position came following media reports yesterday, that APC governors rose from a meeting in Nassarawa State and announced their opposition on autonomy for local governments in the country. APC, in a statement, yesterday, by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the governors were only asking that such autonomy must be determined by the state Houses of Assembly, rather than the National Assembly. The statement said: “For those who may have been misled by the media reports, we want to state our stand clearly. In the first instance, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives the state Houses of Assembly the power to create local governments. Therefore, autonomy for local governments should be debated at the Houses of Assembly, not at the National Assembly. Secondly, giving control of the local governments to the Federal Government, one of the two federating units in a federalist system of government, will only result in the creation of a unitary government. “And thirdly, all local government administrations must be democratically elected in a free and fair election, while chairmen and councillors must be accountable to those who elected them. We are a welfarist party and we believe in accountability and abhor any system where any local government administration is not elected freely and fairly. The appointment of caretaker committees to run local governments is an aberration. This is our stand and it definitely does not represent an opposition to autonomy for local governments.” The party contended that instead of creating more problems by giving the National Assembly

St Enda’s Old Students meet

LD students of St. Enda’s College (Ag barho Grammar School), Agbarho, Delta State, hold their monthly meeting at 12B Abuja Close, Agbara Estate, Agbara, tomorrow. General Secretary, Mr. Sunday Orode urges members to be punctual as issues bordering on the golden jubilee celebration have been lined up for discussion.

the power to regulate local governments, ways must be found to resolve existing problems for the smooth running of local governments. “Let us ensure that local government elections are free, fair and credible; let us ensure that chairmen and councillors are

accountable. Let us stop the appointment of caretaker committees to run local governments because this is undemocratic. Let the state Houses of Assembly which have the powers to create local governments also be able to determine the issue of autonomy.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—11

PRESENTATION: From left: Osun State Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Mr. Depo Amuda; Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Sikiru Ayedun and Commissioner for Environment, Professor Bukola Oyawoye, during the presentation of N35 million cheque to the family of late Prophet Obadare for his burial, at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Office of the Governor, Osogbo.

No plans to impeach Ondo Deputy Gov —Mimiko, Deputy Speaker BY DAYO JOHNSON

KURE—THE Ondo State House of Assembly, yesterday, described the allegation that it planned to impeach the Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, as wicked and a ploy by the opposition parties to create confusion in the state. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dare Emiola, who dismissed the allegation as baseless, in Akure, said there was no truth in the allegation. A local publication and some national dailies had reported that the House of Assembly had concluded plans to remove the deputy governor from office on account of ill health. Governor Olusegun Mimiko had equally described the insinuation as wrong and baseless, saying the rumour emanated from detractors who were bent on causing confusion between him and his deputy Mimiko said: “I was surprised to hear that the assembly is planning to begin impeachment process against the deputy governor. There is no such plan in the offing in Ondo State. I am not aware of any such move. ”People float ideas for whatever reason they like, but this is an unsubstantiated statement and the Assembly has no plan to remove the deputy governor for whatever reason best known to the people behind the rumour.” Emiola, in his reaction, said: “The issue of the impeachment

of the Ondo State Deputy Governor was never discussed

House members have converged to debate any impeachm e n t ? " He said that the rumour was not only wicked and unpatriotic, but meant by the “enemies of Ondo State, to create confusion in the state.” Emiola said it was a calculated ploy by the opposition parties to cause crisis between the governor and his deputy. Emiola attested to the cordial relationship that existed between the state governor and his deputy since they assumed office about five years ago. Also, in his reaction, the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Olanusi, said those peddling the rumor wanted to use his name to boost their sales. “The only reason I can deduce for their action is that they want to sell their newspapers at my own expense. I do not think there should be any issue in me being a Deputy Governor at my age. Ajasin and Adefarati were older than I am when they were in power. So, why pick on me? I am sure they just want to use my name to sell their papers. They are only implementing what they have in their minds,” the Deputy Governor said.

and currently, the House is on recess. Where then would the

David-West faults FG on inadequate funding of education BY OLA AJAYI

BADAN—FORMER Minister of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West, yesterday, in Ibadan, said it was unfair for a government that budgeted N1 billion each, for feeding the President and the Vice President, to say there was no money to fund education. David-West said it showed that there were more thieves in government than saints, claiming that the same government that spent N8 trillion illegally must be made by all Nigerians to fund public education. The former minister, who spoke at a town hall meeting organised by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Ibadan Chapter, also condemned the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, over her comments on the funding of education. He said: “Any government that fails to invest in education is a vagabond government. The problem with Nigeria is that we have more thieves than saints in government. We drill over two million barrels of crude oil per day. Why should we be poor? ASUU is saying put money in

education to improve education quality for our children and those yet unborn. The same government that does not have money for education budgeted N1 billion each to feed the president and vice president for a year. Are they eating rock in Aso Rock? If you went to school without shoes ensure that your children have shoes. Good parents pray that their children must be better than them.”

He argued that good academic qualification did not qualify one to be a good leader, saying, “It is not having university degree that makes you a good leader. Late Yar’Adua and Jonathan are the first set with university degrees but that has not translated to significant changes. Winston Churchill was not the best in his class but one of the best leaders the world has ever produced."

Police intercept large quantity of explosives in Oyo BY OLA AJAYI

BADAN—THE Oyo State police command has intercepted a large quantity of explosives. Officials of the command intercepted the vehicle conveying the deadly weapons on PodoIjebu-Ode road. Though the three occupants of the Nissan Sunny marked Ogun XC 863 AKM and painted Ogun State commercial colour escaped, the police were able to seize the explosives. Briefing newsmen about the seizure yesterday at the state Police headquarters, the Commissioner of Police , Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, said: “On August 11, 2013 at 3.15am, a police patrol team along Podo-

Ijebu Ode road, intercepted a taxi with three occupants whom they flagged down but refused to stop and sped off. After a hot chase, the occupants of the vehicle escaped into a nearby busy while the vehicle was abandoned.” He explained that the explosive items included six cartons of explosive powder, two cartons of solar detonating cords, sixteen bundles of ten wires each of delay detonator wires”. According to him, the explosives, after investigation, were found to have been stolen from a quarry at toll gate on August 8, 2013 but the police would still investigate the motive behind the movement of the explosives.

Ogun Labour Party names Daniel grand patron BY DAUD OLATUNJI

BEOKUTA—THE Labour Party, LP, in Ogun State, yesterday, formally laid to rest the speculation over Otunba Gbenga Daniel's membership of the party, when it declared the former governor its grand patron. The party which claimed that members of most political parties in the state, were decamping to its fold, said the former governor was now a “fullfledged” member of the party. Addressing newsmen, the party Secretary Mr. Sunday Oginni, said that the party leadership approached Daniel and appointed him as the grand patron of the party because of his wealth of experience and antecedents in the political history of the state. “We want to say it categorically that the executives of labour Party approached Otunba Gbenga Daniel as a social democrat to be our grand patron and he has accepted,"

Madam Soyebo for final burial

HE final burial of late Madam Bilikisu Konibire Soyebo (nee Raji), Ye-Rasheed, Alaga Adeen Obirin of Mosafejo Mosque, Iperu-Remo, in Ikenne Remo Local Government Area, Ogun State, holds tomorrow with Muslim Fidau prayer at Sewolu Street, Iperu Remo, Ogun State. She died on Tuesday, 18, June18, 2013 and was buried same day according to Muslim rites. She is survived by children, in-laws, grand children, great grand children, brothers and sisters, among whom are Pastor Richard Soyebo and Mrs. Sekinat Oguntuyo.

Late Madam Soyebo

12—Vanguard , FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Rivers panel of inquiry invites warring parties

HE JUDICIAL Commission of Inquiry set up by the Rivers State Government to look into the crisis in the state House of Assembly, yesterday, invited all parties involved to appear before it. The invitation was also extended to non-Assembly members. The Chairman of the commission, Justice Biobele Georgewill, said in Port Harcourt, during the sitting of the commission that the body would uphold justice and ensure that peace returned to the state through the evidence of parties involved in the crisis. Georgewill also urged those without memoranda to appear before the commission to make presentations. He assured all those without memoranda that the adviser to the commission would guide and direct them in their presentations. The judge said that the commission was prepared to take all necessary steps to ensure that parties in the crisis were given equal opportunity of fair hearing.

Ijaw leader commends Uduaghan over Warri North crisis BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

ENIN — ONE of the leaders of Egbema Kingdom in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Yebu Ladina, has commended the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan for his statesmanship in resolving the crisis in the area that led to the death of some Itsekiri people, following the attack on their communities by Ijaw youths. Chief Ladina in a statement in Benin, Edo State, yesterday, said but for the prompt action of the governor, the two ethnic groups would have by now been trapped in a needless blood-letting that would have been difficult to end.

DRAWS: From left, Peter Rufai, former Super Eagles goal-keeper; Ann Chiejine, former Super Falcon's goal-keeper; Henry Nwosu, former Green Eagles striker, and Mutiu Adepoju, former Super Eagles striker, during the MTN Draws of Lagos Street Soccer, at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe

Robbers use dynamite in Delta bank raid BY AUSTIN OGUDA

SABA — A gang of armed robbers, yesterday, defied the extra security measures said to be adopted by the police, as it raided a new generation bank in Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, using dynamite to blast the building.

The same bank was raided sometime in May 2008 by an eight-man armed robbery gang, which carted away huge amount of money from the strong room and escaped into the town having failed to hijack a bullion on the AsabaBenin highway. Yesterday ’s robbery at the bank located in the heart of the town caused panic as bank cus-

tomers and passers-by took to their heels. Traders and buyers in a nearby market were forced to disperse in the twinkle of an eye as gun shots rent the air, accompanied with deafening dynamite blasts. Vanguard gathered that the robbers stormed the bank at noon and caused stir, as they allegedly used dynamite to blast the building and contin-

ued shooting sporadically. It could not be ascertained at press time whether money was stolen from the vault. State police command’s spokesman, Mr. Lucky Uyabeme, said: “We are trailing the robbers. We are on their trail. We have even trailed them to Edo State. No arrest has been made and no casualty.”

Aluu 4: Dog was used to torture victims — Policeman BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

ORT HARCOURT — A police officer, Mr. Raphael Ezechi, told a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt High, at the resumed hearing in the killings of four University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, students in October

2012 in Omuokiri town in Aluu community, that a dog was used to torture the students before they were set on fire. Mr. Ezechi of the State Criminal Investigative Department and a Deputy Superintendent of Police, led in evidence by the Solicitor-General of Rivers, Mr. Rufus Godwins, narrated that “a team of policemen from

Isiokpo Division was dispatched to the scene of the incident to rescue the students but due to the distance, the students were set ablaze before the arrival of the police.” The witness, said he took photographs of the deceased and a dog, said to have been used to torture the students, adding that information was

First Bank appoints Tokunbo Abiru, fmr Lagos Commissioner, Executive Director

IRST BANK of Nigeria Limited has announced the appointment of Mr. Adetokunbo Abiru as Executive Director. The appointment is, however, subject to the approval of Central Bank of Nigeria. A statement signed by Folake Ani-Mumuney, Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, said Abiru will drive the corporate banking business of the bank. According to Ani-Mumuney, “the appointment of Abiru, until recently the Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, is geared towards enriching the capacity of the Executive Management and Board, by deepening specialisation and strengthening the corporate governance culture. “He is a chartered accountant and a seasoned banker, who is coming on the board with his varied skills and well-rounded work experi-

ence in both public and private sectors. “I am pleased to welcome Mr. Abiru back to the First Bank family. His track record while he was here as the Group Head, Corporate Banking and as Finance

Commissioner in Lagos State typify First Bank’s value system which is anchored on dependability, entrepreneurship, integrity, resilience, dynamism, and service excellence.”

also gathered from the Internet which were recorded. The defence counsel, however, objected to the prosecution’s move to tender the photo evidence as exhibits, contending that the police officer was not the maker of the said documents. The defence argued that no proper foundation had been laid for the admissibility of the photographs, urging the court to reject same. Responding, Mr. Godwins, the prosecution counsel said that the foundation was laid from records of proceedings by the court and urged the dismissal of the objection, which he described as misconceived by the defence.

Pius Osunyikanmi appointed new DG/CEO of TAC BY BEN AGANDE

BUJA — PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of Olakunle Osunyikanmi as the new Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of Technical Aid Corps,TAC. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati in a statement, yesterday, said until

his appointment, Dr. Osunyikanmi was Special Adviser to President Jonathan on International Relations. He succeeds Ambassador Mamman Daura, whose tenure as Director-General of the Technical Aid Corps expired in June. A native of Ile-Oluji in Ondo State, Dr. Osunyikanmi holds a doctorate degree in Political Science. He previously served in several capacities including Special Adviser to the Gover-

nor of Ondo State on Intergovernmental Affairs and Multilateral Relations (20092010) and Commissioner for Education, Ondo State (2010). Established in 1987, the Technical Aid Corps is a Foreign Policy mechanism to deliver Technical Manpower Assistance to the African, Caribbean and Pacific, ACP, countries.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 —13

C M Y K

14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Anambra poll: My political opponents jittery, says Ngige

APGA screens guber aspirants

zSoludo, Obidigbo okay consensus candidate

BY OKONKWO EZE

NITSHA—SENATOR Chris Nwabueze Ngige said yesterday that his political opponents were now spreading false rumours against him over his declaration to contest the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State because they were jittery. Ngige, who spoke during a town hall meeting and thank you visit to Awka North and South constituency, insisted that those spreading such false rumours did not do so six months or three months ago, adding that because they feared that he wielded massive support from Anambra people, they now suddenly try to come up with one frivolous accusation or the other. He said that the town hall meeting and thank you visit had afforded him the ample opportunity to present his constituency reports, encompassing his scorecard in the Senate. Ngige, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, highlighted his achievements in two years as a senator, saying he cosponsored the Anti-Gay Bill, Health Bill and National Health Insurance Commission Bill.

Pa Okafor passes on, aged 90

prominent community leader in Uvuru Community, Uzo-Uwani L.G.A, Enugu State, Pa Pius Ikem Okafor a.k.a. Oje-Ona has died at the ripe age of 90. He is survived by wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren including Mr. Goddy Okafor of the National Library, Abuja.

z Late Pa Okafor C M Y K

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

WOMEN RALLY FOR PEACE AND EMPOWERMENT— Wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan; Wife of the Vice President, Amina Namadi Sambo and other women acknowledging cheers at the women rally for peace and empowerment in Abuja, yesterday. Pix: Gbemiga Olamikan.

A cross section of women at the rally.

B U J A — T W O governorship aspirants seeking to contest on the platform of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, during the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, and Professor Charles Soludo, yesterday, agreed to embrace any arrangement that could produce a consensus candidate for the party. The aspirants, who spoke after facing the screening panel set up by the party at its national secretariat in Abuja, declared that their aspirations to govern the state was not a do-or-die affairs and were, therefore, ready to support any move by the stakeholders to promote cohesiveness within the party. Obidigbo noted that “the fact that we are many contesting for the ticket of the party means that we are all qualified to do that job but at the end of the day, only one person will emerge the flag bearer for the party".

20 de-registered parties dare INEC; vow to field candidates in Anambra, Ekiti polls zSay Jega is partial, want him removed BY CHRIS OCHAYI

BUJA—THE 20 political parties de-registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, vowed to field candidates at the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State and the Senatorial election in Ekiti State. Operating under the aegis of Coalition of Concerned Political Parties, CCPP, the affected parties have also demanded the immediate dismissal of the commission’s chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, for going against provisions of the constitution. The coalition at a briefing said that INEC must declare whose interest it was protecting by deliberately flouting the ruling of the court on party de-registration. National Chairman of Peoples Progressive Party, PPP, Engr. Damian Ogbonna, who read out

the position of the 20 parties, accused Professor Jega of having publicly exhibited partiality and disdain against many political parties in the country, His words: “We state for the avoidance of doubt that we have lost faith in Professor Attahiru Jega as an unbiased umpire in the political process. Having publicly exhibited his partiality and disdain against many political parties in the country, we believe he is no longer in a position to honourably superintend in elections where the same parties are participants. Accordingly, we demand that Jega be dismissed immediately as the chairman of INEC." He said there is no doubt that by its ruling on the suit filed by Fresh Democratic Party; the court has ousted the powers of the commission to deregister parties.

Speaking on the losses suffered by the parties based on the illegal registration, Ogbonna said the action of INEC had led to the dismembering of most of the parties whose membership became frustrated and scattered. The parties that signed the statement include, Peoples Progressive Party, National Advance Party, New Democrat, Peoples Redemption Party, People’s Salvation Party, Action Party of Nigeria, African Liberation Party. Others are, Progressive Action Party, Movement for Democracy and Justice, National Action Council, Better Nigeria People’s Party, National Conscience Party, African Political System, Justice Party, Change Advocacy Party, Community Party of Nigeria, and Liberal Democratic Party of Nigeria Also speaking, Chairman of

PAC, Mr. Charles Nowdo warned that having been defeated in the high court, INEC is bound by law not to exclude the parties from elections, adding that the commission has no excuse to continue the way it is going since funding for the elections has never been a challenge which the country cannot meet.

INEC to appeal judgment He alleged that INEC may be harbouring a secret agenda which only the commission can explain. But in a swift reaction, INEC’s Spokesman, Mr. Kayode Idowu said, “they are entitled to their own opinion which is difficult to engage with objectively. As for contesting in subsequent elections, the recent court judgement is specific in its reliefs that is, regarding a particular party; and that is even being appealed."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—15

500 ex-CBN workers protest sack, non-payment of entitlements BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

BUJA—OVER 500 sacked staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday protested what they described as wrongful disengagement and non-payment of entitlements by the nation’s apex bank. The sacked staff have written to the Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, PCC, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Obunike Ohaegbu, appealing for his intervention to ensure that the CBN looked into their plight. Speaking to Vanguard, coordinator of the sacked CBN staff, Bulus Daniel, said some of them worked as temporary staff for over 18 years without being converted or confirmed as staff, contrary to labour rules, adding that they were sacked by Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the former CBN Governor. Daniel said: “We are extemporary staff of Central Bank of Nigeria that have been laid off since May 2007 and January 2008 after putting 5-20 years in service without being paid our benefits and entitlements.” He said that several letters were written to the former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole over the non- payment of their terminal benefits but noted that nothing positive was achieved. According to him, the disengaged staff have been facing serious hardship. Daniel said they had taken their case to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, through a petition and a reminder dated July 11, 2013, and that the commission had referred their matter to the Federal Ministry of Labour and even the CBN for action. He regretted that despite the efforts of the commission, it seemed all the appeals were ignored by the CBN, stressing that only 85 of the sacked members that were highly connected had been re-absorbed by the apex bank, while about 500 of them were left out. He said: “After serving the bank diligently, honestly and with integrity in sundry offices and sensitive areas, including treasury, Currency Processing Unit, CPU, and briquetting office between five and 20 years and with the same job roles with permanent staff, our appointments were terminated without entitlement and benefits. The fact remains that 85 of our colleagues were reinstated as full staff based on personal connection.” The sacked CBN workers appealed to the apex bank to recall and make them permanent

staff with effect from the time they were recruited or pay their entitlement and benefits with the CBN condition of service. They also appealed to the PCC to continue to intervene on behalf of the ordinary citizens as the commissioner had been doing since his appointment. Reacting to the petition sent to him by the affected workers,

the FCT Commissioner of Public Complaints Commission, Obunike Ohaegbu, expressed concern that the CBN could engage people as casual staff without confirming their appointments for close to 20 years. Ohaegbu appealed to them to remain calm and not take laws into their hands as efforts

would be made to look into their plight. “It is a surprise to me that even the CBN has casual staff, why should somebody be working for 18 years as casual staff. “I will deliver your petition to the CBN governor and other issues. I have written to the CBN governor requesting for audience with him,” he said.

BOOK LAUNCH—From left: Mr Nnamdi Ebo, Author of There Was a Time, Chairman of the event and Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, Professor Charles Ilegbune, SAN, and Dino Melaye, Chief Launcher and Executive Secretary, Anti-Corruption Network at the Public Presentation of the book in Abuja.

CBN launches N220bn SMEs fund BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

BUJA—THERE appears to be a new latitude for entrepreneurs in the country as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday, launched a N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, fund to provide the much needed capital for that sub-sector of the economy. Governor of the CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said at the 7th MSME financing conference and D-8 workshop, in Abuja, that the fund would address challenges of access to capital operators in the subsector were facing currently. According to him, loans will be given to entrepreneurs at nine percent interest rate and at a much longer term than what deposit money banks offer currently. His words: “The CBN is presenting for launch today the N220Billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund. “The fund is designed to further enhance access to finance by MSMEs with the following major objectives; provide wholesale financing windows for participating financial

institutions; improve the capacity of the PFIs to meet credit needs of MSMEs; provide funds at reduced cost to PFIs; enhance access of women entrepreneurs to

finance by allocating 60 per cent of the Fund to them; improve access of NGOs/MFIs to finance. “The fund is one of the element o the Micro Finance policy of the

Oil industry operators advised on safe application of radioactive materials BY CHRIS OCHAYI

BUJA—A former Presidential Adviser on Petroleum Matters, Dr. Emmanuel Egbogah, yesterday, advised operators in the oil and gas sector to devise means for safe application and effective regulation of radiation sources in the industry. Dr. Egbogah noted that apart from being the largest importer and user of radioactive sources in the country, the oil and gas sector was also the hub of activities involving ionizing radiation. Egbogah spoke at a technical meeting on regulatory nuclear applications in the oil and gas sector. He said the sector must devise means for safe

application and effective regulation involving radiation sources. Egboga said: “In 2012, the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, NNRA, issued a total of 633 authorizations, about 500 of which were for practices in the oil and gas sector. This represents about 78 percent of all the authorizations issued in the year. “If we note that NNRA authorizations are preceded by inspections, it is obvious that NNRA oversight activities are by far highest in the sector. Presently, over 80 percent of all radioactive sources imported into the country are used in the oil and gas sector for nuclear well-logging, industrial radiography, nuclear gauging and radio-tracing amongst others.

Insecurity: FG seeks US assistance on training of security personnel BY VICTORIA OJEME

BUJA—THE Federal Government yesterday called on the United States government to assist Nigeria in capacity building for the country ’s enforcement agencies, especially training programmes in the area of intelligence gathering. The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, who made the appeal at the second session of the Regional Security Cooperation Working Group meeting of Nigeria-US BiNational Commission, BNC, in Abuja, also called on the international community to assist the country overcome the present security challenges in the country. He said: “We will continue to build on the success of several ongoing programmes between the two countries as we implore the United States government to offer capacity building support to our enforcement agencies as well as specialized training programmes in the area of intelligence gathering.”

UK donates forensic tools to EFCC BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

BUJA—FRAUDULENT Nigerians may be in for a tough time, as the British government, yesterday, released some vital forensic equipment to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to aid the fight against soaring graft in Nigeria. The donation of the forensic tools is in furtherance of the strategic partnership between the EECC and the United Kingdom’s Serious Organised Crime Agency, SOCA. The equipment, according to a statement by the EFCC Spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, were handed over at a ceremony at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja by Oliver Blake, Team Leader, Governance and Social Development, UK Department for International Development, DFID, to the new Secretary of the commission, Adegboyega Aremo.

16—Vanguard , FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

CHIEF EMEKA ANYAOKU’S BOOK LAUNCH IN LAGOS, YESTERDAY. PIX: DIRAN OSHE.

LAUNCHING: Left: Authorof the Book, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; chief launcher, representing Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Leke Pitan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, during the launch of the book, Footprints of an Iconic Diplomat, at Muson Centre, Lagos.

From left: Dr. Gabriel Soyoye, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode and Mrs. Stella Okoli, MD/CEO, Emzor Pharmaceuticals.

From left: Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu, Prince Bola Ajibola and Chief Joseph Sanusi, former CBN governor.

Mrs. Patricia Arawore (left) and Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Governor of Osun State, Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori, at the event.

CONFERENCE ON OIL THEFT AND ILLEGAL BUNKERING IN THE NIGER DELTA. PIX: LAMIDI BAMIDELE

From left: Rear Admiral A.I. Ajuonu, Flag Officer Commanding, NAVTRAC, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, Flag Officer Commanding, West and Mr. Ron Rhinehart, US Consulate, Lagos.

Mr. Brian Nair, Regional Security Manager, Sub Sahara Africa, Shell and Evaristo Da Silva, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Angola, during the conference organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta and Presidential Amnesty Committee on Oil Theft and Illegal Bunkering in the Niger Delta, in Lagos, yesterday.

From left: Mr. Kime Engozu, Mr. Timi Alaibe and Mr. Albert Okumagba, at the event.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 — 17

psychologically, to stop caring about where people come from. And, by the way, even when “outsiders” are “respectable” citizens who have lived outside their home states for decades, speak the local lingo fluently and can easily pass for natives, they cannot assume that they will be left alone. Last year, Abia State Government ruthlessly purged its civil service of non-Abians. And I can’t even describe this nastiness as ethnic cleansing because, bizarrely, some of the victims of it were Igbos from neighbouring states!

Deportation must end! J

Last word A Anambra State governor, Peter Obi

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola live? When I discovered that my own State Government, Rivers, has just deported 113 “outsiders” who were deemed to be nuisances, I was very disappointed and complained to a cousin…who briskly informed me that he did not share my sorrow because he was tired of non-indigenous vagrants hassling him for cash on the streets of Port Harcourt. He said he wouldn’t mind if they were Riverians. I’m amazed by the view that vagrants are less irritating if they are sons

Brilliant article In a brilliant article that was published in this newspaper last Monday (August l2), Femi Falana (SAN), the distinguished liberal activist lawyer, pointed out that internal deportation is illegal and unconstitutional as well as inhumane, elitist and a violation of fundamental human rights. So why are state governments being allowed to get away with breaking the rules? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because anything goes in this part of the world; and, as I said in this column a couple of weeks ago, too many Nigerians mean-spiritedly regard compatriots who don’t come from their backyards as “outsiders”…and lavish hostility on them, particularly if they C M Y K

Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi display any weaknesses, gain any benefits or try to participate in local politics. Too many Nigerians, including educated and religious individuals who should be enlightened and compassionate, quietly resent or actively discriminate against their fellow Nigerians on geographical grounds…and carry on as if our 36 states are totally separate nations rather than segments of the same One Nigeria. So I guess it figures that if an “outsider” annoys the authorities in a part of the country that is not his ancestral terrain, a lot of people coldly turn a blind

eye or enthusiastically applaud when the “outsider” is thrown out and sent “home”. Am I being too idealistic to feel that Nigerians should be allowed to feel at home in any state they choose to live in?...even if they live under a bridge?..And that if they commit offences, they should be punished where they have been living?...And that if they need help, it should be delivered wherever they

OURNALISTS are supposed to be formidably well-informed and are expected to know more than most about what is going around them, so let me hang my head in abject shame as I admit that I only recently became aware of the fact that state governments sometimes deport disabled, homeless or impoverished “nonindigenes” to their states of origin. This issue belatedly came to my attention when a headline-hogging row erupted over Governor Babatunde Fashola’s recent decision to unceremoniously banish l4 Anambrarian beggars from Lagos and send them back to their roots in Onitsha. I cannot believe some of the terrible things that have been said by some of the supporters and opponents of this controversial move. A whole bunch of bigots are using it as an excuse to heap vitriolic abuse on Igbos and/or Yorubas.

reader who wishes to remain nameless, sent me this email a few days ago and I’m publishing it because SO MANY other Vanguard readers constantly express similar opinions. And it seems to me that their frustrations deserve to be heard. It was a beauty to watch how the Egyptians, through massive street protests, succeeded, with a little help from the military, in driving away Morsi, their erstwhile president, who did not make any positive impact on their lives. But here in our country, we are so docile as a people that our political class has been urinating on our heads since May 29, 1999 till date, through bad governance, without our rising up against them. I know that my views are subversive and treasonable,

I’m morally repelled by the notion that people should be forced to go “home” if they have problems; we really need to abandon our deportation mentality and stop caring about where people come from

and daughters of your own patch of soil! And I’m morally repelled by the notion that people should be forced to go “home” if they have problems or mess up. As far as I’m concerned we really need to abandon our deportation mentality and train ourselves,

but they are based on bitterness and suffering. I have been through so many inconveniences and pains, including no electricity for days on end. Meanwhile or politicians are swimming in oceans of wealth!

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 or 081 1675 9752 (texts only). PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED, WITH YOUR NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED.

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. Section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution. THE once booming business of promoting human rights is on serious retreat in Nigeria. It is appropriate to remember this, as elections and contests for power dominate national discourse. The quest for power cannot be an excuse, not even a reason for rights violations. A wrong assumption is made that human right abuses occur only under military regimes. The return to democratic rule 14 years ago has witnessed some of the worst forms of human right abuses, including in some cases, the absolute denial of right of individuals to anything, even rights the Constitution provides. Odi, in Bayelsa State, was reduced to rubbles in November 1999 as soldiers bombarded the place after nine policemen went missing. Zaki Biam in Benue State followed two years after. The recent illegal movement of people out of Lagos State is another version of the abuses. From the executive local government

Human Rights Retreat chairman, whose security vote is for terrorising his domain to executive governors, whose utterances are law, the abuses continue. At the federal level, power is everything and can be used for anything. Section 14 (2b) is observed only in breach. Governments do not care about the people. The neglect is not limited to social and economic rights of the people. It extends to the right to life. There are horrifying statistics of the number of Nigerians who have been killed at police check points, tortured to death, shot in most brutal methods security agencies use in quelling riots and thousands detained for years without trial. Security agencies use torture as a legitimate

instrument for achieving their aims. They treat suspects as criminals, parading them on television and having them confess to crimes without legal advice. Some suspects are tortured until they confess, or die. Justice crawls on all four. Where justice has wheels, they turn only in cases involving the high and mighty which can be decided in weeks. The dreary conditions of prisons, police cells and detention centres bear their own tales of government’s lack of concerns about plight of thousands of Nigerians in detention without trial. They are mostly too poor to pay for legal services. Prison congestion that results from long waiting before suspects go on trials is a matter every Minister for Justice promises to address. In 14 years of democracy, nothing has been done about this. Yet the Constitution provides for speedy trials and for the authorities to pay compensations to people detained illegally. The authorities need to promote policies that can enhance the constitutional rights of Nigerians to better life.

OPINION BY PATRICK MBA

Jonathan, South East and 20 11 election pr omises 2011 promises

E in the Enugu Peoples Assembly, EPA, are at a loss as to why nothing seems to be happening politically and infrastructurally in the South-East geopolitical zone, despite the calibre of Ndigbo in President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. Despite all the promises the President made to Ndigbo prior to his election in 2011, nothing seems to be happening. The President promised Ndigbo functional seaports at Onitsha in Anambra State and Oguta in Imo State; dry inland port at Aba in Abia State; power plant at Oji River in Enugu State; completion of the Second Niger Bridge at Onitsha; fixing of Enugu– Onitsha express road and Enugu– Port-Harcourt road; functional international airport at Enugu, among others. All these promises are yet to take off in some instances and there is completely no Federal Government presence in the South-East despite our overwhelming support for the President during the last election and despite the number of persons of South East origin on the corridors of power in the present dispensation. These include the Secretary to the Federal Government, the Deputy Senate President, the Deputy Speaker, House

of Representatives and a host of others. These personalities have failed woefully to give Ndigbo a dynamic and vibrant representation. Resuscitation of rail tracks On the resuscitation of the Nigerian Railway tracks, Enugu Peoples Assembly questions why nothing is ever heard about the Enugu axis, whereas on daily basis, we are inundated with news of test-runs being done on Kaduna, Lagos and Port Harcourt axis of the Nigerian Railways. Irrigation plants On daily basis we hear and see commissioned projects on irrigation plants in the Northern part of the country because of their agricultural potentials. But we wonder why same is not extended to Abakaliki, Aguleri, Ugbawka and other towns within the South-East with same agricultural potentials. Who will bell the cat? The current political class representing Ndigbo are not doing enough to curb the current ill-winds. They lack dexterity and purposeful leadership traits. We’ve not heard even a word from any of them since the last unfortunate murder of about 59 persons (Ndigbo) by the recalcitrant Boko Haram in Kano last week. Look

at their compatriots from the SouthWest in the face of similar tragedy by the same Boko Haram of 10 Yoruba traders from Ibadan (Oyo State) who were murdered in Maiduguri last month. There was a vibrant debate on the floor of the National Assembly over the dastard act. Just about one week ago, the Lagos State Government deported Ndigbo resident in Lagos State and dumped them under the bridge at upper Iweka in Onitsha, Anambra State. Have you heard a word from any of these modern day political leaders from the South-East? Ndigbo today are diasporians in their own country and nobody from the political class deems it fit to mention this on the floor of the National-Assembly. This is most uncharitable of them. Our special recognition and thanks goes to the governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi and the former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu for their interventions on this disheartening issue. They have done the Igbo nation proud. Centenary celebration On the forthcoming national centenary celebration billed for next year 2014 (1914 – 2014) the Igbo nation will be the only one out of the tripod major

ethnic groups that will participate in this important event without having a serving or a former head of state/ president sitting as special guest of honour. What a sorrowful scenario? It is going to be a very sober moment for the Igbo nation to reflect and ask both salient and pertinent questions about their status as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It’s going to be a soul-searching moment for the people of the South-East-the journey so far. Instead, the Igbo nation in that epoch event (centenary celebration) will celebrate 100 years of killings of their kinsmen and women across the nation, maiming, property abandonment, bombings, disenfranchisements, marginalisation, subservience and most recently, deportations of Ndigbo within the confine of one Nigeria. What a centenary celebration? We therefore exhort Ndigbo both at home and in diaspora not to despair but to rise up to the occasion and take their destiny in their own hands. Enough of second fiddle, Nigeria belongs to all of us and we shall do all within the ambit of the law to ask what rightfully belongs to us. We believe in one Nigeria. God bless Nigeria, good people, great nation. *Mr. Mba is the Nationak Chairman of EPA.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013— —19

AND and landed property are most expensive in Lagos than any other part of Nigeria, except for a part of the Central Business District area of the FCT, Abuja. Landed property in Banana Island, for example, has been reported to be one of the most expensive in the world. Landed property is even more expensive here in Banana Island, than in some parts of the United Kingdom and South Africa, thus buttressing the various surveys that say Lagos is one of the most expensive cities in the world. While a three-bedroom flat costs as much as N248m, a fourbedroom counterpart can go for as much as N3.5bn, depending on the facilities it offers. In some parts of London, it has been reported that, a four-bedroom flat goes for between N86.1m (£350,000) and N3.46bn (£10m). In Johannesburg and Capetown, South Africa, such can be obtained for between N20.2m (R1,190,000) and N40.8million (R2,400,000). However, while there is a tested mortgage facility the buyer enjoys in London and other developed places, in Nigeria this is almost nonexistent as it is a system of cash-

and-carry, and government does not seem to care seriously about mortgage. This trend of very high prices applies relatively to Victoria Island, Lekki and Ikeja areas. Even virgin lands that are being put up for sale are very expensive in Lagos. The prices went this hay wire when the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, came to power in 1999.Today, the State Government rakes in staggering sums as revenue from tenement and other rates on land and landed property. Landed property in Lagos has now become ‘gold’, although this applies only to selected areas, as differentiated by the recent tenancy law of the State, and the seemingly deliberate policy of neglecting other areas, especially the Badagry axis. These have made people to believe that discrimination may be part of the game plan. One expected that given the strategic importance of Badagry and the Seme Border, roads there ought to be developed to open up the area and attract high prices too. Some have argued that it is linked to the bashing of Igbo people, even when it was the Igbos that made land in Lagos the ‘gold’ it has become. In the early 1970s, Surulere, old Yaba, and Bamgbose Road in

In order to foster the One-Nigeria of our dream, efforts should be made now to discourage the provocation, oppression and killing of the Igbo man or any nonindigene in any part of Nigeria

the Island were mostly of small but cute bungalow settlements. Most of Ikeja, Ojo, Anthony, Maryland and Okota were essentially swampy and bushy until Igbos moved in. Ekenedili Chukwu Motors was one of the first companies to move into Allen Avenue in the early 1980s and people wondered what he was doing in that bush. Today, his movement attracted others and Allen has become a completely new world we see today.

he late Igwe J.O. Obi, the Alakoso of Lagos,by the late 1970s, was the first to move into Ire Akari Estate in Isolo, when the whole area was a complete bush. He also moved his company, Interland Transport, into the Amuwo Adofin Industrial Estate first, brought telephone

Enter the All Progressives Congress, APC BY WILLY BOZIMO

LIKE the guts of the three and half parties that forged a union called APC. The Action Congress, alias Tinubu’s baby; Congress for Progressive Change, Buhari’s alter ego, and the All Nigerian Peoples Party, chaired by Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and the little half of APGA under Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo State. The tortuous journey to arrive at this reality had shown that Nigeria ordinarily ought to have two great and competing parties, which the military under IBB wanted to do for the country with SDP and NRC . With its registration, in spite of the competing claim by African Peoples Congress for same acronym, it is becoming clear to Nigerians that the imperatives of democracy which had compelled Nigerians to have over 30 registered parties had not helped matters. Nigerians are basically tribe conscious people, a trait we inherited from pour first political fathers in Zik, Awo and Ahmadu Bello where the regions administered by them were tribally conceived and tailored to suit their people. Inbetween the big tripod of Hausa Igbo and Yoruba, the bigger tribes succeeded in whipping into line the smaller tribes. The Middle Belt comprising the Tivs, Idomas and the other minorities within the Plateau region was under the influence of the Sardauna of Sokoto-controlled ruling party, the Northern peoples Congress, NPC. The Mid West made up of Binis, Urhobos, Ishans, Izons, itsekiris and Isokos, suffered same fate in the hand of the Yorubadominated Action Group led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo until it gained independence in 1963 as a Region. In the Eastern region with Zik of Africa holding sway as the Premier, smaller groups C M Y K

like the Efiks, Ogoja, Ibibios were not allowed to flourish by the Igbo-dominated NCNC. The registration of the APC has brought together hitherto diametrically opposed ethnic groups: Igbos of the East, HausaFulanis of the North and the ethnic Yorubas of the West to open a new chapter of coexisting with other Nigerians . The APC as registered today will have to contend with the PDP in 2015. With this, presidentially ambitious Northerners will have an alternative platform to actual their dreams instead of every politician of note wanting to drag down the PDP for that purpose. One is not saying that the registration would automatically translate into power shift from PDP to APC at the centre. It will definitely galvanize hitherto divisive elements within the leading and ruling party to have a rethink and keep their house in order for the great expectations of 2015. Will APC of two prominent leaders Bola Tinubu and Muhammadu Buhari in this new alliance of West and the North bring about real change in the politics of 2015? Who carries the flag for the APC in the 2015 presidential election? Will it be General Buhari whose ambition to become a civilian president has been aborted three times, twice under the ANPP and once under his own contraption, CPC? Will Tinubu be his running mate in 2015? APC portends healthy competition amongst the various parties. Its registration seems to me to be a blessing in disguise to the PDP whose members who could not manage their success as a party were being pushed to undo their own party. Now that the battle lines are drawn between the ruling PDP and other parties , it is suddenly dawning on recalcitrant Governors who had planned to dump and bury their own party to make amends and ensure that the PDP still comes out on top.

BY CLEMENT UDEGBE

Ndigbo made land the gold of Lagos

lines there when it was a vast area of sandy-muddy soil.Today, we have a well-developed industrial estate in that area following his first move. Igbos in fact developed Isolo and Okota areas; they single handedly developed the whole of Olodi, Festac and Ojo areas. Any government that wants to forget this will create problems for itself in the near future. The attitude of the Igbo man is what other Nigerians must learn to copy in order to foster peace. As civil servants, when Ndigbo get to a place, they settle down there, build houses and raise families in that place. But other tribes go on transfer to other places carrying a brief cases; they return with brief cases while remitting all their earnings from such places to their home states. The investments of the Northern Nigerians in Lagos took a nose dive after the unsuccessful Gideon Okar Coup in April 1990, while that of Igbos continued to increase. Why won’t Nigeria accept and give Igbo man the Presidency for peace to reign? In order to foster the OneNigeria of our dream, efforts should be made now to discourage the provocation, oppression and killing of the Igbo man or any non-indigene in any part of Nigeria. The South East should come up with a policy of cows for burial programme. Any state government may demand 10 cows for the burial of any Igbo person killed in the North. It may simply take 10 befitting cows from any cow dealer from within the concerned

APC is welcome for what it is worth, an extension of the frontiers of democracy to the nation; its registration should not spell doom for the polity but should advance the cause of deepening the democratic culture

If APC means business, and I think they do, they must be less sentimental or ethnic when it comes to matters of presenting their flag bearer for 2015. If the Buhari-Tinubu ticket cannot come to fruition because it could throw the party into avoidable disarray, what else can it do to stay together.? The cry to produce a President should not be its main ambition, but how many states the APC can muster in its first election. If they must present a presidential candidate, they could try Buhari whose sharia- tainted credentials might bring in some votes. But viewed against his violence preachments in the wake of the 2011 presidential election, one might be tempting God because if he fails for the fourth time , we might expect huge balls of hellfire this time around. APC is welcome for what it is worth, an extension of the frontiers of democracy to the nation. Its registration should not spell doom for the polity but should advance the cause of deepening the democratic culture. If the court had stopped the registration of the APC as we know it today, it would have been blamed on the PDP, but we must

state and issuing the dealer with an official receipt which the dealer can use to claim reimbursement from his home state on his return. The FG should support this plan to protect Igbos and others from unwarranted and unprovoked attacks. A casual travel within Benue State will reveal a quiet, richly endowed expanse of land, good and rich for agriculture and other industrial productions. In Benue which is known as the food basket of Nigeria, land is cheap, people are friendly and generally peaceful. The government appreciates Igbos, and come to think of it, it is just a stone throw from Enugu State. The military era is gone forever, so let Igbos go to where they are celebrated, rather than remain in areas where their stay is no longer welcome. The South East and Benue State can really forge a common ground for cooperation in all facets of life.Nigeria owes Ndigbo, and Ndigbo also owes Nigeria. This is what must engage the minds of Igbo leaders in order to pave the ways for Igbo Presidency in the nearest future. Any scheme for the position of a Vice President at this time is less than what Ndigbo deserve. Our leaders must organise themselves to produce an Igbo President now or soon after GEJ.

*Mr. Udegbe, a lawyer, wrote from Lagos.

continually fight injustice through the courts and not by pandering to ethnic whims and caprices of the funders and promoters of the APC. The lessons for the APC managers is that the party has left the realm of old and tired theatricals of Action Group or Alliance for Democracy or Action Congress. This is a brand new party and it does not have to exhibit the antagonistic and traditional opposition strands of the past against the Federal Government it is planning to unseat through the polls in 2015?. APC might sound symbolic to the armoured personnel carrier of the military but must purge itself of dictatorial tendencies for which both Tinubu and Buhari can be accused of. Today is a new day and new politics must prevail. OBJ, a Yoruba, had been President of the country from 1999 to 2007 and there is a groundswell of deep resentment in our climes that another Yoruba should not dream to want to be president again . Our collective background would not permit it. The best guarantee for the continued stability of the country in 2015 seems tilted towards allowing the PDP present its present President for second term. Anything outside that would likely spell doom for the polity. Welcome to the fold APC, but members should prove themselves at the polls in 2015 and stop talking and engaging in sloganeering and name-calling. Let the votes count in your favour and be constructive in your criticisms . Upstaging a ruling party is not a joke in Africa and as we have seen and learnt from what has just happened in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe secured a landslide victory at the polls with its ZANU-PF party that had ruled the country for 35 years. Will PDP, the largest party in Africa, allow itself to be humiliated in 2015, after it promised Nigerians under the charimanship of Prince Vincent Ogbulafor that the PDP will rule the country for 60 years. Let us wait and see.

*Mr. Bozimo, a veteran journalist, wrote from Asaba, Delta State.

20—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16,

2013

After 2 years at FAAN, a moment of glory BY JUDITH UFFORD

HE absence of a consistent and well articulated national aviation policy, excessive bureaucracy and bad management was the bane of the nation’s aviation industry. Attempts to formulate a national policy dates back to 1986 when a 10-man committee’s recommendation constituted the National Policy on Civil Aviation. African ministers responsible for civil aviation met in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast in October 1988 to fine-tune common positions. This heralded the historic Yamoussoukro Declaration (YD) of 1988. It became imperative to harmonise the National Aviation Policy of 1989 with the Regional

Aviation Policy contained in the Yamoussoukro Declaration of 1988 which was reaffirmed in 1994. When Princess Stella Oduah assumed office as Minister of Aviation, she navigated through the cacophony of policies and came up with what is now known as the Aviation Road-map. The road-map provided the institutional framework for the provision of infrastructure, monitoring and control of the industry. The involvement of aviation stakeholders in producing the policy predictably resulted in unanimous adoption. Two years down the tarmac, critics who doubted government’s commitment to implementing the road-map are forced to swallow their words as the

implementation is on course. With the Road -map in clear focus, then came the issue of whose responsibility it would be to implement the transformation agenda in FAAN. It was quite obvious that the helmsman of FAAN should be one who would be able to deliver and so in October 2011, Mr. George Uriesi became the Managing Director/Chief Executive officer of FAAN. Thus, the responsibility for the implementation of the transformation agenda rested squarely on his shoulders. No doubt within the space of time he has been in the saddle, Mr. Uriesi has demonstrated that he is up to the task by literally changing the landscape of the Authority as well as the attitude

•George Uriesi, FAAN MD/CEO

of staff to work. Uriesi’s leadership style was clearly demonstrated in the recent Benin airport saga between the Edo State government and management of FAAN when he rose to the occasion by dealing with the matter head on. This was how Mr. Josef Omorotionmwan, a former commissioner in Edo State and newspaper columist described Uriesi’s handling of the matter. “In the early hours of Wednesday, July 31, 2013, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. George Uriesi led a most powerful team of his management staff to Oshiomhole, to smoothen out rough edges. Bright and early on Friday, August 2, 2013, Oshiomhole was already at President Jonathan’s breakfast table where both men finally wrote the footnotes of the Benin Airport saga. You can’t beat that. All’s well that ends well.” According to industry sources, the improvement Uriesi has brought into the management of Nigerian airports since his appointment as managing director is as a result of his u n i q u e management style. This, according to observers, has given staff of the Authority unprecedented sense of belonging to the Authority as well as enhance service delivery at all airports managed by FAAN. It is against this backdrop that he was conferred with the prestigious N a t i o n a l Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) award by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, yesterday. The event which took place at the NICON Luxury H o t e l , Abuja witnessed the

conferment of the award on other notable Nigerians who have made significant contributions to the development of the country, in their various fields of endeavour. For Uriesi, the recognition for the award was made possible because according to him the Minister, Princess Oduah gave him a free hand to operate. “This award is to her credit,” he said reiterating the cordial atmosphere he has worked with the Minister. He added, “You will recall that the whole concept of the Aviation Road-map was her idea.” Reminded that many in the industry have their thumbs up for him because of his transparent commitment to the implementation of the Government’s Transformation Agenda in the aviation industry, he was quick to attribute this again to his boss Princess Oduah. “You can only be as transparent has the leadership demands or wants. If public opinion is that I have been transparent in infrastructural development, through the Airport Remodelling Project and other new policies such as the Aerotropolis and perishable cargo export, through designated cargo airports in the country, it’s all because the minister gave us a free hand to operate”.

Airport operations Uriesi’s career spans more than 20 years, mostly in airline and airport operations as well as safety and economic regulation of the industry. Born in Lagos, August 8, 1968, Uriesi had his BA (Hons) degree from Bendel State University, Ekpoma (now Ambrose Alli University) in 1991 and national service with the then Nigerian Airports Authority. He worked for ADC Airlines PLC. In February 1996, he moved to South Africa to join multi-national consumer products’ company, Procter & Gamble South Africa, as Products Supply Manager. He returned to the aviation industry three years later to play key roles in the institutional reform and transformation of South Africa’s air transport industry, joining the executive team of the South African Civil Aviation Authority, first as Executive Manager for Aviation Safety Promotion and later General Manager, Aviation Safety. In August 2001, he joined Airports Company South Africa as Group Manager for Safety and Compliance, with responsibility for regulatory compliance, operational safety, environment and emergency management. In November 2004, he was appointed General Manager of Cape Town International Airport where he led the massive transformation of the airport in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 —21

Tax administrators urged to create intelligence units T

AX administrators have been urged to create intelligence units to monitor the activities of the affluent to ensure that they pay their taxes. Mr Agbeluyi Olushola, Chairman, Ikeja District Society of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, CITN, made the call, Wednesday, in an interview in Lagos. He explained that the move would ensure that the well-todo in the society were captured in the nation’s tax system. He noted that the intelligence units should be manned by experts, who would regularly monitor the activities of the rich in the society and ensure they were appropriately taxed. Olushola noted that most wealthy Nigerians have the culture of evading tax and hiding under the influence of political fathers. The chairman said that the development was unhealthy for the nation’s economy. “They are the easiest to bring, its’ just the political will; you can do what is called profiling. The tax agencies are supposed to have intelligence units. You zero in on some people to collect taxes. Ordinarily, nobody will willingly want to go and pay tax. So, sometimes you need to profile these people. You look at somebody, who rented Tafawa Balewa Square for the wedding of the son and the second leg of that wedding is taking place in Dubai. You just put the name on the system, how much has

this man paid in the past five years, possibly N500, 000; there is no relation between N500, 000 and what that person spent. “So, it is easy, but you discover that, possibly, this man donated some amount of money to the campaign programme of the person in power, so the political will is not there. I think changes, when they come, they become inevitable. The way Nigeria is going, the time for change is near, it may not be in the next two, three, five years, but the time for change has come.” Olushola also urged revenue agencies to develop the political will to ensure the prosecution of tax evaders.

From left: Doyin Salami of Lagos Business School; Keith Richards, MD/CEO, Promasidor Nigeria; Adeola Tejumola, CEO, TNS-RMS, West, East, Central Africa; Eric Salama, CEO, Kantar Group, and Bernadine Okeke, global head, private banking, FirstBank, during the Global CEO of Kantar Group meeting with top business executives, organised by TNS-RMS Nigeria, in Lagos.

Productivity critical to actualisation of transformation agenda — Wogu T

HE Minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr Emeka Wogu, has said that productivity is critical to the actualisation of the Vision 20:20:20 and the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. The minister stated this at a one day symposium to mark the observance of the 13th National Productivity Day/ Conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit Award.

The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Clement Illoh, said the theme of the symposium, ‘’Productivity and Competiveness: Determinants for Achieving National Transformation’, was not only relevant, but also apt. He said the observance of productivity day was a sign that the present administration was poised to harness all ideas and actions that would meet the aspirations of Nigerians.

PAU, Poise Nigeria partner on human capital devt

OISE Nigeria Limited has entered into a strategic partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre, EDC, of the Pan-Atlantic University, PAU, to address the challenges of human capacity development in Nigeria, especially the poor employability skills in the country’s work force. Poise Nigeria, in a statement on its recent breakfast meetings in Lagos and Abuja, made available to Vanguard, said the partnership placed emphasis on the perennial problem of poor employability skills among Nigerian gradu-

ates and how the situation can be managed. The forum also featured the launch of ‘PSENSE’, a specially designed tool for human capital management, which takes into account and mitigates the basic challenges of the Nigerian labour force and the employability levels of Nigerian graduates. It added that the product is an employability skills testing and certification platform designed by Poise Nigeria in collaboration with Biddle Consulting, USA. Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, Head, Poise’

Graduate Finishing School, explained that it had become a necessity to have standardised assessment systems that allow for an objective and accurate measurement of the work readiness of a job candidate. According to her, today ’s workplace requires that employees possess essential soft skills among which are the ability to think analytically and work strategically, articulate ideas effectively both in written and spoken forms, work under pressure, solve problems creatively, possess good ICT skills and so on.

“As you are aware, this gov- public and private service. ernment is committed to enShamsuddeen, who was the suring that Nigeria becomes guest speaker at the symposione of the largest economies um, said the day was meant in the year 20:20. Nigeria can- to reward hard work, high pernot afford to ignore the impor- formance and efficiency as tance of productivity and effi- well as discipline. He said it ciency in all our undertakings. was also meant to accord workIn every country, the main ers and organisations proper source of economic growth is recognition for dedication to increased productivity. Pro- duty, humility and patriotism. ductivity can be considered as the comprehensive -2.7 measure of how ef120.75 fectively resources 2,427.00 -46.00 are used to generate useful output,” he said. 17.23 0.07 Wogu said government would leave no stone un109.67 +0.70 turned in ensuring the development of 106.53 +0.42 productive mindset that would engender development of CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING the country. DOLLAR 154.75 155.25 155.75 The Minister of POUNDS 239.3364 240.1097 240.883 EURO 2205.6782 206.3428 207.0073 National Planning FRANC 166.4336 166.9714 167.5091 Commission, Dr YEN 1.5784 1.5835 1.5886 Shamsuddeen UsCFA 0.2943 0.3043 0.3143 man, said the NaWAUA 234.3739 235.1311 235.8884 RENMINBI 25.2776 25.3597 25.4419 tional Productivity RIYA 41.2612 41.3945 4 1.5278 Day was instituted KRONA 27.5689 27.658 27.7471 to ensure producSDR 234.4772 235.2348 235.9924 tivity consciousness and excellence in CBN Exchange rate as at 15/08/2013

22—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Ev ans Medical re turns tto o pr of itability Evans returns prof ofitability itability,, posts N32 7.9m N327 By BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

VANS Medical Plc has returned to profitability as it recorded a profit after tax (PAT) of N327 .9 million for the financial year ended December 31, 2012. This represents 166 percent increase from N123.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2011. The company ’s turnover grew to N4.9billion, an increase of 6.4 percent over N4.6 billion recorded the

previous year. However, the company’s earnings was eroded by finance cost, which climaxed at N503million as against N393milion incurred in 2011, representing about 28 percent The Board of Directors approved a dividend of five kobo per share, which translates to a total of N24.3milion dividend at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company held in Lagos last week. The shareholders at the AGM approved proposal by the board to raise

additional capital by way of rights issue. Addressing the shareholders at the AGM, the company ’s Chairman, Chief Saifudeen Edu, said raising additional capital became necessary to enable management address near perennial working capital problem, complete the WHO projects and refinance the high end portion of its debt profile. Edu disclosed that strategic initiatives had been outlined, which would ensure robust returns to shareholders

as well as propelling the business to a formidable force in the industry. The Group Managing Director of Evans Medical Plc, Chief Bunmi Olaopa, had disclosed earlier that the company was shopping for N3.5billion as additional capital, stressing also, that the company was looking for a core investor, who must have certain qualities. He said, “We are not just looking for a core investor, who will only bring money. We are looking for a core investor, who will bring money and value. That is, a core investor, who perhaps, has a good product pipeline and additionally, a Research and Development (R&D) based company.”

From left: Proposition Officer, Liability Products Team, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. David Otukpe; winner of the star prize of Salary4Life in the July 2013 edition of the Diamond SavingsXtra reward scheme Season 5, Ms. Nneka Meenandu; and Business Manager, Dobbil Plaza Avenue, Alaba International Market branch, Mr. Chijoke Nwaogu, at the prize presentation ceremony .

Zenith Bank posts N54bn half year profit

ENITH Bank Plc yesterday declared a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of N54.1 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2013, up from the N50.2billion posted in the corresponding period of 2012. In the results made available to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Zenith Bank’s profit after tax also rose from N42.41 billion to N45.419 billion. Gross earnings were N171 billion, up by 13 per cent above the N151 billion recorded in the same period in 2012. Interest income grew by

16 per cent from N111 billion to N128 billion, while net interest income appreciated by 15 per cent from N79.9 billion to N91.35 billion. Earnings per share followed the same positive trajectory, rising by 11 per cent from 134 kobo to 144 kobo. Customers’ deposits grew by 18 per cent from N1.701 trillion to N2 trillion, indicating customers’ confidence in the bank. Also, cost to income ratio reduced from 57.2 per cent to 53.3 per cent. Market operators who spoke with news men said the performance

showed the positive trend the bank has been recording over the years, saying investors should expect another bountiful harvest in the current financial year. It will be recalled that the Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Mr. Godwin Emefiele had told shareholders during the annual general meeting for the 2012 financial year in Lagos that the management would continue to work harder to ensure they put expenses under control for the general interest of our shareholders and the bank.

Similarly, the Chairman of the bank, Mr. Steve Omojafor had assured shareholders that amid the face of a very challenging operating environment, Zenith Bank would maintain its culture of outstanding performance and industry leadership. His word: "As a bank, we are monitoring developments both in the local and global economy and adapting our strategies as appropriate. According to him, Zenith Bank began 2013 with confidence and remained committed to its primary goals and to drive shareholders value. He said: "Our growth over the years has been organically and intrinsically linked with the growth of our people who are a veritable source of competitive advantage.

CSP takes over City Securities Registrars BY PETER EGWUATU

ARDINAL Stone Partners (CSP) Limited has acquired City Securities Registrar following the divestment transaction by First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc. The FCMB divested from the CSL in compliance with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s directive on holding company structure. Until now, CSL was one of the subsidiaries of FCMB. CSP is a full service investment banking firm established in 2008. The transaction was concluded at the end of a competitive bidding exercise that involved CSP and six other bidders. A statement from FCMB revealed that City Securities Registrars Limited, which is one of Nigeria’s largest independent share registration companies, manages share registers for many of the country’s leading corporate and quoted multinationals and provides access to an investor database in excess of 1.3 million investors. It became a subsidiary of FCMB in 2009. The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of FCMB Plc, Mr. Ladi Balogun, explained that the divestment is in compliance with the new banking model introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which requires banks to divest from non-core banking businesses. The selection of Cardinal Stone as a worthy buyer of our market leading registrar business followed a competitive exercise that sought not only to secure the interests of FCMB shareholders by getting a fair and competitive price for the company, but also find a buyer, who has the credibility, capacity and governance standards that will give CSRL’s clients the necessary comfort.

APR acquires U AC UA Registrar A egistrarss via SSP SSPA

FRICA Prudential Registrars Plc (APR), has completed a landmark acquisition of the oldest non-bank affiliated registrar in the Nigerian capital market, UAC Registrars. The Share Sale and Purchase Agreement (SSPA) between Africa Prudential Registrars and UAC of Nigeria Plc was executed by both parties at the corporate head office of UAC of Nigeria Plc in Lagos. UAC Registrars’ proven track record in the industry and its quality customer service and timely response to market trends made it an attractive acquisition target. The ground-breaking deal will integrate the resources of both companies and drive the deployment of even more robust information technology platforms to further reduce operating expenses and increase overall profitability. UAC Registrars currently manages the registers of six client companies, including UAC of Nigeria Plc (UACN Plc). In addition, the acquisition will open up new opportunities for the entity, not only in Nigeria, but across the African continent.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 — 23

Check activities of forwarders, NCMDLCA tells FG

BY DANIEL GUMM

HE African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, has enhanced economic progress and stability in sub-Saharan Africa and improved business for both African and American companies, says the top U.S. trade negotiator. That is why the U.S. Congress has expanded AGOA four times since passing it in 2000, U.S. Trade Representative, Michael Froman said August 12 at the start of the two-day 12th AGOA Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With the theme of "Sustainable Transformation through Trade and Technology," meeting participants launched a dialogue about the future of U.S.-Africa trade and economic cooperation and about renewing the law, which expires September 30, 2015. "AGOA is the centerpiece of our trade and investment policy with sub-Saharan Africa," Froman said in a prepared statement. "By facilitating trade and supporting jobs, AGOA has improved individual lives and stimulated development in a way that is leading to real growth." Froman said U.S. and African governments, farmers, manufacturers, businesses and civil society leaders now face the task of finding out how together they "can meet AGOA's untapped potential." He also said the U.S. administration would work with Congress to ensure a "seamless renewal" of the trade law beyond 2015 — a renewal "that will give credibility and predictability to manufacturers, buyers and investors" on both sides of the Atlantic. Froman noted that in addition to senior officials from a variety of U.S. agencies, two members

From right: Akin Braithwaite, Customer Relations Executive; Omatsola Barrow, S&D Executive; Amina Oyagbola, Human Resources Executive; Richard Iweanoge, GM, S&D and Adekunle Adebiyi, GM, Sales, all of MTN, at the relaunch of MTN Virtual Top Up (VTU) Plus in Lagos. Photo: Joe Akintola.

Sub-Saharan Africa Trade Forum considers region's potential of Congress — Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Representative Karen Bass of California — were in Ethiopia for the forum. AGOA enables 39 eligible subSaharan countries to export most of their products to the United

States duty-free. In 2012, eligible countries exported nearly $35 billion in goods to the United States under AGOA and its related Generalized System of Preferences provisions, more than four times the amount in 2001, Froman said.

ACA announces ambitious cashew production target

HE African Cashew Alliance, ACA, has set an ambitious target of achieving additional 100,000 metric tonnes of processed

cashew by 2020. Currently, the volume of raw cashew nut processed in Africa is about 75,000 metric

Vitafoam unveils music pillows, foam that regulates blood circulation BY NAOMI UZOR

ITAFOAM, yesterday, un veiled music pillows, latex pillows, spring mattress and memory/visco elastic foam that regulates blood circulation. In a parley with newsmen, Managing Director, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Mr Joel Ajiga, said the music pillow was made from high quality user friendly fibre and could be connected to phones, iPods and any other musical gadgets, adding: “It lures you into sleep in a short time with high resolution music gadget and the memory/visco elastic foam regulates blood circulation. “The good thing about the music pillow is that it gives you room to listen to your choice of music without disturbing anybody else and it is also health friendly because the phone or Ipad is not directly on your head or ear.” According to him, the latex pillow provides soft feel comfort and air flow through the air vents provides additional ventilation which is therapeutic to sleeping disorders and also highly durable. He said the memory/visco elastic foam contours round the body

AGOA also gives African countries incentives to improve their investment climates, reduce corruption, respect the rule of law and human and labor rights, improve infrastructure and harmonize trade standards.

and provides adequate support to all parts of the body, reduces the pressure points of the body thereby relieving joint pains, usually high weight and density

benefits, regulates blood circulation, superior thermal comfort, open all releases body heat and temperature and also reduce motion transfer between two people.

Nigeria is nowhere without seamen – Maritime Chair

HE Delta State District Chairman of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria, MWUN, Comrade Boro Ekotoro has said that without seamen, Nigerian economy is nowhere, stressing that nothing can be exported or imported into the country. Comrade Ekotoro, who made the declaration during the swearing-in of a new 13-man executive to pilot the affairs of Escravos Seafarers unit for the next four years, noted that the Escravos Unit of Maritime Worker’s Union of Nigeria was very vital to the nation’s economy due to the location of major multinational companies in the area. The immediate past chairman of Escravos Seafarers Unit of MWUN, Comrade William Oritsematosan Daje, while rendering his stewardship, noted

that his leadership was able to create 75 per cent employment for youths within the unit and promised to mobilise support for members of the new executive. Comrade Daje, who was immediately appointed coordinator of the Escravos unit by the state district chairman, Comrade Ekotoro noted that his leadership encouraged youths in the area to take the marine profession seriously. While Comrade Ebami Tunokan will serve as the new chairman of Escravos Seafarers Unit, Comrade Glory Reyenieju, Comrade Nene Lewis, Comrade Moses Edun, Comrade Okeren Brakere Micheal and Comrade John Daje were elected Vice Chairman, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and PRO/ Ex-Officio, respectively in the 13man executive.

tonnes. Christian Dahm, Senior Director at the ACA, who made this known recently, said the Alliance had rolled out twopronged strategy to enable the corporate entity to meet the deadline. He said access to finance as well as quality food safety standards and traceability are part of the strategies and gave the assurance that the Alliance is committed towards working with cashew chain stakeholders to promote the growth of the industry. According to him, the body would administer technical support to government and the private sector to maximise value addition and jobs creation on the African continent. Mr. Dahm said ACA is committed to apply basic food safety measures and to continuously upgrade the standard of facilities, adding that the prospects of the cashew industry on the continent is high, stressing that almost two million farmer households in 11 African countries supply raw cashew nut to cashew processing factories in Africa and to the rest of the world. "By 2020, the African cashew industry aims to process 35 per cent of Africa's tree yield and significantly inmore

National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, NCMDLCA, has written to the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, requesting the Federal Government to to stop the unwholesome conduct by some persons, who are staff of the dissolved and expired Council of Regulation of Freight Forwarders, to cause breach of peace in the port through their activities and requested for government’s intervention to look into the activities of these persons, who want to subvert the law and cause the breach of the peace in the port environment. In an August 5th letter to the President by NCMDLCA National Secretary, Mr. Uchu Block, he drew the attention of Mr. President to Sections 153 - 156 of the Customs and Excise Management Act C45 of 2004, which eslablished the NCMDLCA, saying that it was quite different in professional practice in terms of application and interpretation by legal instruments. Block, who explained the functions of Licensed Customs Agents, said that “it covers all aspects related to import, export and excise trader, which is contained in section 153-(2), which states their functions subject to subsection (1) of this Act. According to Block, “a person Licensed as Customs Agents or Excise Agents which conferred authority to perform all process in the Act as stipulated hereunder. The Licensed Custom Agent is international trade expert that are involved in the treatment of the valuation of goods Customs and Excise Management Act 20 of 2003 (GATT Valuation), among other functions. He noted that the function of the freight forwarder is strange to the operation at the Port and should be stipulated properly so as to define their job. He said that by the provision of section 4 of the Freight Forwarding Act, is only the constituted Council that have right to perform the Act in paragraph (a-j). The Registrar and Staff are support staff and not members of the Council of Regulation of Freight Forwarder by the Act and have no such power, which if not checked may constitute threat to our port system. HE

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16,

2013

National Assembly, oil and the PIB BY ABIYE MEMBERE

HE National Assembly is still talking about oil – for now, at least, because the final vote on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is yet to come. Everyone knows oil is causing problems – but everyone also knows that oil is making Nigeria richer. It’s paying for hospitals, roads, and our efforts against violent extremists. So running the oil industry properly really matters. The PIB has been supported strongly by the President and Minister for Petroleum Resources, and if it becomes law it’ll rewrite many of our rules about how we pump, move, and refine oil and gas. And as you might imagine, it’s taken a lot of work for the drafters to get the Bill in shape. And it’s crucial that this Bill gets passed. Right now, the Bill stands at 223 pages. It’s thorough-going, and it takes into account years of research about the problems in and around the industry. Certainly, though, it’s stirred up some concerns. Most of all, these are being voiced by the oil companies. And this is quite natural: these companies played a big role writing the last rule book, and now feel that they’re

the oil companies have made large profits in Nigeria from Nigerian resources, giving only small amounts back to the people. Now an additional 10 per cent of the revenue - totalling 23 per cent overall - will be going to communities around the oil and gas facilities. This will be called the Host Communities Fund, and it’s there to develop the poor communities living in the shadow of oil production. They have common problems - potholed roads, under-staffed schools, unsafe water and a host of others which - will be countered with better resourcing through the Fund, going directly to communities. And the PIB is also clearer about who gets what: its transparency measures publishing the Government’s contracts with oil companies, making data about production available - will ensure that these and the above changes are made responsibly. The PIB opens up Government’s action for the best kind of oversight: public approval, or public outrage.

Changing rules But we’re not trying to strangle the industry by sharing out

The extent of the destruction has been terrible, and most important of all is its effect upon the residents of the Niger delta and surrounding region

getting cut out of the new one. Of course, from our point of view, it’s important to keep the oil companies on-side: we’ve worked closely with them and have benefitted enormously from their work. But now there’s a need to recognise new realities and problems. We’re addressing them head-on. And importantly, all Nigerians realise that these problems are urgent and real. Understanding these problems is the best way to grasp the Bill, because it responds to them very directly, and very effectively.

Transparency measures What are the issues? The first affects many millions of ordinary Nigerians. Today, 13 per cent of oil revenue goes into Nigerian communities - but, as we know, a lot never reaches the people. The first problem is about getting a fair deal for Nigerians. Under the PIB, we’re going to increase the amount of oil revenue we give to communities: for long enough

revenue more fairly. Just the opposite, in fact, because today the Nigerian oil industry isn’t growing - and this is the second big problem. We’re pumping less oil, and finding fewer wells each year. We really need this growth, and the PIB has an action plan. In the first place, the Bill chops up the large blocks of land given out to the oil companies, making smaller blocks - with these, we can make sure that every little area is being used, and that we’re pumping oil at top capacity. Secondly, we’re also making space for smaller, Nigerian companies by making sure that all firms can get hold of the numbers and information about oil deposits they need - the kind of information that many big companies can buy, but that small ones can’t afford. So there’ll be better competition. And we’re also setting up a team of explorers, the Frontier Exploration Service, to find more oil and gas and to map the deposits we already have - in the South and in the North, too.

Map of the Niger Delta An offshore oil rig And the third problem is the the industry are old, too. Sure, environment. The extent of the some rules stand the test of time, destruction has been terrible, and and the challenge for any the most important of all is its Government is to work out which effect upon the residents of the Niger delta and surrounding region. Many fishermen have found their fish poisoned. Water is This is the concluding part of the often thickened or review of Mero Asagba’s new slicked by oil, whilst publication entitled ‘Good Local gas flaring leaves Governance.’ First part was locals’ health published on Monday. seriously threatened E say that 80 per cent of the by asthma or other total cause of HIV/AIDS illnesses. This Bill transmission is through sexual gives answers to intercourse, yet in its treatment, moral those people. issues are not brought presented. “For There’ll be no more example, if a young growing boy or gas flaring, and girl is meant to know that he must we’re going to crack abstain from sex until after marriage down on oil-spills. and have the fear of God, HIV/AIDS Today the World will take a mild toll. The educational Bank says there strategy is also important here. The might be up to 4,000 Millennium Development Goals must spills - small and also be discussed. large - per year. This We found out that over 90 per cent disgraceful state of of Nigerians are not aware of what affairs is intolerable, these goals are. I go around and ask and it’s a stain on so many professionals, including Nigeria’s conscience doctors, they don’t know. The respect and worldwide strategy is necessary because we have image. The Bill to respect the rule of law and the brings in new bodies organizational strategy is also crucial. with clear It’s also crucial that every Nigerian be responsibilities - the represented effectively, because the regulators - to make so-called representatives we have are sure all damage not representing anybody but done is answered for. Bringing oil out from the ground needn’t be dirty. It isn’t elsewhere, and the PIB aims to modernise Nigeria’s industry to bring us into line. We’ve lived amongst these oilmen for around 60 years, now. A lot’s changed in that time: we’ve pumped oil for longer than we’ve been an independent country. And the rules we use to run Mero Asagba

rules need to change, and which should be respected. In the case of oil, the answer is clear: nobody, not even the PIB’s biggest opponents, likes how things work today. The oil-slicks, the plummeting oil production, and the poverty of the oil states all show that the rules must be rewritten. The Government’s rewrite the PIB - hits back at all the biggest problems. It’s a serious piece of legislation, one of the most groundbreaking seen by the Senate in recent years. Now this Bill needs public, and political support. The President and Ministers are taking care of the political work: for the sake of the Nigerians near the wells, and for the sake of the Nigerian society as a whole, let’s see that it gets all the public support it deserves.

Good local governance: Still a mirage in Nigeria—Mero Asagba

themselves.” Faulty federalism: The author also picked holes in the type of federalism practiced in the country, which he was hampering democracy at the grassroots. At the local level, we had expected democracy to be high but it is least there because of over-concentration of power at the centre. Asagba wrote, “I support autonomy for local councils. This will engender devolution of powers, setting the right priorities and the right people to be in power, which will bring the dividends of democracy closer to the people. “Local government constitutes a training ground for democracy, wherein elected representatives would ‘learn the ropes’ before going on to service at a more senior level, and local citizens would learn about exercising their democratic rights in the context of issues which are relatively simple and understandable. Local government institutions constitute the strength of free nations, it is the level at which the democratic ideal is most likely to b fulfilled. The citizen is more likely to understand the issues under consideration locally than the increasing complex, technical matters that predominate at the senior levels of government.” He urged leaders to cater for the wellbeing of the people and stressed the need for quality education because an illiterate is a time bomb, noting, “while in power, the major assignment those entrusted with power should be to reach the people. It should be serious work for those entrusted with leadership in this country. The schools also have a major role to play in the education of the citizenry.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—25

BRIEFS NIHOTOUR, ITP sign agreement on human capacity devt

Exploring tourist attractions in Nigeria’s national parks

OME countries in Africa that have leveraged on tourism as source of foreign exchange revenue often do so through promotion of their tourist attractions with safaris photographs showing exotic floral and fauna. Kenya is today famous for its safari and large number of national parks that attract tourists as majority of tourists visiting the country often plan safaris even if that is not their main reason for travelling to Kenya. Nigeria with her with rich and unique array of ecosystems, and a great variety of wild fauna and flora can attract such tourists too, if only the national parks in the country are promoted as tourist destinations. Each of the national parks in the country namely Chad Basin, Cross River, Gashaka Gumti, Kamuku, Okomu, Old Oyo and Kainji, all have their peculiar animal and plant resources. Nigeria’s National Parks have wide variety of interesting sites, for example, cultural, historical, archaeological unique ecosystems, and other biophysical attractions for all types and classes of visitors including scientists and researchers. Today, Travels and Tourism presents some of the unique features of some of Nigeria’s national parks. Cross River National Park It covers a total area of about 4000sq km of mainly primary moist tropical rainforest ecosystem in the North and central parts, and mosaic vegetation on the Obudu Plateau. It is Nigeria’s last Great Rainforest Reserve, and the closest to the Mangrove Swamps on the coastal region. Wilderness experience: A trip to the Park is primarily important for exploring one of the oldest rainforest in the world. The dense canopy, the tree trunks with their huge buttresses, the coolness of the environment, the freshness of the air and the sweet songs of the forest can never fail to lift even the most casual visitor into that tranquil realm of the soul. The 12km Erokut jeep track and nature foot trails at Erokut – Akamkpa have been specially developed for this experience. Gorilla tracking: Of the many animal life forms in the Park, the most important is the Cross River Gorilla a sub species that is endemic to the Park in all of West Africa. Those wishing to track down the gorilla must be prepared however to camp in the Park for a minimum of one week at least. Game viewing: Visitors to the Park may be lucky to view animals while on a visit to the Bashu salt lick in Okwangwo Division or Mfameyin salt lick in the Oban Sector of the Park or Erukot Gate near the Park Head Office, Akamkpa. Mountaineering/Hiking: Active tourist can dare the Mbe Mountains by climbing to the summit or they can make the long haul trekking/climbing from Butatong through Balegete to the summit of Obudu Plateau.

Tree-house at Okomu Park Bird watching: The montane grassland and relic forests of the Obudu Plateau offer opportunity for bird watching. There are over 200 species on the plateau. Botanic garden and Herbarium: The well laid out botanic garden and herbarium in Butatong are open nature classrooms, which offer opportunity for environmental education and biological research. German fort: This place was once part of the German colony before the Allied Forces ran it over during the Second World War. Okomu National Park Okomu National Park is the smallest of the seven National Parks in Nigeria. The Park is a rainforest ecosystem gazetted from the former Okomu Forest reserve in 1935. Today, the Park is a good habitat for numerous endangered flora and fauna species. Okomu is a home of forest elephants, buffaloes, red river hogs, chimpanzees, leopards, bush baby, putty nosed guenon, porcupine, pangolins, duikers, antelopes among others. The white throated monkey which is one of the rarest monkeys in the world today is found at the park as well. Butterflies and birds are abundant making it one of the best places for bird watching in Nigeria. The two tree houses (Old and New) the old tree house built on a 140 feet Silk Cotton tree, while the new tree house with 110 feet height also has 30 meters walkway. Both tree houses were to facilitate sighting, from which a panoramic view of the Park could be observed. Nature trails There are network of nature trails leading to all areas of interest in the Park. The nature trails afford visitors a walk through a scenic forest ecosystem that facilitates sighting of wide range of plants and animals species. Bird watching With over 200 species of birds recorded at the park, Okomu National Park is very rich in birdlife.

The bird hide enables avid bird watchers snipe at unaware avifauna that are wading through the pool overlooked by the hide or foraging within the vicinity. Boating: Boat cruising can be done on Okomu River within the Park or the Osse River at Park boundary in Inikorogha village. Fishing sport The Okomu River provides an ideal venue for sport fishing. Gashaka-Gumti National Park It is located in the mountainous region of north-eastern Nigeria adjacent to the international border with Cameroon, and immediately to the north of Mambilla Plateau. The park is the largest and most scenic of all the seven National Parks. The Park experiences varying pleasant weather conditions, depending on one’s location within the Park. Fishing sport: Gashaka-Gumti has ideal spots for sport-fishing, one of which is at Mayo Kam near the Hippo-pool. In the dry season the water is crystal clear and one can easily see different varieties ranging from Tiger, Cat fish, Nile perch ,Tilapia fish gliding in the water. Mountaineering Gashaka Sector of the Park has rugged undulating mountain terrains, excellent for mountaineering and cave exploration. It contains the highest mountain summit in Nigeria the “Chappal Waddi”, which literally means “ the mountain of death” standing at an altitude of 2,400 meters’ above sea level. It is located in the Gotel mountain range. It is characterized by steep, forested slopes, deep plunging valleysand waterfalls. Primate watching Forests in Chappal Waddi, Chappal Hendu, Chappal Yumti, Chappal sirgu and Kwano forest are good primate strongholds. One is sure to sight chimpanzees here or at least hear their calls or see their nests.

he National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute for Tourism Professionals (ITP) to boost human resources development for travelindustry. Speaking during the signing ceremony, Director-General, NIHOTOUR,Dr Munzali Dantata, said the MOU is to promote the development of the industry through articulation of awards, collaboration and complementary activities. Dr Munzali Dantata, explained that the agreement would further strengthen the relationship between NIHOTOUR as the sector skills council for the tourism and hospitality sector and ITP as an awarding body for the implementation of the National Vocational Qualifications Framework, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council in April this year. Dantata explained that the decision to sign the MoU was geared by the commitment of the leadership of NIHOTOUR and ITP to the seven principles of public life, which he described as selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and good leadership.

Seafood night debuts at Bolton White Hotel

s Bolton White Hotel and Apartments, Abuja, concludes its renovation project, the management of the hotel has introduced special seafood night. Mr. Essien John, General Manager of the hotel , revealed that the seafood dinner was designed to offer their customers something different from what they were used to. Essien John explained that the renovation and expansion project was done to up scale the hotel’s facilities and to serve its customers well. He said mindful of the strategic position occupied by well managed hotel in the industry that the manngement carefully ensured they provide conducive and high standard services. Essien said the hotel is not just another outfit beutified to satisfy guestsbut to provide guests another home away from home.

26—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16 16,, 2013

How to sleep right tonight A

RE you sleeping with stress and waking up at all the wrong times? Finding yourself wide awake after a few hours of sleep, or waking often during the night is called "parasomnia" or "sleep maintenance insomnia,". Unfortunately, it is much more common than people think. Studies have shown that 75 percent of adults frequently have symptoms of a sleep problem, including waking during the night. Man is often said to be one's own worst enemies when it comes to a solid night of sleep. People think that because they are able to fall asleep they will stay asleep, even if they have had too much caffeine. According to experts, the root of most sleep problems is stress. This is because we have overloaded, over-stimulated, and overwhelming our bodies' ability to relax. The nervous system is built for a sprint, but we are living in a stress marathon. If you go to bed worried you are probably going to wake up in the middle of the night. However, new generations of sleep scientists are overturning the conventional wisdom about parasomnia. They say with a few simple changes in your routine, a little visualization, a couple

of surprisingly counter-intuitive moves and perhaps an attitude adjustment, a peaceful night of slumber can be yours. Here are their best advice: Throw out your definition of a good night's sleep

Get bed-ready After an action-packed day , our brains need some time to catch up, to make order of things, and to slow their frenetic firing before we're ready to sleep. Pure bodily exhaustion can probably get you at least that first hour of dozing, but then worries will rise to the surface and cause you to stir. Clearing your head is key to a good night of sleep. Simply taking 15 minutes to sit quietly, meditate, pray, or do rhythmic breathing can allow your mind to slow down enough to sleep through the night. Establishing any ritual that you do before bed-anything but checking your e-mail!-will do more than relax you right then and there. The repetition also conditions your brain and body for sleep. Make the breath-brain connection One breathing exercise, called the 47-8 breath exercise. With your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth, just

behind your upper teeth, exhale completely. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four counts. Hold your breath for seven counts. Then, exhale while mentally counting to eight. Repeat the cycle three more times. Both are important for restful sleep. Take a pose to the doze: There is a feedback loop between the muscles and the brain, when you stretch and release tension, the brain relaxes too. The deep-

• Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life.

Gaviscon, SOGHIN bridge gaps in reflux disease management BY CHIOMA OBINNA

MPROPER diagnosis and management of reflux diseases has remained a major challenge in Nigeria. Heartburn or Acid Reflux, also known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, GERD, is a serious medical condition that occurs when acid, which usually sits within the protected lining of the stomach, escapes back up into the oesophagus (food pipe), and since the oesophagus is not as well protected as the stomach the acid can irritate the lining, causing painful symptoms such as burning sensation, pain (usually behind the breastbone) and a feeling of sickness. The stomach is lined with special cells which prevent stomach acids and pepsin that digest our food from hurting the stomach walls. But the oesophagus doesn't have these, and over time, the repeated splashing of acids from the stomach burns and scars the walls. Not only is Reflux disease uncomfortable and painful, but when left untreated, it can eventually lead to more serious health problems such as ulcers, stomach cancer and cancer of the oesophagus. These and more formed the basis of the 6th Annual Scientific and Conference of the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria, SOGHIN recently in Lagos to bridge the knowledge gap regarding the critical health challenges the disease poses. Sponsored by Reckitt Benckiser, producers of Gaviscon, a treatment for heartburn and indigestion, theme of the event was "The Burden of Gastro-Intestinal and Liver Diseases in Nigeria." Professor of Gastroenterology, Ege

• From left:Trade Marketing Manager, Reckitt Benckiser, Abimbola Olanrewaju; Professor Serhat Bar, Ege University, Turkey and Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Sylvester Nwokediuko at the 6th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria, SOGHIN, sponsored by Reckitt Benckiser, in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe. University School of Medicine, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey, Professor Serhat Bor decried the practice of self medication against reflux diseases and encouraged Nigerians to embrace the culture of proper diagnosis. "A patient must know what he is dealing with first. Get a proper diagnosis sooner rather than later - before the condition becomes advanced. "If the more serious Acid Reflux or GERD are diagnosed, the patient needs

est meditative state is known as "sleepless sleep." To get to a sleepful state, lie on your back with knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your heels parallel, close to your butt. Lift your hips and arch up onto your shoulders. Lace your palms together underneath your body and press your arms into the floor or mat. Hold the posture while taking 10 to 15 long, slow breaths. After 15 minutes of lying awake in bed, you need a change of venue. When someone can't sleep, the bedroom can become a torture chamber. Staying there is counterproductive. Go to another room.

to be ready for the long haul. Although medical and even surgical treatments may be warranted, a healthy diet is paramount,” he noted. Bor who is also President of Neurogastroenterology & Motility Study Group of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology, emphasised that more awareness must be created in developing countries on how to prevent Reflux diseases. He applauded creation of awareness

within the medical community as well as among the masses in Nigeria to enable medical practitioners identify the correct patient type, teach the right treatment options and reduce the gastrointestinal Reflux disorder burden from Nigeria. Reviewing the new methods of investigation and therapy as well as examine the issue of relevant health economics, a Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Funmi Lesi, emphasised the need for efficient data capturing to help track the disease and provide better solutions. Lesi who is also an Associate Professor, College of Medicine, University of Lagos and an Executive member, SOGHIN highlighted various causes of Acid Reflux to include, inability of the stomach to empty itself completely, food sensitivities, inadequate enzymes, acid and mucus production, antioxidant imbalance, poor nutrition and excessive use of alcohol. "A large meal can trigger an attack by expanding the stomach and increasing pressure on the oesophageal sphincter. So it is forced open and acids splash back up. This can be prevented by eating small meals at intervals instead of sitting down to a heavy feast. Hunching over a meal squashes the stomach, forcing acid leakage." Speaking during a special forum tagged “Golden Faculty” General Manager, Reckitt Benckiser Central African Region, Rahul Murgai, said the meeting was to optimise the management of reflux disease in the 21st century" and share views from diverse clinical practice to determine Alginate place in Therapy. We want to partner with professionals as they are the foremost opinion leaders by the virtue of their vast professional experience as well as their influential medical & societal designations.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 — 27

C M Y K

28 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 —29

What can you say about sexual harassment in the movie industry, and has it ever happened to you? Won’t I be lying if I say nobody has harassed me? I’m a lady. It’s totally untrue when people say they’ve never been harassed. How were you able to scale through? It might come in the form of “toasting”. I wasn’t “blocked” now. While some will just tell you to your face. As a woman you have to respect yourself and set boundaries regardless of what people think. Some people think that sleeping with someone will give them what they’re looking for, but it doesn’t. That’s the way I see life. You are not supposed to do anything

— Halima Abubakar

BY AYO ONIKOYI & JULIET EBIRIM

OW would you describe yourself? Simple, the girl next door. What are some of the movies you’ve featured in? Cloud of Pain, Desperate Girls, Shadows and so on. There are a lot of them, I don’t have them all in my head right now, a lot of things in my head. Apart from acting, what else do you do? I’m a businesswoman, a philanthropist and a student of life; I’ll say that’s quite a lot of work. What are some memorable moments or high points in your career? Any time I have a script to work on, whenever I receive an award or acknowledgement from C M Y K

people who genuinely like what I do, I feel really connected. I feel proud and happy. Do you have any regret? Every step in every single aspect of my life has been part of a journey, so I won’t say I regret this or that. I’m just going to say I am grateful to be here. What are some challenges you encountered in the course of your career? Before you go into anything in life, you have to go through a process and that process brings fruitfulness. So I’m going to say being able to go through all the stress and coming out smiling is one of the greatest gift in life. To be able to do something and say “Oh my God, I can’t believe I just did that” has been my joy. So the experience so far has been worthwhile? To an extent, yes. Being alive has been worthwhile. I shouldn’t say something that will make God angry, should I? (Laughs) God brought us here for a reason. So I just live my life - the girlnext-door.

(sleep with someone). So what I do is, I look at the person’s face and tell him this is wrong, because I’m sure that aside from me, he will harass another person. The only easy

AYBE Halima Abubakar isn’t the saintly type but the sexy actress has proved times without number that she is, most often than not, on the level, when she’s put on the spot. Juliet Ebirim ran into her at Iyabo Ojo’s beauty shop opening on Sunday and a conversation ensued, as usual on avariety of issues:

Continues on pg 30

Every step in every single aspect of my life has been part of a journey, so I won’t say I regret this or that

I N S I D E:

Lola Alao remarries in US Pg 30

Kcee, Denrele Edun light up Queen Globe Pg 31

LETS CHAT ON IMONGO:

15-yr-old Nigerian develops social network Pg 34

30—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Halima Abubakar

Have you dated anyone in the industry? Definitely. Am I a child? I have and I’m not lying about it. You are a businesswoman, what kind of business are you into? I’m a farmer. I’m into poultry and the regular cropping. I have cattle, sheep, lots of chicken, eggs, apples, yams and so on. Who do you draw inspiration from? I just pray. I don’t draw inspiration from anyone. Don’t you have role models? Well, I love Angelina Jolie because of how wonderful her heart is. She’s human and I see her as flawless. She’s one person I look up to. In Nollywood, I admire a lot of people. Are you in any serious relationship at the moment? I’m not interested in that question. Can anyone or anything make you stop acting? Yes, I won’t act forever. I ‘ll go behind the cameras. I’m not one of

When I was in Nollywood, Ini Edo didn’t have even a bicycle — Porn Actress, AfroCandy BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

or those of you who have been following her story, you would know that porn actress, Afro Candy has been in the news for seemingly wrong reasons lately. The actress has again spat venom on two Nollywood actresses, Ini Edo and Mercy J.Okojie, saying both actresses are no match for her. According to her, Mercy and Ini are her juniors when it comes to the movie business. As a •Afro Candy matter of fact, she said she used to drive Ini in her car to movie locations, while Mercy was still running around looking for waka pass roles. Her outburst is actually on haters who are not too happy that the actress is back to the Nigeria screen. Read her: “For those of you that just started watching Nollywood movies, I have been around, even though I left Nigeria when I was just about to hit the actual stardom and transformed to AfroCandy. When I was in Nollywood, Ini Edo had not even a bicycle and I drove her to the locations twice I worked with her, Mercy Johnson was still running around looking for waka pass to play. Now that I came back in full force to take back my position, most of you are mad. Why are you mad ? Don’t hate the player, rather hate the game.”

I would be lying if I say I have never been sexually harassed Continues from pg 29

way is to disgrace the person so that he will be shy to do that to the next person. You mean you disgrace the person? Of course . My dear, I’m not there to joke, neither am I there to be rude to anybody. But you know, you meet some very rude people that don’t know how to talk. So when you meet such people, you just give it back to them. You raise your voice and embarrass them, they won’t try it again. Do you have a unique physical attribute that has really helped in projecting you? No, I don’t. None. Would you act nude for any reason? No. C M Y K

those actors that will say I’m good in every way or that I must be in every movie that I produce. I don’t have to be. I’ll take the free time I have when I’m free. What advice do you have for aspiring stars? They shouldn’t be swayed by what they see on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or what they think people’s lives are like or that people’s lives are secure. These things deceive a lot. I don’t want them to be like ‘I saw this lady driving this—, this is what I want.’ No, if it is real, you have to work towards it. I don’t believe in being in a hurry to get anything. Yes, it took me twelve years, but it doesn’t have to be that for you. I don’t want them to regret it, when they look back at their lives. As young people, I want them to be proud of who they left behind and who they are becoming.

Lola Alao remarries in US

By AYO ONIKOYI

exy Igbira actress, Lola Alao wh o sig ned her wa y int o eo fam e thr ou gh a cam has es’ ppl ‘Ri in e app ear anc of married again. The mother rthea ed bas one married her US a, throb, Wale Ajibola in Atlant ay. rsd Thu te ma ulti pen Georgia Lo la, firs t con firm ed her an rom an ce wit h Wa le in

ow tim e int erv iew in Va ngu ard Sh she has d Celebrity where she declare divorce id torr ra found love again afte d, Dare ban hus er saga from her form . Ogunlana te her Lola who refused to castiga ter ’s lat the r for me r hu sba nd ove said tion ara sep ir the outbursts after USally equ the en giv for she had just ge rria based Dare that their ma didn’t work out. e the Hear her “ It was unfortunat se tho d sai He . end to had marriage s wa he e nasty things about me becaus not am I e. tim t angry and bitter at tha nt him. saying this because I still wa love in in ch mu y ver am I Hell no. Wa le th ano the r rel ati ons hip (wi was he t tha is Ajibola) but the truth ing rry ma ed rett reg er nice and I nev him” a has If there is any doubt that Lol the st lea at fou nd lov e aga in y to onl not l sea a is on Thursday’s uni e wif l stil is n ma wo ul utif bea prove the rs bte dou ma ter ial bu t to shu t able of completely that she’s still cap pp y Ha ed. lov ng lov ing an d bei ! life married

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—31

Kcee, Denrele Edun light up Queen Globe By OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

OME August 17, the Limpopp master, Kcee will be taking the stage of Queen Globe by storm. The groove maestro is billed to treat guests to a night of mad fun, as twenty-four beauties will be slugging it out for the Queen Globe crown. Also taking the city of Asaba by storm as host, is Channel ‘O’OAP, Denrele and Promise of GUS 8. And on ground to crack ribs is Frank D Don The grand finale of the pageant

•Kcee

Tonto Dikeh plans collabo with Olamide

•Olamide •Tonto Dikeh BY AYO ONIKOYI

UST a couple of days back word got out of hand that Nollywood actress and diva, Tonto Dikeh attempted suicide. It was a shocking news and slap on the face of over 300 thousand people following her on Twitter and more than 500 thousand, connected with her on Facebook. But like most things being peddled about the highly scandalised entertainer, it turned out it was just a gag by an over the edge blogger to drive traffic to his blog and soon the world breathed easy that Nollywood

isn’t going to lose another star in the prime. Now, here is something worth taking to the bank as the news has filtered directly from Tonto’s quarters herself. The diva has revealed she is in the thick of recording a collabo with awardwinning Olamide. Before, another funny suicide gag is played is good to know Tonto is seriously working hard to get her music career on the go-go despite several damning criticisms that have been hurled at her. Maybe she does sound like a cat in distress to some but definitely this pretty, freespirited entertainer is here to stay.

is billed to hold on August 17 at the Grand Hotel, Asaba. On the D-day as part of the side attraction, 10 designers, 30 models, twenty-four contestants will storm the runway, all in a single event. Designers like Sally Intiego,Vicky Heldan, Raquel Anthony, Xoe Concept and Enkay Classicare all lined up to feed guests with their catchy designs. The event organized by D.Sinatra Entertainment, will see winner of the pageant, Queen Globe walking away with a one year salary, a brand new car and the chance to represent Nigeria at Miss Globe International to be held in Cyprus.

KCee to perform as NB literary evening holds today BENJAMIN NJOKU

Cee, the Limpopo crooner would headline this year ’s Literary Evening as the 2013 edition of the Creative Writing Workshop sponsored by Nigerian Breweries draws to a close this Friday at the Lagos Oriental Hotel. The event facilitated by Chimamanda Adichie, Nigeria’s celebrated international writer and Farafina Trust would bring together great writers from Nigeria and overseas in an evening of book reading and fun. Amongwriters expected at the event outside ChimamandaAdichie are; Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina; who in July 2002 won the Caine Prize for his short story “Discovering Home”. He is the founding Editor ofKwani , the first literary magazine in East Africa since Transition Magazine. Binyavanga is currently a Bard Fellow and the director of the Chinua Achebe Center for African Literature and Languages at Bard College. AslakSiraMyhre; a Norwegian politician and former party leader of Red Electoral Alliance (RV) who left politics to become an executive director of !les, an association to stimulate children and youth to read more. He is the director for the House of Literature in Oslo which opened

in 2007 and is Europe’s largest and has more than 250,000 visits annually. Eghosa Imasuen;a Nigerian writer and medical doctor and author of “Fine Boys”. Eghosa’s first novel “To Saint Patrick” was published by Farafina in 2008. The 10 day workshop which takes the form of a class where participants are assigned a wide range of reading exercises, as well as daily writing exercises is aimed at helping Nigerian writers improve their craft as well as encourage budding writers to embrace new and refreshing perspectives in the art of storytelling. The workshop which began in 2009 is in its 5th season. Binyavanga Wainana who in 2007 declined the World Economic Forum“Young Global Leader” award given to people for “their potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world” has been part of the workshop since 2009.Other writers who have participated in the workshop and Literary Evening include Jeffery Renard Allen, Robert Spillman, Ama Ata Aidoo, and Chika Ike.The organisers say the event promises to be an exciting one.

32 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

f you never have any time except reactive time — things you must do for others — you don’t have a sense of control. You are interrupted all the time. Your brain has trouble resting even during sleep. Such chronic exhaustion increases the release of stress hormones, and your blood sugar rises.” If this is your normal state, then the physical consequences increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and memory problems. If that’s not enough to scare you into taking some time for yourself, consider this: The hormonal effects of always being on edge help deposit fat right around your waist. The Families and Work Institute (FWI) found that working mothers spend both more time at the job and more time with their kids than their counterparts did 25 years ago. There are more than physical benefits to getting off this treadmill. Taking a break will actually make you discharge your responsibilities better. There are surveys that show that people who are happiest at work are those who take time for themselves. If you shift your focus, you go back to the other areas of life with more energy, you’re less stressed, more satisfied with life in general.

*Do what you do like It can’t be something you hate doing but feel you have to do. Take going to the gym, for instance. A lot of women use it as punishment for eating, or see it as an obligation. If that’s you, then exercise doesn’t count as Me Time. Schedule your “Me” Time Make your free time as important as the paediatrician’s visit, the conference call, and your C M Y K

Me-time! meeting with the contractor. Treat it just like any other appointment. We’re very good at project management in our work lives, but not so well in our personal lives. Treat it like any project. Try to find at least half an hour to an hour every day for you. It doesn’t have to be all at once. And before you decide what you’re going to do with the time you’re building into your schedule, promise yourself that you won’t waste it. We’re a multitasking society. If we’re having a conversation with a friend, we’re thinking about the other things we have to get done. Instead, you need to be present in the moment. Whatever you’re doing for you, don’t be thinking about your grocery list or the PowerPoint presentation. There’s a lot of time in our day that we could be enjoying, but we lose it because we’re focused on what we have to do next.

*Try “Alone” Time Sit outside with a drink and the newspaper. Just watch the clouds go by. No phone or calendar allowed. Call a friend to chat. Just talk, without an agenda Get up from your desk, stretch, and walk around the block or up and down a flight of stairs.Breathe deeply. While you’re sitting in your office, car, or home, focus on breathing slowly and gently for five minutes. Don’t start planning what you have to do next — just follow your breath. If you have a pet focus for five minutes on cuddling with cat or dog. You’ll both feel better. Go for a walk.

*Read, Read, Read

Read one chapter of a book you’ve wanted to make time for. Keep a basket in your office or living room with a good book, magazine, crossword puzzle, or other short escapes. Soak in the tub. If you’re a parent, make sure another adult is on duty to make sure no one’s going to yell “Mom!” Plan so you’ll have some fabulous bath goodies and a great book on hand. Don’t forget a glass of ice water or wine.

*Improve your Ambience Putter. This doesn’t mean cleaning the house or organizing your kids’ clothes. Instead, it means doing little things at home that you enjoy, like trimming the rose bush and putting together a bouquet for your office or kitchen. Make yourself Beautiful(er) Get a massage, a facial, or a mani-pedi or simply take a nap. Get a new haircut, or splash an indecent amount of cash on that bracelet/sunglasses/ perfume. Because you’re worth it, or whatever!

*Generally… Add your own favourites to this list. Whatever you choose to do with your “me” time, make it relaxing and restorative. If you don’t feel like it works for you, try something else. Shoulds are the enemy of relaxation. Don’t think about what you should do, but about what you feel like doing.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 —

Women of Nollywood slam child marriage N

ollywood golden-girl-goneinternational Omotola seized the opportunity to hold a mini press conference in the presence on top government and social dignitaries while she was judge at the recently concluded Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant in Bayelsa. In her now famous speech she said: “I am Today one of the Most influential person/people in the world because I wasn’t given off to marriage before the age of 18yrs. It scares and totally shocks me that the Senate in Nigeria (the most populous black nation in the world and Giant of Africa) would not be passing in a law ensuring that every child should compulsorily be enrolled in school. A very alarming number of children today are on the streets Hawking or have been abused, Raped or are married to men/women who should be protecting them. Who protects the children of Nigeria? Would we wait for another Milala before we act? Should we now remove the parental caution on movies that say ‘Not for persons below 18’. This is a call for justice and Equity for children especially the Nigerian Girl child, who has the right to quality education, a childhood and the decision of whom and

when to marry. My Name is Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and I say No to paedophilia and No to the senate Bill endorsing Child marriage in Nigeria. Controversial actress Stella Damasus Aboderin might be in the public doghouse right now, having married one man too many- the ex spouse of stunning Yoruba act Doris Simeon; but she still found her voice when it came to child marriage. In a video she released on social media, she fumes: “It is just unacceptable in this millennium for some old men to be sitting down discussing how to marry teenage girls when they should be discussing pressing issues facing our country such as security, education, infrastructure, health and corruption, instead they prefer to talk on this issue of child abuse as I call it. Shame on them!” Tonto Dike joined fellow actress and singer, Stella Damasus in campaigning against child marriage in Nigeria via social network.In a broadcast, Tonto Dikeh described senators advocating such thing in Nigeria as “morally imbalanced and clueless”. Tonto Dikeh said there are so many

*Tonto Dike important issues of national importance that deserves attention rather than asking people to start defiling teenage girls in the name of marriage. But everyone has gone on about what the law says, what religion says or what contemporary culture says. No one seems to care what the girl child herself has to say about her own life. Actors Guild President Ibinabo Fiberisima hit the nail straight on the head. “Why does the Girl Child have to see her paradise through the eyes of a paedophile?! Why should she not grow up like every normal child? Why should she not have the freedom to study and make her own choices! Why force her to forever

*Stella Damasus depression? This is an absolute act of wickedness. No to underage marriage! Let her study, live life and decide her own paradise! Let her create her own paradise! Let her make her choices! Good or bad! She has that Privilege as a Human Being! Enough said! Joining Nollywood’s ladies are those of the entertainment industry, notably dance doyen and daughter of Afrobeat icon Yeni Anikulapo Kuti, who summed it up when she said: “The people should take a definite stand against child marriage. If they continue to keep quiet, they will be taken for granted. The lawmakers should be made to understand that we voted them into power and they must listen to us.”

NGO advocates virginity as only solution to child marriage T

he Virgin Girls, a Non Government Organisation (NGO) with focus on keeping and celebrating virgin girls in Nigeria has advised that the only solution to the child marriage controversy across the country is chastity. The group which spoke through its medical consultant and veteran gynaecologist Dr Naheem Deen Ade Ekemode of Ekemode Memorial Hospital and Women’s Infirmary pointed out that it is very important that young girls keep their virginity before marriage, opining that such will help curb incidents of early marriages in the country. Ekemode, also the Medical ConsultantGeneral of Muslin Medical Volunteers (MMV), who addressed journalists at a media briefing in Lagos Monday, said that culturally, young girls below the age of 16 years can be attached to their would-be husbands at early ages while they wait patiently till when they are ripe for marriage. He maintained that these young girls are not supposed to be involved in any form of pre-marital sex until they are fully mature for “real marriage”. Dr. Ekemode further advised that while single young girls keep their virginity, it is equally important for them to marry early so as to avoid the problems associated with late marriages. Also speaking at the media parley is the Founder and National coordinator of the virgins’ organisation, Princess Adediran Adunni who narrated how the organisation started. According to her, The Virgin Girls for four consecutive times, has held their Miss Virginity Pageant in Lagos. The pageants, she said were usually preceded by a virginity test conducted at a hospital in Surulere before the day of the pageant proper. “So far, we have

kept and maintained over a thousand virgins. In 2010 alone, over 250 female adult v i r g i n s participated in that year ’s edition of Miss Virginity contest. While accusing the various tiers of governments and mothers of not giving her adequate support a n d encouragement, Princess Adediran equally lamented the lukewarm attitude of the religious bodies, explaining that they have kept a distance from the virginity project. “We have written to several churches across the country but we discovered they don’t have interest in what we are doing as none of them gave us audience”. She however pointed out that the NGO got support from some well-meaning Nigerians such as the Lagos State governor who gave them financial assistance in 2008. Princess Adediran who strongly believes in the virgin project as a tool to change society also appealed to mothers, parents and well-meaning Nigerians to come up and support the project so as to build a better future for the young girls. One of the challenges of the NGO according the leader is acceptance from the society. “I tell you one of our biggest

problems is accepting the initiative. I found out that in Nigeria people still find it difficult to believe that we still have adult female virgins in our mist. The impression is that the world is a civilised place and issues such as girls’ virginity should not be discussed”, she said. Another major challenge, she said, is that the married virgins and even some of ones that lost their virginity find it difficult to identify with the organisation. This makes it difficult to keep records of members especially the old ones. “I think this has to do with the stigmatisation attached to virginity that makes the situation so”, she pointed out. She however hopes that the concept will be made very attractive and competitive such that the negative impressions tagged on virgin girls will disappear.

Appealing to Nigerians, the National Coordinator said that all she wants from Nigerians both home and abroad is to rise up and support her project. She equally, appealed for support from religious bodies, States and federal governments, parents, corporate organisations, international bodies to come up enmass to support the programme which is the only better solution to the controversial early marriage that is topical in the country today. The Virgin Girls is an NGO formed 7 years ago where female virgins are identified and celebrated alongside a lavish Beauty Pageant. Prior to the celebration, the young girls usually from 15 years old are tested by veteran gynaecologist, Dr Naheem Deen Ade Ekemode of Ekemode Memorial Hospital and Women’s Infirmary in Lagos, Nigeria. C M Y K

34—Vanguard ,

FRIDAY FRIDAY,, AUGUST 16, 2013

With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com 08050498513

SC AMALERT SCAMAM-ALERT ALERT::

Never save the damsel in distress! By LAJU ARENYEKA

HE internet isn’t really the best place to be a knight in shining armour. The reasons aren’t farfetched; for all you know, the damsel in distress could be a wicked witch or worse, a scamming dude. This week, we focus on scams that appeal to the hero in you.

*IMONGO

LET’S CHAT ON IMONGO:

15-yr-old Nigerian develops social network O BVIOUSLY not everything that comes from Jos, Plateau state is tears blood and sorrow. It seemed so on account of several crises that have erupted from the ancient city in the past few years. In fact, popular Nigerian Rap artist, Mr Incredible, MI in one of his hit albums, described the present city of Jos as a wild-wild West where only cursed people live: “… better get your gun, better get your vest, cause J town is a wild-wild west. No one blessed but everyone cursed, cause J town is a wild, wild west……” But just a few months after that hit song, armed with the transformational power of technology, a 15 year old high school student, Terkura Ephraim Unongo, has changed the story. Now the whole wide world is beaming the search light on the supposed wild, wild west where a replica of the social media platforms transforming world information today like facebook,

*TERKURA UNONGO

twitter, Instagram among others is sprouting from. Call it history in the making; one may not be far from the truth because IMONGO social network, created by the 15 year old student of Hillcrest School Jos, is taking J town by storm. Why Imongo The Imongo, (www.theimongo.com), is a social discovery, social entertainment, and social informative network that enables people from all walks of life to come together in one online community, discover new friends, connect with the people in their life, share, discover music, videos & movies, pictures, and keep in touch with what’s happening locally and internationally. Currently the social site has attracted over 2900 members. According to Unongo, “Imongo is my first step in the realization of my dream to make a change that will bring about positive developments towards my nation Nigeria Experience I have always played around on the Internet, building websites for people and using social media to market them. But one night while watching CNN I thought over a lot of things watching the white man do wonders in this digital age, such wonders which include, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and others, then I convinced myself that I will build a social network and take it one step at a time to eventually make it worthy of competition with Facebook and others. Due to my knowledge of HTML, CSS and a bit of JavaScript I built the Imongo on the GROU.PS Platform so I could be realizing a part of my dream while advancing in Java, PHp, jQuery, and others in order to

Here is an example Dearest One, Please dear, I need you to stand as my guardian to retrieve my inheritance, Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars($7,500,000,00) which my late father deposited in a bank here in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire before his assassination for reasons which I will let you know as soon as I hear from you. I am in a sincere desire of your humble assistance in this regards. Your suggestions and ideas will be highly regarded. Now permit me to ask these few questions: 1. Can you honestly help me from your heart? 2. Can I completely trust you? 3. What percentage of the total amount in question will be good for you after the money is in your account? Dear, if you are really interested to help me I need the following from you truly prepare to build a world class social network. Desire I had always desired to see myself in the history books as that African, that Nigerian who made great impact in the digital age by creating a social utility that will become worthy of competition with digital age wonders. features of Imongo Imongo like other social sites has specific features, including: Profiles – where each member of Imongo has own Profile to identity where he or she can choose what to share, and how to share it. Feed – The feed is a feature that is similar to a Newsfeed allowing members to view what’s going on with others online. Imongo’s original newsfeed allows its members to choose if they want to see what the whole of Imongo is up to, or what their friends are doing. Users are also allowed to use the, “@” symbol to mention others in their posts, or use the “#” symbol to tag their posts. Activity Points – a simple way for members to be ranked in points according to their various activities carried out on Imongo, this also enables users to gain more popularity on the, “People” page giving them an opportunity to get noticed by other members.

1.Your Full names 2.Your resident address 3.Your Telephone Number 4.Your occupation, picture or International Passport. Write to me so that I will give you further details and proof, then the contact of the bank. The target: People with the ‘hero complex’ who are in desperate need of someone to save, and greedy people who are too blinded by figures to observe the facts. Flaw Why on earth would someone who has never met you trust you to keep so much money? If you fall into this trap, you will continue to pay for bogus charges that will never end.

Activity Points are also used as a rewarding system during times when competitions are run on Imongo. Blogs – the easy way for members to stay informed about various topics or write on subjects that interest them. Wiki – The interactive learning section of Imongo where members can view and create informative pages relating to different topics. This feature also allows members to choose whether they want to leave their pages open for editing, or if they want to lock it down from editing. Pics – Section for photo albums, members can view various galleries on different places, people, or just everyday life. Members can also choose to share pictures of their own. Vids – A free place to watch movies, music videos, comedy, etc. The Video page enables members to add, share and/or watch videos from other sites just by simply putting in the link of the video in spaces provided, members can also share their own videos by uploading directly from their computers. Chat – This feature allows everyone online at that moment on Imongo to come together in one chat room where to chat with people that are their friends. This feature also enables users who want to go oneon-one to chat privately.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—35

Communiy petitions IG, accuses deposed Enogie of crisis

I'm the best PDP candidate for Delta Central poll — ORU BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN & KELECHI AZUBIKE

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

AWYER and businessman, Mr Andrew Oru, has promised to use the senate to reverse the alleged marginalisation of the Urhobo ethnic nationality by the Federal Government. Declaring his intention to vie for the Delta Central senatorial seat, Oru in an interview, said that he was about the best person from the constituency to woo back the Urhobo people into the mainstream of the country’s politics in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which is the ruling party at the federal and state levels. Oru also vowed that if elected, that he would vigorously move against the constitutional provisions that support child marriage and initiate legislation to criminalise child marriage. The Delta Central senatorial constituency seat became vacant upon the death of, Senator Pius Ewherido, who represented the constituency on the platform of the opposition, Democratic Peoples Party, DPP. Oru, who claimed to have been a close associate of the late Senator Ewherido, pledged to sustain the Ewherido agenda if elected to the vacant seat.

DPP chieftain, members decamp to PDP in Delta BY FESTUS AHON

GHELLI—A Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, House of Representatives candidate in the 2011 general elections, Mr Lovett Idisi, Chief Blessing Ohwavborua and their over 300 supporters have decamped to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Speaking in Isiokolo, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Idisi, said that he was a member of the PDP, adding that he left PDP in 2011. “I was a member of this family but left the party when l began to sense foul play and most importantly, when l had been anointed by a leader of the party as a candidate in Ethiope East federal constituency but later, my hope was dashed hence I left the party for DPP.”

LAUNCH—From left: Glo Youth Ambassador, Jay Kolo; Chairman of Faculty Presidents, University of Lagos, Nelson Oluwafisayo; Glo Ambassadors, Chioma Apotha and Funke Akindele, SUG President, Yaba Technology, Azeez Babalola, Ex-President, LASU SUG, Agbomeji Ibrahim and Glo Ambassador, MI, during launch of Glo Bounce in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau.

29 ex-militants trained as pilot to attend courses in Germany, UK BY KENNETH EHIGIATOR

WENTY-NINE repentant Niger Delta militants recently trained in aviation academies in South Africa as pilots are to be typerated by German carrier, Lufthansa Airlines in Frankfurt, Germany, and CAE Aviation facility, Oxford, United Kingdom. The ex-militants, trained under the platform of Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, would be type-rated in Boeing and Airbus aircraft, having acquired Private Pilot Licenses, PPL, and Commercial Pilot Licenses, CPL. Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr Kingsley Kuku, yesterday, in

Lagos at a conference on oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta, said officials of Lufthansa Airlines and CAE Aviation will be in the country next week to follow up on the development. He expressed delight that the two aviation institutions accepted to give the pilots typerating courses, and advised the pilots not to allow themselves to be carried away by the success recorded so far. Kuku, who noted that more of the ex-militants were being trained in aircraft piloting in South Africa, Greece, Jordan and United Arab Emirates, also implored the pilots to re-double efforts and perform better than

they did at the Afrika Union Aviation Academy and Flight Training Services in South Africa. On crude oil theft, Kuku said that the stealing of about 400,000 barrels of crude per day was an economic crime against Nigeria, which had reached an alarming proportion and requires full military might and the collaboration of stakeholders to fights. Applauding the strides of the Navy and the Joint Task Force, JTF, in combating the scourge, he described the magnitude of the current oil theft in the Niger Delta as “blood oil crisis” only matched by the notorious Sierra Leonean “blood diamond.”

Delta Central senatorial bye-lection: APC 'll displace PDP — EMERHOR

S the bell tinkles for a byeelection in Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State, to fill the vacuum created by the demise of Senator Pius Ewherido, foremost politician of Urhobo extraction and Chairman of Standard Alliance Group of Companies, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has predicted that the newly registered All Progressive Congress, APC, would defeat the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming bye-election. Olorogun Emerhor has also denied claims in some quarters that he was opposed to Delta State Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, saying that he adores the party and was currently involved in working on how DPP can form alliance, or merger with APC in the state. Briefing newsmen, Olorogun Emerhor, also spoke on his relationship with the former governorship candidate of DPP at the past governorship election in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru,

noting that the two were “friends and political brothers, who are jointly working to give Delta State, particularly Delta Central senatorial district a face lift in subsequent political dispensations.” The Insurance guru, who has declared his interest to contest the forthcoming Delta Central Senatorial bye-election under

the platform of APC, said that he decided to pitch his tent with the party because he had discovered that “it is the party that has plans to alleviate the neglect and marginalisation of my Urhobo people and again, it is the current party of the progressives in the senatorial district, Delta State and Nigeria in general.”

Urhobo youth gets new executive

new executive of Urhobo Youth Leader ’s Association, UYLA, will be inaugurated on August 17, 2013. UYLA in a statement by Godwin Okporoko, and others, said that the ceremony would be held at Evomec Royal Hotel, Oviore. According to the statement, the ceremony would be chaired by Chief Christopher

Obiuwevbi, Commissioner representing Ethiope East and Ughelli North Local Government Areas on the board of DESOPADEC, while the state deputy governor, Prof Amos Agbe Utuama, is the special guest of honour. It added that HRM Oharisi III, the Ovie of Ughelli Kingdom is the royal father of the day and Francis Arhiyor, the chief host.

ENIN CITY— TRADITIONAL rulers from Evouvbioba community in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, have petitioned the Inspector General of Police, alleging that Edwin Izevbokun, who was stripped of his position as the Enogie (clan head)of the community by the Oba of Benin and one Mathew Iyoha, have been engaged in activities capable of causing crisis in the community. The Benin monarch had stripped Izevbokun of the Enogieship after he was accused of desecrating the customs and traditions of the Benin Kingdom and appointed Mr Edward Okunzuwa (Ozukpongieva) and Lucky Enobabor (Okaighele) to run the affairs of the community. However, the deposed Enogie through his counsel, Afolabi Olayiwola, had petitioned the IG, over alleged illegal arrest and detention by the police attached to the homicide section of the Police Headquarters in Abuja.

Madam Fabiyi for burial August 24

RS. Ebunlomo Fabiyi, 85 is dead. Burial rites begin on August 23, when her body will leave Osun State General Hospital Mortuary, Osogbo for her husband’s hometown, ImesiIle. There will be a lying-in-state at her residence, K54, Ile Olowu, Ijana Oke Street, before he body will be moved to the family Hall. She will be buried at ImesiIle on August 24, after a funeral service at Ijana Methodist Church, while entertainment of guests follows at Imesi-Ile High School play ground. She is survived by seven children.

zLate Madam Fabiyi

36—Vanguard , FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Community denies report of withdrawal from dukedom

HE leaders and people of Iwevbo community, Orhionwon Local Government Area of Edo State, have denied media report that they withdrew their membership of Orhogho Dukedom oil bloc. Leader of the community, Chief Sunday Atovwigho and Chairman, Iwevbo Community Development Committee ICDC, Chief Ojo Adjene, in a statement in Warri, Delta State, yesterday, said: “Iwevbo community is still a member of Orhogho Dukedom oil bloc.” They added that there was never any meeting during which the decision to withdraw from the Dukedom over alleged marginalisation was taken. They said they had written a letter to the Managing Director of Newcross Petroleum Limited and appropriate authorities to disregard the publication and any letter to that effect.

MBGN award

NVESTMENT One Financial Services Limited has awarded a portfolio management prize of N500,000 to the recently crowned Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2013, Miss Anna Banner from Bayelsa State. Group Head, Retail Marketing at Investment One, Mr. Joseph Edgar, said the prize money would be paid into an investment account to be managed on behalf of the queen during her 12month reign.

Akpabio Centre raises alarm over impostors C

HANCELLOR of Akpabio Centre for Leadership Development, Pastor Bassey James, has raised alarm over the activities of some persons in Akwa Ibom State, under the guise of Akpabioism, impersonating him by issuing false statements and text messages, which seems to emanate from the centre, to unsuspecting members of the public. Bassey, in a statement, yesterday, said: “We want to draw the attention of the general public and the media to the fact that nobody, apart from the Chancellor of the Centre, is authorised to issue statements, text message on behalf of the

Centre . “The centre is also aware of plans by these persons to fake or duplicate the activities and programmes of Akpabioism to gain undue favours from un-

GHELLI—FORMER Delta State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Olorogun Ebenezer Okorodudu, weekend, resolved the leadership crisis that had bedeviled Okpare community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state. Also, a caretaker committee to pilot the affairs of the community pending when an election would be conducted was inaugurated. The caretaker committee, under the leadership of Mr. Simeon Diachavbe, put in place after series of consultations by a reconciliation committee headed by Okorodudu with the warring parties, is to function till the end of 2014. Speaking during the inauguration, Okorodudu said that it was resolved that the caretaker committee “should work assiduously to cement the peace arrangement, promote reconciliation and ensure good governance in the community.” According to him, it was also resolved that “all court cases as a result of the crisis in the com-

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

ENAGOA—GOVERNOR Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has tasked the Chief Executives of Culture of the Federation to fashion out policies that would strengthen national unity and promote the

munity be withdrawn by the complainants. “That the caretaker committee should immediately carry out a review of the constitution and come out with a new constitution for the community.” He explained that the caretaker committee was to operate with the constitution of the community until the new constitution was produced and adopted.

country’s cultural diversity. Declaring open the 39th meeting of the Chief Executives of Culture of the Federation in Yenagoa, Dickson also urged the participants to tinker with issues that affect the well-being of children in the society. The meeting is a precursor to the state hosting of the National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST 2013 from September 15-22, which is expected to attract over 7000 delegates from across the country. Represented by the state Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolo, Dickson said that it was in recognition of this that his administration made culture and tourism one of its major priorities. He said that as a first step, an autonomous Ministry of

Culture was created for the first time to maximally address the sector and harness its potentials to further unify the people. He said: “I have no doubt, therefore, that this meeting of our cultural giants will deliberate and fashion out policies that will outlive NAFEST 2013 and such that will strengthen our national unity and promote our cultural diversity in Nigeria.” In his welcome address, the Executive Director/CEO, National Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Mwajim Maidugu, lauded the state government for hosting the event as well as its support for the state Ministry of Arts and Culture. He said that the support was partly responsible for the state cultural troupe successful outings, both within and outside the country.

Organisation for Delta rallies support for APC BY DAN GUMM

ARRI—FORMER Community Engagement Manager at Chevron Nigeria Ltd, and Senatorial aspirant for the Delta South district, Prince Yemi Emiko, has called on Nigerians to rally round All Progressives Congress, APC, to improve their standard of living. He made this call while addressing a crowd of youths and women at the Ubeji town hall in Warri, under the platform of Organising For Delta, OFD, one of his political initiatives

for mobilising a broad-base support for the new party. Emiko lamented that the bad condition of the EkpanUbeji Road leading to the community, which hosts the Warri Refinery and the Nigerian Gas Company, two important economic vehicles in the state. He said that the companies had been abandoned by the Federal and state governments. He observed that commuters waste valuable time on the short road in trying to get home from work daily, add-

ing that an APC government will transform the state, as it is in Lagos and Edo states. Emiko called on the youths to prepare to stand on the force of argument, as opposed to the argument of force, where they are used as cannon fodders and then abandoned. He said that he was providing leadership through OFD for the youths and women to organise themselves, protect their votes and enthrone positive changes that will herald the process of hope, courage and measurable performance.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

but a socially responsible and registered organisation, established to support the ideology of good governance and the agenda of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State.

Dickson advocates policies of unity

Delta community crisis resolved BY FESTUS AHON

suspecting members of the public and cause confusion in the state.” The Centre, according to the statement, is not a political association or pressure group,

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

On ‘deportation' of Igbo from Lagos

HE deportation of Nigerians, the second time in one year, by Lagos State Government leaves much to be desired. I strongly condemn this act because it is a violation of the fundamental human right of freedom of movement and liberty.— Mr. Tony Muonagor, Lawmaker.

E have been addressing the periphery of the issue instead of addressing the fundamentals. Our constitution empowers any Nigerian to live anywhere in the country. So what does the Lagos State Government mean by deporting people?— Mr. Nnamdi Okoji, Student.

UR constitution empowers any Nigerian to live anywhere in the country, whether or not he/she is sane. Were there really correspondence between the governments of Lagos and Anambra states before the “deportation”?— Mrs. Ifeoma Ayambuba, Businesswoman.

E don’t need to shy away from the fact that Lagos State is over-populated because of its commercial advantage. But people doing legitimate work here are entitled to stay and those constituting nuisance in the state should go.— Mr. Ben Onyekachi, Student.

S it only Igbo people that are jobless in La gos? You deport people of other nationals. How many of the Nigerien or Chadian women begging, with children strapped on their backs, at every bus stop or traffic points have been deported?— Mr. Enyinna Okpani, Student.

never thought that Nigerians can be deported within the country. “Deport” normally comes to mind when it has to do with another country, where the person is not a citizen. I wonder where the Lagos State Government got its own idea from.— Mrs. Joy Amos, Businesswoman.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—37

38—Vanguard , FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Man remanded in Kirikiri over alleged robbery BY ONOZURE DANIA

AGOS—AN Ikeja Magistrate court yesterday remanded a 22year-old man, to Kirikiri Maximum prison, over alleged armed robbery. Magistrate Mrs Margaret Dan-Oni, ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison, pending the legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution DPP. The suspect, Chinedu Iwegbena, was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and armed robbery. Police prosecutor, Inspector Edet Okoi, said the defendant and others at large committed the alleged crime on August 6, 2013. Okoi said the defendant, who resides at Alabarago in Ojo, area of Lagos, conspired with others at large while armed with a shot gun and cutlass, and robbed one BlackBerry Bold 5 phone worth N80,000 and another BlackBerry Bold 3 valued at N60,000. The prosecutor, also said that the defendant stole Jeweries valued N250,000 and a cash sum of N390,000, belonging to one Oyedokun Lukman. According to the prosecutor, the offence committed is contrary to section 5 (b) and punishable under section 1 (2) (a) of the robbery and firearms (special provisions) Act, Cap 398, Vol xxii, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2003 as amended.

GKS holds youth assembly

HE yearly youth as sembly of the God’s Kingdom Society, GKS, will hold tomorrow and Sunday August 18, 2013, at zonal levels in Nigeria and abroad. The assembly, which will feature Bible quiz competitions, choral/musical performances, talk show and sporting activities among others, ends with a special thanksgiving service on Sunday August 18. A combined service will hold on Sunday at Olodi Apapa, for all Lagos State branches.

My ordeal in kidnappers den, by MDG ambassador zHeld for 7 days, N5m ransom paid BY VINCENT UJUMADU

Tuesday last week and as I was driving along the express at Kwata junction, some men came out with their vehicle doors wide open and pointed guns at me. “They ordered my brother to run away and opened fire on my Chrysler car radiator and whisked me away. I did not know where

they took me to. “To be sincere, the people were kind to me. They offered me food but I refused and on the third day, I had to eat because I am an ulcer patient. They told me that they were not after my life but after my money. “What I can remember is that

there was a house where I was kept. it was a horrible experience and I was blindfolded for the seven days. He said that four of the kidnappers said they were graduates, and that what lured them into kidnapping was lack of empowerment.

WKA—MR . Marshal Chukwdike, a Millennium Development Goal, MDG, Ambassador, yesterday narrated his ordeal in the hands of his abductors, who kept him in their den for seven days while demanding ransom of N150 million. Though Chukwudike declined to say how much his family paid for his release, it was gathered that N5 million was eventually paid after several negotiation as the abductors who earlier demanded N150 million had to come down when it became obvious that the family could not pay them more. The MDG Ambassador, a native of Eziagu, Anambra State, was among four persons, including two traditional rulers, kidnapped in the state penultimate week. He was kidnapped in the state capital by a nine-man heavily armed kidnap gang at Kwata junction, along Onitsh / Enugu expressway. . Reliving his ordeal after visiting the state commissioner of police, Mr. Ballah Nasarawa, Chukwudike said the kidnappers PRODUCTIVITY AWARD: From left: Vice President Namadi Sambo, representing Presiblind folded him, tied his hands dent Goodluck Jonathan, and Minister of Labour and Productivity Chief Emeka Wogu, and legs and drove him to an un- presenting National Productivity Order of Merit, NPOM, award to Managing Director, FAAN, known destination but said, how- Mr. George Uriesi, during the 13th NPOM award in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan. ever, he was not tortured by his abductors. He said: “I just finished a meeting with one of the governorship aspirants, who is a friend of mine He said the local government in the state at Finotel Hotels on system, as a third tier of governBY ENYIM ENYIM total neglect and disrespect to the ment guaranteed by the 1999 majority voice of Nigerians who constitution as amended, played NITSHA—A governorship clamoured for it. a major role in providing good aspirant on the platform of ” It is very unfortunate that our governance for the people in the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, senators who are grounded in leg- rural areas. Chief Basil Iwuoba, has called on islative process should refuse to Iwuoba said he was in the govthe Senate to reverse itself on the vote in favour of the local governorship race to provide good issue of local government au- ernment autonomy that had been governance for the people of tonomy for the growth of democ- clamoured for the past years. Anambra state, assuring that if BY SIMON EBEGBULEM racy in the country. “It is greed that made the sena- elected, he would tackle the isAddressing newsmen in his camENIN CITY—THE Coalition paign office, Iwuoba said the de- tors to vote against it because sue of security headlong to make some of them want to be gover- sure that kidnapping, armed of Registered Political Parties, cision of the Senate to vote against nors in their respective states so robbery and other forms to heiCRPP, in Edo State, has LG autonomy was not only against that they would be embezzling nous crimes were a thing of the commended what it described as the tenets of democracy but a also local government funds.” past in the place. the transparency being displayed in the award of contracts by the state government, just as it commended the Governor Adams has cried out to the Niger Delta Umugo, to two different firms, but BY ANAYO OKOLI Oshiomhole-led government for Development Commission, regretted that the contractors did the N100 million given to market MUAHIA—ASA North NDDC, to come to their rescue. very shoddy jobs on the roads. women in the state. autonomous community in President of the town union, Adiele said the contractors hurIn a statement by the Chairman Ukwa West Local Government Mr. Sam Adiele, said the NDDC riedly came to site at the start of of the CRPP, Dr. Samson Isibor Area of Abia State is lamenting the had awarded contracts for the the rainy season and did an unand Secretary, Joseph Omorogbe, deplorable condition of the roads reconstruction of the two major tidy scratching of the earth and the coalition described as politi- in the area. roads in the community, Uratta/ abandoned work. cally motivated and mischievous Consequently, the community Obokwe and the Obingwu/ the allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state that due process were not followed some persons from Bayelsa in the award of contracts by the state current demand of the Con- State would contemplate the government and that the Governor had BY TONY NWANKWO embarked on endless foreign trips. AGOS—THE former secre cerned Communities Of Oil Pro- move to deny Delta the position. “Bayelsa has recently had CRPP said: “It is only the enemies of tary, Association of Traditional ducing Areas, CCOOPA, that it Edo State will see the transparency that Rulers of Oil Producing Commu- was the turn of Delta State to pro- three senior positions in the the state government has exhibited in nities of Nigeria, TROPCON, duce the Executive Director, Board of the NDDC, namely: Chairman, Executive Director the award of contracts and still accuse it Prince Maikpobi Okareme, has Projects. In a statement in Lagos, Prince (Finance & Administration), and blindly. We can state categorically that said Delta State would produce the Oshiomhole-led administration has the Executive Director (Projects) Okareme said the four core oil Managing Director, while Delta touched the lives of so many of our peo- on the Board of the Niger Delta producing states of Akwa Ibom, had only produced two: The ple through developmental projects in Development Commission, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa, re- Executive Director (Finance & spectively, knew it was the turn Administration) and Managing the areas of construction of schools, NDDC. health centers and roads.” The statement is in line with the of Delta State, wondering why Director,” he said.

LG autonomy: Rescind your decision, guber aspirant tells Senate

CRPP lauds Oshiomhole on award of contracts

Abia community laments poor state of roads

NDDC board: Delta to produce next EDP —EX-TROPCON SCRIBE

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013â&#x20AC;&#x201D;39

SEMINAR: From left, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju,PR/Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc; Kofoworola Alli, Director, Ministry of Education, representing Lagos State Commissioner for Education; Faith Joshua, Coordinator, Indomie Fan Club, and R . A . Moronfolu, Senior lecturer, Dept of Physical and Health Education, Lagos State University, LASU, at the 5th Annual Indomie Teachers' Seminar, at LASU, Ojo. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

AWARD: From left, Vice President Namadi Sambo, representing President Jonathan, and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, presenting National Productivity Order of Merit, NPOM, Award to Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu, during 13th National Productivity and Conferment of NPOM Award, in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan

INITIATIVE: From left, Mr. Segun Fayose, Head of Public Relations; Mr. Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing and Sales, both of MultiChoice Nigeria; Ms. Thandi Mgxwati, Political Counsellor, South African High Commission, and Julia OmochereBebiem, during the 'Take a Girl Student to Work Initiative,' at VISIT: Victor Omoregie, Corporate Affairs Manager (right), addressing students of Lagos State University, LASU, 400 Level Business Administration Department, durMultiChoice Head Office, Victoria Island. ing their visit to Vanguard Newspapers, in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau

AWARD: From left, Chief Bunmi Olaopa, Chairman, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, PMG MAN, presenting an award of excellence to the DG, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, for his contribution to the growth of phar maceutical industry, during PMGMAN Recognition Day, at Sheraton Hotels, Lagos

CONFERENCE: From left, Musical artiste, Awodunmila Akinmayokun; comedian, Julius Agwu; Musician, Kingsley Okonkwo, and comedian, Ogbonna Abovi, during a press conference to herald Julius Agwu's forthcoming London, Manchester and Abuja 'Crack Ya Ribs 2013', in Lagos.

BRIEFING: From left, Primate of the Church of the Lord (Aladura) Worldwide, Most Rev. Rufus Ositelu; Church Administrator, Most Rev. John Ogunsile; Provincial Head, West/North Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Amos Ajibola, and Provincial Head, North Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Julius Adejumo, during a press briefing, at Ogere Remo, announcing the church's 2013 Tabieorar

From left, Chief Aisha Tosan-Agberebi, MD/ CEO, Bicom Security Limited, and Hon. Abdul raheem Olajide Jimoh, Chairman, Yaba Local Council Development Area, during a press briefing on 'Security Awarness Forum,' slated for August 20, at the University of Lagos. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

VISIT: From left, Head, Customer Relationship Management at INVESTMENT ONE, Sheila Onwughara; First Runner Up, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria,MBGN, 2013, Stephanie Okwu; winner, MBGN 2013, Anna Banner; Assistant Group Head, Wealth Management, Kemi Abili, and Group Head, Retail Marketing & Up Country, Joseph Edgar, at INVESTMENT ONE, during a courtesy visit by winners of Silverbird MBGN Pageant 2013.

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

SMEs need alternative energy for rapid growth

Beggars besiege Kano streets after Ramadan largesse

— Industrialist

ANO—A WEEK after the termination of the Ramadan free feeding programme, destitute have resurfaced on the streets of Kano, begging for alms, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. NAN reports that the destitute have taken over major junctions, markets, motor parks, and other strategic locations of the metropolis, seeking for alms. Some of them told NAN that they disappeared from streets during the fasting period because of the free f e e d i n g programme introduced b y various state governments in the north during the Ramadan. Saminu Audu, one of the destitute, said if the governments would continue with the largesse, or provide at least a free meal per day, they would vacate the streets.

Firm educates commuters on Lagos Connect e-card BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

AGOS—AN organi sation, e-Purse Systems, an initiator of the newly introduced electronic ticketing for the operations of Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, and Bus Franchise Scheme, BFS, has embarked on sensitization and enlightenment programme at major bus shelters in Lagos to educate commuters on the viability of the e-card known as “Lagos Connect” for easier commuting. One of the major objectives of the initiative is to eliminate man hourloss in obtaining the paper ticket which often results in long queues. It will be recalled that the e-ticketing system, under the supervision of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport, Authority, LAMATA, was launched on July 30, 2013.

AGOS—FOR Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs in Nigeria to witness rapid growth, access to renewable energy as an alternative source of energy is required to sustain operations. The dependence on the conventional source over the years has proven to be a huge failure hence the need to exploit other sources for regular power supply to this category of power consumers. An industrialist Prince Timothy Okedele, dropped this hint in Lagos while responding to questions on problems militating against SMEs growth in the country. He said the issue of power supply was a critical factor that needed to be urgently addressed for SMEs to begin to witness the anticipated growth within the timeframe. Okedele, who is the Chairman/CEO of Prince Ades Oke International Venture, an integrated renewable energy consulting firm, noted that for this reason government must emphasise on the significance of renewable energy for SMEs growth.

PRESENTATION—Chairman, Bokkos Local Government Area, Mr Zakka Akos (R), presenting some relief materials to an internally displaced woman in Bokkos, Plateau State on Tuesday.

Lagos govt's appeal of Al-Mustapha's release'll affect APC — Babankowa BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

ANO—ELDER states man and a former commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Babankowa, has said the decision of the Lagos State Government to appeal the acquittal of Major Hamza Al Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer, CSO, to late General Sani Abacha, may affect the newly registered All Progressives Congress, APC. Briefing newsmen, he argued that “the steps taken by the Lagos State Government also have the capacity to rekindle distrust between the Hausa/Fulani extraction on one side and the Yorubas on the other.” Lagos State Government, Tuesday, announced that it had filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court, challenging the acquittal of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan for complicity over the murder of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the winner of June 12, 1993 Presidential election, late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. Alhaji Babankowa who is a close confidant of General Muhammadu Buhari noted that “the way and manner the North received this serving military officer on his home coming and the caliber of highly placed individuals that received him in audience was instructive that the region and the silent majority are

solidly sympathetic to him. "From what I have seen so far I have no doubt in my mind that this current steps would harm relationship across boarder against the backdrop of interpretation and understanding of a layman who are simply in the majority here. “I have seen the case file and the grouse of appeal by

the Lagos State Government, it would be safe to say that they are trying to exhaust all legal means to satisfy the Abiola family in particular and the Yoruba race in general, but the danger inherent in such judicial expedition is the risk of relationship with our people”, Babankowa who discovered Tafawa Balewa's dead body in Ogun while serving in the mobile police force stressed.

Civil society coalition condemns killings in Egypt BY LAJA THOMAS

AGOS—WORLDWIDE condemnations have trailed the political uprising in Egypt, aftermath of the brutal, inhuman, barbaric and cold-blood murder of over 2,000 innocent citizens and declaration of state of emergency in Cairo, capital of Egypt. The latest condemnation came from the Nigerian Civil Society Coalition Against Coup and Militirisation of Politics in Africa at a briefing in Lagos, yesterday. Speaking to newsmen, Comrade Muna Isiak of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, and Comrade Ikechukwu Ezike of Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, said: “Egypt, the cradle of world civilization, set a very bad precedent in

the full glare of global media when its criminally minded military violently hacked down more than 2,000 innocent citizens who were exercising their globally respected right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. “The events in Egypt is reminiscent of our own struggle against regressive forces in the military who tried to subvert the popular will of Nigerians with the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections won by Chief MKO Abiola of blessed memories. “We strongly condemn this brutal, inhuman, barbaric cold-blood murder of innocent citizens, perhaps, a sad reminder of the Pharaonic era brutality meted out to the Israelites in historic Egypt.

“We are holding General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi responsible for the genocide of innocent African citizens. We are working with international human rights lawyers to get the International Criminal Court, ICC, to initiate a process of investigation and indictment of General Sisi and his collaborators in the illegitimate Interim Government. "We also deplore the criminal silence of the US, EU and other countries over the appropriate labeling of the events in Egypt as a coup d’etat. This is very disappointing but not entirely out of character when it comes to these countries dealing with Africa. “We welcome the very civilized response of the African Union, AU, countries in condemning the coup. Africa has truly come of age."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—41

3 PDP northern govs visit Tukur zFault Amaechi’s suspension zI’m not leaving PDP—Atiku BY EMMANUELAZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR & HENRY UMORU

BUJA—THE national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday, claimed to have established peace in the party after a visit from three of the five northern governors that had in the last few weeks demanded his removal from office. Three of the five governors who had been in consultation with elder-statesmen, former heads of state among others and been demanding the removal of Tukur as national chairman visited Tukur in his private residence following which Tukur claimed that they came for peace. However, sources in the governors’ camp claimed that the governors approached Tukur as part of their continuing consultations with party leaders. The governors it was learnt also told Tukur that it was wrong to have suspended Governor Chibuke Amaechi from the party without hearing from him. A statement dictated by Tukur’s media aide, Mr. Oliver Okpalla on the visit said the northern governors pledged to sheath their sword and work harmoniously with the leadership of the party to

reinvigorate the fortunes of the party. Also yesterday, former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar rejected insinuations that he was breaking ranks with the PDP on account of the registration of the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM by those he claimed were his political associates. The three governors who visited Tukur in his residence in Abuja were Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto and Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano. The statement from Okpalla claimed they made excuses for the other two governors, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State and Babangida Aliyu of Niger State. The three governors, Vanguard learnt left Tukur ’s residence by 6 p.m. Vanguard, however, learnt that Governor Nyako was in Abuja at the time of the visit. The statement dictated by Okpalla reads in part: ”The five governors of the northern states who have been consulting with political leaders and former presidents of this country and also calling for the removal of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP this evening (yesterday) visited the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in his private residence for a crucial meet-

ing and in the meeting it was resolved that both parties should shield their swords and allow peace to reign and they have all agreed to work for the interest of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.” ”In attendance at the meeting were the governors of Kano, Jigawa and Sokoto and Wamakko apologized for the absence of the governors of Niger and Adamawa and said that they would also hook up.” “They pledged their loyalty to the national chairman and the Peoples Democratic Party, and said that the entire issue which sparked off the controversy was as a result of gap in communication and misinformation. The national chairman also reviewed the issues that led to the crisis and also accepted their return to the leadership.” “The three governors also promised that no such controversy or issue of accusation or counter ac-

cusation would be made against the leadership of the party under Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.” “National Chairman after listening to them also promised as a father to forgive and forget all that has happened in the past.” However, following enquiries one of the northern governors present at the meeting said last night: ”Our meeting with the national chairman is part of our ongoing consultation with leaders and stakeholders within the party. We told him of the need to run the party transparently based on laid down rules and principles.” ”We discussed the Ameachi issue too. That it was wrong to have suspended him without hearing from him.” ”We let him understand the strategic role of the PDP in Nigeria politics and the need for leaders of such a party to be disciplined and transparent in running the party’s affairs. Don’t for-

get, he (Tukur) is one of the stakeholders in the PDP today, as such our visit to him was not misplaced,” the governor said. Meanwhile, Atiku in a statement from his office said that freedom of association enshrined in the constitution was the beauty of democracy and that he wouldn’t stop any of his followers from seeking what he termed a platform to promote their programmes. The statement issued on his behalf by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, said: ‘’Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said while he remains a loyal PDP member, he doesn’t have the right or power to stop others from associating or seeking registration for new parties. ‘’While acknowledging that many of his political associates are involved in registering the PDM, Atiku Abubakar explained that he had no powers to stop adults with common interests from coming together to form a party.”

40m Nigerians unemployed — GIS BY PETER DURU

AKURDI—THE Project Director of the Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, Mr. Peter Papka, has said over 40 million Nigerians are currently unemployed and seeking employment across the country. He said the figure which rep-

resented 23.9 per cent of the country’s population had become a major source of worry for the federal government. Papka spoke in Makurdi the Benue State capital at a one day sensitisation Forum for Firms in the state organised by the SURE-P. He lamented that “One of the challenges of graduate unemployment in the country is the inability of the system to absorb the nearly 300,000 gradu-

ates churned out by our universities and other tertiary institutions each year. Represented by a Director, Mr. Anthony Kalu, he however assured that the Federal Government was prepared to partner all stakeholders to reverse the trend, stressing that the “GIS has provided a way out of this dilemma by developing a skill base that firms can benefit from among our graduates at very minimal cost. Among the objectives of the scheme is the resolve to enhance the employability of at least 50,000 unemployed graduates in all the 36 states of the federation and Abuja by improving their skill base through work placement. “The Federal government on the other hand will be responsible for paying a monthly stipend of N25,000 to them while participating institutions will be expected to provide adequate opportunities for work and mentoring.” Earlier, Benue State coordinator of SURE-P, Mr. Samuel U t o o said over 3,000 indigenes of the state had been employed by the programme adding that 2,000 more would be employed by next year.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 —42

TREBLE CHANCE Crystal P. v Tottenham Norwich v Everton Sunderland v Fulham West Ham v Cardiff Bournemouth v Wigan Derby v Leicester Doncaster v Blackburn Leeds v Sheff Wed. Nottm For. v Bolton Bristol C. v Wolves

SOCCER TIPS Brazil superstar Ronaldinho under under-goes dent al surger dental surgeryy RONALDINHO has undergone surgery to have his teeth straightened It’s an image that still haunts David Seaman to this very day - Ronaldinho’s huge grin and celebration after he scored that goal for Brazil against England at the 2002 World Cup. The samba star’s delight at putting his country in the lead with an audacious free-kick was there for all to see, as was his massive smirk. And in a recent interview with French football magazine So Foot, the former Barcelona trickster explained he had no intention of having cosmetic dental surgery as his smile has made him recognisable to millions and is a part of who he is. However, according to recent reports, it appears the 33-year-old had second thoughts and has undergone surgery to have his teeth straightened and realigned. It’s believed a Brazilian surgeon spent less than an hour carrying out the procedure, with the operation involving the insertion of porcelain veneers and surgery on the gums. Brazilian newspaper O Globo say the two-time FIFA world player of the year had the work done on Tuesday in the city of Belo Horizonte and trained . with his Atletico Mineiro team-mates soon after. Roberto Assis, the player’s brother and agent said: ‘It’s part of his normal (dental) treatment and won’t affect him at all.’ Atletico take on Bahia on Wednesday in the Campeonato Brasileiro, the Brazilian top-flight, and it’s certain Ronaldinho will be keener than ever to score so that he can show off his brand new smile LATE

FOUR HOMES TIPS 1 X 2 X 4 X 5 PAIR FOUR AWAYS 48 8 X 11 X 12 X X 27 49

I’ll never play for Spurs again — Bale

PERMUTATION 3 X 6 X15 X AVOID 17 X 19 X 23 14 TIPS RISKY 25 26 X 34 X 39 CREDIT

EXCELLENT

Inverness CT2 Hiberniany 2 York 2 Newport Co.3 Walsall 3 Crewe 3 Carlisle 3 Bristol C. 3

Crystal P. Norwich Bristol C. Leeds Middlesbro Millwall Nottm For Q.P.R.

7 7 7 5 5 5 5 5

GARETH Bale has vowed never to play for Tottenham again, according to reports coming from the Wales camp. Bale has allegedly been voicing his frustration to team-mates over his stalling move to Real Madrid. A Wales insider said: ‘Gareth is confused and bitter. He can’t understand why Spurs have not agreed what would be the largest transfer fee in history. ‘How could any player not be affected when he knows one of the world’s biggest clubs has made a huge bid — but that the deal isn’t progressing? ‘One thing’s certain, he’ll not play for Spurs again.’ Madrid are believed to be ready to shell out close to £86million for Bale, but Spurs value the 23-year-old £100million. The Spaniards are reluctant to go that high, and Madrid president Florentino Perez has recently expressed his concerns at the fees being quoted by Spurs.

X-RAY OF THE DRAWS .WEEK 05 Barclays Premier League 1 Arsenal 2 Chelsea 3 Crystal P. 4 Liverpool 5 Man City 6 Norwich 7 Sunderland 8 Swansea 9 West Brom 10 West Ham

v Aston V. 1 v Hull 1 v Tottenham XX v Stoke 1 v Newcastle 1 v Everton XX v Fulham XX v Man Utd 2 v South'pton 1 v Cardiff XX

Championships League 11 Barnsley 12 Birmingham 13 Bournemouth 14 Burnley 15 Derby 16 Doncaster 17 Leeds 18 Middlesbro 19 Millwall 20 Nottm For. 21 Q.P.R. 22 Reading

v Charlton 2 v Brighton 2 v Wigan XX v Yeovil 1 v Leicester XX v Blackburn XX v Sheff Wed. XX v Blackpool XX v HuddersfieldXX v Bolton XX v Ipswich XX v Watford 1X

English League One 23 Bristol C. 24 Carlisle 25 Crawley 26 Crewe 27 Gillingham 28 Peterboro 29 Port Vale 30 Preston 31 Sheff Utd 32 Shrewsbury 33 Stevenage 34 Walsall

v Wolves XX v Coventry XX v Rotherham 1 v Tranmere XX v Brentford 2 v Oldham 1 v Bradford C. 1 v Milton KD 2 v Colchester 1 v Swindon 2 v Leyton O. 2 v Notts Co. XX

English League TTw wo 35 Bury 36 Cheltenham 37 Exeter 38 Fleetwood 39 Newport Co. 40 Portsmouth 41 Rochdale 42 Scunthorpe 43 Southend 44 Torquay 45 Wycombe 46 York

v Accrington S 1 v Plymouth 1 vAFC Wimbldon 1 v Burton A. 2 v Bristol R XX v Morecambe 1 v Chesterfield 2 v Dagenham 1 v Northhampton2X v Oxford 2 v Mansfield 1 v Hartlepool XX

Scottish Premier League 47 Aberdeen 48 Hibernian 49 Inverness CT

v Celtic 2 v Dundee Utd.XX v Motherwell XX

Revised Pairs 3 x 6, 17 x 23 34 x 39, 48 x 49

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—43

NE of the frequent ques tions by non-Muslims is why the Prophet married Aisha or more than one wife. This question came from one of our readers after reading the last week’s edition. I therefore chose to treat the issue on this column rather than providing a terse answer in the regular ‘Ask Your Imam’. First, Prophet Muhammad’s marriage relationship with all his wives including Aisha was divine. All of them helped in the establishment and spread of Islam in various ways. For the first 54 years of Prophet Muhammad’s life, he had only one wife, Khadijah who was 15 years older than him. Khadijah was a two time widow, with children from two previous marriages; a rich business woman whose wealth and experience helped in laying the foundation of Islam. Come to think of it, how many young men will marry a two-time widow who is as old as his mother and be faithful with her for the rest of his life? So, it was not for any other reason, but a fulfilment of that divine plan for the task ahead. It is instructive to note that until the death of Khadijah, he did not take another wife. After two years of mourning his beloved wife, he married Aisha. Apart from Aisha, all others were widows. Same goes with

the knowledge of the Holy Qur’an, the Commandments of halal (lawful) and haram (prohibited) and Arabic poetry. That is why, even senior companions of the Prophet used to consult Aisha (r.t.a.) in resolving intricate issues”. It was these qualities of Aisha (r.t.a.) made possible by divine arrangement that saw the union of the Prophet with Aisha for the service of Islam and not the perverted reasons brought forth by misguided orientalists and anachronists. Apart from the reason to serve and propagate Islam, the marriage of Hafsa the third wife par-

It is the claim of scholars in Islam that without her, half of the knowledge of hadith and understanding of Islam would have perished

others who came into the life of the prophet at different times of need to positively affect Islam. These women were carefully selected, not just haphazardly “acquired” for carnal reasons, as suggested by those who find pleasure in destructive criticisms, but for reasons pertaining to the spread of Islam. Almighty Allah chose Aisha (r.t.a) for him for the manifesting reasons of her intellect and preservation of the hadiths. She was known for great intellectual capacity. She came from a house famous for knowledge; her father was a renowned encyclopedia of Arab tribal pedigrees and poetry. She inherited his ability, and in her young, intelligent, receptive mind, she preserved a precious portion of Islam she learned during seven years of marriage. For 47 years after the death of the Prophet (s.a.w), she taught thousands of men worldwide what she had learned first hand from the Prophet. Many of her transmissions pertaining to some of the most intimate aspects of personal behaviour which only someone in Aisha’s position as a wife could have learnt. Her knowledge of Hadith was passed on in written form by at least three persons including her nephew Urwah who became one of the greatest scholars among the generation after the Companions. It is the claim of Scholars in Islam that without her, half of the knowledge of hadith and understanding of Islam would have perished. Arwa Bin Zubair says,”I did not find anyone more proficient [than Aisha (r.a.)] in C M Y K

Why the Prophet married Aisha, others

ticularly was to cement relationships with different tribe where Islam will not be perceived as a tribal religion. In the then tribal society, it was customary to seal treaties through cross tribal marriages. Muhammad’s closest Companions later became the four caliphs who led Islam at the critical stage after his death. Two of them were

the fathers of his wives ‘Aisha (daughter of Abu Bakr) and Hafsa (daughter of ‘Umar); the other two married his daughters (‘Uthman married Ruqayyah and Zaynab in succession, and ‘Ali married Fatimah). As was customary for Arab chiefs, many were political marriages to cement alliances. Others were marriages to the widows of his companions who had fallen in combat and were in need of protection So, some marriages were with the view to helping the women whose husbands had been killed while they were defending their faith; to build bridges with various tribes who were otherwise at war with the Muslims and to continue to spread Islam. Besides, Hafsa who was known for her writing and oratorial dexterity was able to put into writing most of the revelations before the death of the prophet. The marriage of Umu Salmo, bint Abu Umayia, 26 (widow) on the other hand was also for these reasons. His wives were eye-witnesses to a number of revelations and had therefore a clear idea of the circumstances in which they were revealed. Salama’s husband, Al Assad Ibn Al Mogherah, died as a poor man leaving behind many children. Abu Bakr and several others asked her to

marry them, but she refused the marriage offers. But finally she accepted to marry the Prophet (s.a.w) with her children. Prophet Muhammad is the only prophet without any privacy, and with a meticulously preserved tradition in speech and actions in all facets of his public and private life. This has helped the Muslim to know in details every aspect of the life of the Messenger of God and to fashion their livestyles along the exemplary leader.

Daily life manual Preserved in the sharp minds of his wives and his Companions, those narrations comprise the “daily life manual” for Muslims to follow until the end of time. The books of authentic Hadith attribute more than 3,000 narrations and Prophetic traditions to his wives alone. That is a pointer to the fact that it was divinely arranged. Others mentioned in some of the books were not real wives but those widows he sought to protect and gave adequate care. All the wives were compassionate not just to the young and beautiful maidens, but more so to the weak and destitute wid-

Muslims at the Barracks Praying ground, Ikorodu, during the Eid-il-Fitr prayers.

ows, divorcees, orphans, and elderly women. Islam teaches that women are to be respected, protected, and cared for by their men folk. They’re not to be treated with ignominy neither should their characteristic weakness be exploited nor they be treated as mere mistresses. These are the teachings of the Prophet relationship with his wives. Although many believing women often approached Muhammad offering themselves in marriage because he remained a model of equal justice and kindness to them all, but he politely turned down their offers, yet giving them protection they crave for. Apart from A’isha, who was the youngest, all others were widows. He remained a model of equal justice and kindness to them all. Lastly, it is important to state here also that even as the Prophet married four wives, the life of the prophet notwithstanding, all Muslims can only strive to be like the Prophet because he was controlled and guided by divine inspiration, there are regulations to the practice of polygamy. Islam did not invent polygamy, it only seek to regularise it. Other prophets like Ibrahim, (Abraham), Ya’qub (Jacob), Dawood (David), Sulaiman (Solomon) did practice it. The Qu’ran is the only Holy Book that actually regulates marriage with women. The regulation can be found in the Quran Chapter 4 : 3-6 “...Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one. That is more suitable that you may not incline to injustice.....” Polygamy, therefore is only permitted under certain guidelines. This permission is not associated with mere satisfaction of passion. It is, rather, associated with compassion toward these women. May Almighty Allah guide us to the right path because He knows best.

44 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—45

Enugu 2015: Senators’ fears BY OGBONNA EDE

13 years of civil rule in perspective Akinlade in this fourth edition of the discourse, stresses the need for investigative and objective journalism by the mass media to enable them to inform the populace on the exact demands of the insurgents BY AKINLADE, M. T. Map of Nigeria HE children neither go to school for Western education nor undergo vocational training for skill acquisition neither. They also have no moral in any respect as they hardly internalize the Qur’anic instruction. The view of Bozimo that them as they play down violence against them “perhaps we pray knowing nothing about religion and amplify their own aggression. other than name” is useful in analyzing “almajiri”. For instance, the mass murder of Huasas and These children of alms are always at the mercy of the destruction of worshipers vehicles at a praying peer and amoral influence. As they grow into ground in Rukuba road at the celebration of end adulthood, they part ways with their Mallam and of Ramadan festival on August 29, 2011 in Jos by graduate to potential hoodlum ready to terrorise the indigenes was reported on Radio Nigeria the community at any point in time. They neither 7.00am network news of August 30, 2011 as a have worth nor value for themselves nor others. clash between two rival youth groups in less than This practice is over two hundred and fifty years forty-seconds. The reverse has always been the in the north, when African communalism was in case when Hausas unleash terror. The bad feeling place but Muslim peasants have refused to let generated by this type of disposition is of go the practice following the collapse of immeasurable proportion as it increases hatred communalism occasioned by European intrusion among the people. and eventual monetisation as well as capitalisation Also, the attempt to make people believe that of the economy. Government should not expect every violent group is purely religious only makes anything better from the “almajiris” other than volunteers to be much more interested and join what is in practice. One would have expected such groups. For instance, the recent operations northern governors especially the Muslims among of Boko Haram suggest that, it has more members them to have outlawed this practice and integrate than in the past. Even when a religious group the victims of parental abuse to the society through that turns criminal lays claim to religious completely free education with free meal as a inclination, the media has a duty to refute such source of attraction, while they also work with claim by inviting credible uncompromising and their guardians (Mallams). Rather than act, popular religious scholars to wipe off the air on northern governors only lament. the issue at stake. To that extent, they call a Equally, government draft in military to the scene of conflict and Nigerians of all religious persuasions usually, they suppress the find it difficult to know the exact demands violence. Although they also unleash maximum terror on of Boko Haram as they kill innocent citizens but at least indiscriminately fragile peace is engendered. When little peace is experienced, rather than aggressively consolidate on the peace criminal group criminal. The editorial of The using the opportunities that such period provides Nation (February 24, 2012) informed how Kabiru to objectively address the worries of the parties, Sokoto reveals that they, Boko Haram rob banks. Although, there is need to make people the Federal Government either declares state of emergency or set up judicial commission of understand how such groups emerge but enquiry whose report will neither be implemented information must be properly dissected, so as to nor made public. How do we explain that the be devoid of ambiguity or lead to more hatred in killings in Borno, Benue, Jos, Nasarawa and other the land. For instance, Nigerians of all religious places have continued despite the reports of persuasions find it difficult to know the exact demands of Boko Haram as they kill various commissions of enquiry? Of interest is also the crisis involving the Fulani indiscriminately. In fact, Nigerian media portrays cattle-hearers. If Nigerian leaders are serious, them as pursuing northern Muslim interest and are they not supposed to have made research agenda. Investigative and objective journalism into how cattle rearers get food for their cattle in must be taken seriously. Indiscipline and incompetent security: Truly, other countries, without destroying farm land, so our security agents especially the Police and Army as to solve Fulani related crisis. Media complicity: The Nigerian press have officers are seen as embodiment of indiscipline, contributed a great deal to the development of corruption and oppression by the populace. The the country. At the same time, they have officers we see on our streets who incidentally consciously or unconsciously increased the tempo relate with the citizens on daily basis are grossly of conflicts in northern Nigeria. They have thrown incompetent both in reasoning and action. A large fairness to all to the dust bin to the extent that, part of them lack respect for human dignity, which when there is an incident, one can accurately is clearly an evidence of ignorance. These people predict the sentiment that would follow the cannot elicit the much needed support and sympathy of the populace, which is surely a reportage. It is doubtful whether unity and security of the necessity for combating crimes and conflicts country is prioritized in their reports. Hausas are because they need tip off from residents. of the view that, Nigerian press are biased against To be concluded

Map of Enugu State

Nwobodo was the target of two vitriolic stories in Thisday Newspapers. The publication was meant to achieve nothing but smear the woman and present her as one power hungry aide who would bring down anybody on her way. The two reports went to some ridiculous extent to concoct lies and distort facts, including crediting her with the sack of commissioners and other officers of state. Nothing could be more laughable. It was even more amusing reading last Tuesday’s fiction where the aide to one of the senators tried to conceal his identity by writing with a pen name. I do not know or care if Mrs. Nwobodo is interested in contesting No matter how hard elections in 2015. She has people try to fabricate lies, every right to truth and falsehood have so aspire. It is simply up to no meeting point the people to c h o o s e between her, power would rotate to Enugu Senator Gil Nnaji and other North Senatorial District in the people who, surely, will seek interest of equity, fairness and to represent Nkanu land at the justice, the other was fuelled by National Assembly. My concern is that the the attractions of power. At last, good reason prevailed and the unnecessary bickering and Enugu State PDP caucus attacks are capable of finally endorsed the governor’s distracting Governor Chime position that an Nsukka man from the good work he has been would be at the helm of affairs doing in Enugu State. Those come 2015. There have been of us from the state or who live inaudible murmuring from here always boast about how some quarters but as always in befitting the Coal City has democracy, the majority carried become under his charge. That is why we cannot keep quiet the day. But if the governor has been when some politicians try to lucky that his proposition sailed distract the governor and his through, his chief of staff, Mrs. team. My advice to Nwobodo is that Ifeoma Nwobodo, has not been that fortunate. Since that she should ignore these caucus meeting where Chime sponsored articles in the media. also reminded elected officers She has done well not to of an agreement that those who respond. She should continue had done more than one term to play her role in the would have to give way, Mrs. government, knowing that as Nwobodo has been lampooned a public officer, she is always from an obvious quarter. Here in the eye of the public. I doubt in Enugu, it is no secret that if she has had the last of such Senator Gil Nnaji who secret conspiracies and represents Enugu East in the sponsored stories in the media. The difference is that no Senate, harbours the fear that Chime’s chief of staff is matter how hard people try to fabricate lies, truth and interested in his seat. Yet, neither he nor any other falsehood have no meeting person has proof to back their point. •Ogbonna Ede contributed suspicion. Only last week, Mrs. this piece from Enugu

CONFLICTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA (4):

OLITICS, as they say, is a game of intrigues. It is also a game reputed for throwing up superstars who readily distinguish themselves in the service of man and humanity. Conversely, it brings forth gangsters who employ all manners of unholy acts to survive in the slippery terrain of politics. For the latter, they often go to unimaginable levels to achieve their evil mission. They blackmail, cajole and kill, if need be. Of late, we have begun to see such demonstration of monstrosity in the politics of Enugu State and Enugu East Senatorial District in particular. It started first between the state Governor, Sullivan Chime and the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu. Chime said the next governor of the state ought to come from Nsukka area in line with the zoning principle of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Ekweremadu objected and told the press that there was no zoning arrangement in the state. The reactions that trailed their disagreement were as varied as they exposed the irresistible lust for power. While Chime was bent on keeping faith with the promise he made that

46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

11 PDP aspirants + 1 Judas BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR & VINCENT UJUMADU

ESULTS on ground in PDP congresses are often not reflected on the result sheets that come out of the PDP national secretariat. So the practice is for diligent contestants and party officials

to proceed to Abuja once the formality of the congress is over to monitor or police the results. So, it was not surprising that once the ward congresses ended across the state that party officials and many aspirants proceeded to Abuja to mount vigil at the PDP national secretariat.

One of the first to check out was Mr. Ejike Oguebego, chairman of the faction led by Chief Chris Uba. 978 delegates were expected to have emerged from the congress conducted by the

faction which remarkably is the one recognized by INEC but not by the party. At least two of the aspirants disclosed that their joint agreement between 11 of the 12 aspirants who participated

•Uba: PDP aspirant

•Soludo: APGA aspirant

…APGA aspirants move to Abuja T

OMORROW’S ward congresses to be conducted by APGA promises to be a fight to finish given the antecedents of some of the major contestants hoping to fly the party ’s flag in the election. Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, erstwhile executive director of Fidelity Bank, Willy Obiano and former Secretary to the State Government, SSG

Oseloka Obaze who also has a rich pedigree in academia are among the intellectuals in the field. Can they measure and slug it out with the same zeal that the professional politicians are likely to do? Yesterday, the delegates took a break from their campaigns and strategizing sessions in Anambra to relocate to Abuja to appear before the party’s screening committee which is meeting them today in Abuja.

How would Maxi have acted?

AXI Okwu, many would remember was the

PDP aspirants brave the odds against INEC

EARS that the PDP ward congresses conducted by the Ken Emekayi faction of the party could be declared invalid are being poohpoohed by some party stakeholders who are standing on what they claim as the provisions of the

Electoral Act which stipulates that INEC should observe the congresses quite unlike the provision of the former act which gives the commission the right to monitor. “INEC can only observe and it has no role in the congresses,” one of the

aspirants told Vanguard yesterday. Meanwhile, one of the more formidable aspirants, Senator Andy Uba chose to sit it out and participate in the congress organized by the Ejike Oguebego faction loyal to Chief Chris Uba, younger brother of Senator Andy Uba.

Comrade Nwoye returns T

HE past two years have been undoubtedly challenging for Comrade Tony Nwoye, one time national president of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS and chairman of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP during the 2007 elections. In 2011, he contested for a seat in the House of Representatives and believing he won, he became one of the chief mobilisers for Aminu Waziri Tambuwal thinking that his action would give him a juicy committee position in the House of Representatives. He did not even get to see any juice as he was not inaugurated on account of legal and other intrigues characteristic of elections in Anambra State. He has remained outside the chambers of the House of Representatives despite a

in the ward congress conducted by Ken Emeakayi was that they would all go to their wards for the congress and not influence the officials from neighbouring states. “But we never knew that we had a Judas among us,” one of the aspirants told Vanguard yesterday as he alleged that one of the 11 hijacked officials from some of the neighbouring states dazed them with money so that the officials lost their direction to the wards where they were supposed to supervise the congresses and rather went to the moneybag’s house where a list of delegates favourable to the moneybag was written. Many of them going to Abuja are said to have gone with petitions against the “saboteur”.

Gubernatorial Screening Committee allegedly for irregularities in his tax papers. T h a t decision was reversed by the Appeal Committee, w h i c h upheld his claims and n o w Comrade Nwoye is back in •Nwoye: Cleared for the race contention to slug it out against 12 other nominees court victory. including his one time patron, Comrade Nwoye Senator Andy Uba. subsequently set his eyes on The Nwoye camp was the governorship and after buoyant following his paying the N11 million for the clearance and are claiming to expression of interest and be in good position in the nomination forms, he was delegates count. screened out by the

veritable political activist who was with Chekwas Okorie and Victor Umeh in the first days of APGA. He subsequently lost out in the power struggle and proceeded to found the Citizens Peoples Party, CPP which did not fly. He was ousted from APGA by Umeh and Governor Obi, but after many years when it became convenient, Obi sought him out, probably believing that he, Okwu was

the only one with the political capacity and acumen to match Umeh. They almost succeeded, but Umeh fought back and today Umeh is in full control of APGA and dictating the nomination process for the party ’s gubernatorial candidate. Many are wondering where Okwu is now and how he could have directed APGA’s nomination process had he won the battle.

Orjiako to mediate between Ngige and Okonkwo prospects of the third known aspirant in the fledgling APC, Mr. Godwin Ezemo. Remarkably, O r j i k a o r belonged to the former ANPP and would not be •Ngige: APC •Okonkwo: APC suspected of having politically HE former Anambra State primordial tendencies. chairman of the defunct All His adoption as the interim Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, state chairman of APC was Chief Pat Orjiakor has been announced during a meeting of named the interim state the party in Awka attended by chairman of the brand new All two governorship aspirants of the Progressives Congress, APC, in party, Okonkwo and Ezemo. the state. Both aspirants said Orjiakor In his position he is expected to has worked very hard to keep lead the arbitration team when APC together since the merger two of the party ’s major plans began and believe that he contenders for the governorship, is eminently qualified to lead the Senators Chris Ngige and Annie party to victory in the Okonkwo pull out their gloves. governorship election. It would not be an easy task. That is not to underestimate the

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 — 47

2015:

Battle for Yuguda's job begins

LESS than 24 months to the expiration of Governor Isa Yuguda’s tenure, the question on the lips of political observers in Bauchi State is who will succeed Yuguda? The political terrain of the state is once again astir as various aspirants have adorned the streets with posters and billboards. SUZAN EDEH reports. Muaa Gabam (former Chief of Staff to Yuguda) and Alhaji Sarki Abdullahi. Apart from the FCT minister, Maikafi and Ningi, most of the aspirants contested the post alongside Yuguda in 2011 or 2007 and lost. However, names such as Adamu Dan China, Senator Babayo Garba Gamawa, former Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Abdulmalik Mahmood, Alhaji Baba Tela, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ahaji Yayale Ahmed, former National Secretary of the PDP, Dr Musa Babayo, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Engineer Sadiq Mahmud, Senator Nazif Gamawa, Engineer Nuhu Gidado and the incumbent Deputy Governor, Sagir Aminu Saleh have mentioned among those interested in replacing Yuguda. First timers: Currently, those aspiring for the slot for the first time are Dr Babayo, Maikafi, Yayale, Gamawa and the incumbent Deputy Governor.

OW, most political parties in the state have put machinery in motion and perfected strategies to get good candidates to fly their flags at the polls with the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC) boosting the confidence of the opposition parties in the state that power can still shifts hands. Looming battle to stop Yuguda’s anointed: According to reports, a battle within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is looming between Governor Yuguda and those who are vehemently opposed to the governor handpicking a successor. Those, who are opposed to the governor ’s alleged intention, are not leaving anything to chance by ensuring that Yuguda does not pass the baton of leadership to any of two men much speculated to be his favoured choices for a successor. The two men are the incumbent Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Salau Ahmed Dandija and his in-law and former National Secretary of the PDP, Dr. Musa Babayo. While some political analysts argue that it will be extremely difficult for any gubernatorial aspirant that is not in the governor’s good books to clinch the governorship ticket, others are optimistic that the opposition in the state can win the 2015 gubernatorial election if they unite and map out strategies that will outwit the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Why Yuguda anointed his successor Yuguda’s plan to anoint either Dandija or Babayo is said to be due to a number of reasons. One of them is to ensure that his projects are continued and another is to stop the tradition of successor regimes probing outgone administrations. The second reason the governor could desire to have his desired choice as a successor is fortify himself against any harassment from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that may erupt in the course of his pursuit of future political ambitions. Though the elections are about 20 months away, political gladiators have started jostling for the most exalted office in the state. Currently, a host of contenders and pretenders are on the prowl painting the picture that they are out to stop Yuguda from having his way. The aspirants: Among those

•Yuguda: angling to succeed Yuguda include Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, Senator Abubakar Maikafi, Senator Abdul Ningi, Barrister Ahmed Dandija, and Alhaji Umar Nadada, former secretary to the state government under Adamu Ma’azu and SMEDAN boss, who contested the governorship under the platform of PDP against Yuguda in 2007. Zoning arrangement Going by the zoning arrangement in the state, the governorship should shift to

either Bauchi North or Bauchi Central because the Southern zone, in 2015, would have ruled for 16 years beginning with Mu’azu, who governed the state from 1999 to 2007 and now Yuguda, who took over from him in 2007. Thus, the zoning arrangement favours Senator Ningi and Dandija who hail from the Central Zone as well as Babayo, former Minister of Police Affairs, Dr Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, Senator Ali Wakili, Senator Abubakar Maikafi, Architect Mohammed Dewu, Alhaji Shehu

Anointed candidate Among the zones, Bauchi Central has a rich list of top politicians not only in the state, but also the country at large. They include Deputy Senate Majority Leader, Abdul Ningi, current SSG and Yuguda’s anointed candidate, Dandija; former SSG, Alhaji Nadada Umar and another former SSG, Alhaji Shua’ibu Ahmed. It appears the position of the SSG is permanently reserved for the zone but the present SSG and two former SSGs are out to

reshape the political perception of their zone by aspiring for the number one seat of the state. Ordinarily, Yuguda would have loved either Dandija or Musa as his successor in 2015 but he has to surmount electoral hurdles to realize his wishes. Bauchi state is a very unique state when it comes to elections; the electorate is known for protest voting patterns, especially against the ruling PDP. A clearcut example is the former governor Ma’azu, who transformed the state in the area of infrastructures and human empowerment. At the moment his projects cut across the 20 local government areas of the state and many residents of the state are still applauding his legacies, saying “Yuguda is busy maintaining the projects of his predecessor in the last seven years of his reign as the governor of the state”. In 2007, Yuguda portrayed himself as a man who is capable of taking the state to its Promised Land and became the rallying point of Bauchi politics by presenting himself as the saviour of the state and so the people dumped Mu’azu for Yuguda. The electorate ruined Mu’azu’s political career by refusing to vote for him when he contested for the senatorial seat of Bauchi South. Two years into his administration, Yuguda lost the goodwill of many of his supporters when he dumped the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) for PDP, a party the Bauchi electorate detested. With his exit approaching, the prospect of him easily appointing a crony in his place are undoubtedly challenging.

Enugu Int’l Airport:

Legislative masterstroke and gains of synergy BY UCHE ANICHUKWU

ISTORY beacons on August 24, 2013 as the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu is set to receive the first international flight to the Coal City. Ethiopian Airlines issued a July 26, 2013 statement, indicating its readiness to be the first international carrier to fly to the Airport. The euphoria which has greeted the announcement, especially among Ndigbo and the nation in general, is understandable. It underscores the strategic nature of the

development to the nation’s and South East’s economy. The Deputy President of the Senate, who is also the highest political office holder from the zone, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in commending President Goodluck Jonathan over this, rightly described it as a “major milestone in the infrastructural renewal of the South East and a monumental boost for both trade and Direct Foreign Investment for the entire country”. What a new dawn. For decades, successive administrations had exploited the subject of international flight operations in

the South East, to the extent of making it a recurrent object of political rhetoric. They promised more and delivered NOTHING. For ages, I dare to say, a combination of political irresponsibility, assorted parochial interests and considerations, promise and fail syndrome, and if you like, willful sabotage and conspiracy, had kept the operation of international flight in the South East far from reality. Thus, if the people of the South East took the November 14, 2007 statement by the then Minister of Aviation, Diezani Allison-

Madueke announcing President Yar ’Adua’s approval of the upgrade of the Akanu Ibiam Airport to the status of international airport with a pinch of salt, they were not to blame. And when the former Minister of Aviation, Babatunde Omotoba was credited with a statement during the flag-off of rehabilitation work at the Akanu Ibiam Airport on November 30, 2009, to the effect that the Federal Government had not given international status to the Airport, the cloud of doubt and

Continues on page 48

48—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

CONSTANT reader of this column has politely asked me to point out the difference between the Transformation Agenda of President Jonathan on the economy and my own often repeated but seemingly crude phrase of commonsense economics. Another reader impudently drew my attention to the recent interview by “Thisday” of the Minister for Economic Coordination and Minister of Finance, our hard-working Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Infact, I have the greatest respect for the Minister of Finance and the greatly endowed talents that constitute her economic team. Also, my faith in the economic transformation agenda of President Jonathan remains unshaken. As laymen would say, many roads lead to the market. Since 1960, all leaders (civilian-militarycivilian) have been engaging in the pursuit of economic prosperity and political stability but without qualified success. This assertion, however, does not imply dismal failure or lack of some visible signs of progress. For the avoidance of doubt, I read and understood clearly our Coordinating Minister‘s analysis. According to the hard-working Minister of Finance, “our economy is strong, with Vulnerabilities”. I would agree with her that the fragile Nigerian economy is strong (going by the elegance of the statistical figures), but there are numerous challenges or “vulnerabilities” as clearly defined always by the influential Dr (Mrs.) Okonjo-Iweala. It looks as if we are now familiar with some salient facts of the economy. The growth rate (GDP) for 2013 is estimated at 6.75 per cent, second only to China (7%), but better than Europe (less than 3%); fiscal deficit is 1.8 per cent of GDP; Inflation has fallen to 8.4% from 12%; foreign exchange reserves rose to $47 billion from $32 billion; foreign debt and domestic borrowing are 2% and 17% of GDP. The foreign exchange stability is assumed alright at the rate of N155-N160 to 1 US$. These impressive figures should be enough to convince analysts that the economy is really strong (by our

07059197616

What a jargon: Common sense economics and sensible politics standard), if it is remembered that the daily crude oil production is about 2 million barrels. The many challenges of the seemingly sound economy have been carefully noted and efforts are on to find solution. If many analysts are baffled by the prospects of an economy growing at a fast rate of 6.75% and yet carrying about 30 per cent unemployment, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala dwelt on Housing and Agricultural transformation measures to impact positively on employment situation. It should however be mentioned that the Housing boom with the (luscious estate) was based on low mortgage rates. The high exchange rate which has been described as “stable” has tended to distort domestic price level, make Nigerian products more expensive and less competitive in the world market. At the same time, higher cost of domestic funds has restricted the growth of domestic manufacturing industry while at the same time, affected private initiatives. The lamentations of the Finance Minister and many Nigerians hinge on the problems of a faster rate of growth, low value of the naira and high rate of lending in a sad condition of large-scale unemployment and deepening poverty,

inspite of several fiscal measures to sustain home production. The greatest problem of the moment seems to be the black gold (crude oil) which has become the mainstay of the Nigerian economy and the life-line of all tiers of government. If any bad thing happens to crude oil and gas production (God forbids), the lamentations would turn into tears of blood – a very serious threat to the political stability of the nation. If the economic salvation of the country lies in the continuous flow of oil revenue, then attention should be turned on how oil resources are managed. Nigeria‘s oil revenue at the moment, is subject to many disabilities – volatability of price; increasing criminal activities of thieves; pipe-line vandals; corrupt practices of public officials and irrational subsidy schemes. These, according to many Nigerians, amount to gross mismanagement of oil resources. An approach to sensible economics is perhaps what Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is thinking but on a longer-term period, but with short-term approach appearing a bit lazy and uncertain. Either a short-term or long-term approach would depend on a more sensible approach to the management of the economy. As a former Head of Civil Service, Chief

Allison Ayida once noted in his “Reflection on Nigerian Development”, “The way out is to evolve a new strategy involving less dependence on imports and the promotion of local manufactures and agricultural production. Oil revenue should be seen as providing the fuel for engineering the growth process. If we can manage the domestic economy properly and efficiently, the external sector will gradually assume less importance and the Naira will find its level in the floating basket of currencies”. This is commonsense economics, leading to a lively and fully employed economy – with all hands available for producing enough goods to combat inflation. Politics The concept of sensible politics rests on responsible governance by the ruling party and equally responsible behavior by the opposition parties. Responsible opposition should not abuse the person of the incumbent President but oppose his programmes with alternative proposals. A good leader should be the father of the nation, just and fair. His policy should appeal to the opposition and majority of the people alike. A “winner-take-all` attitude in politics would eventually lead to instability in a plural society.

Deportation deluxe To my surprise, the deportation of some destitutes to their States of Origin has received hostile reception in many quarters. Perhaps many writers have never tasted poverty or experienced destitution in their lives in or outside their states of origin. Some years ago, by luck I met my blood sister and her two children in a terrible living condition that kept me weeping profusely anytime I remember the sight. My immediate reaction was to relocate the unfortunate victims within a week at my own expenses. The exercise was a complete success and the children are eternally grateful for the rescue from penury and family shame. It is better to be our brothers‘ keeper than to become constitutional lawyers for the right of the destitutes.

Enugu Int’l Airport: Legislative masterstroke and gains of synergy Continues from page 47 forlornness thickened. In contrast, the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Jonathan on October 19, 2010 reaffirmed the upgrade of Enugu Airport to an international facility and awarded a reviewed contract of about N6.1billion to bring the total cost to about N10.03 billion. Under Jonathan, the airport was finally gazetted as an international airport. The gazette was important to lay to rest the initial fears caused by Omotoba’s statement. Just last May, Mr. President commissioned the remodeled Enugu Airport and laid the foundation for a new international terminal. Importantly, the actualisation of the Enugu Airport dream is a testimony in leadership, synergy, and legislative masterstroke on the part of Senator Ekweremadu and the South East Caucus of the 6th National Assembly, NASS, which opened the request with a letter to President Yar’Adua signed by Senator Ekweremadu on behalf of the rest. Thus, the Caucus, with the Deputy

President of Senate in the driver ’s seat, began the legislative diplomatic rounds to the Villa to drive the dream. The meetings were fruitful from the outset as President Yar’Adua was said to be seriously touched over the absence of an international airport in the South East that he, there and then, approved the request.

Designation as international airport It was on the strength of this that Mrs. Allison-Madueke also issued a statement announcing the designation of Akanu Ibiam as an international airport. The release of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, was discussed at the meeting. Yar’Adua honoured this request too. Meanwhile, the commitment of the Chairman of the Committee on Aviation in the 6th Senate, Senator Anyim Udeh and his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Bethel Amadi as well as their successors,

•Ekweremadu Senator Hope Uzodinma and Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha have helped to push the dream in no little measures. With the concerted lobby and efforts the South East Caucus in both the th th 6 and 7 National Assembly, it has never been difficult for

their fellow federal lawmakers to see the economic reasons, the equity and justice in ensuring adequate budgetary provisions for the project from the days of late President Yar’Adua till date. Worthy of special commendation are the uncommon wisdom, unity of purpose, and sense of sacrifice shown by the Enugu State Caucus in the 6th NASS. With eyes fixated on the bigger picture, the Caucus, at a point, channeled the entire funds for Constituency Projects that would have accrued to Enugu Federal Constituencies and Senatorial Districts in one fiscal year to the project. This, they told President Yar ’Adua, was to shore up budgetary provisions for the upgrading project. Which President would not be moved by such show of commitment? The masterstroke worked like magic as the Federal Executive Council under President Yar’Adua subsequently broke the jinx by awarding a contract in the sum of N4.1 billion to upgrade the Akanu Ibiam Airport. In all, the deftness displayed by the South East federal

lawmakers led by Senator Ekweremadu, the great support shown by the South East Governors (especially Governor Peter Obi both in his official capacity as Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum and his personal capacity too), political stakeholders, and indeed numerous others towards the actualization of the vision shows how much a people can achieve if they work together in articulating and pursuing common, legitimate agenda. There is also a big lesson in smooth executive/legislature relations as well as intraexecutive and intra-legislature synergy. Indeed, it is an uncommon breath of fresh air as Enugu and the South East is opened up to the outside world. Peaceful repose Yar ’Adua; long live Jonathan; well done StellaOduah et al; and kudos Ekweremadu (the silent achiever), and the entire South East compatriots in the sixth and seventh NASS. *Mr. Anichukwu is Special Adviser (Media) to Deputy President of the Senate.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013—49

Delta Central Senatorial:

My plans by Andrew Oru

BARRISTER Andrew Oru was one of the young men, who at the inception of the Fourth Republic, put the then governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori on the spot and waged a trenchant media war against that administration and its top figure. He subsequently went underground and has lately re-appeared to position himself among the top gladiators for the vacant Delta Central seat in the Senate. In this interview with Vanguard, Oru, in a posture that gives the impression that the seat is his for the taking, talks of his plans in the Senate and the place of the Urhobo ethnic group in the polity among other issues. Excerpts: BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR & KELECHI AZUBIKE

OU have been quiet after your agitations against the immediate past governor of Delta State. What happened? Well I have been around, I decided that it was time to change certain directions, what we came up to do that’s about ten years ago, as far as am concerned was purely political and based upon the existing circumstances at that time, and those circumstances changed and I had to change along with the change of circumstances. So, what have you been doing lately? Well lately I have been attending to my personal business and family, both here and outside the country. However with the demise of Pius Ewerido there was a clarion call by my people that I am the proper person to come and fill up that gap which Pius Ewerido left behind. So I am presently throwing my hat in the ring to contest for the seat of the senate which is presently vacant in Delta Central District. On which platform? PDP of course. I am of the PDP stock. There is a perception that PDP is diminished in Delta Central? Well that is true! I must admit. The PDP has not have a good

•Oru: I’ll be able to turn things around run in the Delta Central since Pius Ewerido’s opponent, Chief Ighoyota Amori got the ticket of the PDP to run for senate. That really upset a lot of Uhrobo people who in protest against the establishment of the PDP moved over to the DPP and we of the PDP are still believing that if I am the candidate of the PDP this

time around I’ll be able to turn things around because am one person I believe whose suave cuts across political divides. So I believe with me, am in a position to actually get the Urhobos back into PDP. What is your magic wand? In Urhobo land the people respect pedigree and I believe

with all due respect to modesty, I believe that I have been of immense service personally to the Urhobos and even without seeking office all these years, I have done everything by way of publications, speaking out and counselling and participating in every Urhobo activity. So I believe that I have endeared myself to the heart of a quite lot of Urhobo people. But the PDP is regarded as antagonistic to Urhobos and for the first time in recent history no Urhobo person is in the top echelon of the Federal Government? You see the truth is this, Urhobos have been thoroughly emasculated, thoroughly marginalised and left as a weeping child of both Delta politics and national politics by the PDP, both at the state level and the national level and I am one person who has stood out openly against it and that is one of the reasons I believe that made the Urhobos come together, rally round and say, I am the only person who can actually represent their interest. I have never hidden my feelings, I have never been afraid to speak out. The Urhobos deserve a much fairer deal and if given the opportunity I believe that would give me a better opportunity for the Urhobos to be heard and truly represented. Have you been able to sample what Senator Ewerido did in the

Al-Mustapha: Will appeal tear APC apart? BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

OULD the decision by the Lagos State government to appeal the Court of Appeal judgment that freed Major Hamza Al-Mustapha from jail consume the All Progressives Congress, APC. The question comes to fore given the fact that Lagos State, where the former Chief Security Officer to former military head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, was tried is under the sway of the APC. So is Kano State, AlMustapha’s home base, and also, Yobe State, his state of origin. Given the common political currency dominating in the three states, the issue of an appeal of a sensitive matter as concerning the former security officer is bound to raise issues. And so thinks Alhaji Ibrahim Babankowa, a Kano based

elder-statesman and former commissioner of police who is credited with discovering the body of Nigeria’s erstwhile prime minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa following the first coup in the country in 1966. Briefing newsmen in his residence Wednesday afternoon, the former security agent explained that “the steps taken by the Lagos state Government also have the capacity to rekindle distrust between the Hausa/ Fulani extraction on one side and the Yorubas on the other”. Lagos state Government Tuesday announced it has filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the acquittal of Al Mustapha and others freed by the court of appeal over the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.

Alhaji Babankowa who is a close confidant of one of the APC national leaders, General Muhammadu Buhari noted that “the way and manner the north received this serving military officer on his home coming and the caliber of highly placed individuals that received him in audience was instructive that the region and the silent majority are

solidly sympathetic to him”. The former Commissioner of police stressed “from what I have seen so far I have no doubt in my mind that this current step would harm the relationship across borders against the backdrop of interpretation and understanding of a layman who are simply in the majority here”. Babankowa though admitted that the decision of the Lagos State Government to go for an appeal at the Supreme Court might not be unconnected to the desire to satisfy the Abiola family. “I have seen the case file and the ground of appeal by the Lagos State Government, it would be safe to say that they are trying to exhaust all legal means to satisfy the Abiola family in particular and the Yoruba race in general, but the danger inherent in such judicial expedition is the risk of relationship with our people”, Babankowa said.

Senate and to what extent do you think you will continue in his path? Well, Senator Ewerido was very much in contact with me all through his presence at the National Assembly and he was about to start executing some of the programmes which he and I discussed. He hadn’t really settled down enough to address specifics concerning the Urhobo nation, but he was going to get there. Personally, I am going to hit the ground running, I can tell you. I have been in the fore front of Urhobo politics and agitation I don’t believe that just appointing an Urhobo man for example as Minister or Commissioner for the sake of so doing is enough. When you even appoint somebody from Urhobo land, the portfolio you give is even instructive and it determines the extent to which the Urhobos are represented. It’s unfortunate that Urhobos who are the fifth largest tribe in the country are not represented in the any sector at all. We have over 400 parastatals in Nigeria none of them is under the headship, direct headship of an Urhobo man.

Issue of child marriage I intend to take this up very seriously when I get to the National Assembly and there are so many other issues some of which are too strategic to talk about right now and I am consulting with the UPO, the executive, individual members of the UPO, traditional rulers and opinion leaders and community leaders already, and each of them are giving me their own voice and I am taking them down. If you were in the National Assembly what would have been your position on the issue of child marriage? The first thing I would do, I would consult with the senate president because I heard his explanation on it and may God bless him for that effort. It’s unfortunate we are in a country where certain persons believe they can use religion to black mail their fellow Nigerians. Based on the explanations the senate president gave, certainly therefore I believe that there was really no concrete move to institutionalize child marriage. Under no circumstance would I be railroaded into belonging to what I call the pedophile brigade and it is something that is quite scary because of the way certain senators reacted in support of it purportedly on account of their being Muslims. I intend to bring a bill to criminalize the action of any person who indulges in marrying any person who is a minor.

50 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

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52 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Protesters storm Cairo building after bloodbath •US condemns crackdown •Death toll rises to over 600 •Brotherhood members attack Coptic Christians

UPPORTERS of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood stormed and torched a government building in Csairo yesterday , while families tried to identify hundreds of mutilated bodies piled in a Cairo mosque a day after they were shot dead by the security forces. Egypt’s health ministry said that 578 people were killed and thousands wounded in the worst day of civil violence in the modern history of the most populous Arab state. Brotherhood supporters say the death toll is far higher, with hundreds of bodies as yet uncounted by the authorities, whose troops and police crushed protests seeking the return of deposed President Mohamed Mursi. State television quoted the Interior Ministry as saying the security forces would again use live ammunition to counter any attacks against themselves or public buildings. International condemnation rained down on Cairo’s militarybacked rulers for ordering the storming of pro-Mursi protest camps after dawn on Wednesday, six weeks after the army overthrew the country’s first freely elected leader. U.S. President Barack

Obama canceled plans for upcoming military exercises with the Egyptian army, which Washington funds with $1.3 billion in annual aid. “The United States strongly condemns the

steps that have been taken by Egypt’s interim government and security forces,” Obama said in an address from his vacation home on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard. “We deplore violence against civilians. We support universal rights essential to human

dignity, including the right to peaceful protest.” Obama’s Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel later warned Egypt’s army chief that “the violence and inadequate steps towards reconciliation are putting important elements of our longstanding defense cooperation at risk”.

SRAELIS and Palestinians are set to return to the negotiating table on Wednesday, in a much-awaited reopening of peace talks. But tensions are high in the wake of the recent announcement of new Israeli settlements. After three years of stalemate and decades of conflict, hope for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process surged in July, after US Secretary of State John Kerry convinced the two sides to resume talks. Kerry gave the two sides nine months to map out an agreement.

camped out since before he was toppled. There were reports of protests on Thursday but no repeat of the previous day ’s bloodbath. In Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city, hundreds marched, chanting: “We will come back again for the sake of our martyrs!”

Boko Haram hinders Nigeria’s development, says US BY VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU

Grieving Egyptians on the street of Cairo yesterday.

Mali confirms Keita’s landslide victory in poll

RESIDENT G o o d l u c k Jonathan has congratulated Mali’s President-elect, Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on his victory in last Sunday ’s run- off Presidential election in the country. In a statement

yesterday, the special Adviser to the President Jonathan on media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati said President Jonathan also commended the people of Mali for successfully conducting the elections and taking a major step towards the full

restoration of democratic governance to their country. Dr Abati quoted President Jonathan as saying that he looks forward to the conclusion of the process with Mr. Keita’s inauguration as President in keeping

Israeli, Palestinians ready for talks amid tension

Western diplomats have told Reuters that senior U.S. and European officials had been in contact with Egypt’s rulers until the final hour, pleading with them not to order a military crackdown on the protest camps, where thousands of Mursi’s followers had been

But that was before the Israeli government announced, on Tuesday, August 13, that it was

allowing the construction of 942 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem, in addition to

roughly 1,187 others in the West Bank that had been approved two days earlier.

Deadly explosion rocks Hezbollah’s stronghold

POWERFUL explosion struck the southern Beirut stronghold of Lebanon’s Hezbollah yesterday, killing at least 14 people, wounding more than 200 and trapping many

others inside damaged buildings, witnesses and emergency officials said. A Sunni Islamist group calling itself the Brigades of Aisha claimed responsibility on

Thursday for an explosion in southern Beirut which killed 10 people, saying it targeted the militant group Hezbollah and promising more attacks.

UN weapon inspectors visit Syria

HE UN says weap ons inspectors are to depart shortly for Syria to investigate the alleged use of chemical

weapons.Under an agreement reached with Damascus, the UN team is to visit three sites over

two weeks, including a northern town at the centre of allegations of chemical weapons use.

with the wish of the Malian people as expressed at the polls on Sunday. Meanwhie, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won a landslide victory in Mali’s presidential election, official results showed Thursday. The poll, seen as key to unlocking more than three billion euros in aid, is hoped to give a fresh start to the conflictscarred nation. Mali announced Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as its new leader yesterday when the government confirmed the ex-prime minister had won a landslide victory in a presidential poll intended to give a fresh start to the conflictscarred nation.Figures for Sunday ’s secondround ballot announced on live television by the interior ministry showed the former prime minister won an overwhelming 77.6 percent of the vote, with his rival Soumaila Cisse trailing on 22.4 percent.

OKO Haram’s brutal Islamist insurgency has stalled Nigeria’s development, inflamed ethnic tensions and raised concern among its neighbours, a senior US diplomat said Thursday at the start of bilateral security talks. Wendy Sherman, US under-secretary of state for political affairs, said the United States was ready to help Nigeria “develop a multi-faceted strategy” to contain the violence, but warned that a military crackdown alone would not work. The Boko Haram conflict has “increased tensions between various ethnic communities, interrupted development activities, frightened off investors and generated concerns among Nigeria’s northern neighbours,” Sherman said. The extremist group has said it is fighting to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria and has carried out waves of attacks across the region. Some of the violence has occurred along the northern borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger amid fears that Boko Haram fighters could spill into neighbouring states. The Islamist group claimed the kidnapping of a French family, including four children, in Cameroon in February. They were released in April.The U.S Under Secretary, Wendy Sherman has described the Bokoharan-led insurgence in the country as a threat to national security.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 — 53

ssam, would not, as a diplomat, publicly draw comparisons between Russia and Nigeria. There couldn’t be any basis of comparison, in the first place. But inferences can be drawn on how they managed their problems in spite of their political upheavals and the failure of Nigerian leaders to do same.

Ambassador Assam E. Assam: Talking sports more than diplomacy The future lies in the development of human capital and nothing develops the mind more than sports

IGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has hit back at the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) over their request to have next month’s qualifier switched. FAM wrote to Fifa, asking for their decisive Group F World Cup qualifier against the Super Eagles to be moved from Calabar. And Belgian coach Tom

Saintfiet told local media last week that he is not comfortable with the match being played in the city because he believes it is a security risk. But his Nigerian counterpart Keshi, whose side lead Malawi by two points in their group, insists the venue for the game should not be changed.

Keshi Continues from B/P over South Africa at the Nelson Mandela Challenge played on Wednesday. “I missed Mikel, Emenike and Kenneth Omeruo and numerous other players, and my players missed them too. The good thing is that we are not building the team around individual players, we are rather working as a unit,” he told a press conference in South Africa. “Our team has been evolving for a while. We played with a couple of

players who haven’t been with the team for a while like, Victor Obinna Nsofor and Shola Ameobi who didn’t quite get into our movements off the ball and on the ball but will be gradually reintegrated as we go on. “Bafana were expecting them in the first half, so I kept them to see how they measured up. They are not here to eat, so I had to put Uche (Nwofor) along with Moses and Musa and they delivered.”

ssam was brilliant in discussing different econ omies and what he feels will be a great approach for Nigeria. “A developing country is like a young girl. You must take care of her clothing, all her needs especially education. If you must borrow to send her to school you must do so because it is an investment that will surely produce results,” he said apparently hoping that the listeners understood the perspective of his analogy with regard to the current policy. But Assam showed greater passion in using sports as tool for human capital development. He was at home with sports. “The future lies in the development of human capital and nothing develops the mind more than sports,” Assam says, pointing out the brain work athletes employ to win games. He even gave example with himself, citing how, sometimes, he prepares for a game of squash. “I visualise how my opponent plays, his weak and strong points and what I should do at every point of the game. You even play the game in your mind before the game.” Assam is sad that there’s no high quality sports institute which trains coaches, sports administrators and which has programmes for talent development.

Keshi blas ts Mala wi coac h blasts Malawi coach N

“We need sports institutions, we need infrastructure and we need to engage more youths in sports. Why do we not have sports facilities in our schools any more? And why are we not keeping busy some of the few sports facilities we have in the country? Why would you in the first place build a stadium if you would not have a programme to make such a facility productive? Don’t we know that during depression, especially, sports is one of the things that could engage the youth and provide employment?

08053068728

HIEF Assam E. Assam is Nigeria’s Ambassa dor to the Russian Federation and Belarus. Seasoned diplomats carry themselves with candour. They portray dignity in their functions. There’s so much diplomacy in the way they talk and in their actions too. Chief Assam represents all these. But when sports is the discourse, he discards diplomacy and hits the nail on the head. He jabs the authorities for failing to advise the government on real sports development and in turn frowns at government for not appointing people knowledgeable in sports to manage it. Emotions get the better of him when he discusses sports. He makes some technical points which give him away as a player or technocrat in the field of sports. Assam gives a clue on sports development, administration and promotion and you wonder what such a man could do if he were a governor of a state in Nigeria or in such a top position to influence decisions on sports in the country. Assam was baring his mind in a chat with Chief Solomon Ogba, the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria who visited the Nigerian Embassy here in Moscow with the Technical Director of AFN, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama. This reporter was there too. Assam was calm when he gave a history of Russia and their transformation from the Bolsheviks Revolution of 1917 to the break up of the Soviet Union under Gobarchev who introduced Perestroika and to present day. He gave kudos to the way they manage their oil production and sale. The Russians, he said, own all the oil blocks. They, in turn, invite the oil companies and other partners. Russians are the driving force. In Nigeria, it is Shell, Chevron etc. “There’s no such case of producing, for example, 2,000 barrels and declaring 1,500. You will go to jail if you do that, nothing, absolutely nothing like that in their oil business,” Assam said with authority. He said that the Russian economy was strong and that Russians were better for it. The affluence in the city of Moscow here absolutely confirms the fair assessment of Assam. Those who nurse a picture of communist Russia need to visit this place. They would not believe that free market economy only started in 1991. Russians were bold in addressing their problems and they are reaping from their efforts now.

“The Malawi coach cannot tell us where to play our matches,” Keshi told BBC Sport. “He can say whatever he likes, that’s his own opinion and problem. We have no problem and he is not qualified enough to make that call or request. “This is where we play our games and other countries are fine with that. “Someone cannot say to Nigeria to take the game elsewhere because he feels too important. “Please tell him [Saintfiet] the game will take place in Calabar, he can choose not to come, we have no problem with that.”

•Keshi

ssam would not stop. His voice became loud, his gesticulations kept his body busy. When he analysed the men and women 100m finals in the ongoing 14th edition of the World Championships, pointing out the elements he felt produced the champions in Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, Ambassador Assam clearly showed his depth in the technicalities of sports. He clearly impressed his guests. Solomon Ogba was nodding and saying “we need people like him.” Some of the things Ambassador Assam noted that we now lack in Nigeria were once prominent. Sports in schools was a serious feature and he recalled how, as secondary school students, they were grouped according to their talents and they all participated in sports. Facilities were in schools. Many of them have now been taken over by weeds or buildings erected on them. Some universities even awarded sports scholarships and sports was part of the school culture. “What happened to Nigeria? What actually happened and caused this rot?,” I asked Ambassador Assam. He paused and asked if I wanted an answer. “Yes”, I said. He smiled with a tinge of drama. “The people who lit the candle and handed it to us left and we let the candle burn out on our palms.” He meant that the colonial masters and the missionaries who laid the foundation for sports development in the country handed the baton to Nigerians and they destroyed the structures and the system that were left behind for them to build on. The same Nigerian factor that everybody complains about but which the leadership fails to act on. Ambassador Assam’s passion for sports excites. It compels one to admire him and just dream. “Mary Onyali met him on the flight to Moscow from Lagos and kept on saying that we needed to get hold of him,” Commodore Nesiama told Ogba. Assam is a chief, a lawyer, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) for that matter and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Russia and Belarus. He may need a platform to practice what he preaches in social mobilisation, economy and most importantly sports development. The man is from Akwa Ibom State. And charity, they say, begins at home.

Toriola, Oshoniake lead Team Nigeria to Lagos International TableTennis Classics

ORMER African Champions, Segun Toriola and Funke Oshonaike will spearhead Team Nigerian quest for honours in the main draw of the first Lagos International Table Tennis Classics. Toriola, a six-time Olympian will be joined in the men’s team by Portugal-based Aruna Quadri, former junior sensation, Ojo Onaolapo and rave of the moment, Kazeem Makanjuola. For the women’s team, Germany-based Oshonaike, a five-time Olympian will lead the team and Edem Offiong, Janet Effiom and National Sports Festival champion, Rasheedat Ogundele, will join her as they confront other top players at the event. In the junior category, Jide Omotayo and Tosin Oribamise will lead Team Nigeria onslaught in the event.

However, the likes of Monday Merotohun, Seun Ajetunmobi, Ganiat Ogudele and Cecilia Otu-Akpan will be aiming for places in the main draw as they file out against their compatriots in the twoday qualifiers meant for Nigeria-based players,

which will serve off on Wednesday August 22. Meanwhile, Vice President, African Table Tennis Federation (AT TF), Olabanji Oladapo believes the classics would surely improve the lot of the game in Nigeria.

Nigeria Continues from B/P have the team ethic and coaching quality to qualify for Brazil next summer and stage a shock. The 37-year-old told Goal: “We are definitely going to the World Cup next year and we want to win the Cup for Africa. About the upcoming Malawi match - we are ready for it and we will do our best. “We have a good squad that is competent to take us to the World

Cup and make us shine on the world map. “We want players who are hungry for success and players who will play for the country with pride and dignity. That is the main reason we have such a squad. Although we can still have experienced players, nobody owns a space, they all need to work hard. “We have a great coaching team behind the players and that is what makes us the best in Africa.” C M Y K

54 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Che vron ttennis ennis summer camp ser Chevron servves of offf BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

HE 2013 NNPC/ Chevron Tennis Summer camp has served off at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan. A total of 100 junior players are participating in the exercise being conducted by tennis coaches and instructors recruited by the coordinator of the foremost Chevron Tennis Academy, Chris Enahoro. The camp ends on August 31. According to Sports Vanguard’s findings during yesterday’s visit to the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, about 200 players reported to the camp on the opening day on August 10 but the number was pruned down to 100, based on criteria set by the organisers. Opening up the criteria used to select the 100

kids in camp, Enahoro said that “those who did not have rackets, those below seven years old or were deemed too small and those without canvass shoes were told to go home and come back next year”. Speaking further, Enahoro said that at the end of the summer camp, all the 100 players will be given new rackets, new canvass shoes, new pairs of socks and new clothing, alongside other

freebies to go with. He added that the highlight of the camp will be the selection of 15 players, based on match practices, who are to feature in the Chevron Tennis Masters, scheduled to hold in October at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club. Enahoro added that after the Masters, that the 15 players will join the Chevron Tennis Academy, where they will receive free tennis

coaching for all yearround. “After the Junior Masters, we will do what we call the all year-round coaching on Saturdays and Sundays, until next year. The mission is to equip these players with the necessary coaching that will make them better tennis players. They will learn everything that can be learnt from the best coaches and instructors in the country ”, said Enahoro.

Etisalat FC Barcelona U-17 Cup final tomorrow

FTER a thrilling semi final games, Keke High School, IfakoIjaiye and Anthony Village Senior High School have booked a place in the finals of the maiden edition of the Etisalat FC Barcelona Under 17 football competition. Both schools located in Mainland Lagos will clash in the final set for Campos Square Lagos tomorrow. Keke High School

Guinness brings RDM to Nigeria U

EFA Champions League winning Coach Roberto Di Matteo is expected to arrive Lagos today on the bills of Guinness for the launch of a brand new Guinness football campaign that is set to excite fans across the nation. Marketing and

Innovation Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc Mr. Austin Ufomba expressed his excitement over the visit and promised more of such experiences for the brand’s consumers. “We are so excited to be bringing Roberto Di Matteo to Nigeria as he

really is a player and manager who has proven over the years that like Guinness, he is ‘Made of More” Ufomba enthused. Speaking further, Ufomba said that, “Roberto was capped 34 times for his country and has played for teams across Europe before becoming a

Manager at West Bromwich Albion F.C but most famously at Chelsea, where he led the team to their first UEFA Champions League win in 2012. We can’t wait to announce what we have in store for Di Matteo and Guinness over the forthcoming months.”

defeated Akande Dahunsi Senior Memorial High School, Ikoyi 2 – 1, while Anthony Village High School edged past Magbo Alade Senior Grammar School, Ibeju Lekki in a nail biting game that ended 1 – 0. The eventual winner of the competition will go home with a cash prize of N1million Education grant for their school and a trip to the United Arab Emirates for the team.

IAAF MEDAL TABLE G USA 4 KENYA 3 RUSSIA 3 GERMANY 2 ETHIOPIA 2 JAMAICA 2 UKRAINE 2 G/BRITAIN . 2 POLAND 1 CZECH 1

S B 8 2 3 2 3 2 2 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1

Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 —55

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 16 , 2013

I-N-S-I-D-E

Okagbare, Fraser, Felix, Ahoure face off in 200m final I

T will be another fourway battle tonight as Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare attempts to add another medal to her long jump silver medal when she squares off against Jamaican Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, Allyson Felix and Murielel Ahoure in what promises to be a hotly contested 200m final in Moscow. Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce took the third 200 metre semi final, clocking 22.55 in Moscow, ahead of Ukraine’s Mariya Ryemyen (22.70) with ChaRonda Williams of the US (22.80) in third. American Allyson Felix (22.30) held off Nigerian Blessing Okagbare (22.39)to win the second women’s 200m semi final in at the World Championship in Moscow Third was American champion Kimberly Duncan in 22.91.

F I N A L CALL......Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (L) and US Allyson Felix in action yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Keshi: I missed Mikel, Emenike S

UPER Eagles coach Stephen Keshi says he missed the services of midfielder John Obi

Mikel and striker Emmanuel Emenike in Nigeria’s 2-0 victory

Continues on Page 53

Nigeria can win W orld Cup ffor or Africa — Kanu World N

WANKWO Kanu has explained that Nigeria have their sights set on winning

World Cup 2014 on behalf of Africa. In 2010 Ghana were a penalty shootout away

from becoming the first nation from the continent to reach the last four of the

tournament. The ex-Arsenal, Inter and Ajax striker, however, believes that

the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions

Continues on Page 53

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

DOWN ACROSS 1 Push (5) 2 Match (5) 2 Track (5) 7 Prickle (5) 3 Fished (6) 8 Giant (5) 4 Lengthy (4) 10 Representative (5) 5 Ultimately (7) 12 Doze (3) 6 Candle (5) 13 Benefit (5) 9 Brown (3) 15 Moaned (7) 11 Ornament (7) 17 Pill (6) 13 Fruit (5) 19 Sick (3) 14 Distribute (5) 20 Diminish (7) 16 Aged (3) 23 Bight (4) 18 Sparkle (7) 25 Story (4) 21 In good time (5) 26 Slimmed (7) 22 Growl (5) 30 Chest (3) 24 Ghost (7) 31 Clerk (6) 27 Irritate (3) 34 Crease (7) 28 Mock (6) 37 Regal (5) 29 Allow (5) 38 Insect (3) 32 Regional (5) 39 Moral (5) 33 Keen (5) 40 Vex (5) 35 Tavern (3) 41 Challenged (5) 36 Engrave (4) 42 Turn (5)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 2, Watch 7, Same 8, Intact 9, Broad 11, Fed 13, Cur 15, Emit 16, Cub 18, Core 19, Freedom 20, Tube 22, Tier 23, Awkward 25, Line 27, Dry 28, Saga 30, End 31, Lit 33, Share 36, Pledge 37, Lone 38, Wreck.

How to Play Sudoku

DOWN: 1, Harem 2, Web 3, Too 4, Hid 5, Sty 6, Scour 10, Ague 11, Fertile 12, Disband 13, Comical 14, Retreat 16, Crowd 17, Berry 18, Cot 21, Ewe 24, Arch 26, Ingle 29, Giant 32, Ode 33, Sew 34, Axe 35, Elk.

TWO WEEKS TO LIVE

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number). Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row. No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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