Why Jonathan fired service chiefs

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62060

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

At last Tukur 8 GAY LAW: Nigeria damns resigns; G5 govs, US, others, prosecutes 12 lawmakers laud exit homosexuals 40

Why Jonathan fired service chiefs

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI, TONY EDIKE, BEN AGANDE & JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

A

BUJA—INDICA TIONS emerged, yesterday, why President Goodluck Jonathan sacked the service chiefs and appointed new

•Senate to confirm service chiefs on resumption •As appointments take immediate effect

ones. The sack of the service chiefs, Vanguard gathered, was to prevent an implosion in the Armed Forces that was capable of threatening the country ’s democracy.

Their sack came less than seven months after a Federal High Court sit

Continues on page 5

MEET THE NEW SERVICE CHIEFS

•Badeh: Defence Chief

•Minimah: Army Chief

OGUN APC CRISIS: Two Senators, four Reps escape death in shootout 6 C M Y K

•Amosu: Air Force Chief

•Jibrin: Naval Chief

ECONOMY: Tambuwal faults Okonjo-Iweala's response 9 COLUMNIST:

Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—3

C M Y K

4 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

C M Y K

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POCKET CARTOON

VISIT—From left: Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Professor Joy Ogwu; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi and UN Deputy Secretary-General, Mr Jan Eliasson, during a visit of Nigeria's delegation to deliver President Goodluck Jonathan’s invitation for the centenary celebration in New York on Wednesday.

Why Jonathan sacked Service Chiefs Continues from page 1 ting in Abuja, declared the appointments of the Service Chiefs in the country by the President without recourse to the National Assembly as unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, in a statement, said that President

Jonathan “has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria approved the following changes in the nation’s Military High Command: “Air Marshal Alex Badeh takes over from Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim as Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General Kenneth Minimah

TAKE HEART

Y

BY ELLA RANDLE

OUR encouraging word, given today, may for ever change a receptive life. I wonder who needs to hear it — Steve Goodier

At book signing, people waited in line for a guest author to autograph a copy of his latest novel. An encouraging, elderly woman at the front of the line turned around and said with obvious enthusiasm, “I just have to say – this is the BEST book I’ve ever read. Why, I couldn’t put it down until the very last page.”

Before anyone could respond, the author glanced up and said, “All right, Mother, that’s enough!” Although a mother’s praise is a bit on the biased side.

Besides, if we’re looking for more warm vibes and verbal support, we certainly can’t take our mothers with us wherever we go. That said, there is tremendous power in words of encouragement. Power to change lives. A young Polish boy wanted to play piano, but his teacher told him that his fingers were too stubby and that he would never play well. The boy was advised to try the cornet, but was later told by an expert musician that he did not have the lip to ever be good. Discouraging words.

Then, one day, he met the great pianist Anton Rubinstein. The famous musician gave this young boy the first bit of musical encouragement he ever received. “Young man,” Rubinstein said, “you might be able to play the piano. In fact, I think you can...if you will practice seven hours a day.”

He did practice for many hours every day and his hard work was rewarded. Years later, Jan Paderewski became one of the most famous pianists of his time.

takes over from Lt.-General Azubike Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin takes over from Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba as Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu takes over from Air Marshal Badeh as Chief of Air Staff.

“All the changes are with immediate effect.”

According to him, “President Jonathan has briefed the leadership of the National Assembly on the appointment of the new service chiefs and will, in keeping with the provisions of the law, request the National Assembly to formally confirm the appointments when it reconvenes.”

Earlier court order on service chiefs It will be recalled that Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had on June 1, 2013 in his judgment in a suit by Lagos lawyer, Mr Festus Keyamo, filed in 2008 challenging the non-confirmation by the Senate of the service chiefs appointed by the President, maintained that it was unconstitutional, illegal, null and void for the President to

single-handedly okay persons for appointment as service chiefs.

Justice Bello held that Section 18 (1) & (2) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A.20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, is in conformity with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and do not fall within the category of existing laws under Section 315 (2) of the constitution which any sitting President may by an order, modify its text to bring it into conformity with the provisions of the constitution.

Meanwhile, Keyamo said, that he had been “absolutely vindicated.”

I've been vindicated — Keyamo Speaking to AFP, he said: “My appeal to all Nigerians is not to be afraid to approach the courts to ventilate your grievance if government has committed any illegality.”

Similarly, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, while reacting to the sack of the service chiefs, said it has nothing against President Jonathan’s decision to replace the service chiefs as it was his prerogative to reorganise the nation’s security whenever it was neces-

sary.

Secretary-General of the organisation, Dr Joe Nwaorgu, said that only the President could explain the rationale behind the removal of the top military officers and the choice of those officers appointed to take over from them as it is purely a security issue.

One of the removed service chiefs, Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Ihejirika, is from the South East zone.

Igbo youths kick But the Youth Wing of Ohaneze Ndigbo, sees the sack of Ihejirika, differently, as it condemned same, saying that it was calculated to marginalize Ndigbo in the appointment of new service chiefs. It called on the National Assembly to reject the appointment as it lacked federal character.

Also, the Federated Council of Igbo Youths, FCIY, frowned at what it described as a planned attempt to put the Igbo nation in the back seat by the current administration and called on Ndigbo to resist the ongoing alienation of the race.

Reacting to the new appointments, the National Publicity Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, wondered why in all the new positions shared, there was no person from the South-East considered worthy by President Jonathan to occupy any of the positions.

Why service chiefs were sacked Indications emerged, yesterday that the retirement of the service chiefs was effected by President Jonathan with

a view to preventing an implosion in the Armed Forces that was capable of threatening the nation’s democracy.

Before now, Admiral O.S. Ibrahim, who was the oldest serving military officer in the land was a Course 17 regular intake of the Nigerian Defence Academy; General Onyeabor Ihejirika was a Course 18 regular intake of the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA while Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba was a Course 22 intake of the NDA. Ordinarily, the officers by virtue of their years in service or age, ought to have been retired in consonance with the terms and conditions of service of the armed forces (TACOS), but the challenges brought about by the war on terrorism occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency and President Jonathan’s belief in their capabilities to tame the monster made him sustain the officers in office.

However, the sustenance of the very senior officers was causing underground murmuring, disaffection and grumbling among officers because it meant more junior officers, who would have gained promotion or risen to the top echelon of their services may never get there because they would be caught by age on rank or shortage of vacancies for postings, which may lead to early retirement.

For instance, while Admiral Ibrahim was a Course 17 intake, next to him in the Navy, Vice Admiral Ezeoba was a Course 22 intake while their subordinates’ were courses 24 and above with implications that the next looming retirements of officers would have consumed up to Courses 25 and 26, who are the future of the

Continues on page 49

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Ogun APC crisis: 2 Senators, 4 reps escape death zPolice orderly, 9 others shot in shootout

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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zDon’t link me with any political crisis—Amosun zDPO, 4 officers injured in shootout —Police

BEOKUTA — THE crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ogun State took a dangerous turn yesterday, when some hoodlums unleashed terror on the supporters of Senator Gbenga Obadara, representing Ogun Central senatorial district and a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ifo/Ewekoro constituency, Kunle Adeyemi.

During the pandemonium which broke out in Wasimi, Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state at 1: 38 pm, nine members of the party were shot, including a police orderly, Sergeant Sunday Akinbode, by political thugs believed to be loyal to a faction of the party while several others sustained injuries.

Apart from Obadara and Adeyemi, other chieftains of the party that escaped death during the incident were Senator Akin Odunsi, representing Ogun West and members of the House of Representatives, including Olumide Osoba (Obafemi/Owode), Segun Williams(Abeokuta South), Ibrahim Ogunola (Sagamu) and Remi Bakare, a former governorship aspirant under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. Also caught in the melee marked by sporadic gunshots were journalists, including Sheriff Balogun (Thisday), Daud Olatunji (Vanguard), Dimeji Kayode Adedeji (Premium Times) and Segun Olatunji (Punch) and Secretary of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr. Soji Amosu.

Hoodlums invade venue of meeting

Heavily armed hoodlums, who wielded guns and other dangerous weapons, took over the Wasimi venue of a senatorial meeting convened by Obadara to sensitise the people of the area about the forthcoming membership registration of the APC and took over the place before the Senator and his supporters arrived.

On the chieftains' arrival, the hoodlums warned the Senator and others not to go near the venue but attempts to dare them led to the hoodlums opening fire on them. Obadara’s police orderly and other eight members of the party were hit as they attempted to shield their principal.

Some of the supporters took to their heels while the Senator's driver sped off without his boss but later came back to pick him from where he hid.

The victims were rushed to the Mercy Group Clinics, Panseke, Abeokuta and other nearby health centres in Wasimi for medical attention.

Obadara fingers Amosun

Addressing newsmen at the hospital, Senator Obadara alleged that Governor Amosun was responsible for the attack on him, saying: “His supporters wanted to kill me.”

Obadara said: “I wanted to have a meeting to sensitise our members on the coming registration exercise at the centre I built for the community in Wasimi. We applied for the use of the venue and the copies of

The shot police orderly. LEFT: Another victim on hospital bed

the letters are with me.

“But when I got there, a top council official said he wanted to use the place and I left for another place and the thugs still came to attack us.

“The council boss said it was an order from above to make sure he dealt with me and he pointed a gun at me, saying he would kill me.

“If not for God’s grace, I would have been a dead man now. My orderly was shot, so were several others, including journalists."

Rep Adeyemi accuses Police of complicity

A member of the House of Representatives, Adekunle Adeyemi, who also escaped death, accused the police in the state of complicity.

According to Adeyemi; “We were to have senatorial meeting with Senator Obadara.

When I discovered that there were thugs sent after us and they started shooting, I managed to escape. They came with guns and cutlasses.

LG boss denies knowledge of attack

In his reaction, chairman of the local government, Dele Sokuade, denied knowledge of the attack, saying he was in Lagos at te time of the fracas.

He told Vanguard on phone that he was told that his local government was in flames, saying the Senator did not write his office for the use of the venue.

He said: “ I am not aware that there was going to be any programme. I was only told that one of my people in the community was shot.

“I cannot confirm his name since I am in Lagos. I am com-

Another victim ing down now to confirm. He is not my boy, he is one of my community people there.

“Even as the chairman of the local government, I was not aware that anybody was coming there. Even when I heard it, I had to call one of my police orderlies to know what was happening there.

Also at the hospital, Senator Adegbenga Kaka called on the Federal Government and the Police high command to investigate the attack on the APC chieftains.

Don’t link me with any political crisis —Amosun

Meantime, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State has denied his alleged involvement in the disruption of a meeting organised by Obadara.

Amosun, according to a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Olusola Balogun, condemned all acts of violence against any citizen of Ogun State.

He, however, regretted the attempt to link him or any member of his government with such dastardly act in order to score political points.

He said: “The news of the alleged attack was shocking to me.

All the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as chairmen of our local councils were in Lagos to celebrate Baba Bisi Akande. It is even more curious that some chieftains of our party would choose a time to honour our revered leader for another meeting. The motive is certainly questionable.”

Amosun added that the party leader in the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, was at the event with him and wondered what the intention of the National Assembly members that convened the said political meeting was.

He said: “The alleged thuggery has all the trappings of a stage-managed event, with the aim of attempting to take over the machinery of our great party through subterfuge. But we will not be taken in by such blackmail.”

Amosun maintained that the unity of Ogun APC remained inviolable and everything within the ambit of the law would be done to consolidate the gains of the past and take Ogun State to enviable heights.

He commiserated with innocent victims of the alleged violence, including journalists and called on the police to bring the perpetrators to book and sustain the atmosphere of peace in the state.

DPO, 4 officers injured in shootout —Police

In its reaction, the Ogun State Police Command yesterday, said at least five policemen, includ-

ing the Divisional Police Officer of Ewekoro and orderly of the Area Commander, Ota, were reportedly wounded during the violence.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, who spoke in a telephone interview, denied that police took sides in the incident.

Adejobi said: “This morning, the police were informed that there will be a programme in Wasimi, Ewekoro and the Area Commander, Ota, Titi Kayode, went there with some policemen, including some DPOs. “We discovered that the group of Senator Obadara wanted to have a meeting there. But some youths vowed not to allow him.

The Police persuaded the youths.

“When the atmosphere was not conducive, the Police suggested that the programme be postponed. Later, the Obadara group went to another place and it was there the violence began. Police dispersed the rival groups with tear-gas. While the two groups were fighting, somebody released shots.

“Five policemen and a civilian were injured. The DPO, Ewekoro was injured, the orderly to Area Commander, Ota was also injured. It was an ugly incident. The Police later restored normalcy.

“Immediately, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, sent two deputy commissioners of police to the place.

“We are going to transfer the case to the State CID. Nobody should accuse the police wrongly or link us with the violence. Our men were also injured.

“Since firearms were used, it is a case that cannot be swept under the carpet.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—7

One dead, 2 critically injured in Delta kerosene explosions

tells court

BY AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE

W

ARRI — EXPLOSION, suspectedly from adulterated kerosene, has led to the death of one Mrs. Dinnes Ekpe in Enekorogha community of Bomadi Council Area of Delta State just as two others are in hospitals from similar explosions.

Kerosene explosion scare now pervades the riverside communities of the state with fear of possible adulterated kerosene being marketed across the communities.

Unconfirmed reports said there have been explosions in different parts of the communities from adulterated kerosene with at least three persons already confirmed death.

Vanguard gathered that Mrs. Ekpe died after efforts to save her failed due to poor accessibility to medical facilities in the riverine area.

Mrs Ekpe, a mother of three, was said to have died before reaching the hospital in Bomadi in a speed boat.

Two other victims from similar explosions are receiving treatment in Bomadi Central Hospital, Bomadi.

An eyewitness, Mr. Adobo Wikimor, a native of Esanma, said another explosion left one Mrs Bideke Smith, mother of six, with serious burns.

He told Vanguard that the disaster caused by the ‘killer kerosene’ has created fear among the users in the communities.

According to him, “the once

BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

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Security men supervising the destruction of illegal oil refineries at Alakiri in Okirika, in Rivers State. PHOTO: NAN.

beautiful woman is now like a living ‘ghost’ after the explosion.

She was cooking with a stove when it exploded and went up in flames.

“She almost died before we rushed her to Bomadi for medical attention. She is responding to treatment but her body is wrapped in bandages.”

Mrs Joy Kenneth, another victim from Esanma community, is battling with pains at a private medical centre also in Bomadi.

A community leader, Chief Richard Enaredei, who confirmed the prevalence of the killer kerosene in the Ijaw-speaking communities in Delta State, said: “The fear generated by kerosene explosion in the communities is causing families to shun the use of kerosene, which is the people’s only means of cooking."

He appealed to state and Federal Government to investigate the killer kerosene saga which is in circulation before it spreads to other parts of the country.

A community source who craved anonymity traced the adulterated kerosene to products of the local illegal refineries across the Niger Delta region.

Debunking the claims, a relative of one of the victims said his sister bought the kerosene from a filling station in Bomadi.

But a source alleged that the illegal refinery business is booming in Niger Delta due to the high patronage by registered filling stations.

Police arrest 4 with Presidency seal, fake Customs papers

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

A

BEOKUTA — OGUN State Police Command, yesterday, said it arrested four members of a syndicate which specialised in the production of fake Customs papers.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, who paraded the suspects at the SARS office, Magbon, Abeokuta, said the suspects were arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, in Ogun State.

He also disclosed that a 39year-old man (name withheld) had been nabbed for allegedly producing fake Naira notes.

According to Adejobi, items recovered from the suspects include fake seal of the Presidency, fake stamps of Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Police, computers, typewriters, printers and forged tinted glass permit.

He added that eight stolen vehicles, 10 assorted guns and vari-

Police charged me for robbery over N80,000 bail — Hawker

ous cartridges were recovered from suspected robbers.

The PPRO said six suspects were already being held in connection with the recovered vehicles.

According to him, four members of the syndicate involved in alleged production of fake customs papers were apprehended at Idiroko on January 9 by SARS operatives led by the officer-incharge, Mohammed Tijani.

He said the police command had began manhunt to arrest other members of the syndicate who fled during the operation.

He said: “No individual has the right to issue tinted glass permit.

So, people should be aware of these hoodlums who are out there to dupe and give wrong papers. Police will charge anybody caught with any fake paper with forgery.

“As a result of the arrest, we were able to discover a man who was into production of fake Naira

notes. He, along with another suspect still at large, had been spending this money for people at night. People who deal with liquid cash especially should beware of these hoodlums.”

Speaking with newsmen, the suspects, including Austin Henry, Bala Idris and Peter

Patrick, confessed to the crime of forging customs papers in the last three years.

Henry, who was described as the managing director of the syndicate, said those involved in the shady business in Idiroko axis were over 20 but had fled following his arrest.

The suspects and the items recovered.

AGOS— A 19-year-old “puff puff” seller, Saturday Friday, yesterday told a Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere how Panti policemen brutalised and charged him for robbery because he failed to bail himself with N80,000 after he was arrested at a motor park while selling his ware.

Saturday, alongside Amen Daniel, 23, were charged on a twocount offence of armed robbery, and the duo were said to have on December 4, 2006 at Ajah/Epe expressway, Lagos while armed with locally made short gun with five live cartridges robbed one Festus Ajugu of a Nokia handset and a wallet containing N4,000.

At the resumed hearing, yesterday, Saturday, told the court that he only met the 1st defendant (Daniel) at Panti when the police brought him out, after brutalizing and shooting his legs, and said they will take the two of them to Yaba Magistrate Court for robbery.

Saturday, who was led-in-evidence by his lawyer, Mr. Okungbowa Charles, also told the court that during his arrest, the police collected the N700 he made from the day’s sale, adding that his blood brother, Friday, also gave the policemen N30,000 as bail but he was still not allowed to go home.

He said: “When I was at the police station, the police asked me for money to bail myself. So, I called my brother and he came with N30,000. Some of those that I was arrested with at the motor park bailed themselves.

“The policemen took the money from my brother and said it was not enough.

“They shot me on my legs, the mark is there. As the police said they were taking me to Yaba Magistrate court, I now asked them for the N700 they earlier took from me during the arrest and they said I should keep quiet that others are bailing themselves with N80,000 and I was asking for N700.

“I did not see the person that the police said I robbed and I did not rob anybody.”

After listening to him the presiding judge, Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, then asked a lawyer, Mr. O. Ajanaku, to look at the place where the defendant said the police shot him.

Confirming the mark of the police shot, Ajanaku said there was one mark at centre right foot and another at the left leg.

During cross examination by the prosecutor, Mrs Akin Adesomoju, Saturday informed the court that when he was shot by the police, it was people he met in the cell that used candle to burn the wound so it could heal.

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

BY SONI DANIEL, CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, HENRY UMORU, DEMOLA AKINYEMI, DAPO AKINREFON & LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

A

BUJA—GOVERNORS and lawmakers who left the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, welcomed the removal of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the national chairman of the ruling party, saying though vindicated, they would not return to the party.

While lauding the removal of Tukur, the governors and lawmakers said the destruction wrought on the party was beyond redemption, saying that the PDP was not destined to survive harder times.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, however, removed himself from the agitation for Tukur’s resignation, saying that he did not begrudge the former national chairman.

The insistence of the defectors nonetheless, one of the leading pro-Goodluck Jonathan advocacy groups, Movement for National Transformation, MNT, called for reconciliation with the defectors as he called on the new leadership to learn from the mistakes of the Tukur leadership.

The reactions followed Tukur’s formal resignation at the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the party yesterday.

President Goodluck Jonathan who led Vice-President Namadi Sambo, principal officers of the National Assembly and other high government officials to the meeting said he would offer Tukur tougher responsibilities even as he called on the new leadership to be more consistent in procedures for meetings.

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State spoke yesterday on behalf of the Group of five governors who left the PDP last November following persistent conflicts with the Tukur leadership of the party.

In a statement made available to Vanguard, Nyako said that the five governors had proved to the world that they had a genuine reason to abandon the PDP under Tukur and pitch tent with the APC. But the governors were quick to warn that they would not return to the PDP even with the removal of Tukur since the party had become synonymous with impunity and lawlessness.

Nyako who spoke through his director of press, Ahmad Sajoh, said: “We want it known that the main reason the G5 governors and their supporters left the PDP was the regime of impunity and lawlessness instituted in the party, and the deafness with which genuine agitations were ignored by the national leadership of the party.

“This was particularly more manifest in the manner in which properly constituted State executives of the party were wantonly dissolved and members suspend-

At last, Tukur resigns zNew chairman emerges Monday zNo returning to PDP, say G5 Govs, lawmakers ed.

“Also, the G5 governors and other office holders in the party who went to the APC had objected to the erosion of all tenets and principles of democratic practice in the PDP particularly the imposition of candidates from Abuja on the electorate in their states contrary to outcomes of nomination processes, and the extreme regimentation of views and opinions in the party to the effect that when one holds an opposing view political aides are sent to insult and threaten such persons."

The governors called on those asking them to return to the PDP to note that at the time they had been trying to obtain listening ears to their agitations most of those talking today had ignored them and at times even called them names.

“It should also be noted that on their part they had done everything possible to attract some understanding but no one cared.

“At times we even bent over backward to achieve results but we were spurned by both the PDP leadership and those calling them back today."

The governors made it clear that the resignation of Tukur was not a sufficient reason to believe that the problems that necessitated their departure from the party had been addressed.

According to them, the only thing the resignation has done is to vindicate the G5 Governors that their agitations were after all genuine and that the steps they took are justified.

The governors said, “Our movement to the APC is therefore conclusive and the only option available to us under the circumstances is to remain there, save democracy in Nigeria, safeguard our honour and ensure that fairness and justice prevail in the country.”

Obasanjo who spoke through his media aide, Tunde Oladunjoye, on phone, said the former president did not begrudge Tukur.

I hold no grudge against Tukur — OBJ Oladunjoye, who made a reference to Obasanjo’s recent letter to Tukur noted that the former president never called for Tukur’s resignation, saying that the issues raised in the letter were purely on personal principle.

“I want you to note that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has nothing personal against Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. If you look at Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s last letter to the former National Chairman, the issues he raised in that letter are much more than Tukur’s resignation. If you have a copy of the let-

TUKUR RESIGNS: From left, former National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; President Goodluck Jonathan with Tukur's resignation letter and Vice President Namadi Sambo at 63rd National Executive Committee meeting of PDP held in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan. ter, you will agree with me that those issues are yet to be addressed,” he added.

The former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of PDP had written a letter dated January 7, to Tukur in which he announced his withdrawal from activities of the party at local, state, zonal and national levels.

Obasanjo had hinged his distance from the party on the fact that the party had been negating the principle of morality, decency and discipline in its decisions and enthronement of its leadership.

Senator Bukola Saraki, the former governor of Kwara State also welcomed the exit of Tukur and said it was a vindication of the governors’ agitation against the former national chairman.

He, however, regretted that Tukur had torn the PDP umbrella to tatters with no prospect of repair in sight.

“Earlier today, I received the news that Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has officially resigned as chairman after damaging PDP beyond repair. This has vindicated me and other progressives’ that had to leave the party at a point when some of the issues we clamoured for are now coming to light. ”Over the last seven months, we were blackmailed and called names ranging from rebels, dissidents, ingrates and that we were self centered,” Senator Saraki said.

“Unfortunately, it has become obvious today that PDP under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur was a failure and a big tumor that was allowed to

become a cancerous one."

Members of the House of Representatives who also defected from the PDP to the APC also rebuffed the new entreaties on them to return to the fold.

Leader of the defunct nPDP, Rep Andrew Uchendu, from Rivers State said yesterday: "Our decision to leave PDP is irreversible and not regrettable in any way.

We tried all necessary avenues to reconcile our differences with the leaders of the party but all our efforts failed.

“There is a new platform for Nigerians to express their electoral powers and that is the APC. The PDP now has a major challenge because there is no way we will return to PDP.” Speaking in the same vein, Chairman House Committee on Petroleum Resources, Rep Dakuku Peterside from Rivers State said the removal of Tukur vindicated their agitation against the erstwhile national chairman, but ruled out any return to the ruling party.

“No! Never! We have been justified that the leadership of the crumbling PDP while we were there was rudderless and had no programme for Nigeria and Nigerians,” Peterside said.

Rep Ahmad Ali, APC, Kwara, and Rep Ogbonna Nwuke, Etche/Omumu Federal Constituency, Rivers State also spoke in the same light.

The Mass Mobilisation for Transformation, MMT, begrudged Tukur for the recent spate of crises in the party and called on aggrieved individuals to return to the mainstream of the party.

The group in a statement issued by its national chairman, Joseph Ambakederimo said: "We received the news of the resignation of the PDP National Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, with jubilation."

The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Demcoratic Party, PDP, has hailed the resignation of its former national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, saying it was a wise decision.

In a statement by the state publicity secretary, Mr Taofik Gani said “We have absolute confidence and belief in the capability of our leaders to forge ahead under any circumstances. The decision to ease out Dr Bamanga Tukur must have been well considered by these wise men."

The Chief Maxi Okwu – led All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, saluted the PDP on the resolution of the lingering internal crisis in the party.

Okwu, in a statement by his Senior Media Assistant, Victor Chigozie Eneh, said Alhaji Tukur had shown rare statesmanship by bowing out peacefully so as not to put himself as a stumbling block to party unity and progress.

NEC MEETING Soon after President Jonathan told members of NEC that Tukur had agreed to step aside and tendered a letter of resignation which he, President Jonathan then presented to the National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, the hall erupted as members stood for a standing ovation at exactly 1.55 pm.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 9

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA—GOVERNOR Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State-led Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, has asked the National Assembly, to as a matter of urgency, appoint a reputable accounting firm to carry out a forensic investigation over the alleged missing $49.8 billion (about N8.5 trillion) oil money.

The alleged missing money is equivalent to two years of the country’s annual budgets.

The demand was contained in a communiqué issued after the NGF’s meeting at Rivers State Governors’ Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, yesterday.

The governors said that the recent decline in revenue accruing from the Federation Account to the 36 states and Abuja was occasioned by alleged diversion of oil money just as they accused President Goodluck Jonathan of clear breach of constitutional provisions in his presentation of the 2014 budget.

The communiqué was read by the NGF Chairman, Amaechi.

He said, “we members of the NGF, at our meeting today (yesterday), at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja deliberated on a number of issues and resolved as follows: On the issue of the missing $49.8 billion (N8.5 trillion) or equivalent of two years of the national budget, there is no evidence that this amount was paid into the Federation Account or duly appropriated.

"We, accordingly, call on the National Assembly to institute a comprehensive independent forensic audit by an international reputable firm. We fear that the recent decline of states’ revenues is not unconnected with the financial diversion.

"In clear breach of the provision of Section 11, Part II of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 which requires the Federal Government to hold consultations with states before the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, is laid before the National Assembly; consultation with states on the MTEF and Fiscal Strategy Paper (2014-2016) did not hold. The National Economic Council, NEC, meeting where issues of this nature would have been discussed last held four months ago.

"We note with total dismay the recent violent attacks and killings that have taken place in Borno State as well as the attack on the father of the Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwakwanso. We also condemn the flagrant violation of the rights of citizens to freely assemble in Rivers State by the Nigerian Police; the excessive use of force against unarmed citizens in the exercise of their fundamental rights and the shooting of Senator Magnus Abe. "The financial irregularities relating to public accounting, the lack of compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, and the recent security breaches are not unconnected with the refusal of the Federal Government to convene meetings of statutory in-

Amaechi-led NGF asks N-Assembly to probe missing N8.5trn oil money zSays Jonathan breached constitutional procedures on 2014 budget stitutions created in the Constitution such as the National Economic Council, NEC, the Council of State, the Nigeria Police Council

and meetings of the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC. We urge a return to the path of constitutionalism.”

Present at the meeting were the governors of Edo, Ekiti, Rivers, Lagos and Imo States. They also included the deputy gov-

ernors of Nasarawa, Kwara, Zamfara, Kano and Jigawa States.

VISIT—From left: Mr. Phillips Oduoza, Group Managing Director/CEO of UBA; Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Tony Elumelu Foundation; Mr. Olusegun Awolowo ED/CEO NEPC and Dr. Wiebe Boer, CEO of the Foundation, during a visit by the Tony Elumelu Foundation to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC.

ECONOMY: Tambuwal faults Okonjo-Iweala's response to Reps' questions

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE & LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

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BUJA—SPEAKER of the House of representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday, faulted the answers provided by the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to the 50 questions asked her by the House.

Tambuwal spoke at the 11th Daily Trust dialogue in Abuja, through the Deputy Spokesman of the House, Victor Ogene, pointing out that the minister failed the questions.

He said: "If as a student you are asked to give four examples of a particular question and you go ahead to show your expertise by giving 12, I am sure you might even fail that subject.

The minister was ably requested to give answers to 50 questions surrounding the management of the Nigerian economy. In writing a 100 page letter, she had probably written two pages as answers to one question. But as a House we are still expecting answers to those questions which form the fulcrum for the preparation of the 2014

budget.

"It is only in this part of the world that a minister can talk of being harassed by a parliament.

It is the duty of the parliament to hold the executives accountable to the governed and we will continue to do that", he said.

Okonjo-Iweala in a statement by her Special Adviser, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, insisted that the economy was showing real and measurable progress in many areas contrary to popular perception.

She also said that capital expenditure was consuming more money than when she assumed the role of co-ordinating minister, adding that according to the National Bureau of Statistics 1.6 million new jobs were created in 2013.

She insisted roads, rail and other infrastructure are being improved and that the country is saving for the future and planning better for the present.

The minister further said that the Jonathan's administration, contrary to the impression given by some critics, was making impact in the areas Nigerians

are most passionate about.

According to her, “The Jonathan's administration, contrary to the impression given by some critics, is making an impact in the areas that, according to credible opinion polls, Nigerians are most passionate about.

“For instance, on job creation which is a central focus of the administration, a total of 1.6 million jobs were created last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, of which 250,000 were seasonal jobs created in dry season farming in 10 northern states.

“In manufacturing, the Onne Oil and Gas Free zone created an estimated 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. The government special intervention programme, YouWin, supported young entrepreneurs, creating over 18,000 jobs. The SURE-P community services programme has also created 120,000 job opportunities.

“Key highways which have witnessed significant progress include Kano-Maiduguri Road, the Abuja-Lokoja Road, the Apapa-Oshodi Road, the Onitsha-

Enugu-Port-Harcourt Road and the Benin-Ore-Shagamu Road.

Preliminary work has commenced on Lagos-Ibadan road and the Second Niger Bridge.

“The Railway Modernization Programme involving the construction of standard gauge lines is underway. The 1,124 km Western line linking Lagos and Kano is now functional, while work on the Eastern line linking Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is about 36 per cent complete.

The House in a statement signed by its Finance Committee Clerk, Mr Farouq Yakubu Dawaki entitled: The Search for Truth Begins, had earlier commended the minister for responding to the questions.

"The Committee will commence work immediately on the response. However, if in the process the need arises for further explanation.

"A timetable of activities will be released soon. We thank Nigerians for their patience and understanding and hope that they will continue to support us in our patriotic search for the truth with regards to our troubled economy.”

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Tax: Lagos prosecuting 12 lawyers, 48 eminent citizens zSays 70 per cent of budget will come from taxes

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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AGOS — LAGOS State government, yesterday, said it has commenced prosecution of about 60 tax

defaulters in the state which include unnamed eminent citizens.

Meanwhile, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State said 70 per cent of the state budget of N489.69 billion would

be funded through taxation.

This came four days after the governor signed the budget for the current year into law.

He made the disclosures at the seventh Lagos State annual stakeholders’ forum in Ikeja,

CONFERENCE: Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), congratulating Director of Human Resources, Airtel Nigeria, Jibril Saba (left), on the Lagos State Government Tax Compliance Award 2013 (Corporate Category), won by the company at the 7th Annual Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders' Conference, in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday.

LUTH workers vow to continue 3 month-old strike L AGOS — STRIKING health workers at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, yesterday, vowed to continue with their three-monthold strike until their demands are met.

Mr. Kehinde Adegoke, the LUTH chapter chairman, Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals, Research and Allied Institutes, SSAUTHRAI, announced this in Lagos.

“The management claimed that from Accountant General’s office, they are no longer paying uniform allowance.

“That government said that they were no longer paying uniform allowance.

“If you say that you are not going to pay again, pay that which has been there on the ground.

“That is what we are demanding for and that is where our

members are standing.

“So, we hope that National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, executive will be able to collate how many of their members are yet to get, because in the health sector, uniform allowance is only applicable to the nurses.”

“We are tired of promises upon promises by LUTH management which have not yielded any positive result,” Adegoke added.

He spoke on the outcome of Wednesday’s meeting between the management and the leaders of Joint House Unions and Associations, JHUA. According to reports, the workers, at the end of the meeting, staged a peaceful protest within the hospital premises to register their grievances.

Adegoke said that since both sides had failed to reach any compromise, the health workers would continue with the strike which began on December 30.

The health workers had come together under the aegis of JHUA to address common problems and demand for better welfare.

Healthcare services at LUTH, yesterday, remained paralysed as the workers continued with the strike in spite of the management’s plea that they should suspend their industrial action.

The JHUA comprises the Medical and Health Workers Union, MWHUN, and SSAUTHRAI. Other associations involved in the strike are the Non Academic Staff Union, NASU, and NANNM.

Lagos PDP denies factionalisation, votes Bode George leader

BY DAPO AKINREFON

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HE LAGOS State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has denied any factionalisation in the party just as it passed a vote of confidence on Chief Olabode George as its leader.

Reacting to a newspaper report where a purported faction held an assembly, and allegedly

passed a vote of no confidence on some PDP leaders, whom they suspended, the party described the move as “unintelligent, directionless and mischievous.”

In a statement by its state publicity secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, the party described the statement by the faceless group as deliberate to “embarrass the leaders, cause distraction for Lagos PDP and obviously to

impress their sponsors.”

Gani said neither “faceless group's member, Muyideen Olowu nor any faction is known to PDP..

We have never heard such name as a member of Lagos PDP. We are one united family in Lagos PDP and it is laughable that a person or few persons can cowardly claim factionalisation of the party.

Indeed they are Agent provocateurs.”

which had in attendance the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Minister of Industry, Mrs. Nike Akande and others.

Fashola said that all the advanced countries recognised that payment of taxes is the first step to prosperity.

According to him: “This year, the budget is N489.69 billion and about 70 per cent of that is now been funded by the people of Lagos.”

He said: “Today, we are beginning to see dwindling resources to states. Four hundred barrels of crude oil is beginning to disappear. In the morning, we will hear that $49 billion has not been accounted for. In the evening, they (Federal Government) will say that it was only $12 billion. It is bad enough to look for $1 of public fund.”

“The resources to the states are dwindling. Some states are borrowing to pay salaries, but Lagos continues to pay salaries without borrowing.

“The achievement we have made in Lagos may not be clear to many of us. In 1999, the budget of Lagos was N14 billion.

And that time, the Internal Generated Revenue, IGR, of the state was 600 million. Last year, Lagos budgeted 507 billion. And the IGR has increased since then.

“All the firsts scored by the state belong to the people. Noting is happening now that is different from what happened in the old Western Region during the time of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

That government achieved a lot because people paid their taxes.

“That is the independence that the people of Lagos have gained by taking their destiny in their hands.

Defaulters

“Despite the compliance in tax by the people of Lagos, we must now begin to look at ways to make tax more efficient to pay and collect,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, Babatunde Fowler vowed that the state government would not spare any individual or corporate organisation that fails to remit personal income tax of its employees or other taxes.

He disclosed that among 60 key tax defaulters in the state are 12 legal practitioners, a medical practitioner, a sports personality and 46 others.

Fowler noted that in few weeks, the names of the tax defaulters would be published to serve as a warning to others.

Speaking earlier, the former Minister for Commerce and Iindustry, Mrs. Nike Akande, who delivered a lecture entitled ‘Women and Tax,’ noted that larger percentage of women in the country are not captured in the tax net.

Fashola appoints 7, redeploys 4 Perm Secs

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OVERNOR B A B AT U N D E Fashola has approved the deployment of 11 Permanent Secretaries in the state public service.

In a statement issued by the Head of Service, Mrs. Oluseyi Williams, the four newly appointed Permanent Secretaries were deployed and seven subsisting Permanent Secretaries were redeployed following the recent appointment of seven Permanent Secretaries in the state Public Service by the governor.

According to her, the redeployed Permanent Secretaries are: Mr. Olalekan Adeleke Ogunbanwo, who has been moved from the Lagos Television/Radio Services to Parastatals Monitoring Office; Mr. Adekunle Mubashiru Ajanaku, formerly of the Deputy Governor ’s Office, now to preside over the Lagos Television/ Radio Services, while Engr. Paul Omotayo Bamgbose Martins was moved from the Office of Works to the Office of Infrastructure.

Mr. Nurudeen Adeyinka Ojora Adejiyan, formerly of the Local Government Service Commission, now serves at the Teachers Establishment and Pensions Office; Mr. Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe moves from the Ministry of Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations to the Local Government Service Commission, among others.

Prospect High School turns 50

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CTIVITIES MARKING the 50th Founder’s Day of Prospect High School, Abanla, Ibadan, will commence on Sunday, January 19 with a service at St. Mathew’s Catholic Church, Abanla.

The week long anniversary, according to the Chairman, Planning Committee, Mr. Toyin Olufade, will also feature a road-show, medical outreach and cultural display by the students of the school.

The celebration will be rounded off on Friday with a Jumat Service at the Abanla Central Mosque and award/ fund raising/ luncheon by the old students association at the school hall.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 11

Ekiti REC warns guber aspirants z Declares billboards, posters illegal

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

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DO EKITI— THE Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Ekiti State, Alhaji Halilu Pai has directed governorship aspirants and other politicians in the state to stop the display of bill-boards and posters, saying it is illegal to do so since INEC has not blown the final whistle for the commencement of full blown politicking in the state.

Pai equally cautioned politicians in the state to stop guessing the dates for the impending 2014 governorship election.

According to him, this had been causing confusion in the politics of the state, and he urged them to refrain from such "until INEC orders it.

“Pasting of posters and billboards at this time is illegal and tantamount to campaign for election. This can only be done not later than 90 days to the election day as specified in the electoral Act. “Pasting of posters and billboards by aspirants has been causing removal and defacement by opponents, which is heating up the polity.

“So, it is wrong for politicians to do what is illegal and the honourable thing to do is to remove them,” he advised.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, Pai said the 2010 Electoral Law stipulated three month from the date of election for commencement of

campaign.

“Politicians should wait for INEC headquarters to announce the date before arriving at their own.

“They should not think that everything must fall in line immediately after the Anambra governorship election because Ekiti is next point of call.

"We must plan very well and follow the Electoral Law strictly before making announcement,” Pai said.

Disclosing the Commission’s preparedness for the coming

elections, the REC added that adequate Direct Data Capture Machines had been selected to conduct upgrading and review of voters status, where those that had not registered would have the opportunity of doing so before election.

He assured that the Automated Fingerprints Identification System would be deployed to detect those with double registration, saying over 93,000 of such was detected before the Anambra election.

“Those with double

registration would be allowed to vote after the deletion of their names. We will allow them to re-register. We will not say they should not vote because we want people to participate in the electoral system. But this will not stop us from ensuring that they are punished.”

He disclosed that efforts "are ongoing to ensure that those that changed their places of residence or work are given opportunity to transfer their registration to their preferred units."

UNVEILING: From left, Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, during the Centre for Black Culture and International Understandings 2014 Take-Off activities and unveiling of the World's Tallest Drum, in Osogbo, Osun State

Amosun’s endorsement: Stop the blackmail, Ogun APC tells lawmakers

BY LEKE ADESIRI, S-West Regional Editor

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HE ALL Progressives Congress, APC, in Ogun State has described as cheap blackmail the criticism of the purported endorsement of Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun for a second term.

It also said the position of the state’s National Assembly caucus that an alleged endorsement of Amosun at a forum in Abeokuta was illegal and self serving, is “mischievous and dubious.”

The party in a statement by its Publicity Secretary in the state, Sola Lawal pointed out that the lawmakers acted out of ignorance since no endorsement took place in the first place.

According to the APC, the Abeokuta gathering was a mere stakeholders' event meant to appraise party members of sundry developments within the party, particularly the forthcoming registration exercise.

It disclosed that among other invitees, National Assembly members were duly invited to the event, even though some of them did not turn up.

“It is noteworthy to state that no fewer than five prominent leaders of the party, including the governor, made it clear at the event that the gathering was not for endorsing anyone.

"In particular, Senator Biyi

Durojaiye is on record as emphasising that the gathering would not endorse anybody.

“It is patently mischievous and dubious for anyone, let alone otherwise respected federal lawmakers, to latch on to untruth in a desperate bid to seek attention through blackmail of the party that sponsored them,” the party stated.

The APC said the progressive

political family in Ogun State was unshaken in its commitment to rule of law, fair-play and justice and would always desist from all undemocratic persuasions.

All elective positions, it pointed out, would be contested by every interested party members in an open primaries in line with the provisions of the party constitution.

UCH carries out first heart by-pass graft

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BADAN — PROFESSOR Temitope Alonge, the Chief Medical Director of University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, says the tertiary health institution was the first to carry out a successful heart coronary bypass graft in the country.

Alonge made the disclosure, yesterday, at the official launch of the institution’s Intervention Cardiology Programme at the Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall at UCH, Ibadan.

“The UCH successfully carried out the first heart coronary artery

by-pass graft on the 13th of January, 2014, ‘’ he said.

He said the cardiology programme, which commenced in 2013, had undertaken 14 cardiac catheterisation procedures with four requiring angioplasty and stenting.

Alonge, however, appealed to Nigerians to endow various aspects of the programmes such as the UCH Heart Centre, the Ultra modern Cardiac Operating Room and the Catheterisation Laboratory.

Others, he added, were the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and a Step Down High Dependency Unit.

The Minister of State for the FCT, Mrs. Jumoke Akinjide, represented by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Jordan, Mr. Taofeek Arapaja, commended UCH for the programme.

“Given the Federal Government’s commitment to revolutionising health care in Nigeria, the era of going abroad for heart surgeries will soon be a thing of the past.

3,000 benefit from Ogun first lady’s programme

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ORE THAN 3,000 needy aged and pregnant women have benefitted from the fourth phase of the UPLIFTing the Needy Food Outreach programme, organised by the wife of the governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun in Ibara-Orile, Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state.

This brings the total number of the beneficiaries to 15,000 in the 20 local government areas of the state.

The programme was in line with Mrs. Amosun’s desire to lend helping hands to the vulnerable by feeding them through her food bank in order to reduce poverty and better the lots of the aged/ pregnant women.

The first edition took place at Ijebu-Ode in IjebuOde Local Government, while the second was at Ota in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government and the third edition at Agbado in Ifo Local Government.

Speaking at the programme at IbaraOrile, Mrs. Amosun said she was always happy to touch lives by sharing with the needy people, saying the UPLIFTing the Need Food Outreach programme was a relief measure designed to reach out to the less-privileged.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Abeokuta North Local Government, Hon. Taofeek Olabode commended the initiative of Mrs. Amosun aimed at complementing the efforts of the state government at improving the living standard of the needy, aged and pregnant women in the state.

Another former commissioner dies in Ondo

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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KURE — ANOTHER former Commissioner in Ondo State during administration of late Governor Adebayo Adefarati, Dr. Akerele Adu is dead.

Adu, 84, was until his death a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, died on wednesday.

This is coming 24 hours after the immediate past I n f o r m a t i o n Commissioner, Ranti Akerele died in his sleep, on Tuesday.

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Edo NMA calls off strike

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM mediately and members have re- care delivery in the state and sit down with NMA and take sumed work as at 8 am today on that basis, we believe that the issues one after the othENIN—DOCTORS in (yesterday).The good news is that is a good development and er with the view of developEdo State, under the ae- the government also agreed that in line with our demands. ing a template for addressgis of Nigeria Medical Asso- the issues raised in our ultima“With that, the government ing them. We believe this is ciation, NMA, who embarked tum are germane and very impor- has also agreed to set up a the best option.” on strike, Monday, following tant to the improvement of health high powered committee to deductions from their salaries by the state government, yesterday, called off the strike after they reached an agreement with the state government.

But the association said that the 21 days ultimatum it earlier issued to the government to fix the problems confronting the health sector would expire on January 26, warning that members would not fail to embark on another strike if the government fails to meet their damand.

Addressing newsmen in Benin City, yesterday, Edo State chairman of NMA, Dr Emmanuel Ighodaro, said that the state government had agreed to pay the money deducted from their salaries, hence its members would resume duties immediately while they await government’s response to their earlier demand.

He said: “On Wednesday, LAUNCHING: From left: Regional Operation Manager, South, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. government met with NMA, Saliu Aliu; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Bayelsa State, Mr. Durban Whyte, where the issue of no work no and CEO, Innovative Technology Literacy Services Ltd, Mrs. Ronke Bello, during the launch pay was resolved. They have of additional 10 MultiChoice Resource Centres in Bayelsa State, yesterday. also resolved to refund it im-

B

Out-going Flag Officer gives account of command's achievements

BY ONOZURE DANIA

noise Navy in an operation codenamed OP Prosperity, is aimed at checking the menace of piracy, hijacking of vessels and other forms of illegalities within the Nigerian and Benin Republic maritime boundaries.

He added that the operation has led to the arrest of several vessels, which had been applauded by in-

L

AGOS—THE out-going Flag Officer Commanding FOC, Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral E. Ogbor, has said that his command was able to arrest several illegal bunkerers, pipeline vandals, sea robbers and pirates, who were paraded before newsmen and handed over to the appropriate authorities.

BY MARIAM EKO Ogbor said that the Western Naval Command HE Nigerian Cuswas able to record a toms Service, NCS, number of successes during his tenure in office as Ports and Terminals Multi-services Limited, the FOC. He spoke during the PTML, Command, yesparade at Nigerian Navy terday, said it collected Staff Beecroft in his hon- a total revenue of N73.21 our. Ogbor said that the billion in 2013.

Briefing newsen in Lacommand, currently ingos, Head of the Comvolved in a combined operation with the Bene- mand and acting Comp-

ternational maritime bodies and stakeholders, noting that during his time as the FOC, the command participated in EX NEMO in Eastern Naval Command AOR, and executed EX FARIN WATA, where ships of the command carried out Gunnex, Commex and Fleet manoevures.

Other achievements, according to him, include the combined exercise and training with the United States and French Navy ships in support of the African Partnership Station, APS, adding that the command also hosted several visiting foreign delegations in support of Nigeria’s foreign policy.

PTML rakes in N73bn revenue

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toller General, NCS, Mr Odunmbaku, represented by Mr Steve Okonmah, Public Relations Officer of the Command, said the amount is N1.94 billion or 2.7 per cent higher than the N71.27 billion revenue collected in 2012.

He added that the amount fell short of its overall target.

He added that the unexpected withdrawal of Maerskline Shipping Agency in April 2013 affected it negatively in meeting its target.

Admitting that the company was a huge source of revenue generation to the command, he said: “There were seizures of six containers conveying offensive

Uduaghan bags Oghara Elite Forum's award

BY GODWIN OGHRE

S

APELE—THE Oghara Elite Forum, OEF, a non-political association, will on January 19, honour the governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, with an award of excellence for his outstanding service to hu-

manity in diverse fields.

President-General of the group, Mr Tony Omene, in a statement, added that 10 other persons and six corporate bodies would also be honoured on the occasion.

He noted that the awardees are being honoured for their outstanding con-

tributions to Delta State and Oghara community.

According to him, “Uduaghan is being honoured for his exceptional leadership and contribution to peace, security and development of Delta State and Nigeria.”

Other recipients of the award include Dr Henry Ofa, Mr. Ben Igbakpa,

Dr Clara Sogbaike, Rev David Ugolor, Mr. Moses Ogbe, Chief Emmanuel Ighomena, Mr Mike Ogbodu, Chief William Makinde, Precious Adjaino and Mr. Joseph Ogunje.

Six corporate organisations will also receive the group’s distinguished performance award.

items in 2013. They include five 40ft containers which contained furniture, fireworks, vehicles, arms and ammunition.

“Another 20ft container was also found with 240 bales of printed wax and six vehicles and were all seized."

Delta LG bosses debunk allegations on SURE-P funds

BY FESTUS AHON

U

G H E L L I —

UGHELLI-DELTA State Local Government Transition Committee Chairmen, yesterday, said the state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan augment allocations of the councils’ with over N500 million on monthly basis, insisting that their allocations had not been tempered with by the state government as reported in the media.

Addressing newsmen in Asaba, the chairmen, said “It is therefore, satanic for anybody or group of persons to come up with these false allegations.”

Speaking through the chairman of Patani Local Government Transition Committee Chairman, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, they said: “We want to emphasise also that at no time did the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr Newworld Safugha, demand ‘kick backs’ from the council chairmen as reported in the baseless and mischievous publication.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the governor of Delta State does not need the proceeds from Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, fund or any other programme to finance his political ambition. We are not unaware that political gladiators are the sponsors of this campaign of calumny, falsehood and blatant lies capable of causing disaffection between the council chairmen and the governor of Delta State. "

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—13

PULLING OUT PARADE: From left: Retired DIG Philemon Leha and wife, and DIG Marvel Akpoyibo, at the pulling out parade for DIG Akpoyibo, in Abuja, yesterday.

From left: Chairman, Police Service Commission, Mr. Mike Okiro; Permanent Secretary, Police Service Commission, Dr. James Obiegbu; Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar; Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Hans Hodel and Delta State deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama at the pull out of DIG Akpoyibo, in Abuja, yesterday.

MOSOP flays alleged attack on Abe

PDP urges IG to probe allegation of five children's death in P-Harcourt rally

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME ORT HARCOURT— MOVEMENT for the Survival of Ogoni, MOSOP, has called on the Police and other federal agencies to ensure that those found wanting in the alleged attack on Senator Magnus Abe, were prosecuted.

A statement by the United State’s chapter of the apex Ogoni body, signed by the President, Dumka Baabel and others, condemned the alleged attack, saying that the National Assembly should also insist that a thorough investigation be carried out by relevant security agencies on the issue.

MOSOP USA said: “We join MOSOP Nigeria, all well-meaning Ogoni people and supporters of justice and equity to condemn the reported assassination attempt on our illustrious son, Senator Abe, the Senator representing Rivers SouthEast senatorial district on Sunday.

"As a people that have sacrificed so much in blood and treasure for the unity and viability of Nigeria, such incidence evokes in us bitter memories of the not too distant past. We will no longer watch helplessly as mayhem is unleashed on us. We will respond by any means necessary.

“It is, therefore, in an overwhelming condition of anxiety and palpitation that MOSOP USA hereby, calls on the Government of Nigeria, the Inspector General of Police, and all relevant agencies to conduct a full scale investigation into the incident and to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted."

P

P

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME ORT HARCOURT—THE Felix Obuah faction of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, has called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the allegation credited to the media aide of the Interim Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze that five children died while the Police were dispersing the rally of the Save Rivers Movement on Sunday in the state.

Obuah, in a statement yesterday, said that the Police should

thoroughly investigate Chief Eze's claim, adding that the party welcomed the decision of the IG to order a thorough probe into the allegation that Police shot Senator Magnus Abe at the venue of the rally with rubber bullets.

“The party views the allegation as weighty, if not more than the alleged shooting of the senator, and must not be seen as a mere joke.

“More so, the APC’s spokesman, Chief Eze, according to the statement, said he would not have ordinarily believed such report if he

did not personally verify the murder as well as the attempted murder on two prominent Rivers citizens by the Police, which he noted was commandeered by the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu. “This makes the job of the probe panel easier as Chief Eze has admitted being an eye witness of the incident and should be invited to tell how it all happened, so that no stone is left unturned," the PDP said.

DIG Akpoyibo, Leha pull out of service

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

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EPUTY Inspector-General of Police, DIG, in charge of Training, Marvel Akpoyibo and his counterpart in Operations, Philemon Leha, were, yesterday retired, and pulled out of service.

At a colourful pulling out ceremony at Force headquarters parade ground in Abuja, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, said the officers served the Police Force and nation with impeccable records, adding that explained the reason they rose to the second highest position in the Force.

He said: “Today (yesterday), it is fitting that we honour these outstanding DIG’s whose lives have been a profound inspiration to all of us. Their brilliant contributions have accounted for the success of the present transformation of the police force.

“One thing that stands common among the two retiring DIG’s is that they were strongly dedicated to the nation and the call of duty with a rare gift of superior command abilities. It can also be safely stated here that both of them have the special skill for inspiring the officers and men under

them.”

While congratulating DIG’s Akpoyibo and Leha for their great ideas and excellent service rendered to the nation, Abubakar said he was proud to have worked with them to ensure the success of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan to actualise the ideals of the current administration of the Police force.

In his valedictory speech, DIG Akpoyibo gave thanks to God Almighty for making it possible for him and his colleague to witness the day, noting that many of their colleagues with whom they joined the force as well as many who joined after them, did not live to fulfil their dreams in the force.

To the IG, Akpoyibo said: “On behalf of my retiring colleague, DIG Leha, I wish to express our eternal gratitude to the IGP for putting together this glorious and elaborate pulling out ceremony.

“You were not only a boss, you were a friend, a brother and a confidant. We shall, no doubt, miss working with you.

To our fellow DIG’s and members of management team, you were wonderful.

“The level of understanding, love and friendship that existed amongst us was unprecedented. We shall remain forever grateful to you. We shall no doubt miss those exciting moments we shared together at our management meetings.”

Recalling the role played by their superiors at both training colleges and on the field, DIG Akpoyibo said: “God used these patriarchs to make me what I am today. They include late DIG Johnson Oladipupo Odu, late CP. Amos Dangana, DIG Donald Ugbaja (rtd), DIG Parry Osayande (rtd), late ACP Sylvester Anosike, late CSP Fred Ezepue to mention but a few.

Present at the ceremony were Delta State deputy governor, Professor Amos Utuama, former Kogi State governor, Ibrahim Idris, Chairman Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Hans Hodel, among others.

Ijaw group tasks DSIEC on credible LG poll

BY AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE

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ARRI—THE National Ijaw Observers Group, NIOG, has called on Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, to conduct free, fair, and credible local government elections in the state, insisting that anything short of that would lead to chaos and anarchy.

National President of the group, Mr Yonmo Hope, in a statement in Warri, Delta State, described the act of selecting and appointing council chairmen and councilors as old fashion, warning that such could lead to break down of law and order in the state.

Pa Enabulele passes on

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LDER Jonathan Enabulele, of Uselu, in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State, is dead, aged 87.

Until his death, he was the Managing Director/CEO of Okhoro Hotel. He will be buried today.

He is survived by a widow, 11 children, 25 grandchildren and one great grandchild, amongst whom is Dr. Osahon Enabulele, President, Nigerian Medical Association.

Late Pa Enabulele

14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

THE 11TH DAILY TRUST DIALOGUE IN ABUJA, YESTERDAY. PIX: GBENGA OLAMIKAN

From left, Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Victor Ogene, Chairman, Media Trust, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf and Chairman of the occasion and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, at the 11th Daily Trust Dialogue with the theme; Incumbency and Impunity in Politics, Safeguiding our Democracy Beyond 2015, organised by Media Trust Limited.

From left: (Speakers); Mr. Festus Okoye; Ms. Ayo Obe and Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (left) and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore.

From right: Hon. Ibrahim Usman, Sanusi Abubakar and Salisu Ibrahim, at the event.

I can’t stop PDP members from defecting to APC —TAMBUWAL zAdoption of US presidential system, Nigeria’s greatest problem —Belgore

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, EMMANUEL ELEBEKE & JOSEPH ERUNKE BUJA—SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal has said that he cannot stop Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, members in the House from defecting to All Progressives Congress, APC. Tambuwal spoke as the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore said that Nigeria made a costly mistake by adopting the American presidential system of government.

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Belgore speaks

Belgore who was the Chairman at the 11th Daily Trust Dialogue yesterday in Abuja in his remarks also deplored high level of impunity and corruption in the country.

He said: “We made a great mistake by trying to copy the United States of America, when culturally and fundamentally we are different from USA citizens. A lot of anomalies exist in our constitution.

“Our country is known as Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This is an anomaly. We have Igwes, Obas, Alafins, and Emirs, who are very relevant to our peaceful co-existence.

We do not need to copy America to grow as a country.

“Nigeria can have a constitution that can survive, if we look inwards, culture, manner and way of life. We must have a re-look at our past, liaise it with the present so that we can build a powerful future.

Impunity and corruption

“Due to constant changes in governance, Nigeria has never experienced stability to allow it move rapidly forward. There is impunity and corruption in high places, which have led to instability.” He pointed out that “no two democracies are the same, whether presidential or parliamentary.’’

Belgore said the problem with Nigeria was corruption, saying some chief judges were now romancing with their governors.

“Some chief judges don’t even sit at all. They follow the

governors all about. The governor will be opening a clinic in a village and you will read in the newspapers the next day that he was ‘accompanied by the Chief Judge’. These things should not be happening at all.

“People who should not be lawyers are now made Senior Advocate, it is disastrous.

“Nigeria is richly blessed with natural resources and highly populated with very literate people but are constrained by constant attempts by some foreign powerful countries to destabilise it and make it very difficult to govern,” he lamented.

Tambuwal

Also speaking at the Dialogue, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal said he cannot stop members of the PDP in the House from defecting to other political parties.

Tambuwal spoke through the deputy spokesperson of the

House, Victor Ogene on the theme, “Incumbency and impunity in politicssafeguarding our democracy beyond 2015.”

He faulted those that criticised reading the letter written by members who defected from the PDP to the APC that it was an “encouragement of impunity.”

Tambuwal said: “All of us know that no fewer than four governors had defected from their political parties and issues were not made out of it. If some members representing different federal constituency decide to defect, I don’t think it is right for anybody to expect Mr. Speaker not to read the correspondences that comes to his table. He is first and foremost an embodiment and expression of the will of all members of the house.”

Other speakers

In their different presentations, former President of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Ms. Ayo Obe; former Chairman of the Transition Monitoring group,

Festus Okoye and a senior fellow at Centre for Democracy, Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim expressed fears over the success of the 2015 general elections.

Okoye said the present dangers facing the country ahead of the 2015 general elections were “the empowering of militant groups and elements, the influx of small arms, the official backing of oil thieves, insurgency and the deliberate and contrived creation of an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.

“This is self-evident in the acts and utterances of some incumbents and their cronies suggesting that they will ‘break the pot’ if they perceive that they may not win the 2015 elections.

“Conversely, there is the desperation of those that want to be incumbents in 2015 using desperate means and measures to get to power and they are also ready to break the pot if they cannot win.”

With the recent events in the country, Obe warned that the season of political violence might be lurking in the corner.

“As we face 2015, it seems as

C M Y

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 15

NASS to amend electoral laws before 2015 elections —EKWEREMADU

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU & JOSEPH ERUNKE BUJA—DEPUTY Senate President and Chairman, Senate Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution, Ike Ekweremadu, has assured that the National Assembly will strengthen Nigeria’s electoral laws before the 2015 general elections.

He said the development was aimed at ridding Nigerian politics and electoral system of all forms of impunity.

Senator Ekweremadu spoke yesterday in Abuja, while delivering a keynote address at the 11th Daily Trust Dialogue.

He regretted that the fall of the nation’s previous democratic eras was largely attributable to political impunity and flagrant abuse of the electoral process.

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before the forthcoming general elections.

Misuse of political powers

He said politicians in positions of authority were using their incumbency powers to manipulate the electoral process due to the faulty existing electoral laws.

“If politicians are able to manipulate the electoral processes with their power of incumbency, it is also because the entire social, economic, and political configurations of the country are conducive for such level of political corruption,” Senator Ekweremadu stressed.

He disagreed with the notion that laws alone would stop political impunity and refuted claims that political impunity happened at only one level of government or perpetrated by one political party.

He emphasised: “The quest to secure our democracy beyond 2015 is, indeed, a collective struggle and in this struggle, no one political party, arm or level of government, institution of democracy, and any stakeholder for that matter, should see the others as the devil and itself the saint as the struggle calls for soul-

searching and renewed commitment on the part of all.”

Warns

Senator Ekweremadu admonished that “those who would rather capsize our democratic boat in pursuit of their political ambitions should look back at the country’s political history; and, perhaps, be reminded that whenever the house falls, the roof falls with it.”

He, however, assured that the National Assembly would stand with Nigerians to protect the nation’s democracy.

Political impunity

Ekweremadu also identified what he called political impunity as greatest enemy of the country ’s democracy, noting that wrong notions had continually blurred the appreciation of the true nature and enormity of impunity in politics.

According to him, the political system is just a fraction of the whole body polity.

Continuing at the event which had as its theme, “Incumbency and Impunity in Politics: Safeguarding Our Democracy Beyond 2015”, Senator Ekweremadu insisted that all the defects in the existing electoral laws would be adequately addressed

MEETING: From left: President Goodluck Jonathan, former National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Acting Chairman, Chief Uche Secondus and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, before National Excutive Council Meeting of the party in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Defection: PDP asks court to sack 27 Sokoto lawmakers

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH OKOTO—THE Sokoto State House of Assembly may soon implode as the Peoples Democratic Party in the state has asked a Federal High Court to nullify the seats of 27 members of the House, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. The two remaining PDP lawmakers in the House of Assembly, Messrs Ibrahim Magaji Gusau and Almustapha Isa Wurno and the PDP are suing the defendants for breaching the rules of the House with their defection to the opposition party.

The suit, which was filed by the plaintiffs yesterday, listed the 27 defecting members, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Inspector

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General of Police and the National Assembly as defendants.

Beyond the filing of the court processes, the plaintiffs also called on the National Assembly to take over the running of the Sokoto State House of Assembly until law and order prevailed.

According to the Originating Summons filed by counsel to the plaintiffs, Chukwuka Ugwu, the plaintiffs want the court to determine whether the 27 lawmakers can continue to remain as members of Sokoto House of Assembly, having willingly left the PDP which sponsored them to their positions during the 2011 general elections.

The two lawmakers also prayed the court to determine whether by the combined operation of the provisions of Sections 106 (1) (d) and 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the 27 lawmakers seats could be

declared vacant.

They also asked the court to determine whether the defection of the 27 lawmakers to the APC did not amount to willful vacation of their seats when there was no division in the PDP, which gave them the platform to contest election and

when the party had not merged with any other in the country.

The plaintiffs also asked the court to declare that the tenure of the 27 lawmakers in Sokoto House of Assembly ended with their defection to the APC and that their salaries should be stopped forthwith.

Confab: ex-Minister canvasses 6 region structure for Nigeria

BY GABRIEL EWEPU

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BUJA—FORMER Minister of Science and Technology, General Sam Momah, has advocated a total restructuring of the country into six regions and an overhaul of the Police Force.

He spoke against the backdrop of the 38 item agenda highlighted for the proposed national dialogue

by Senator Femi Okorounmu’s 13-man Presidential Advisory Committee.

Momah, who spoke with Vanguard in an interview, stated that the current structure of the political administration in the country was not the best, noting it had stalled the expected development of the country and further worsened the state of corruption.

NYSC, NUC partner to tackle menace of fake corps members

BY CALEB AYANSINA BUJA—THE National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, yesterday, said it would collaborate with the National Universities Commission, NUC, to checkmate incidence of fake corps members in the country.

The partnership, Vanguard gathered, will also improve the quality of graduates coming out of the Corps Producing Institutions, CPIs, for mobilization for the one year mandatory national service programme.

Director-General of NYSC, Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, made this known during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, in Abuja.

Olawumi noted that NUC was chosen as the first point of call to CPIs in view of its relevance to the success of NYSC. He noted that automating the system would go a long way to detect many irregularities that adversely affected the system.

Responding, the NUC boss, Prof. Okojie commended the NYSC for promoting national unity, but noted that the issue of identity crisis was a challenge that needed cooperation of all relevant stakeholders to tackle.

Okojie said; “NYSC is a very successful scheme and I must say it is good we maintain it.

“On the part of NUC, we are working hard to ensure that we improve on quality of education.”

Okojie noted that the commission was fully aligned with NYSC on the issue of system automation, adding that “ we will ensure that in our portal, university authorities enter their data.”

Prof. Okojie also urged university authorities to ensure that they put encrypted coded chip on their certificates to make it impossible for people to forge.

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16—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

AKANDE @ 75: How we'll offer better alternatives in 2015 —APC LEADERS

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

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AGOS—LEADERS of All Progressives Congresses, APC, yesterday, dismissed fears that the recent realignments in the party would not stand the test of time.

The leaders , at the 75th birthday colloquium of the national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, said the party had come to stay.

The APC chieftains also called on Nigerians to support its quest for

electoral success during the 2015 general elections, adding that the party would provide better alternatives to what the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was currently offering.

Those at the event,entitled Developing A New Leadership: An Imperative To National Development, include former Head of State, General Mohammed Buhari (rtd), Rivers State governor, Rotimi

Amaechi, Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, Nassarawa State governor, Tanko Al-Makura, Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha and Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Others are former speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji

Aminu Masari, former governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, former Ekiti State governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, former Anambra State governor, Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and former Lagos State deputy governor, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, among others.

In his remarks, General Buhari, who, chaired the forum,

described as exemplary the leadership offered by the celebrant as the governor of Osun State, adding that the leadership class should always lead the nation right.

Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, who spoke for APC governors, said: ‘’T he reason for APC is to correct this anomaly.

The APC shall never disappoint you. We are a people carefully chosen by destiny at a

time when our nation is in dire need of leadership.

“It is by divine intervention of God almighty that APC came about. In 2015, Nigeria will sing a new song. ‘’ APC will always offer a different leadership approach that will be beneficial to all Nigerians. We are assuring everyone here that APC shall never fail Nigeria. We were carefully chosen by destiny to rescue the country.

“In 2015, Nigerians will sing a new song because APC will correct all the anomalies in this country. Corruption, lack of electricity will become a thing of the past through our efforts. And we are saying that APC is on fast-track to change Nigeria for good.

“We are assuring Nigerians that APC has come to stay. All that are needed are prayers and support from the people.’’

NIMC begins identification number enrolment

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

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BUJA—THE National Identity M a n a g e m e n t Commission, NIMC, said it has commenced enrolment for National Identification Number, NIN, exercise on Saturdays in its Abuja and Lagos state offices.

It said its offices will open to applicants on Mondays – Fridays from 8:30am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 9:00am to 4pm.This is to avail more Nigerians the opportunity to enrol.

“The general public are by this advised to turn out and to have their information captured into the National Identity Database. Every citizen from the age of 16 years and above and legal residents will be able to enrol for the NIN,” NIMC said.

The commission has also set-up a preenrolment portal which allows individuals to access the pre-enrolment form on the portal www.ninenrol.gov.ng for self enrolment.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 —17

Stop this madness!

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Y home state, Rivers, is currently in turmoil and has, for the past few months, been both a theatre of war and a theatre of the absurd.

When I heard, last weekend, that my Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s Chief Of Staff (Chief Tony Okocha) and a serving Senator (Magnus Abe) had been subjected to brutal tear gas and rubber bullet attacks at a rally - by police officers who were allegedly loyal to their political opponents - I was absolutely outraged.

I was convinced that Amaechi and his cohorts – who walked out on the PDP and the President a few weeks ago and are now APC members – were being savagely victimised by superior powers and at risk of losing their lives; and I called a pro-Jonathan friend to convey my fury and fears.

My friend told me to calm down and quit spitting fire and then insisted that neither Abe nor Okocha had been harmed during the fracas…and that the clash

Senator Magnus Abe receiving medical treatment after his ordeal. friends say that they won’t believe that Abe was shot until they see a bullet wound.

Pro-Amaechi elements say that some children were killed during the ugly incident. AntiAmaechi elements say that they will regard this story as a blatant lie unless Amaechi produces names, photographs and bereaved parents.

I am not currently in a position to confidently comment on Abe’s medical condition or find out whether children died or didn’t die. But I AM in a position to extract a few basic truths from this sorry mess; and I CAN confidently say that both sides

a rallyist I’ve spoken to) they regard the police as hostile, felt that the permit had been withheld for dubious reasons and weren’t willing to be deprived of their democratic rights.

Even-handed Mbu

Basic Truth Number Three is that even though Mbu, the Commissioner of Police, does not conceal his hatred of Amaechi, Mbu’s office is sometimes very even-handed in its treatment of the anti- and pro-Amaechi factions.

When the anti-Amaechi faction wanted to hold a rally

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi

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If Mr President doesn’t feel moved to stop the rot for the sake of decent citizens who are tired of rubbish, he should stop the rot for his own sake because the mayhem that is engulfing Rivers is making him look really bad. And his image will be further damaged if a State of Emergency has to be declared

between Amaechi’s supporters and the police was being “grossly exaggerated and cynically milked for maximum publicity by the Governor’s camp.”

And so the show goes on.

My pro-Amaechi friends tell me that Abe was so badly injured that he had to be flown abroad for medical treatment. My anti-Amaechi C M Y K

,

misbehaved.

Basic Truth Number One is that the police felt obliged to disperse the crowd because the rallyists did not have a permit to gather in a public space.

Basic Truth Number Two is that the rallyists applied for a permit but didn’t get approval….but went ahead anyway because (according to

the same area on the same day…and didn’t want the two groups to run into each other and fight.

Basic Truth Number Four is that Abe, a legislator who also happens to be a lawyer, should uphold the law and had no business showing his face at a rally that had not been sanctioned by the law enforcement authorities.

Basic Truth Number Five is that the police were too heavyhanded. The absence of a permit is a pretty feeble excuse for the unnecessary and shameful show of excessive force that was unleashed on the rallyists.

At any rate, it is time for the President to behave like a serious leader and save Rivers State from total meltdown, not least because it is his home turf.

Bayelsa and Rivers are neighbours and closely linked on many levels and were one state when Jonathan was growing up. And he’s married to a Rivers indigene and is our in-law and has a Rivers chieftaincy title.

Some folks suspect the President of secretly encouraging his feisty First

Rivers State Commissioner, Joseph Mbu in Gokana last year, their permit application was rejected on the grounds that

the police had already given the pro-Amaechi faction permission to hold a rally in

Lady to fuel the crisis in a bid to drag Amaechi into the gutter. Others simply accuse him of sitting on the fence and allowing his wife to do as she pleases.

Even those who don’t blame either of the Jonathans for the status quo and have an essentially amicable attitude towards them are complaining about the President’s failure to step in and prevent the situation from deteriorating.

If Mr. President doesn’t feel moved to stop the rot for the sake of decent citizens who are tired of rubbish, he should stop the rot for his own sake because the mayhem that is engulfing Rivers is making him look really bad. And his image will be further damaged if a State of Emergency has to be declared.

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 OR 0811 675 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, JANUARY 17, 2014 STATISTICS on rape incidents may still not be a good reflection of the extent of the crime. Stigmatisation of rape victims keeps the numbers low, a further armoury to the criminals.

In the United States where about 80,000 cases of rape were reported to the police from 2004 to 2010, according to United Nations data, US Justice and Department estimates 300,000 American women are raped annually, and the Centre for Disease Control says 1.3 million.

The 678 cases the Lagos State Police Command said it recorded between March 2012 and March 2013, should be seen as numbers: unreported rape cases are on the increase. More alarming is that the epidemic affects underage persons. The media are replete with reports of young girls sexually violated, as young as three months.

From other States, cases are making the news daily. The young, the elderly and even babes are assaulted. According to a 2009 study in Clinical Psychology Review, in 65 studies from 22 countries, the highest prevalence rate of child sexual abuse was in Africa (34.4 per cent).

Rising Cases Of Rape Most child sexual abuse is by men. About 30 per cent are the child’s relatives - brothers, fathers, uncles or cousins - about 60 per cent are other acquaintances such as ‘friends’ of the family, babysitters,or neighbours; strangers are offenders in about 10 per cent of child sexual abuse cases, the studies revealed.

Section 353 of the Criminal Code Act treats rape discriminately. While unlawful and indecent assault of a male person is felony punishable by three years imprisonment, Section 360 of the Act regards indecent assault of a woman, a misdemeanour, with two years’ imprisonment.

More obstacles – the law expects collaborated evidence of a witness for a crime committed mostly secretly. If the case survives these encumbrances, unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl of or above 13 years and under 16 years of age or of a woman or girl who is an idiot or imbecile is punishable by two years’ imprisonment. The law never punishes rape of younger people.

The National Assembly should hasten the passage of the bill before it. A section of the bill reads, “Any man convicted of rape is liable to life imprisonment. Persons convicted of gang-raping any victim shall be liable, jointly and severally, to a minimum of 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine; where the offender is less than 14 years, he shall be liable to a maximum of 14 years imprisonment and a minimum of 12 years, without an option of fine.”

Society should stop blaming rape victims.Rape is a crime, the long walk to minimising it starts with rapists facing stringent punishments rather than excusing their aberration.

OPINION

BY TAMUNO WEST GREENE

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OR some time now, the governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. If he is not abusing or making jest of the President of the Federal Republic and the First Lady, he is probably on a roadshow with the leaders of his new-found political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) with brooms in hands sweeping away in frenzy, perhaps, unwittingly their own shadows.

The other day, Governor Amaechi was claiming that his name is the number one on the alleged list of enemy politicians that President Goodluck Jonathan is planning to eliminate with trained snipers, while in another breadth, he is being accused by the Police of trying to assist a murder suspect, Chidi Lloyd, the majority leader in the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the governor’s handyman, to escape justice. Such is the comical low that governance has plunged in Rivers State.

Sadly though, while Amaechi is fiddling, the people of his state are groaning under his abuse of power, lack of respect for the electorate.

While Amaechi is too quick to point a finger of guilt at lack of federal presence in the state, yet many wonder what the governor is doing to make life easy for the people of his state especially those living in the capital city of Port Harcourt with the huge outlay of resources available to him.

For example, what ordinarily should be a tenminute drive from Artillery Junction to Mile 1 Park in Port Harcourt now takes a whole day to complete. Thus, an ordinary early morning school run in Port Harcourt city today is now a whole day’s job and the governor is only

Amaechi and the agony of democracy in Rivers interested in throwing tantrums and making infantile allegations!

Although Amaechi has been one of the most vociferous critics of the President and his former party, the ruling PDP as agents of impunity, yet what confronts the public every day is Amaechi’s intolerance to opposing ideas and his despotic disposition. This is the same governor who sacks a duly elected local government council executive without due process; a governor who has vowed not to respect a court decision that recognised his state’s former party executives simply because he cannot control them; a governor that dismisses school principals without hearing from them first; a governor who mrushes with his police orderlies to Rivers State House of Assembly to do battle with a handful of legislators not loyal to him.

But by far the Amaechi’s greatest assault on democracy is his recent takeover and relocation of the Rivers House of Assembly.

For those who do not know, the all-powerful governor of Rivers State has converted the state legislature to an annex of the state government house. Just a few days ago, the Sun Newspaper reported that the State House of Assembly, siting in Governor Amaechi’s office, received and passed a budget of N485.5 billion the same day. Just like that!

Though this may sound like a fiction in children’s comic book, it happened in an APC state that grandstands as epitome of democratic practices. Yet, the trivialisation of democracy and the charade going on in Amaechi’s Rivers ought to worry all genuine democrats-not just the PDP in Rivers State.

There are so many things fundamentally wrong with the impunity that Rotimi Amaechi is unleashing on his state.

First, in a democracy, of all the organs of government, the legislature is the one closest to the people in terms of representing the interest of the electorate. Beyond that, the legislature is the most democratic of all the arms of government, perhaps, due to the deliberative process through which they arrive at decisions. It is therefore not surprising that the main law-making function in a democracy is assigned to the legislature.

O

ne of such laws that the legislature enacts is the appropriation act, which the executive branch presents as a bill for the rigorous considerations of the lawmakers.

Given the importance of this Bill, before it is passed into law, lawmakers must extensively cross-check what is before them item by item in the interest of the people whose mandate they hold in trust. But when an Assembly receives a budget from a governor and passes it into law minutes after as the Rivers Assembly has just done, then democracy is in trouble. By the way, even the military regimes of the past did better.

Second, because it is a settled matter in political theory that the executive branch is naturally inclined to arbitrariness, democracy evolved the principle of separation of powers, which allows each organ the independence in its area of jurisdiction. What is happening in Rivers State with the relocation of the Rivers House of Assembly to the Governor’s office makes a huge mockery of the independence of the

legislature and consequently parodies democracy. The danger inherent in this development to democracy and the lives of the people of Rivers State is grave enough.

Yes, the PDP executive in Rivers State may have one or two things to say about the matter of illegality in relocating the Rivers State House of Assembly to the Government House, but the greater problem is in the denying of the citizens of some of the constituencies whose representatives in the House do not have access to or who feel very unsafe in the Government House their rights. The fact that such citizens are shut out, when the most important decision concerning their life chances this year, which the budget proposal represents, is unjust and antithetical to democracy.

What is happening in Rivers State under Amaechi typifies the travails, which democracy suffers in our system. A situation where members of the state assemblies are all in the pocket of the governor is as obscene as it is dictatorial. Yet, Amaechi is one of the governors who claim they defected from PDP to APC because their former party is undemocratic. If democracy according to APC means the annihilation of the legislature and the enthronement of executive tyranny, then Nigerians must watch carefully those congregating under the aegis of APC. That the APC is even celebrating the shenanigans and charade going on in Rivers State, under Amaechi, their celebrated catch, suggests that the party is preparing to wage war on Nigerian democracy! *Mr. Greene, a pro -democracy activist, wrote from Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014— —19

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LMOST every week, we read the news of youth especially of Nigeria, involved in the blind, highly risky and dangerous pursuit of travel overseas especially to Europe for greener pastures. Blind, because many of them are oblivious of the uncertainties, troubles and dangers ahead of them in their destination or host countries.

In every country of this world, there are crooks, sharks, exploiters of the innocence of the youth, mindless wicked persons, who would do anything to any person close by, talk less of a foreign black person, especially, females. If as we have come to know, people here at home sell their babies and pregnancies for cash, what do these youths know same type of persons could do with them, once they fall into their traps in the name of travel overseas? Only last week, we read in the Vanguard of how a young girl from Edo state travelled with many others to Italy, where she spent years of horror, gang rapes, sex work, and all manner of bad life. She returned with HIV AIDS, and considers herself lucky because many of her colleagues died in the process. This is all because no one tells them that all that glitters in the name of

travelling overseas is not gold.

Some others desire to travel because it is now a booming business for some heartless persons. They take advantage of the vulnerability of these young minds and carry them outside as market wares just like they export any other item of trade. They are called human traffickers and they are many. Their owners so to say turn them over to masters overseas for all sorts of purposes, ranging from forced labor to sex objects, and should any of them die, he or she is simply disposed off like a rotten piece of cake. The skilled professional ones also leave the country in large numbers, some clandestinely, while many leave under all sorts of arrangements with promises of good jobs and livelihood, only to be disappointed when they arrive the host country, and they suffer indignities in silence, because they have no voice. When their plans to regularise their migration status fail, they face the ugly prospects of deportations and removal enforcements from their host country. The list of migration situations goes on and on, and while some Non-governmental organizations and embassies make some efforts to pass information about the implications of failed migration

bids, not much is done in the area of deliberate dissuasion of our numerous youth about travelling overseas in search of a better life.

It should be made abundantly clear to these young minds, that no matter where they go, east or west, there is nowhere like home, and home is Nigeria. Efforts in this and other equally crucial areas of concern cannot be effectively harnessed without a national policy on Migration. Just as we have national policies on health, education, climate change, and the rest, there cannot be a better time than now for the adoption, approval and implementation of a national policy of migration.

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his is because firstly, Nigeria is a country of origin, transit, and destination for diverse migration, ranging from internal, intra-regional, and international, irregular and seasonal labor migrations. Secondly, we have serious issues of human

Compromising policing in Rivers State

BY ADEWALE KUPOLUYI

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OLICING is a serious business. Effective policing is a constitutionally requirement in any democratic government, in terms of securing the lives of the people and maintenance of law and order. This sacred duty seems to have been compromised on the altar of sheer politics in Rivers State.

The political imbroglio in state became more worrisome with the bombing of a state High Court at Ahoada, in Ahoada East Local Government Area, while another high court in Okehi was also razed down. The upheaval between the political stakeholders in the state has continued to take its toll on the smooth functioning of the three arms of government. And at the end of the day, it is the people who suffer and get polarised along ethnic and political party lines.

Ordinarily, one may not be too interested in the ongoing party intrigues and political scheming, what is of utmost importance is the aftermath in terms of lawlessness, neglect of governance and resultant bad image bequeathed to the nation. It further raises the question: why would the inability of our law enforcement agents constitute a drainpipe on the tax payers’ money by failing to perform their statutory duties? It is for these reasons that those concerned should be called to order without delay.

The Rivers State Governor, Chubuike Rotimi Amaechi, being the Chief Security Officer of the state has a constitutional obligation to his people to maintain law and order. Section 215(4) of the Nigerian Constitution as amended, empowers a state governor to give lawful directives to the Commissioner of Police in the State with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety within the state as he may deem necessary. It is on the basis of this argument C M Y K

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that Amaechi’s accusation of bias against the police commissioner, Joseph Mbu, could be established.

A few examples will suffice. First, is the lopsidedness of Mbu in the handling of the illegal attempt by Evans Bipi, who led a group of five lawmakers opposed to Governor Amaechi, to take-over the assembly from Otelemaba Dan-Amachree, the real Speaker of the assembly. This power tussle culminated into complete lawlessness and the intervention of the National Assembly, which passed a resolution to takeover the affairs of the House, which was eventually dismissed as illegal by an Abuja High Court.

Following the court judgment, Mbu, rather than ensuring the enforcement of the court’s decision, initially feign ignorance of it but after much pressure, later asked the lawmakers to sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour before they could be allowed to resume. Inspite of this, the Police Command was not satisfied with the signing of the undertaking as it warned the lawmakers to steer clear of the building housing the state legislature. The Police had hinged its volte-face on another pending application before a Court of Appeal, for a stay of execution on the decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, leading to the deployment of armed policemen, who released bursts of tear gas canisters to disperse and chase away Amaechi’s supporters, in a humiliating manner.

Secondly, the governor gave another instance whereby the police commissioner compromised the regular Security Council meetings, leading to reluctance on the part of members to contribute meaningfully, thereby leaving out salient security issues for discussion. What it means is that no proactive security measures and plans are ever put in place. The offshoot of this laxity certainly amounts to doing nothing to tame

trafficking, internal displacements, female migration and migration of highly skilled professionals and students.

Thirdly, our beloved country loses potential agents of development, both through the emigration of our highly skilled professionals abroad, and on account of the thousands of our youths who perish annually while struggling to enter Europe clandestinely or illegally. Fourthly, those Nigerian youths who manage to succeed to enter their host country, the lowpaying jobs that await them are not only dirty, demeaning, but are also dangerous. It is for these reasons, that the need for a national policy on migration at this point in time cannot be over emphasized.

We must not wait for our youths to continue to perish and be humiliated in their thousands, before we wake up to do something about an effective management and administration of migration for the necessary social-economic development of this nation.

When the rich get wounded here in Nigeria, we rush them overseas for medical treatment, we should also ensure that when our poor get wounded and dehumanised overseas, we rush them home to Nigeria for reintegration. The national policy on migration should expectedly recognize the peculiar challenges of migration in Nigeria, especially as it relates to smuggling, human trafficking, irregular migration, while also addressing the benefits and ways of maximizing opportunities to use the huge remittance flows from the diaspora, including the engagements of their skills, entrepreneurship, transnational transaction ideas for our national

The relationship between the police and elected public officers should clearly be in conformity with the tenets of the rule of law

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BY CLEMENT UDEGBE

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Nigerian youths and the national policy on migration

Nigeria has started her dance on national migration policy with agility, let her do well to finish it with gusto, dignity, and fanfare

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criminality and lawlessness.

Amaechi had also cried-out that his life was a stake when Mbu unilaterally withdrawn the police security attached to him and other principal officers of the state, without any prior notice or justification. The governor said this withdrawal was a calculated ploy at paving the way for him to be attacked. As if that was not enough, Mbu was accused of unilaterally terminating the joint police-army patrol, which had been used as a formidable strategy to checkmate violent crimes of kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and car-snatching in the state.

Again, the governor had accused Mbu of taking sides with the Felix Obuah-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state by refusing to obey court orders that are unfavourable to the faction, such as the continued occupation of the Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat. Just a few days back, the state house of assembly in a strange legislative manner, moved into a ‘makeshift chamber’ within the Government House, to pass the 2014 budget of N490.32bn for the current fiscal year!

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ithout mincing words, it should declared that the increasingly and frequent engagement of law enforcement officers in purely, partisan and political squabbles portends serious danger for the polity. Not only would such posturing further erode the neutrality of the police, it could well compromise the entire Force as an ineffective and lame-duck agency of the government in the eyes of the public, which the unfolding drama in Rivers State shows.

The Human Rights Writers Association of

development. It should encourage the diaspora population to invest in their home country, as well as engage productively through the transfer of their knowledge, skills and resources to this country. For example, remittances from Nigerians living abroad is said to have risen to over $21 Billion in 2012, ranking only second to oil revenue and making Nigeria the largest recipient (65 percent) of remittances to sub-Saharan Africa. Since most of the remittances are sent as private funds informally, to argument the living conditions of migrant families left behind, the policy can consider ways to increase and improve the flow of these funds through more formal means to encourage investments in Nigeria.

It has been said that our national migration policy is poised to deal with such issues as Diaspora remittances, brain drain and brain gain, internal migration and urbanization, irregular migration and its consequences, migration and health, education, poverty, trade and climate change to name a few. If this is indeed so, the question then becomes; What is holding this policy from being endorsed, produced and introduced for implementation by government? Many other African nations look up to Nigeria to kick of her national migration policy, and Nigeria should not disappoint them. Nigeria has started her dance on National Migration policy with agility, let her do well to finish it with gusto, dignity, and fanfare.

*Mr. Udegbe, a legal practitioner, wrote from Lagos.

Nigeria’s report had accused the Nigerian police of ‘incessant interference in the affairs of politicians’, indulging in unpleasant human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, corruption and extortion, among others. This is disheartening and at variance with the Police Act, which clearly outlines the functions of the police by maintaining law and order in a non-partisan manner.

No doubt, the country’s policemen daily face political and constitutional dilemma due to the constitutional provisions, which currently place the control of the police within the ambit of an elected executive president, who happens to be the leader of his political party by virtue of Section 215 of the constitution still accords the Nigerian President - acting on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council, to appoint the Inspector General of Police - who gives direct instructions to the state commissioners without much loyalty to the governor of a state.

This experience has been the basis for the continued agitation for state police in the nation. The prevailing situation in Rivers State has contributed in no small measure to the passage of a resolution by the National Assembly and the persistent call by Amaechi that the Police Service Commission should urgently redeploy the controversial police commissioner - whom he referred to as ‘a PDP member’ - from the state.

In the final analysis, police authorities should rise to the challenge of resisting the pressure to be used as punitive and repressive tool by the ruling political party. They should be made to know that they are not meant to serve a particular political party in power or the transient functionaries that appoint them into office. Rather, they owe their service to every citizen of the nation, irrespective of gender, religion, ethnicity or belief. The relationship between the police and elected public officers should clearly be in conformity with the tenets of the rule of law. This should be the new mantra of officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force.

*Mr. Kupoluyi wrote from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

20 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

JANUARY 17 , 2014

Group faults ban on Okada in Minna T

•Some of the protesters

When residents paralysed activities in Oshodi ...Over alleged extortion by electricity provider

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OME residents of Oshodi Local Government Area last week, stormed the office of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, Mafoluku, Oshodi to protest alleged extortion by IKEDC officials and incessant blackout in the area. The protest which lasted several hours paralysed activities in the council area.

The aggrieved residents who stormed the office of the electricity provider in the early hours of the day, barricaded the road leading to the IKEDC office and its entrance.

The protesters who carried placards with different inscriptions, condemned the action of the IKEDC. Some of the placards read: “Electricity is our right; We are tired of perpetual darkness, We need power supply to do our business, IKEDC; you have crippled our income with your blackout policy, We say no to crazy bills, give us our prepaid meter”.

Vanguard Metro gathered that areas worst hit by the blackout which started in September last year include Branco, Ariori and Baderin Streets.

Others are streets in the Ariori/Ijaiye Community Development Area, CDA. The residents alleged that the blackout started four months ago when they declined the demand from the IKEDC Mafoluku Service Centre to provide the required fund to repair the armored cable supplying Ariori Street; which IKEDC estimated at N552, 400.

They further alleged that the engineer incharge of IKEDC Mafoluku Service Centre instead of making requisition to the appropriate authorities to effect the repair, was waiting for the residents to provide the required fund.

The protesters claimed that before this development, they had contrib-

uted at different times to repair or replace damaged IKEDC installations like concrete poles, aluminum conductors and unit hangers..

A spokesman for the angry residents, Mr. John Ezenku said, “In August 2013, one of the transformers in the CDA was vandalised. Rather than repair it, the engineer in charge of IKEDC Mafoluku Service Centre forwarded the require cost to the CDA. The CDA repaired it after collecting N3,100 from each house.”

Continuing, he said: “We have done

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By MONSURU OLOWOOPEJO

We haven’t suspended the distribution of meters;we want to ensure that there are no flaws in the issuance of prepaid meters

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our best to support IKEDC to ensure that we enjoy electricity like any other community in Lagos. Yet, we are still having blackout”.

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nother resident, Mrs. Sifawu Ayinla also voiced out her grievances. “During these periods of blackout, IKEDC was still bringing outrageous bills to us. Rather than read the meter, their officials issue estimated bills.

Houses were billed between N10, 000 and N50, 000 monthly,” she alleged.

Also decrying the activities of the electricity provider, another resident, Mrs. Tope Daramola said, “As if we knew that this is what they wanted to do, we all

requested for prepaid meters. We have paid N5,000 for the forms since last year, but are yet to get the meters. When we approached the officials, they said Mafoluku is not among the areas that will have prepaid meters”.

Mr. Adisa Bashir who was one of the aggrieved residents described the actions of the electricity providers as robbery. “We are tired of this extortion,” he charged.

Mr. Ben Millers listed the demands of the residents.“IKEDC should henceforth take full responsibility of its installations. We don’t want estimated bills.

They should desist from distributing bills until power supply in our area is guaranteed”.

IKEDC’s response

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esponding to the allegations, the Information Officer of IKEDC, Mr. Olushola Ayeni said they have not suspended the distribution of meters in the area. “We haven’t suspended the distribution of meters. We want to ensure that there are no flaws in the issuance of prepaid meter. We have a robust agenda for residents of Lagos. A new Korea company has been commissioned to access the level of meters in the state.

At the end of the exercise, residents of Lagos will smile. I can assure you that everyone will get a meter,”he said.

On money paid to repair installed IKEDC equipments, Ayeni said, “We have been sensitising residents not to give their money to any IKEDC official to repair any damaged installation.

Rather, they should report to the necessary office.”

On crazy bills, the Information Officer said, “When any customer feels that he or she is billed outrageously, he should see the business manager anytime and complain to him. We are operating an open door policy.

HE ban on the operation of commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada by the Niger State Government, has drawn the ire of Democratic Socialist Movement, DSM. A statement signed by DSM’s State Coordinator, Sadare Macaulay described the ban as a deliberate attack on the right of youths and masses to livelihood in Niger State. He alleged that the ban shows the insensitivity of the State government to the plight of the masses.

“It is the economic downturn in Nigeria with its attendant decaying infrastructure and scarce employment opportunities that has given birth to commercial motorcyclists. Jobless youths began to use them to earn money by transporting passengers on narrow and mostly poor roads so far into cities and villages. These roads are not easily inaccessible to buses and cars because of their poor states.

The need for commercial motorcycle operation cannot be over emphasized. It is used in cities by business men and women, civil servants and students to overcome traffic congestion in order to beat time and navigate roads that are inaccessible to cars and buses, particularly in the inner communities.

It is a given fact that the emergence of okada riding became a source of livelihood for the ever increasing army of unemployed youths in the nation,” the group said..

DSM challenged the Niger state government to create thousands of jobs for Niger youths claiming that it will reduce the crime rate to the barest minimum. “People rendered jobless by policies of successive governments sought refuge in commercial motorcycling.

The ban of okada operation in Minna town by the Niger state government ostensibly because of insecurity is totally out of context and must be rejected and resisted by working masses. We are strongly of the opinion that it is unemployment and unorganized state of society caused by the same ruling elite that brought Niger state to this state.

If the reason is safety, we challenge the Niger state government to state openly what means of transportation do not have its shortcoming. People die unavoidably through accidents involving car, cab, tricycle, bus or even plane because of the chaotic state of transportation.

The ruling elite and governments at all levels can only resolve the crisis in the transportation sector by rebuilding infrastructure such as roads and not by fiat,” the group insisted.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 21

CBN se ts 20 18 ffor or sets 201 banks to implement IT standards

By BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

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From left: Miss Mayowa Okuyiga, Snr Executive (legal), Lagos Lottery; Nike Kolawole, Regional Head, Lagos Mainland, Ecobank; Mrs. Adeola Dare, Head Domestic Products and Mr. Tunde Kuponiyi, Head, Cards and Ebanking, representing MD during the grand prize draw of Ecobank Giant prize Giveaway promo in Lagos.

Photo by Lamidi Bamidele.

BPP accuses civil servants of impeding govt policies

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

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he Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, has accused civil servants of impeding implementation of government policies, saying it considered and approved a total of 184 requests for projects valued at about N1.2 trillion in 2013.

The Director-General of BPP, Mr. Emeka Muoma Ezeh, disclosed this at the 2014 retreat for Federal Permanent Secretaries organised by

117.65

-1.55

2,751.00

-1.00

15.23

-0.26

106.89 108.89 94.46 CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYA KRONA SDR

154.74 254.1914 210.6476 170.4748 1.4836 0.3034 237.1462 25.5925 41.2585 28.2238 237.4331

155.24 255.0127 211.3282 171.0257 1.4884 0.3134 237.9124 25.6756 41.3918 28.315 238.2003

-0.36 +1.87 SELLING 155.74 255.8341 211.0089 171.5765 1.4932 0.3234 238.6787 25.7588 41.5251 28.4062 238.9675

CBN Exchange rate as at 15/01/2014

the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in collaboration with BPP in Lagos. He said the approval was made from 308 projects valued at N1.7 trillion received within the year.

According to him, the prior review interventions of the agency helped to save the Federal Government a total of N58 billion, even as it added that it granted Certificates of No Objection valued at N1.12 trillion that would have been spent on unapproved projects.

Ezeh accused public servants of being impediment to implementation of government policies, saying that it led to delay in processing to Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration, projects, which BPP has already issued certificates of “No Objection”. The BPP boss also said that during the year under review, there were frequent uses of selective tendering in preference to other procurement methods, even as he urged the Permanent Secretaries to do more to ensure the use of competitive tendering as the norm for all procurement proceedings.

He stated that the 2013 round of procurement audits revealed some cases of non-compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007, which was being referred to EFCC and ICPC for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Ezeh also admitted that there were lapses in the 2013 budget, stressing the need for the Permanent Secretaries to brace up for the challenges ahead in implementing the 2014 budget in line with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act.

He revealed that the bureau’s 2013 field monitoring and inspection of projects recommended two critical steps and actions, which include: to shift projects recommended from micro management of inputs to using the capital budget to pay for results; to re-align the project framework to focus on the big picture of the intended results.”

According to Eze, for the country to reap the full benefits of the ongoing procurement reforms, there is also need to deepen and strengthen the newly established procurement cadre in the civil service; organise capacity building, training and professional certification of procurement officers; create procurement units where they do not exist to ensure uniform implementation of the PP Act and easy monitoring of compliance, use of approved standard bidding documents, improve accountability, integrity and transparency of the process and reduce the scope for corruption and aim to be consistent with internationally accepted principles and practices.

In his opening remarks, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji, restated the need to provide new and serving Permanent Secretaries with robust information that would improve their understanding of the 2007 Public Procurement Act to enhance performance in implementation of federal budget and programmes..

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has set a deadline of 2018 for banks to implement the Information Technology (IT) standards developed for the banking industry.

The release of the standards was announced via circular titled, Circular to banks on release of information technology (I.T) standards to the industry, and signed

by Mr. John Ayoh, Director, Information Technology Department.

The CBN said, “Pursuant to the need to identify and adopt global IT Standards which would provide guidelines for and serve as reference points in ensuring the quality of IT service delivery in the Nigerian Banking Industry, through the IT Infrastructure Transformation programme sponsored by the Bankers’ Committee in 2010, the Blueprints for the IT Standards and the Governance framework has been defined and now, by this circular, released to the industry for adoption by all banks. It is available on the CBN website pending the completion and launching of the Bankers’ Committee IT Standards portal where it will be hosted permanently, and can be accessed by opening the “IT Standards Blueprint” link under the “Quick links” found at the left hand side of the CBN website home page “A five-year implementation roadmap for the IT Standards has been defined within which banks are expected to implement in accordance with the set timelines and the defined priorities.

Implementation shall be in a continuum approach such that initial implementations would target maturity level 3 and subsequently improved to include certifications and higher maturity levels.

“The IT Standards Council, to be reconstituted after every two years, has been put in place to drive the adoption, implementation and compliance to the IT Standards in the Banking Industry. The compliance audits shall begin at the end of the prescribed adoption periods as indicated on the implementation roadmap. Baseline assessment for priority 1 standards shall be carried out in ban in quarter 1 of 2014. “ According to the apex bank, “IT standards for Nigeria’s Financial Services Industry is focused on 7 key technology capabilities areas which are required for world class IT operations as follows: Strategic IT Alignment; IT Governance; Architecture & Information Management; Solutions Delivery; Service Management & Operations; Information & Technology Security; Workforce & Resource Management.

“The implementation of these standards is expected to provide the following benefits: Increased up-time / availability of Banks leading to increased cost savings; Establishment of a reference point for objective assessment of the IT function leading to improved IT performance measurement; Improved data integrity and electronic information exchange.

22—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

‘Monetary policy to pose challenges to capital market activity in 2014’

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

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NCERTAINTY around monetary policy following the appointment of a new Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor and Policy Committee (MPC) will pose challenges to the performance of the capital market in 2014, says the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema.

Making the remark at the NSE yearly review of activities in the market in 2013 and prognosis into 2014, Oscar said that ahead of the 2015 elections, government spending is expected to rise, thereby affecting liquidity in the system.

However, he stated that inflation is expected to remain in the single-digits, while the full effects of government and CBN-led reforms in the real sector should make a positive impact in 2014.

“Nonetheless, there is further need to push for reforms that target education, poverty, financial inclusion, capital market development and diversification, if growth is to be realised and sustained,” he stressed.

Speaking further, he said, “Projections for the Nigerian capital market are largely positive for the coming year in spite of our concerns about Nigeria’s political, currency and interest rate risks. We expect Nigeria to be a key beneficiary of the MSCI 2013 annual market classification review, which will see Qatar and UAE (together accounting for 30%), transition from the MSCI Frontier Markets Index to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

“Cautiously, we will watch for

the effects as Nigeria’s weight in the MSCI Frontier Markets Index shifts from the current 13.8 percent to 19.7 percent, making it the second largest market in the index.”

“On the flipside, emerging markets are more vulnerable to market sentiment than they were five-10 years ago, and Nigeria is not immune to the negative implications of higher yields, globally. The decision by the US Federal Reserve to start cutting its monthly bond purchases, initially to $75 billion from $85 billion, is expected to have a residual effect on the Nigerian equity, bond and currency markets later in 2014, affecting foreign portfolio investment (FPI) and the strength of the naira against the dollar,” the NSE boss added.

Chairman of Board, Enterprise Bank Limited, Sir. (Dr.) Ogala Osoka (middle), with Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Bank, Mallam Ahmed Kuru (right) and an Executive Director of the bank, Mr. Niyi Adebayo sharing pleasantries at a recent event of the bank in Lagos.

NSE awaits SEC's approval on rules for operating Investor Protection Fund T

HE Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema, has said Investor Protection Fund (IPF) would commence as soon the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approves the rules .

IPF was established to give investors a statutorily backed avenue for reducing the losses they suffer as a result of bankruptcy. It will also cover losses arising from insolvency, negligence or wrongdoing by dealing members.

Onyema, who said this at the NSE’s 2013 market review and outlook for 2014, added that the IPF would strengthen the confidence of domestic

investors.He said that retail investors’ participation in the market as at Nov. 2013 stood at 49.06 per cent.

Onyema also said that the operations of the exchange in 2014 would focus on sustaining the market growth. He said that the NSE would also sustain the attraction of foreign investors in the Nigerian capital market.

Onyema said that the NSE would increase its investor education with other

NILEVER Nigeria Plc has announced the appointment Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh as its Managing Director effective 1st January 2014. Until this appointment, he served as Managing Director, Unilever East and Sothern Africa, based in Kenya.

According to a statement from the company, Nsarkoh served as Strategic Assistant to Unilever Executive Member and President of Unilever Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe based in the United Kingdom. He also served at various times as Marketing Director Unilever Ghana,

African Regional Brand Manager Laundry Regional Innovation Centre, Unilever South Africa, and Production Manager Unilever Ghana etc.

He has contributed immensely to the growth of Unilever businesses in Ghana, South Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe in his over 20 years career in Unilever.

Mr. Nsarkoh holds an Honors Degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Henley Management College, Henley –onThames, United

its zero tolerance to irregularities.

Reviewing the 2013 performance, Onyema said that the market capitalisation of listed equities grew by N4.25 trillion to N13.23 trillion, against the N8.98 trillion posted in 2012.

According to him “ The value of traded equities in 2013 appreciated by 58.66 per cent to N1.04 trillion. The NSE within the period under review, recorded two listings and 19 new bond listings.

CIBN, LBS partner on manpower devt for banks

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he Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria,

Unilever Nigeria appoints Nsarkoh as Managing Director

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financial market regulators, to enhance financial literacy.

He said that the NSE would ensure a world class surveillance programme and enhanced gover n m e n t relations for the capital market and national economic development.

Onyema revealed that quoted companies and brokers were sanctioned N61.21 million and N43.5 million in 2013 for various market violations, noting that it would continue with

Kingdom.

His areas of expertise and experience include, but are not limited to: Team Leadership and General Management, Marketing and Innovation, Supply Chain and Project Management and Execution, External Networking, Stakeholders’ Management etc.

He is a member of Ghana Institution of Engineers and a Director of Changing Lives Endowment Fund (CLEF) in Ghana etc. He is a regular speaker on business issues, specifically Marketing and Leadership at public fora.

CIBN, has entered into a strategic partnership with Lagos Business School/Pan African University, with a view to producing skilled manpower to drive the banking and finance industry.

This is coming on the heels of the signing of an Affiliation Agreement between the Centre for Financial Studies (CFS), a subsidiary of CIBN and Lagos Business School of Pan-African University, Lagos.

The affiliation will, among other things, enable CFS and LBS/PAU to strategically engage in a number of activities to achieve the objectives of the CFS: to engage in research on topical emerging and contemporary issues in the banking and finance industry with a view to advancing the frontiers of knowledge; engage in policy advocacy by generating

position papers on relevant and topical issues in banking and finance; serve as a game changer and best-in-classinstitution in the quest for upgrading the competencies of banking & finance executives, not only in Nigeria, but also on the continent and as well collaborate with universities and other institutions towards the achievement of the objectives of the Centre.

In line with this, the Advisory Board of the CFS, which comprises top professionals from the financial and other sectors of the economy, was formally inaugurated by Dr. Segun Aina, its president and Chairman of Council, to enable the centre commence activities that would enable it realise the objectives for which it was set up.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 23

Cassava farmers, processors task FG on N4.3bn cassava bread fund

By JIMOH BABATUNDE

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MEETING: From left: Chairman, Crops Commodity Farmers and Processors, Chief Adebayo Ajayi; DG, FIIRO, Dr. Gloria Elemo and President of NCAPMA, Ayo Olubori, at the meeting, in Lagos. dium Scale Enterprises SMEs, who are involved in cassava processing, while the BOA is to manage N2.4 billion of the fund in collaboration with 13 key private stakeholders, he said.

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desina said: “It will be 50% grant 50% loan. And you will agree with me that this is a huge step forward in terms of supporting our farmers to produce more cassava.”

The Managing Director of the BoI, Ms Evelyn Oputu, who signed on be-

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IGERIA is said to produce more cassava than any other country in the world. It is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, after rice and maize. Millions of people depend on cassava in Nigeria and Africa in general.

Cassava is grown by poor farmers, many of them women, often on marginal land. For those people and their families, cassava is vital for both food security and income generation.

Following in the footsteps of past administrations, especially that of President Olusegun Obasanjo, seeing that cassava not only meet the food security needs of the estimated farmers who grow it, but to provide a key to rural industrial development and higher incomes for producers, processors and traders, this administration came up with cassava transformation program.

The cassava transformation project seeks to create a new generation of cassava farmers, oriented towards commercial production and farming as a business, and to link them up to reliable demand, either from processors or a guaranteed minimum price scheme of the government.

The over reaching strategy of the cassava transformation is to turn the cassava sector in Nigeria into a major player in local and international starch, sweeteners, ethanol, HQCF, and dried chips industries by adopting improved production and processing technologies, and organizing producers and processors into efficient value-added chains.

The cassava processing technology started in the late 50s from the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) with various products and equipment. It is clear that the mandate to process cassava and other crops was solely given to the institute, which they carried out judiciously without dabbling to crop production and other agencies mandates.

The Federal Government as a way of stimulating increased domestic production and processing of cassava announced plans to cut wheat imports by introducing a new policy compelling cassava flour inclusion in wheat flour.

Part of the government plan was to impose a levy of 15 % on wheat grain imports, which will increase the effective duty from 5 to 20 %. The gain from the levy was used to establish the Cassava Bread Development Fund.

This led the Federal Government, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bank of Industry (BoI) for the bank to manage the N4.3 billion cassava bread fund that would support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), master bakers and large industrial cassava flour mills.

The Bank of Industry (BOI) and Bank of Agriculture (BOA) are to manage disbursement of the N9.9billion cassava bread fund released by President Goodluck Jonathan, according to the Minister of Agriculture Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. N4.3 billion will be disbursed by the BOI to support Small and Me-

The sincerity of government on HQCF project is being put to question. For how long shall we wait?

,

half of the bank, pledged that the bank would work closely with the stakeholders to ensure that the fund was properly utilized But, at a recent conveyed at FIIRO by stakeholders to seek BoI’s explanation on the disbursement of the fund, they tasked the federal government to set up a powerful monitoring committee to ensure judicial use of cassava bread fund, to avoid defaulters and saboteurs.

The stakeholders represented at the meeting , the National Cassava Processors and Marketers Association (NCAPMA), Crops Commodity Farmers Association and Processors and the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), said past interventions by governments failed because of mismanagement.

At the meeting in FIIRO, the Chairman of Crops Commodity Farmers Association and Processors, Chief Adebayo Ajayi, advised the BoI to judiciously carry out the assignment of dis-

bursing the money promptly to avoid unnecessary diversion that caused the failure of past interventions.

He enjoined government to ensure that representatives of farmers, processors, bakers, millers, middle and small scale processors, chairman of house committee and senate committee on agriculture, BoI, FIIRO and others are members of its monitoring committee to avoid defaulters and saboteurs.

The President of NCAPMA, Ayo Olubori, who told Journalists that its members are not envisaging any challenge in the disbursement of the fund with the way it is structured, said the challenges of the past was due to the non-inclusion of all the major stakeholders in what government was doing. He noted that now that its association members and others are part of

it there is no fear.

“That is why we have success story today. We are hopeful that at the end of the day it is going to be a success story. Our people are ready to meet up with the requirements of the BoI and we are qualified for it,” he said.

But, Mr. Simeon Abanuwulor, the National President, Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria in chat with this reporter earlier , decried the “bottlenecks” militating against access to the Cassava Bread Development Fund.

“Government has to take it seriously; master bakers should be empowered to make this bread available to all Nigerians.

For Mrs. Falade, a farmer in Ogun State, she said the much advertised release of the Cassava Bread fund by the government has not reached value chain beneficiaries. “Out growers must start land preparation now for cheaper roots this year.

“SME processors remain idle due to lack of fund. The sincerity of government on HQCF project is being put to question. For how long shall we wait?

This is very sad and unfortunate.”

For the Director-General/CEO of FIIRO, Dr. (Gloria) Elemo, she said that the provision of the fund is a plus to the administration, which would push cassava initiative to a logical conclusion adding that cassava is the answer to Nigeria food security and industrial development of the country.

She noted that the fund would assist in getting High Quality Cassava Flour to be included in wheat flour.

“Pilot plant production expansion and proliferation in three FIIRO outpost locations to complement other value chain improvement initiatives in cassava. You will agree with me that cassava is the answer to Nigeria food security and industrial development o the country,” she stated.

Kano farmers, agro suppliers honour agric minister

T

HE All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State branch, has honoured the Minster of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina.

The event, which was organised in collaboration with Kano State agro suppliers, was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja.

Speaking at the ceremony, the minister said his mission was to rebuild agriculture and make it the driver of the country’s economy.

Adesina said that his dream was “to see our children running on our farms across the country and shouting better at last, thank God our lives are better”.

According to him, the award would spur him to work harder and develop agriculture in the country.

The minister, however, acknowledged that the success recorded would not have been possible without the support of the farmers, agro dealers and the banks, urging them not to relent in their commitment to

the sector.

“The future of agriculture in this country is bright; this award is to make me do more and I commit myself to do more.

“I need your support — farmers, bankers, dealers and ministry workers; without you, this award would not have been possible.

“A green revolution is going on; we are going to unlock our potential and we shall turn our savanna to be like the ‘sorados’ of Brazil,” he said.

Adesina thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for his encouragement and support, describing Nigeria as a great nation that would remain undivided.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, congratulated the minister on the award, saying the country needed people like Adesina to progress.

The CBN governor said the minister helped the apex bank solve the problem of bankers lending to farmers.

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

By JIMOH BABATUNDE

Uturu cultural carnival: Celebrating indomitable spirit of Ndi Igbo STORIES BY JIMOH BABATUNDE

T

HE four days communal feast, which was celebrated at the convocation arena of Gregory University Uturu (GUU), for many reasons was very significant and has different appeal from the Calabar festival or any such event across the country.

For one, it is a privately organised and sponsored annual celebration. Until two years ago, the six years old

event was financed by Chief Greg Iyke Ibe through his Foundation, Greg Iyke Ibe Foundation and now funded

by GUU, a private institution established by him.

Another area of concern was the fact that it is the only event in the South east of Nigeria, which is devoted to the celebration of Ndi – Igbo.

Perhaps more appealingly is that it is a sorely cultural celebration, which is geared at displaying the rich and enduring cultural heritage of the people.

Dancers at Uturu cultural festival

This is obvious from the conception to the execution of the carnival and the fact that it is now being run by the Centre for Igbo Renaissance of GUU as part of propagating and entrenching the Ndi – Igbo cultural values led credence to this fact.

Other than the usual cultural feast of the carnival, this year, it had a new dimension to it as it was devoted to marking and celebrating the 70th birthday anniversary of one of the sons of Igbo land, Chief Sab Ejimofor.

A display of its inclination towards exposing the cultural elements of the people in a very profound manner was the setting itself, which was entirely made of local materials, creatively put together.

In this wise, the locally woven mats and straw hats, which are part of the cultural symbolism of the people of Uturu featured prominently alongside native calabashes, clay pots and cups and other forms of art and craft.

Even in the choice of communication language, it was purely that of an Igbo affair by all the speakers that mounted the rostrum at the various events to deliver speeches or lead the programme.

The founder of the carnival, Ibe said “the major aim of the carnival is to explore the potency of the carnival to weld apparently disparate cultures to create cultural unity, social harmony and strength on the one hand while on the flip side it is to checkmate the move towards ethnocentrism, which leads racial p r e j u d i c e , discrimination and other social ills.”

Thus, this was what informed the

choice of this year ’s theme: ‘Ibu anyi danda’ (Resilience – the indomitable spirit ofNdi – Igbo), an evocation of the consciousness of Igbo cultural unity and to influence national cultural unity.

The choice of the theme, according to him, was not only to pay homage to Chief Sam Ejiomofor whose rising from rags to riches through the dint of hard work and resilience but also that of every Igbo man who has achieved in their various enterprises and engagements in life as such achievement came through resilience and surmounting of life threatening obstacles.

The presence of the President – General of Ohaneze Ndi – Igbo, Chief Gary Enwo – Igariwey, he said also boosted the appeal of the carnival.

“We have achieved without major partners, we have achieved in a major way of bringing our culture to the world, we have achieved by our continuous demystifying all the na sayers,” said Ibe. The fact that children and the youth have embraced the carnival and yearly turn out in their numbers with different masquerades and dance troupes, to him, is one of the greatest feats, as it met that the culture of the people will never die because the older generation is using the carnival to pass on the cultural values and traditions of the people to the younger generation.

He said that the choice of Uturu as the venue of celebration is a deliberate effort to create awareness and draw the people’s attention to the extant Uturu Caves, which he said has been proved historically to be the ancestral home of the progenitors of the Igbo race, as traces of what he called the ‘early man abode,’ is obvious for all to see.

NASS: A look at the bloated tourism allocation

A

S the National Assembly resumes sitting next week, one of the key issues the legis lators are expected to address is the consideration and passage of the budget proposal for 2014 fiscal year sent to them by President Goodluck Jonathan through the Co-coordinating Minister for Economy, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.

Specifically, Twenty one billion, four hundred and twenty nine million, thirty six thousand and three hundred and fifty eight thousand naira (N,429,036,358) was proposed for the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation which has a total allocation Out of this, fourteen billion four hundred eighty million six hundred forty-six thousand five hundred fifty-one naira (N14,480,646,551) was allocated for personnel , seventeen billion seven hundred twenty million ninety-five thousand three hundred sixnaira (N17,720,095,306) for total recurrent and three billion seven hundred eight million nine hundred forty-one thousand fifty-two naira (N3,708,941,052) for total capital.

Of special interest is the allocation for the im-

plementation of the tourism master plan which is put at three hundred thirty-one million eight hundred thirty-eight thousand two hundred forty-eight (, 838,248).

This is so as the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Edem Duke, last year at the presentation of Fascinating Nigeria brand in Lagos, said that the master plan which was developed and launched about seven or eight years ago has gone slightly obsolete.

This prompted the chairman of the Tourism master Plan committee, Dr. Franklin Adejuwon, to say then that it was unfortunate that the minister who worked with the committee then could say that the document had become obsolete According to Dr. Adejuwon then, “Nigerian Tourism master Plan which was initiated during Obasanjo administration and established with the support of the UNDP-UNWTO has 15 years lasting plan implementation.

“I am a bit disappointed however by my avowed Minister of Tourism who worked very hard with me at the Cross River end to estab-

lish this important road map now saying it is obsolete. I least expected he would be making such negative remarks when till the present budget (2013) the ministry has been drawing down on the master plan from government purse. Is there any explanation for this contradiction?” he asked.

Though, there was no reaction to the question of drawing down on the master plan from the budget yearly by the ministry, the same ministry, under the watchful eyes of Edem Duke, has put three hundred thirty-one million eight hundred thirty-eight thousand two hundred forty-eight (, 838,248) for the implementation of the master plan in this year ’s budget.

Apart from this, the inclusion of Twenty million naira (N20,000,000) for Argungun fishing festival calls for special scrutiny as the festival has not held in the last five years. The Ministry holds the country explanation on this as the same amount is allocated to Calabar Carnival that has become a brand on its own.

Four million nine hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred fifty-one naira (N4,953,651) was also set aside for sporting equipment in the ministry of Culture, Tourism and national Orientation.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—25

By AYO ONIKOYI Yvonne Enakhena has all it takes to make it in the movie industry: the height, the figure and the burning desire but that didn’t seem to give her any edge as she had to wait in line like others to even get noticed.

According to her she had to do the extraordinary to see her childhood dreams come true. Hear her story.

Excerpts: Please introduce yourself y name is Yvonne Enakhena. I am a graduate of Theatre and Media Arts. I actually started acting in 2012, precisely October of 2012. Between then and now I have starred in about 10 films, out of

M

C M Y K

which I played four lead roles.

What was the experience like in your first lead role?

The first film I played the lead role is ‘Aaron My Son’. It was a new experience for me because I had to be a different person, a naïve girl that was taken advantage of, and got pregnant. At the end she had nowhere to go to because she was an orphan. The role was a bit difficult because I had to cry a lot. There was even a part when I was on the road, carrying heavy load, heavily pregnant and crying. A guy passing by, who didn’t know we were on set came to me and he was like ‘Madam, sorry, why are you carrying this heavy load in your condition’. God, it was quite an experience but fun anyway. It was challenging but I beat all the odds to

interpret the role.

What were the major obstacles you encountered to make it as an upcoming actress?

I never did live all my life in Lagos. I came all the way from Kaduna to Lagos, all because I wanted to be an actress. At first, I must be honest, it was quite challenging. Then I didn’t even know my way to locations for auditions. At

I N S I DE:

I Go Dye becomes UN Ambassador

times when you go for auditions, you would think you have done well enough to be called but for some reasons you were never called. You would be waiting and waiting, praying and praying and sometimes when they did call you it would be for some trivial role or they give you the role and they don’t pay you well.

There is always the issue of people wanting to take advantage of you, calling you up to ask you out, promising

TRAILER REVIEW: Stephanie Okereke-Linus’ Dry

to get you a role and all that.

For me, I had to tell a lot of people ‘no’ and I got so many disappointments.

That brings me to my next question: have you ever encountered sexual harassment in the course of your career?

Of course, when you refuse them they don’t give you the role. But that doesn’t mean better ones would not come

Continues on page 26

Five habits of Nigerian mobile users

26— Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17,

I am a total package Continues from page 25 your way. At times those that demanded sex turned around to offer you jobs, if you are really good at what you do, not minding the fact that you refused them what they wanted of you. So, it isn’t good to give up because you meet the bad ones, good ones too also come along.

What is the most desperate thing you have ever done to get a role?

Well, I remember I had to dry fast for seven days to get a particular role. That would be the most desperate thing I have ever done. I really needed the role and I didn’t want anybody to ask me out or get funny before they could offer me the role, so I had to do dry-fasting for seven days to get it. Thankfully,

There was a guy who called me on phone, even when we had hardly met, and threw me a birthday party.

God answered me and I got the role.

The movie is not out yet, it will be released this year.

What has been your experience with the opposite sex?

Men are just men (laughing). It is a normal thing for men to go after an attractive woman. I haven’t had any abnormal experience with them. They show their admiration of me and I show them mine.

What is the craziest thing a guy ever did for you?

There was a guy who called me on phone, even when we had hardly met, and threw me a birthday party. To me, that isn’t crazy, it is a normal thing you do when you really admire someone or you thought you are in love with someone.

What would you describe as your unique selling point?

I have a lot of selling points. I am tall, 5ft 9, I have sexy hips but most of the guys I have met say I have beautiful lips. I have good physique generally, to me really, I am a total package (laughing).

Soft porn is slowly creeping into Nollywood movies; what is your idea of soft porn coming into Nollywood movies, some say it

With Isabella Akinseye makes our movies more real?

This is something that has come from the Ghanaians, right? One thing I know is that Ghanaians are Ghanaians and Nigerians are Nigerians, both of us have different culture, tradition and values. There are ways we can translate sensual or sexual roles without going naked, making the crew members see you naked.

I am not comfortable with it when it means your taking off your cloths and going naked in front of the cameras.

They say everyone has their price, how much will it take to make you go nude in a film?

No amount of money in the world can make me go nude. God, I have my principles and beliefs. I can’t just do that. I don’t think money can buy my nudity.

What is your idea of sex; should it be before marriage or after marriage or any time?

Well, I am a traditional person. I believe sex should be reserved for married people but we are all adults, so everybody is entitled to his or her own decision, I am not a judgemental person.

But you are not a virgin either?

No, I am not.

What is your mission in Nollywood, what do you want to be known for?

I have been through a lot to get to where I am now. So if I am given the opportunity, I would want to make sure people coming after me don’t have to go through what I have been through. I had so many friends who also wanted to be in acting but because of the ordeal they went through they had to drop the idea and most of them were actually very good actors.

So if I have the resources I will use it to help the aspiring ones and contribute my quota in building the next generation of actors.

Did you ever have a crush on any actor before you came into Nollywood?

Yeah, of course, everybody had a crush at one time or the other. Mine was Ramsey Nouah. I simply love the guy, I love the way he acts. I have never met him though, I am seriously praying I am on set with him one day.

He is just one person I look up to, and I respect him very much.

What was growing up like for you?

First of all, both my parents are disciplinarians; my dad is a Grand Knight in the Catholic Church and my mum is a Lady. Growing up, I was more like an indoor child, though I went to a boarding school.

TRAILER REVIEW:

Stephanie Okereke-Linus’ Dry H

ello again and I hope you are enjoying the Nollywood offerings of 2014 so far. Just last week, Rukky Sanda premiered her latest movie – Gold Diggin. One movie I cannot wait to watch (there are quite a few of them) is Stephanie Okereke-Linus’ Dry. Even though official trailer is not out, the unofficial version which was released last year in the heat of the ‘Child Not Bride’ debate is one of the best trailers to come out of Nollywood in recent times.

Having followed OkerekeLinus’ work over the years, it is clear to see that the woman has really upped her game. Well done!

A recent trend in Nollywood is that we have a number of producers embracing ‘agenda’ movies and sacrificing the tenets of good filmmaking at the expense of a message. For me, the mark of a true artist is in balancing the two. In the unofficial trailer of Dry, Linus-

nameless male doctor who agrees that his duty is to save lives but “did not sign a vow of poverty.” I see the health care centre burnt down and my heart goes out to the community. I see girls and women suffering at the hands of their so-called sisters and I can relate with their story. I hear the simple yet ironical request of our protagonist; she says she “wants to be a girl again” and I want to rewind things. I want her to go back to playing with her friends, attending school, growing up and marrying the love of her life – not the person who paid for her like an item in a grocery store. I never want that girl to be my sister, mother, aunty, friend or even enemy. Nobody deserves to be used and left to Dry up from the inside out.

The review will not be complete if I don’t comment on technique.

From the background music to the selection of scenes, the cast and crew deserve two thumbs up.

The dialogue interwoven with the text on screen helps to drive the plot forward and engage the viewer.

I have most of the information I require including the name of the production company and the chilling statistics.

The only thing missing is the names of the actors as they appeared in view but given that this is an unofficial trailer, we can let that slide. Official trailer or not, when will this movie be

Okereke does not hold back in putting burning issues of rape, child marriage, obstetric fistula and the societal stigma that comes with it in our face. She does not just tell us about them, she shows us through the character of a young girl who is forced into an early marriage with devastating results. This girl as we discover represents 1 in every 10 women in Nigeria that suffer complications after childbirth as a result of obstetric fistula. The saddest thing is that she could be your child.

If I had to summarise the effect of this trailer in one phrase; it would be – emotional connection.

I believe all the characters from Linus-Okereke to Liz Benson Ameye who doctors are trying to make a difference in the lives of young women. I believe a

out? Because I can’t wait!

Verdict –Watch Dry because it is really just that good but if you still need an excuse; it communicates a powerful message in a compelling yet creative way.

Do you agree with me on this review? Let me have your thoughts, comments and suggestions. Send me an email isabella.akinseye@live.com Are you a filmmaker? Do you want your trailer reviewed? Get in touch and keep reading; your work might just be next.

Isabella Akinseye is the founder of www.nollysilverscreen.com – a one stop shop for all lovers of Nigeria’s cinematic industry. We feature trailers, reviews, interviews, cinema listings, articles, videos and red carpet fashion.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—27 Stories by Ayo Onikoyi

Niyola

Mide Martins disclaims breakup rumour with hubby

to start year with single and video

E

mpire Mates Entertainment, EME’s First Lady, Niyola, is one of the top divas that didn’t disappoint in 2013 and it doesn’t look like she is ready to let her foot off the gas just yet as she is set to begin 2014 on high.

Although the sexy diva is still holidaying abroad after a hectic end of the year’s numerous engagements her manager has let the cat out of the bag that she will be returning soon with a bang.

Though she didn’t get into details what Niyola will be

D

aughter of late movie queen, Funmi Martins, Mide Martins who married her heart-throb, Afeez Owo some years back woke up some weeks ago to news running viral on social media that she has left her actor/producer husband, Afeez Owo. Mide Martins, who already have issues for the soft-spoken actor told WG that there is no truth in the rumour that she is still in love with her husband and could and will not contemplate leaving her husband.

Mide has once said she fell in love with Afeez Owo, a man who hardly takes on lead roles in movies, because the diminutive man stood by her when she needed ‘a shoulder to lean’ Afeez Owo is described by colleagues as a cerebral producer even though the man is never to be seen taking on lead roles or even a supporting lead roles. He celebrated his twentieth year in the movie industry last year.

slamming her fans with but hinted there will be release of another single and a video.

Niyola’s latest effort Belle No Be Showglass in collaboration with prolific singer, Sound Sultan was officially released onDecember 4th of last year and has since been enjoying wonderful reviews and good rating.

Also, she is still rocking the Sound City Top 10 Naija chart with her Toh Bad, enjoying the top of the chart for the past three weeks now.

All-star jamboree for Jide Kosoko at 60 V

eteran actor, Jide Kosoko will be 60 years old on January 29th and already a number of activities have been lined up to celebrate the foremost actor who was a former president of Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, ANTP. Top on the log is the two-in-one celebration package put together by Best of Nollywood.

The celebration will be preceded by a lecture with a theme “Nollywood; A Paradigm Shift to Excellence and Global Market and the lecture will be delivered by Obi Asika. Other moderators include Desmond Elliot, Fidelis Duker, Tunde Keleni and Wemimo Ogunde.

The birthday dance follows on from evening at the Troy Lounge. Many important personalities like Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Senator Ganiu Solomon and many others are expected to grace the occasion.

•Niyola

•Mide Martins and husband

I Go Dye becomes UN Ambassador T

•Jide Kosoko

op humour merchant and one of Africa’s most successful comedians, Francis Agoda, popularly known as I Go Dye, isn’t to be addressed any more like an ordinary individual. The Edo State-born comedian has had the appellation of ‘Ambassador’ added to his name. At least, that is the verdict of the United Nations who bestowed on him the honour of a United Nations Millennium Development Goal Ambassador.

The honour which was presented to him some days ago was in part, a mandate to further propagation of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to the top rated comedian, who is renown for his philanthropic gestures, the honour is an added boost for him to continue the good works of

life for the good of the humankind.

Brimming with smiles, he said “I feel honoured with this honour, but it will be more gratifying to me, when I will see that our leaders create opportunities for youths to be gainfully employed.

Because as at today, millions of Africans are suffering, and faced with uncertainty.

The future seems vague and no hope in sight”.

I Go Dye joins other entertainers like Benita Nzeribe, D’Banj, Sunny Nneji, J. Martins, Adokiye, and many others as UN Ambassadors but I Go Dye is a well known advocate for good leadership towards eradication of poverty.

28—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

By AYO ONIKOYI

2014 has begun and already it is beginning to look like a busy one for the cinemas. Many movies that didn’t make the deadline of the past year are beginning to find their way into the market.

Just some couple of days back, Rukky Sanda premièred her latest movie ‘Gold Digging’ at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Palms, Lekki .

Also there is a film by Eddie George “Gina and the Fish’ ready to hit the cinemas any moment from now.

Gold Digging ‘Gold Digging’ began its tour on of this year. It is a film with top cinemas on Friday even though the class cast, including Yvonne movie was premiered on January 4th Nelson, Rukky Sanda, who produced the film, Alex Ekubo, Dammy Krane and a host of others.

“Gold Digging’ isn’t a complex movie it is just a story of a star-struck day dreamer who is looking for her idea prince charming.

Synopsis

Empire State A drama centered on two childhood friends who plan to rob an armored car depository, and the NYPD officer who stands in their way.

STARRING:Dwayne Johnson, Emma Robert, Leam Hensworth.

TOP MOVIES OF THE WEEK BESTMAN HOLIDAY 47 RONIN CARRIE PARANOIA GOLD DIGGIN

Exhibition Schedule from JAN, 17 — JAN, 23 2013 SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, VICTORIA ISLAND Gold Diggin : 2:00pm, 6:20pm, 8:30pm Carrie : 2:15pm, 8:40pm Paranoia : 2:05pm, 6:25pm, 8:30pm Best Man Holiday : 4:00pm, 6:20pm, 8:45pm Lagos Cougars ; 12:00pm,4:10pm Cloudy a with a chance of meatballs 2 : 11:50am,1:55pm SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, IKEJA Empire State : 10:45am, 6:45pm, Gold Diggin : 11:10am, 6:35pm 47 Ronin : 6:30pm, 8:45pm Carrie : 8:35pm Paranoai : 4:40pm Best Man Holiday : 9:00pm Lagos Cougar : 4:20pm

Gina and the Fish “Gina and the Fish’ is a story of Gina, a girl orphaned so early in her life and who was brought up by a grandmother who knows no other way of surviving but by trickery, stealing and lying.

When her grandmother died, Gina’s life was left in the palm of her hands and to chart a new course of life for herself became a challenge. The cast is lead by Cynthia Agholor, who plays Gina, alongside others like Sydney Deala, Emmanuel Francis, Ayo Emmanuel and others.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, SEC Gold Digging : 2:30pm, 6:50pm, 8:50pm Carrie : 1:20pm, 3:20pm, 7:20pm, 9:20pm Best Man Holiday : 12:40pm, 3:10pm, 5:35pm, 8:20pm Diana : 12:10pm, 4:30pm Cloudy with a chance : 11:45am,4:10pm •Cynthia Agholor

After The Proposal “After The Proposal’ is a film by Uche Jombo and directed by Desmond Elliot. It hit the market last December, but the hung-over effect has spilled well into the new year.

The plot is all about a meddling mother of three unmarried daughters, who puts immense pressure on them to find husbands. When a suitor does

8:40pm

finally propose to the oldest daughter it looks like the families unreasonable demands are to drive him away.

The cast is high profile and it includes Patience Ozokwor, Uche Jombo, Anthony Monjaro, Desmond Elliot, Belinda Effah and others.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS CEDDI PLAZA , ABUJA Gold Diggin : 11:40am, 3:50pm Carrie : 3:10pm, 7:05pm Best Man Holiday : 6:00pm, 8:30pm Paranoia : 5:05pm, 9:00pm Lagos Cougars : 1:45pm Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 : 12:00pm SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, PORT HARCOURT Gold Diggin : 12:05pm,2:10pm,4:30pm,6:35pm,8:40pm Carrie : 12;00pm 3:10pm,7:00pm, Best Man Holiday : 1:35pm,6:25pm,8:50pm Diana : 11:30am,4:10pm Lagos Cougars : 4:30pm, 6:40pm, 8:50pm Findind Mercy : 12:40pm, 2:30pm SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, UYO Gold Diggin : 12:00pm,2:30pm,4:55pm,7:00pm Carrie : 12:15pm,4:45pm,6:45pm World War z : 2:25pm Krrish 3 : 6:05pm Lagos Cougars : 1 2:20pm,4:40pm,6:50pm Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 : 2:00pm,4:05pm About Time : 12:05pm Pain $ Gain : 1:00pm,4:00pm,6:30pm

•After the proposal

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 29

With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com 08050498513

Five habits of Nigerian mobile users

By LAJU ARENYEKA

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f there’s any country that has experienced the digital revolution in its entirety, it is Nigeria. The GSM boom from 2001 changed the face of technology. But it didn’t end there; it birthed a new culture for the Nigerian people, creating funny habits, language and traditions. Perhaps it might be imperative to give insight on some of them: Multiple lines, multiple phones: This is always blamed on poor telecomm services. But it has more to do with new styles and tastes that technology has ushered in. 63 % of Nigerian phone users have more than one line. Little wonder the porting phenomenon has not been well received. The use of multiple lines has also made dual-sim phones a hit in the Nigerian market.

Flashing: Nigerians, no matter how wealthy, are ever on the lookout for cheaper ways to do things. This has

ushered in a culture widely known in Nigeria as flashing. Flashing is the art of beeping a receiver with the intention of getting him to call back. Some users have so mastered the use of flashing, that it is impossible for any receiver to pick their calls even for a split second.

Depending on the situation, a flash could mean: “call me back I don’t have credit,” “ wake up, it’s time to go,” “have you checked the beans

on the fire,” “I just wanted to say hi” etc.

Mr. Fix it: Nearly every Nigerian has become a selfappointed engineer. If a Nigerian’s phone freezes, he takes out the battery and reboots. If it falls into water, he dries it out under the sun. If the speaker is faulty, he turns it to the back. If the keypad is faulty, he uses cellotape.

Show offs and trend setters: For many mobile users in Nigeria, the slogan is: If it’s new in the mobile market, then we’ve got it!

How we pick foreign calls: The typical Nigerian has two standard behaviours when he is about to receive an international call from a number he doesn’t recognize. Firstly, he lets the person on the other end of the line speak first. He lets the person introduce himself to be sure that he isn’t about to be conned. Once he’s sure that the coast is clear, he changes his accent immediately to suit the caller’s.

Beware of that Pastor online!

BY LAJU ARENYEKA

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ave you ever heard the phrase, ‘Beware of dogs’?

It originated from the bible. And if deceivers existed during bible times, you can be sure that scammers abound today as wolves in sheep clothing.

New on the scene are fraudsters posing as famous pastors online and obtaining money from unsuspecting people.

One of such victims who spoke to Glamtech said she was following a facebook page which she assumed was set up by a famous female pastor in Nigeria. “I had sent a prayer request asking for a life partner, and she said she had someone for me. So I gave her my number and she gave me the number of the supposed life partner. I would call the guy, and the guy would call me. After a short while, he began to ask for money. So instead of going through the online route, I decided to go to the church myself. It was when I got there I realized that the pastor knew absolutely nothing about the facebook page I had been following. The person I had been following had a slight adjustment and put an apostrophe after her name. It had all been a scam.” Another lady had been looking for a job for a long time. She kept on contacting different churches through social media until she ran into one that was willing to help her, only if she could pay a sum of money to guarantee her place. She was trying to get the money when she contacted the church directly and realized it was the plot of a shady business deal.

Without a shadow of doubt, the internet is helping provide spiritual succour and spread the gospel to many all over the world. But in spite of these, there are some tares among the wheat. Here are some ways to spot them out online: Number of likes: More often than not, the legitimacy of a page is like a democracy. The more people like the page, the more likely it’s legitimate. But the number of likes alone is not strong enough evidence though.

Posterity: How long ago was the page set up? There is more safety in a page with history than one that was set up just recently.

Go a step further: Before you make a financial commitment, or reveal a personal issue, make several phone calls and if possible visit the church directly.

Investigate and dig deeper.

The truth about online dating

Why the future of displays looks curved T

HE human eye is not flat. So it makes sense that the displays and screens we stare at for hours on end should be curved as well. The main benefit of using curved screens for visual displays is that for known viewer position, a screen with the same physical screen size produces a wider field of view for a curved screen than a flat screen. This is because as the edges of the screen move closer towards to viewer, the field of view increases. This effect provides a greater sense of immersion in the display environment and can improve visual perception due to the increased area of peripheral vision achieved.

Actually, curved displays are better than flat screens due to drastically different reflectance. Flat displays produce a tremendous amount of reflection, which is very distracting. These reflections don’t go away when the display is on.

They are merely masked by the patterns displayed on the screen, and the brightness of the display.

Manufacturers are making big strides in reducing reflectance but ultimately, a flat piece of blackbacked glass is always going to be highly reflective.

Curved displays result in less non-direct light reflecting off the screen — and any light from behind you that does hit the screen gets reflected away from your eyes, for a much more comfortable viewing experience.

Forget third world, we spend just as much on mobile technology as the so called developed economies. And if we’ve got it, we’ll show it off; to our friends, to our enemies, to strangers and to everyone else. It doesn’t matter whether the tablet is more expensive than the clothes on our back, or we can’t afford to load that expensive phone with credit, we’d set the trend and get the gadget.

•LG smart bend TV

•LG G Flex smart phone

•LG smart remote

30 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

JANUARY 17 , 2014

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—31

Agenda for the new NIPR leadership The first part of this discourse was published on Wednesday

BY JOSSY NKWOCHA

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GOOD majority of Nigerian politi cians no longer hide the fact that it is only about one thing: Politics.

Those that they lead, in their turn, no longer demand to be led, cared for, or even inspired. Having been deceived, disorientated, devalued and demotivated for so very long, they have lost hope of there ever being a leader in their own lifetimes who would ensure they get the lives to which they aspire.

Standards have consequently dropped. It is enough these days for a political office holder merely to have ‘done something’, regardless of how much the citizenry is being deprived at his expense. It is not unusual, either, for the propaganda that follows an ‘achievement’ to be of greater intensity than the value of the achievement itself.

In fact the excitement that greeted the ushering in of the brand new civilian dispensation in 1999 has been quenched by too much optimism and too much enthusiasm - which has not been backed by action. Not that it had not been justified. The fight had been long and brutal.

Bodies had been dirtied; noses bloodied and egos completely battered and frittered out of existence. It only appeared natural that those who had been on the battle front and returned limping (not all had made it) would eat the fruits of their labour.

Democracy became not only a religion, it became a mantra. Not many really knew the meaning of the term in any real sense. No one had taken the time to study the characteristics of the various democracies and how a democratic roadmap could be drawn for Nigeria that would take into consideration her

graft could be curbed if political office holders were compensated in such a way as to satisfy their every need and want. This, and other theories of the age have failed to bear fruit. Graft has not only continued it has multiplied in geometric proportions. So has politics.

There had been a time when the playing of politics had been skilfully done, and it had been important to at least try to conceal the fact that politics was being played. Nowadays, it is done blatantly, proudly and with every arrogance.

The trouble with putting politics before statecraft is multifaceted, particularly when regulations are fickle, challenges few and unprecedented amounts of funds are available to political office holders to ply their trade.

Biggest threat

Our politics is turning out to be the biggest threat to our democracy. When it is happening at the highest levels, the threat becomes even more real and present.

This danger was most glaring during the Yar'Adua administration, when the unfortunately sick president was so dehumanized by political innuendo that his body was purportedly flown into the country in the dead of the night in order that he would continue to be president even after he was dead.

Clearly, this odd state of affairs was not in the interest of Nigeria’s stability, as it had been claimed, but telling of a succession crisis brewing under the surface.

It was a point in Nigeria’s history that was one There had been a time when the playof the darkest, breeding ing of politics had been skilfully done, uncertainty of the worst type and bringing to the and it had been important to at least try fore the desperation of the to conceal the fact that politics was bepolitical class not to loosen its tenacious grip on ing played. Nowadays, it is done blapower. As the situation in tantly, proudly and with every arrogance Rivers now deteriorates and a man shot albeit by very many idiosyncrasies, chief of which is a rubber bullet, the police in the state apher diversity in ethnicity, culture and religion. pears more interested in playing politics than The uniforms were torched in a bonfire and restoring the confidence of the people in reduced to the ashes of virtual nonexistence. its ability to ensure the safety of lives and The caftans came on, and while the Nigerian property. version of a truth and reconciliation commisIn all of these, the human factor is bound sion did not exactly lead to forgiveness Madito be worst hit. Stories have been told of how ba-style, it reinforced what had been the hint erstwhile first lady Turai Yaradua had exthat those who made the most noise about the ploited every and any opportunity to make last sixteen years of military rule would take money in spite of- and sometimes because over the mantle of leadership on various levof- her husband’s ill health. We fail however els. It was only natural, also, that a lot of seto realize as a nation that there is a little bit lections would prevail over elections in inter of Turai in all of us and that little bit is under party as well as intraparty polls cutting across threat of explosion into a monster, the the various political parties across the counmore we accept the reign of money and try. power politics.

It was no longer enough for an otherwise accomplished man or woman with a vision or Soyinka on Mandela a plan to merely step forward and offer to be Of all the commentary that followed the voted for and thereby render service to his announcement of the death of the South Afmotherland on different levels. The candidate rican Nobel Peace Laureate - whether local had to fit the bill of political correctness. or international- by far the most capturing of The era of pure politics had been born. With the profundity of Nelson Mandela’s life came it had come mind boggling remuneration, emfrom Soyinka: “The soul of Africa has deboldened by eternally faulty argument that parted, and there is nothing miraculous left in the world”.

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GAIN, Council needs to bring back our regular Professional Journal, where professional papers written by members can be published and circulated. Members must be given value for their membership of the Institute.

Fifthly, I strongly advocate a change in the timing of our national conference and AGM to ensure greater participation of our members. In the past three years, the event has held in midDecember, which is the busiest time for most public relations practitioners in corporate organizations. It has prevented many members from contributing to discussions on important issues concerning NIPR, and disenfranchised such members from voting for the best leadership of the Institute.

According to Schedule 1 (4) 1 of the NIPR Act: “The Council shall convene the annual meeting of the Institute on 30th April in every year or on such other day as the Council may,

Map of Nigeria

jobs? How do we get our profession to be respected among the comity of other professions?

For now, we spend too much time playing the politics of NIPR: Who becomes President? Who becomes Council member?

We should allow the best candidates with the requisite qualifications, aptitude and experience (QAE) to lead our Institute. And the best can come from any state of our country, As a professional body, we Nigeria.

Lastly, the need to emphasize profesCouncil sionalism and excellence, and should work as a ask ourselves: how do we team; grow our institute? imbibe team spirit to achieve from time to time appoint, result. There should be so however, that if the unity of purpose. Issues meeting is not held within should be resolved mainly one year after the previous by consensus. I strongly annual general meeting, believe that the Dr. not more than fifteen RotimiOladele team will months shall elapse bemake tremendous tween the respective dates progress if they can put of the two meetings.” these humble suggestions Some people had thought that this provision of the Act into action. I humbly submit… compels the Institute to · Sir Jossy Nkwocha, hold AGM in December.

Fellow of NIPR, was The new Council should General Editor of Newsplease restore our next AGM to between January to watch Magazine; and April 2015. There should be currently Head of Corpo“Call for Papers,” especially rate Communications & Special Adviser to the PR case studies, to make Managing Director of the conference stimulating Indorama Eleme Petroand rewarding for particichemicals Limited (IEPL), pants.

Port Harcourt. He can be Sixthly, I humbly suggest reached on that we de-emphasize sirjossynkwocha@yahoo.com. politics in the affairs of the

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The Age of Politics

Institute. Granted, politics and religion are the opium of any society. But when they are allowed to overshadow everything else, they destroy the system. As a professional body, we need to emphasize professionalism and excellence, and ask ourselves: how do we grow our institute? How do we chase away quacks? How do we improve the quality of our members to grab good

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32—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue

Structure of the national confab Yesterday, we published the strategies adopted by the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue in the execution of its assignment. Today we continue with the third instalment.

Debates and decisions The Committee then split into three sub-committees on issues which, from the debates held and the assessment of the Interactive Sessions and the discussions at the Retreat, were areas that required greater attention. The subcommittees were as follows: •Sub-Committee on Agenda and Time-Frame, made up of Professor George A. Obiozor as Chairman, and Alhaji Dauda Birmah, OFR, and Dr. Mrs. Mairo Ahmed Amshi, FRM2, OFR as members; •Sub-Committee on Structure and Modalities, comprising Senator Khairat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe as Chairman and Professor Olufunke Adeboye, Professor Anya O. Anya FAS, OFR, NNOM, Dr. Abubakar Siddique Muhammad and Mr. Tony Uranta as members; •Sub-Committee on Legal Matters headed by Chief Solomon Asemota (SAN) with Malam Bukhari Bello and Sena-

tor Timothy Adudu as members.

The Sub-Committees reported to the Main Committee in a Plenary. Their reports were subjected to debates and decisions were arrived at President Jonathan, VP Sambo and the confab committee leaders by consensus except for issues bordering Recommendations c Other security agencies.

President, Governors, etc on Mode of Representation, over •The Independent National which the Committee had re- In the light of the above, the Com- •State Creation and Merger of Electoral Commission (INEC) course to voting. The Commit- mittee recommends the following States and the challenges of conducting tee’s decisions in response to the specific items for inclusion on the •Education: free and fair elections. seven terms of reference are re- Agenda of the National Confer- a. Investment in education; b. Decentralisation and National •Population and Credible Naported in the chapters and sec- ence: •Political restructuring of the Education policy; tional Census; tions that follow. country: c. Return of Missionary and Pri- •Land Use Act; a. Political Federalism. vate schools to original owners; •Role of Traditional Rulers and CHAPTER FOUR TERMS b. Fiscal Federalism, d. Institutionalizing Tsangaya/Al- Institution in governance at naOF REFERENCE c. Definition of Federating Units: majiri education system tional and local levels; e. Nomadic Education.

•The Economy: "To consult with all relevant States or Geo-Political Zones a. Poverty and wealth creation; stakeholders with a view to draw- •Forms of Democratic Gover- •Health: a. Health Policy b. Productivity; ing up a feasible agenda for the nance: b. Investment in Health c. Diversification of the economy; proposed Dialogue/Conference.” a. Presidential system. c. Healthcare Delivery d. Industries and IndustrialisaThe Committee affirms the com- b. Parliamentary system; mitment Nigerians expressed c. Choice between Uni-cameral or •Science, Technology and Devel- tion opment: •Oil and other Mineral Resourcand exhibited throughout the ex- Bi-cameral legislature; ercise, to Nigerian unity and con- d. Choice between full-time or a. Science and Technology Edu- es Management, Exploration cation; and Sharing mechanism; tinued existence of the country as part-time legislature.

•Good Governance; b. Technological Adaptations and •Revenue Generation and Moa sovereign united entity. the National Economy; bilization Nigerians overwhelmingly a. Cost of governance; •National Youth Service Corps across the country are of the view b. Corruption and national devel- c .Research and Development; d. Promotion and Improvement (NYSC); that the National Conference opment; should be another opportunity to c. Fighting corruption and anti- of indigenous Technological in- •Gender issues; •Youth Unemployment and Defashion a more just, peaceful and corruption agencies - ICPC, novations; •Restoring the National Ethics, velopment issue; equitable society through a sta- EFCC; •Physically Challenged Persons ble democracy. Nigerians have in- d. Immunity of political office Morals and Core Values Religion, Secularism and the Sec- and National Development; dicated that, the Conference shall holders; provide a platform to discuss all e. Citizenship/indigenes — SetThe structure of the proposed National issues that will lead to the real- tlers dichotomy; f.

Justiciability of the fundamenConference and the modalities for putting it ization of their dream for a better, united country where justice, eq- tal objectives and directive prin- into place generated a lot of suggestions from uity, peace, progress and devel- ciples of state policy; •Judicature: Nigerians at the Interactive Sessions held by opment are achieved.

Observations: The Committee a. Fundamental human rights; the Committee and through the memoranda observes that, Nigerians through- b. Impunity of judicial officers; out the country are committed to c. Review of judicial institutions; submitted to it having a National Conference d. Sharia and Customary legal ularity of the Nigerian State •Investment in Sports where issues militating against system; •Agriculture, Food Security and •Boundary adjustment; d.

Delays in the administration of their collective development will Rural Development •National inland waterways isbe adequately discussed and justice. a. Decentralisation of National sues; •Democratization: strategies mapped out for adAgricultural Policy; •Elective Mayorality Administradressing them through constitu- a. Deepening democracy; b.Grazing Reserves and Cattle tive/Legislative Structures for b.

De-militarization of national tional, legal, policy and other Routes Demarcation FCT, Abuja strategies. The Committee ob- psyche, •The Environment •Special status for Lagos; c.

Democratic culture and orienserved that except for the detera. Environmental Degradation •Unsettled issues of the Nigeritation; mination to maintain the corpo– flooding, soil erosion, oil spill- an Civil War (1967-1970); rate existence of Nigeria as a unit- d. Mechanisms for a more inclu- age and desertification; •Revising Bakassi; ed country, Nigerians believe that sive participatory democracy. b.Climate change.

•Languages and Language PolPolitical parties, God-fatherism there should be no, no-go-areas •Defence: icy; and the challenges of internal at the proposed Conference. a. Nigeria’s defence policy and •Pension Matters and Rights of democracy: They, however, seem to place a Senior Citizens; •National Security and Secu- posture at home and abroad; lot of emphasis on some major isb.The Nigerian Armed forces •Federal Character rity Challenges: sues bordering on their immediand multi-lingual challenges; ate concerns for national devel- a. Security Agencies: Review and c. Nigeria and International CHAPTER FIVE opment, justice, peace and re-design of national security ap- peace-keeping operations.

ToR2: To make recommendaparatus, progress.

•Tenure of Public officials: b Local policing, Continues on page 33

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HE Retreat focused on is sues such as ‘the national question’, ‘ethnic nationalities’, ‘plebiscite/referendum,’ ‘sovereignty’, ‘review of National Conferences held in other countries, etc. (see Retreat Programme Appendices 14). The presentations and the discussions held for the whole day were thorough and knowledge-driven.

Phase 3 - Review of Memoranda: The Committee Members adjourned for three days to actively review individually, the memoranda that the Committee received through the Interactive Sessions, on-line and directly.

This exercise allowed members to peruse and digest the 644 memoranda that Nigerians from all walks of life and across all divides forwarded to the Committee. The review exercise assisted tremendously in preparing appropriate responses to the Committee’s terms of reference.

Phase 5 - Working on the Report: Having exhaustively conducted all the activities it lined up for execution of the assignment, the Committee held an inhouse brainstorming session in which members reviewed the entire exercise, in order to arrive at appropriate responses to the terms of reference.

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—33

Structure of the national confab Continues from page 32

tions to Government on structure and modalities for the proposed National-Dialogue/Conference The structure of the proposed National Conference and the modalities for putting it into place generated a lot of suggestions from Nigerians at the Interactive Sessions held by the Committee and through the memoranda submitted to it. The structure is taken to mean the composition and size of the Conference while modalities mean the strategies adopted in defining the structure.

Members considered the proposal to establish an organ that will be mandated with the responsibilities of managing and administering the Conference including preparing grounds for its take-off. The Committee also considered suggestions that the Conference should have a leadership structure to guide its conduct and preside over its affairs.

nated by their respective interest groups. This will bring the size of the National Conference to 349. According to this option, the Delegates to represent Special Interests shall be distributed as follows: •Traditional Rulers •Physically Challenged •Organized Private Sector •Faith-based Organizations 2 Muslims, 2 Christians, 2 Traditionalists) •State Government and FCT •Federal Government - 6 (2 Executive, 2 Legislature, 2 Judiciary) •Armed Forces & Police - 4 •Diaspora Representatives - 4 (United Kingdom, N/America, Asia, Africa) •Professional Bodies - 4 (NLC, TUC, NBA, NMA) Option ‘B’ - Representation on the Basis of Equality Senatorial Districts (3 Delegates Per Senatorial District): For this option,

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Members considered the proposal to establish an organ that will be mandated with the responsibilities of managing and administering the Conference including preparing grounds for its take-off

Many options regarding the structure of the body of Delegates, i.e.-the Conference itself were also put before the Committee. These included building the Conference structure around equal ethnic representation in such a way that, each ethnic nationality is represented by one Delegate each.

Similarly, the six geopolitical Zones, States, Local Governments, and Federal Constituencies were variously suggested as the pool from which to draw the main body of the National Conference.

Indirect elections Out of a multitude of such options, the Committee considered and debated four major options formally articulated and put before it.

Option ‘A’ Representation on the Basis of Equality of GeoPolitical Zones: This option proposes that elected Delegates should comprise an equal number of 45 Delegates from each of the six geo-political zones. The 45 Delegates shall emerge through an indirect election process starting from Wards and involving stakeholders. Five Delegates, including one woman and one youth, will be elected from the Ward to the zonal level from where the 45 Delegates to represent the zone will then be elected. This would give rise to 270 elected Delegates nationwide.

‘Special Interests’: This will comprise 79 Delegates to be nomi-

the Conference shall comprise a total of 502 delegates, 364 of them are to be elected through an Electoral College made up of five Electors from each Local Government in the Senatorial District that will meet at the Senatorial District level to elect three Delegates per Senatorial District making nine for each State, while the State Government is to nominate one Delegate to make the State Delegation 10 per State and four from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 138 representatives of ‘Special Interest Groups’.

138 Additional Delegates: The option further provides for 138 additional Delegates to represent ‘Special Interest Groups’. These will be nominated by the Special Interest Groups as follows: •Women: States 36 FCT 1 Fed. Government 2 Total 36 •Youths (not above 35 years) States 36 FCT 1 Fed. Government 2 Total 39 •Traditional Rulers: States 36 FCT 1 Total 37 •Physically Challenged - 2 •Professional Bodies (NLC, TUC, NBA) 4 •Organized Private Sector 1 •Faith-based Organizations (2 SCIA, 2 CAN, 2 Traditionalists) - 6 •Federal Government - 6 (2 Executive, 2 Legislature, 2 Judiciary) •Armed Forces & Police 2

should be an all-inclusive one.

Similarly members are agreed on the principle of directly electing majority of the Delegates to the National Conference on the basis of universal adult suffrage.

Members were agreed on the need to avoid cumbersome procedures in the determination of the structure and size of the Conference. This is important so that the project is not made vulnerable with the risk of being hijacked by unpatriotic forces who may want to cash in on the cumbersome procedures to cause confusion in order to promote narrow interests in the run-up to the electioneering process in 201 4 and the General Elections in 2015.

Elected Delegates under any of the options considered should emerge through direct election on the principles of universal adult suffrage. The Committee also agreed on the need for an administrative structure that shall run the affairs of the Conference

•Diaspora Reps (1 male, 1 fe- torial Districts (4 Delegates Per male) 2 Senatorial District): This option proposes representation based on Sub-Total 138 Option ‘C’- Representation on equality of States. It suggested the Basis of Equality of Constit- that each State should be repreuencies of House of Represen- sented by 12 Delegates and 4 tatives: This option proposes that, from the FCT Abuja elected the Conference structure should through universal adult suffrage be made up of one Delegate from in such a way that, each Senatoeach Constituency of the Feder- rial District returns 4 elected Delal House of Representatives. The egates to the Conference. This Delegates are to be elected will bring the total number of through an Electoral College. elected Delegates to 436.

The process will begin at the Additional 64 Nominated DelWard level where one represen- egates: The option also propostative will be elected to go to the es that, there shall be additional Local Government from where 64 Delegates to be nominated by five persons will be elected to special interests including ethform the Electoral College of each nic nationalities, faith-based Federal Constituency. The Elec- groups, professional bodies, retoral College will then elect one gional socio-political groups, civDelegate to represent the Fed- il society organizations, women, eral Constituency at the Nation- youth, the Physically Chalal Conference, The advantage of lenged, etc. It is further proposed electing Delegates on the basis that, the Federal Government of Federal Constituencies is that it allows for wider participation of the grassroots.

The proponents of this option accepted an amendment to alter the mode of election so that, the Delegates from the Federal Constituencies will be elected directly through universal adult suffrage. In addition to the elected Delegates, it was further proposed that other Interest Groups President Jonathan with national confab committee leaders shall also be represented by 185 Delegates to be should facilitate these nominanominated by the respective in- tions in conjunction with the in- as well as per form other important functions even before the terest groups. The distribution of terests involved. take-off the Conference. these additional Delegates shall The Committee also considWith regards to the size and be as follows: ered proposals on the leader- structure of the National Confer•Women: States (1 each) - 36 ship required by the National ence itself, the Committee tried FCT 1 Conference. Suggestions on this in vain to reach a consensus.

Fed. Government - 4 matter included that there shall Decision on the matter was, 41 be a Chairman (or the Confer- therefore, arrived at by voting on •Youths (not above 35 years) ence. Some suggested that, the the options listed earlier. Before States (1 each) - 36 Chairman, who shall be a retired the votes were taken, the propoFCT - 2 Supreme Court or Court of Ap- nents of option ‘B’ however deFed. Government - 4 peal Judge), shall be appointed cided to fuse their ideas with 41 by the Federal Government. Oth- those proposed under option ‘C’.

•Traditional Rulers: ers proposed that, the Confer- The results were as follows: 1 States (1 each) - 36 ence itself should elect its offic- member voted in favour of OpFCT - 1 ers including the Chairman. tion ‘A’ on ‘Equal Zonal Repre- 37 sentation1, 6 members voted in •Physically Challenged - 4 Associated favour of option ‘C1, while 5 •Professional Bodies processes members voted in favour of op(NLC, TUC, NBA) - 4 tion ‘D’ while 1 member ab•Organized Private Sector - 3 There were also suggestions stained.

•Faith-based Organizations that, the Conference should have Recommendations: Members (2 SCIA, 2 CAN, 2 Traditional‘a Deputy Chairman, or Deputy extensively deliberated on the ists) - 6 Chairmen.' Some argued in various options listed above. The •State Government and FCT favour of two Deputy Chairmen Committee recommends as fol37 from North and South, while oth- lows, •Federal Government ers suggested five Deputy Chair1. There is need to establish a (2 Executive, 2 Legislature, 2 men appointed or elected from Conference Management SecreJudiciary) - 6 the geo-political zones other tariat (CMS) which should con•Armed Forces & Police - 4 than, the zone from where the sist of: •Diaspora Reps (1 male, 1 feChairman emerged. a.An Executive Secretary who male) - 2 Observations: Members shall be Administrative Head of Sub-Total - 185 agreed that the National Confer- the Conference assisted by AdThe size of the National Conence and its associated process- ministrative, Accounts, Personnel ference going by this option shall es shall be owned and driven by and other staff to service the Secbe 536 elected and nominated the Nigerian people and that the retariat; Delegates. structure of the Conference Option ‘D’ - Equality of SenaTo be continued

34— VANGUARD,

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 ismillah Rahamani Raheem.

The Qur’an says: Say (O Muhammad): O mankind! I am the messenger of Allah to all of you (the messenger of) Him to Whom belongs the Kingdom of Heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him. He gives life and He gives death. So believe in Muhammad (s.a.w.) the messenger to all people Allah and His messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and in His words, follow him so that you be (rightly) Guided. (Q 7 verse 158) The Prophet of Allah leads from darkness to light: The Qur’an says: Indeed! Allah has sent down to you a reminder.

A messenger reciting on who believe in Allah, and Whereby Allah guides all who how in a human form one you absolutely plain hold fast to (religious core seek His good pleasure to the could be considered as a revelations of Allah, so that In reality all from) Him, them He will way of peace and He delivers light. those who believe and do cause to enter into His mercy them from darkness to light, Knowledge and Light good deeds, he can deliver and grace, and will guide by His Will and guides them belongs to Allah Subhanahu them from darkness to light. them by a straight path to to a straight path. (Q5 Verses wa Ta’ala and through His And whoever believe in (reach) Him. (Q 4 verse 175 Allah and did good deeds, He 176) will bring them into Gardens Muhammad (s.a.w.) the beneath which rivers flow. light from Allah: The Qur’an Therein will live forever. says: O people of the Allah has made good Scripture! Our messenger provision for them. (Q 65 (last prophet) has come to verse 10-11) you, uncovering much of Muhammad (s.a.w.) the that which you used to hide Proof from Allah: The Qur’an in the Scripture and forgiving says: O mankind! Verily 15-16) Divine Mercy He bestows a many of your faults. Indeed there have come to you a Because of limited human light on individuals. The there has come to you from proof from your Lord, and understanding, sometime concentration of light varies Allah a light and a Book of We have sent down on to you even a believer fails to see according to the Divine Absolute (knowledge) an absolute light. So those

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Maolud-Nabiyyi:

Muhammad (s.a.w), Messenger to all mankind

Muhammad (s.a.w.) is a supreme example of knowledge and the love of God Almighty

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From left: Chairman of Jaiz Bank, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab; Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib and the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, NSCIA, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar during the 9th Zakat Distribution ceremony at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (CMUL-LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos.

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attachment and proposed mission.

It is very clearly indicated in the Quran that for correct approach to the Divine Lord and for the qualification of the rewards in the Hereafter, both the Messenger of Allah and the Book of Allah have a vital role in the life of the believers. Mankind in general cannot escape to do without either of them.

Our world is full of wonders and human achievements, but it is also is host to many evil and darkness, to liberate mankind from dark actions, Allah has sent a Light and a Book.

Muhammad (s.a.w.) The Highest Example for Mankind. The Qur’an says: Indeed in the messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for him who hopes on (meeting) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much. (Q 33 Verse 21) For everything there is a standard with which other things are compared in value and precision. For mankind Allah S.W.T has placed His messenger in our midst. The messenger of God Almighty experienced all aspect of human life. The happy moments and the sorrow and suffering of life. Muhammad (s.a.w.) is a supreme example of Knowledge and the Love of God Almighty.

Operations Manager, Mallam Ma’aruf Ahmed (left); Chairman of Jaiz Bank, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab (2nd left) assisted by Executive Director/ CEO ZSF, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib (right) to present a merit award to Head of Treasury, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Ali Ango, who represented Chairman, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote during the 9th Zakat distribution ceremony, in Lagos.

20 15: Sultan, o ther eminent Muslims call ffor or pra 2015: other prayyer erss A

S the nation looks for ward to new leaders in 2015 general elections, the Sultan of Sokoto and PresidentGeneral, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakr; Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari; Chief Imam of Lagos, Alhaji Garuba Akinola Ibrahim, have urged Nigerians at home and abroad to pray for a successful electoral process.

The trio made the call recently during the 9th Zakat Distribution Ceremony organized by Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) at the New Great Hall of

the College of Medicine, University of Lagos/Lagos University Teaching Hospital (CMULLUTH), Idi-Araba, Mushin, Lagos. The event featured opening of Baytuz Zakat (Zakat House) at Olajide Street, Ilasamaja, Mushin, Lagos by Sultan Abubakar and distribution of materials and cheques worth N84 million.

The materials include Tricycle (Keke Marwa), Deep freezers, complete computer set, complete mechanical tools, Wheel Chair, Washing machine, shoe-making machine, sewing machine, photocopier machine while the cheques were

meant to support the beneficiaries in the areas of education, health, welfare, debt relief and accommodation.

The occasion was chaired by Chairman of Jaiz Bank, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab while Executive Secretary, Muslim Ummah in Southwest of Nigeria, MUSWEN, Prof Daud Noibi delivered the lecture of the day.

Sultan Abubakar enjoined Nigerians to pray fervently for the country.

“We need prayers for our leaders to lead us right; we need good leadership in this country who can take us to the promise land,” he said.

He called on those in government to complement the effort of the foundation to reduce poverty in the society.

He said people should be encouraged to pay Zakat as it is one of the pillars of Islam.

The sultan urged beneficiaries to make good use of the empowerment materials and in the nearest future be Zakat payers. He added that the body will move to speak with the government to institutionalize Zakat and passed it into law for people to take it seriously.

Alhaji Sulu-Gambari corroborated Sultan Abubakar’s call for prayer, saying, “prayers will

go a long way to stem the rot in the society.”

The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, ZSF, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib lamented the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

According to him, despite the abundant human and material resources, the country is plagued with different challenges and crisis.

“These challenges have compounded the already worsening standard of living of the poor and needy with youth unemployment on the increase.

He said no fewer than 400 people will benefit from N84 million Zakat proceed for this year.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—35

Maolud Nabiyyi celebration Photos by Akeem Salau

Da wah FFrront w arns against o Daw warns ovver-heating the polity

BY BASHIR ADEFAKA

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ATIONAL Coordina tor of the Dawah Front of Nigeria, DFN, Engr. Kamardeen Adebayo Babalola, has warned that sentiment in governance is capable of causing more setback for Nigeria.

He spoke at the 9th Couple Forum, organized by the Dawah Front of Nigeria, Lagos State Branch, in Ikeja, Lagos last Sunday. Just as the state co-ordinator, Alhaji Qasim Alabi, chided those who were agitating for Christian governor in Lagos come 2015 and described their call as anti-society growth.

Engr. Babalola called on President Goodluck Jonathan to be more proactive in dealing with issues and desist from responding to criticisms.

“That is why we should have

a purposeful visionary leaders, those who would have development as their priority.

That is why we have departments in Dawah Front, some of which deal with dawah and relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims. So, there is need for synergy.

“I would say that we Muslims have played our own role in condemning and preaching against violence in the society. So, others especially the Christians, should follow suit by condemning atrocities perpetrated against Muslims by their own members for the good of all of us. I would advise Mr. President to avoid action that will portray him as being favouring one section at the expense of the other.,” he said.

On those calling for a chris-

tian governor in Lagos, Qasim Alabi said, “As far as we are concerned, for anybody to come up with a sentiment for Christian governor come 2015, it is only a call too irresponsible. According to him, Fashola as a matter of fact, who is about the best governor has opened the eyes of state administration to modern governance. He has done well and no one would call him a governor for Muslims or Christians. He is a governor for all Lagosians.”

He continued: “If he had been benefiting the Muslims, how come that female Muslim students would be persecuted for wearing hijab that was not even worn within the school premises and he never moved to protect such class of Muslims? he queried.

A cross section Muslim women supplicating to mark Maolud Nabiyyi at Olorun ni Sola Mosque, Iju Ishaga, Lagos

Sheikh Lemu bags Saudi King Faisal Award

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HEIKH Dr. Ahmed Abou Bakr Lemu of Nigeria emerged one of the five distinguished scholars from various parts of the world, including a Saudi, who won the prestigious King Faisal Prize recently. The announcement was made at a glittering event a few days ago.

Dr. Lemu bagged the King Faisal International Prize for his Service to Islam.

Lemu who is also the Chairman, Council of Trustees, Islamic Relief Commission Office clinched the prize for his efforts towards education, de-

velopment and call to Islam, particularly his defense of Muslim women’s rights and his initiatives to combat extremism in Nigeria.

The King Faisal International Prize for Science (Mathematics) was awarded to Prof.

Gerd Faltings of Germany.

The Prize for Medicine went to Prof. Yuk Ming Dennis Lo of China.

The Prize for Arabic Language and Literature was awarded to Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim Allawi Albussabah of Iraq. The King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Stud-

Saudi goes tough on Umrah pilgrims

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HE Saudi Arabia au thorities through its Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has said that it will continue to monitor and follow up on the regulatory conditions of the Umrah companies and establishments, in order to see that they fulfill all conditions and requirements for Umurah just has about 750,000 pilgrims world-over performed Umurah in the month of Safar.

We gathered that the Ministry recently created a worldwide network for receiving and issuing Umarah visas under the Ministry of Interior and Foreign Affairs.

Now, the ministry’s Umrah e-track service will help in keeping track of arrival and departure of pilgrims, standard of services offered by

Umrah companies and agents.

We gathered that the authorities will monitor the final departure of Umrah pilgrims and ensure they exit on time from the ports where they arrived.

This will be accomplished through monitoring by electronic system to the departures, starting from the time of registering the date of departure, to preparing the Umrah pilgrims for departure to putting them in buses heading toward the airports in a timely manner.

It is expected that current Umrah season which began on December 4 last year and will go on till the end of Ramadan in the last week of July is expected to attract over six million pilgrims world-over.

Muslim faithful in procession along Ogba Road, Agege to mark Malud Nabiyyi.

•Sheikh Lemu ies went to Prof. Abdulwahab Ibrahim Abou Sulaiman, a member of the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars in the Kingdom.

Sheikh Ahmed Lemu started his career as a teacher under the Bida Native Authority, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu was a principal of two famous centers of learning in northern Nigeria: the School for Arabic Studies (SAS), Kano; and the Arabic Teachers’ College, Sokoto. He was appointed Grand Qadi of Niger State after the creation of the state in 1976. Born 84 years ago in Lemu in Niger State, the pointblank scholar, jurist, blunt preacher, Imam, exegetic of the Qur’an, prolific writer, author, publisher, elder statesman, public speaker and President of Islamic Education Trust is a distinguished personality who after 22 years in to retirement from the civil service, brought his exceptional qualities to fore when he chaired the Presidential Panel on Post-Election Violence in Nigeria in 2011.

Muslim faithful in Ogba, Agege, marking Malud Nabiyyi recently.

Razaq Okoya holds 74th birthday prayer

From left, the celebrant, Chief Rasaq Okoya; Ambassador Gbenga Oladipo; and former Minister, Demola Seriki during the 74th birthday prayer for Okoya at Oluwanisola Estate, Ajah, Lagos.

36—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Delta 2015: Group drums support for Olejeme

Edo community denies allegation of cult clash

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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group, Delta Vision, has called on Dr. Ngozi Olejeme to contest the 2015 governorship election in Delta State.

The group made the call in Ughelli at a meeting with notable chiefs from Delta Central senatorial district. Attendees at the meeting called on all Deltans to support her in the 2015 polls.

The group called on Olejeme not to turn down their request, because members decided to back her candidacy based on the dividend of democracy she has brought to Nigerians and Delta State in general through the Subsidy Re-investment Programme, SURE-P scheme, which she has used to touch many lives.

B

ENIN CITY—LEADERS of Iyowa community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, yesterday, denied allegation of a cult clash that resulted in the death of four persons in the community.

It will be recalled that four persons were declared reportedly killed while six were missing in the community following an alleged cult clash in the area.

But chairman of the Community Development Association, Mr Etiosa Ighodaro, described the community as one of the most peaceful in the state, adding that tremendous efforts had been made by the community leaders to ensure that the area was developed and not a cultist den.

He said “those saying that people are missing in our community or that four people were killed in a cult clash are mischief makers because that is not true. Our community is the most peaceful community. Iyowa community is the most peaceful in the local government area, nothing of such happened to the best of my knowl-

Passage

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R Akajiaku-Owusi Joseph Amechi Ekwunoh, 81 years, of Ogboli Olosi Village, Onitsha, Anambra State, is dead. Christian wake keep takes place on February 14, 2014 while funeral and interment takes place the following day, at his residence, 6A Ogboli road, Inland town, Onitsha, Anambra State.

He is survived by wife, Odoziaku Clara Ekwunoh, and his only child and daughter, Mrs Obianuju Joe Emeh (nee Ekwunoh) who is based in the United States of America.

edge.

“Some people may go to any length to destroy our community,

HE Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has presented Supreme Distilleries Ltd, SDL, with the certificate of conformity to the requirements of NIS ISO 9001:2008(Quality Management System) standards.

By this, SDL which is barely two years in the market has now joined the league of the lofty class of Quality Management System certified companies in Nigeria.

Mr Joseph Odumodu, Director General\CEO, who was represented at the presentation by Mr Adebayo Adegun, SON Director and Head of Administration and Human Capital Development,

Late Mr Ekwunoh

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—A member of Del ta State House of Assembly, Mr. Daniel Yingi, (Burutu 1 Constituency), has said that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, remains the best political party in the country, despite the defection of some of its members to the opposition All Progressives Party, APC. He said that the PDP was equipped with the best ideology adding that some “governors and other politicians defected from PDP to APC due to selfish reasons and not because the party is bad, as APC was not an alternative to PDP. “Why do you think that APC will make a better party than PDP when most of its members today were all once members of PDP?

said this giant stride by the SDL in the pursuit of excellence to provide not only quality foods to its teeming consumers but also food that is equally safe for consumption is worthy of commendation and emulation by well meaning business community.

According to the SON boss, food and its global security is now a major source of concern to the world leaders.

He said that failure to protect food quality leads to a decline in consumer confidence in the quality of many food products and threatens the economic vitality.

If I change native clothes to Jeans, will that make me a different and better person?

“President Goodluck Jonathan has done well in terms of service delivery in line with the party’s campaign manifesto. There are great changes everywhere in the

country. We are happy with the developmental strides of Mr. President. Those defecting to APC or other political parties from PDP are doing so out of selfish reasons.

And I assure you, at the right time, they will beg to return to their original party.”

Tony Elumelu Foundation to support non-oil exports

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HE Tony Elumelu Foundation, TEF, will support the development and promotion of the non-oil export sector through grants for completion of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, Chairman of TEF and founder of Heirs Holdings Limited, Mr. Tony Elumelu, has said.

Speaking during a visit to the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, Elumelu said his foundation, which sets out to build networks and develop the framework for enhancing competitiveness of African economies, was convinced that the Council, as the apex government organisation for promotion of non-oil exports needed a befitting edifice of world class standard, to function maximally and be accorded the expected reverence.

He said that for non-oil export to be made a commanding economic driving force, the private sector, the sector should be enhanced to be sustainable, adding that “a strong synergy must be established between the public–private sector, while the business of the sector should be driv-

en through a private sector approach and active participation.”

The Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mr. Awolowo expressed delight for having the TEF Chairman visit the Council as the first guest since his assumption of office in December 2013, adding that the foundation has offered to support the growth of non-oil exports.

According to him, completing the Head Office complex would “make my first six months in office a fulfilled one as we hope to commission this structure before May 2014 when Nigeria will host the World Economic Forum Africa in Abuja.”

The Council hopes to run a side-show involving Trade Exhibition, Buyer-Seller Meetings and Conferences to compliment the Forum, he added.

He recalled that at its establishment in 1976, NEPC was placed side-by-side with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in terms of expected economic vibrancy for the country or at least the next best alternative to oil, "but these hopes seems doomed with the dwindling fortunes from the non-oil sector."

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

can confirm from the neighbouring communities, you can confirm from the police in Ekiadolor."

PDP remains the best party — Delta lawmaker

SON certifies Supreme Distilleries

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but I want to say that we don’t condone any act of cultism as nothing of such happened. You

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

Criticism of anti-gay marriage law

W

E already have enough vices like corruption, under age marriage etc on our hands. Lesbianism and homosexuality are not vices we want to add to that inglorious list.

We as a people have decided to nip it in the bud before it becomes a hydraheaded monster like the other vices. Mr. Paul ObasuyiBusinessman.

T

HIS is just one decision from the Nigerian government that seems to unite Nigerians independent of tribe and creed. Our western friends should understand that this is very alien to our culture and humanity in general. Mr. George Uwaifo- Engineer.

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AY or Lesbianisim is not a matter of religion but a commandment of our Creator. Every religion is against this satanic vice.

This is not a matter of politics, ACN, PDP, APC, or any party. We should respect the opinion of the people. Mr. Gabriel Dagunduro- Cleric.

T

HE truth is that let GEJ fix electricity problems, Ajaokuta Steels functioning and start up capital for our graduates. US, EU and others will fear us. GEJ has done the right thing by prohibiting same-sex marriage in Nigeria. Mr. Wole Gbadegesin- Businessman.

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OMOSEXUALITY offends the fundamental notion of sex as the procreative, even recreational, union of a man and a woman. The idea that it is “natural” for people of the same gender to seek and derive sexual fulfilment from each other fills the rational human imagination with quantities of distaste. Mr. Darlington Ehondor- Worker.

Y

OU can clearly see Nigerians are extremely happy with this development. Any country that accepts it can practice it in their country. But if you want to practice it in Nigeria, you will rot in Kirikiri for 14 years. By the time you come out, that gay orientation will leave you and you will become very straight.

Ms. Chimezie NnennaStudent.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—37

State police inevitable — DUKE

Delta SSG assures on completion of Ughelli-Asaba road

BY WILLIAM JIMOH

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ORMER Cross River State governor, Mr Donald Duke, has said that the introduction of state police in the country was inevitable as there was need to localise policing.

Reacting to the crisis in Rivers State, he said: “What is happening in Rivers State today is as a result of the absence of state police, as the state governor, who is the chief security officer, has no control over the police.”

Speaking on a television programme in Lagos, Duke said: “Mechanism should be put in place to allay fears of the negative use of state police by politicians.”

He said that it was an aberration to bring people from Sokoto State to police people in the East, where they don’t understand the people, “and before they settle down, they are posted out again. You need the people to police themselves. You need to recruit the police from the people and they should live with the people instead of staying in barracks.”

Ex-militants accuse Rep of breaking campaign promises

B

OMADI—ACTING President, Phase II ex-militant group in the amnesty programme of the Federal Government in the Niger Delta, John Court Aki, has threatened a revenge mission come 2015 on the lawmaker representing Patani/Bomadi federal constituency in the National Assembly, Mr Nicholas Mutu, alleging that the lawmaker had broken the promises he made to his group during his re-election campaign in 2011.

Aki, in a statement, yesterday, alleged that the lawmaker brokered an agreement with them during his re-election bid in 2011, that they would be empowered if re-elected, and which, according to them, they complied with by ensuring that he was voted for at the election.

The group alleged that after Mutu's victory at the poll, he reneged on his promises and that all efforts to see him either in person or through his aides had not been sucessful.

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA & FESTUS AHON

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VISIT: The Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida (left), during a visit to Senator Magnus Abe, at a London Hospital, yesterday.

Bandits lay siege to Delta community

BY AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE

W

ARRI—RESIDENTS of Emedjo and Jubilee Quarters of Ovwian, in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, are now living in fear, as armed bandits and cult boys have unleashed untold pains on the people, unchallenged.

The activities of the hoodlums have forced the residents to retire indoors as early as 6pm for fear of being attacked.

Vanguard gathered that the hoodlums, who are often armed with guns, daggers and other dangerous weapons, usually walk in groups of four or six, pretending to be discussing but would pounce on their unsuspecting victims and rob them of money, phones and other valuables.

Narrating his ordeal, Mr. Emmanuel Orakata, a Jubille Street resident, said:”We have been living in fear for several months. We cannot move around once it is 6pm, nor go out until it is 6am. I was rushing to work in Ogunu recently, it was around 6am and as I got to the junction, I met two boys standing as if they were discussing. They immediately accosted me and brought out a gun. They ordered me to raise my hands as two others came to join them. They took my money, phones and wrist watch. I was shocked because some people saw what was happening but no one assisted, rather they just walked past, as if all was well.”

Orakata added that two

days after he was attacked, three other residents were also robbed.

Corroborating Orakata’s story, Mrs. Grace Emetitiri, who resides on Emedjor Street, said: “I have been in bondage. I cannot go to church service in the evening now. If you come out, you will be robbed or even killed.

“I am currently looking for an accommodation outside this place as I am tired of this kind of prison life, I like to be free. I have seen people being attacked. The other day, a woman was raped beside store by these small boys. The boys are armed, so nobody challenges them.”

Vanguard gathered that secret cult clashes have also become a recurring incident in Ovwian.

West-Idahosa dumps PDP for APC

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—A FORMER mem ber of the House of Representatives, Mr. Ehigie West-Idahosa, yesterday in Benin, Edo State, announced his defection from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to All Progressives Congress, APC, saying that he was joining the progressives in their determination to move the state and Nigeria forward.

Idahosa and hundreds of his supporters, who were received at

the APC state secretariat by members of the party's state executive, led by Chief Osaro Idahm, said “I have come with my supporters, with those who have helped to mould me, those who have assisted me over the years, to say that we are at home.

What has happened today is that we have come to the national platform of the progressives in Nigeria.

“For many years, the progressives have tried hard to put a platform together, but

in 2013, they made history against all, obstacles to put this platform, APC, together.

And I say, it is time for change.”

Idahosa who is angling to represent Edo South senatorial district on the platform of APC in the Senate come 2015, said throughout his 12 years tenure in the House of Representatives, his voice was heard loud and clear for the progressives, adding that he was even suspended for his progressive ideals.

Urhobo youths laud Jonathan, Uduaghan over NDDC Board appointments

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RHOBO Youth Leaders Association, yesterday, commended President Goodluck Jonathan, and the Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, on the appointments of Chief Tom Amioku and Mr. Tuoyo Omasuli as Commissioners representing Delta State on the

Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and Executive Director, Project Monitoring respectively.

They also urged Nigerians to support the President and Governor Uduaghan so that the transformation agenda of

the Federal Government and Uduaghan's three-point agenda can be beneficial to Nigerians and Deltans.

The youth leaders expressed confidence that the appointees would deliver in their present assignments, in view of their track records.

GHELLI—SECRETARY to Delta State Government, Mr. Ovuozorie Macaulay, has said that the state government will fast track the completion of Ughelli/Asaba Road dualization project and other projects initiated by it before the expiration of its tenure in 2015.

Fielding questions from newsmen at his office in Asaba, Macaulay said: “This government will do the much it can to complete some of the projects, just like this government inherited some projects and continued with them and has completed some of them.

“It initiated its projects, but may not complete all of them. Even in this 2014 budget, some projects are going to come on board and some of them will not be completed in 12 months.

“I am very sure that the Ughelli/Asaba Road dualization, if not completed, at least will be 70 to 80 completed. The Ode Itsekiri bridge project is on course and I am sure we will complete it.”

CAN warns politicians against violence

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA

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ORT HARCOURT— CHAIRMAN, Christian Association of Nigeria, South-South, Archbishop God-Dowell Avwomakpa, has warned political leaders to turn a new leaf and dissist from heating up the polity ahead of 2015.

He appealed to Islamic leaders to preach tolerance so that religious crises and insecurity would give way to peaceful co-existence in the country.

Avwomakpa, who spoke to journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, also reacted to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said: “Obasanjo should have realised that as an elder statesman and one of those who fought for the unity of Nigeria during the civil war, he ought not to have over-reacted to the extent of threatening the nation’s nascent democracy."

38—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

UNN-ASUU passes confidence vote on Adaba-led exco

BY CHINENYEH OZOR

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S U K K A — UNIVERSITY of Nigeria, Nsukka, chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterrday passed a vote of confidence on the executive led by Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Abada.

It also insisted on the removal of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bartho Okolo.

A factional group, led by one Adibe Agbo, had last week announced the suspension of Abada and members of his exco.

But at a special congress held at the UNN, which was attended by the chairman, Nsukka zone of the union, Dr. Chidi Osuagwu, the union threw its weight behind Abada’s leadership, describing Agbo and his group as “rebellious and illegal”.

ASUU-Nsukka zone is made up of UNN, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Ebonyi State University, EBSU, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, NAU, Anambra State University and Abia State University, ABSU.

Passage

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ZE CLETUS Ibeanusi Nzeduru of Umuakagu Nsu, in Ehime-Mbano LGA of Imo State is dead.

Christian funeral rites will commence with a vigil Mass on Thursday, January 30, requiem mass, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Umuakagu Nsu, the following day and internment in his country home immediately after.

He is survived by his widow, Ezinne Lydia Nzeduru, children, and other relations, including Dr. Nnenna Ezeigwe, the National Coordinator, Nigeria Malaria Elimination Programme, NMEP.

Late Nze Cletus Nzeduru

APGA crisis: Umeh's sack, a welcome devt — OKOROCHA

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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WERRI—GOVERNOR Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has described as a welcome development sacking of national chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Okoocha’s position came as mixed reactions from APGA chieftains in Anambra State trailed the judgment.

The governor pointed out that it was an aberration for Chief Umeh to remain chairman of the party for 13 years.

Okorocha’s reaction was contained in a press statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant, Mr. Samuel Onwuemeodo, in Owerri.

“The sacking of Chief Victor Umeh as the national chairman of APGA by the court is a welcome development. For a man to remain the chairman of a party for more than 13 years is not only an aberration but also means that the party has lost everything,” Okorocha stated.

He said the court induced exit of the APGA national chairman

would enable those who still believe that the party could still bark and bite to read the hand writing on the wall.

He said: “The exit of Chief Umeh would enable those who still believe, of course,

erroneously, that APGA can bark and bite to now read the political handwriting on the wall clearly and make hay to join the moving train called All Progressives Congress, APC.” Meanwhile, APGA loyalists in the state have said they were not worried about the development, adding that the

party leadership was studying the issue, with a view to taking appropriate action.

“We are not worried about the current development. The party leadership is studying the current situation, with a view to taking the appropriate decision,” an APGA chieftain, who simply identified himself as Njoku, said.

FORUM: From left: Dr Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Minister of Communication & Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson and Board Chairman, NCC, Mr. Peter Igoh, at a telecoms forum in Lagos.

.... As Anambra Assembly flays call for Oduah's sack

O

BY ENYIM ENYIM

NITSHA—ANAMBRA State House of Assembly yesterday condemned the call by its Lagos counterpart for the sack of Aviation Minister, Mrs Stella Oduah, over alleged certificate forgery.

Addressing reporters at the House of Assembly complex, Awka, the chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr Pauly Onyeka, said the recent action of the Lagos Assembly had

JAMB creates more centres for 2014 exams

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BY LAIDEAKINBOADE

BUJA—THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board JAMB may have resorted to creating more centres across the country to accommodate the huge number of candidates who have registered for the 2014 examination but could not be allocated to centers.

JAMB currently operates over 2,000 centers across the country.

Vanguard learnt that the board took this decision due to the upsurge in the number of candidates who purchased the board’s online forms, commenced the registration but couldn’t conclude it due to insufficient number of approved centers available for the examination in some parts of the country.

religious and ethnic coloration, describing it as campaign of calumny.

The chairman, House Committee on Information, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Segun Olulade, was last week reported in a national newspaper( not Vanguard) calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to sack Oduah over

alleged offenses, including certificate forgery.

But Onyeka said: “ We have watched with dismay the campaign of calumny mounted on Mrs Stella Oduah, all aimed at pulling her down for no just cause.

“Undoubtedly, the minister has contributed to the transformation of the Aviation

Ministry, a sensitive sector for that matter.”

Onyeka wondered how the same House of Assembly that had supported the issue of Toronto certificate and deportation of Igbo by the Fashola’s government was now gunning for the removal of Oduah who hadn’t been convicted by any court of law.

NTI adopts guidlines for training of Sc & Maths teachers

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ADUNA—NATIONAL Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, is to adopt new guidelines and procedure for the training of Science and Mathematics teachers in the country.

Dr. Aminu Sharehu, the Director-General and Chief Executive of the institute, announced this, in Kaduna, at a meeting with officials of National Coordinating Unit of the Strengthening of Mathematics and Science Education, SMASE. He said the guidelines and procedures should be passed on to states for use in the training at state and local level, pointing out that due process had not been followed in some of the states in the previous training programmes.

According to him, 35 states and the FCT have so far joined the training, with the exception of Lagos State and that efforts are being made to ensure that

all science and Mathematics teachers benefitted from the initiative.

The DG said that with the expiration of NTI’s partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, the institute now looked forward to

the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, and state commissions to collaborate with for sustenance of the training.

Dr. Sharehu said Cycle Two of the programme would cover the whole of 2014, while Cycle Three would be conducted in 2015.

Group wants Nigerians to mediate Taraba crisis

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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ALINGO—A coalition of rights groups, Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, has appealed to all well meaning Nigerians to wade into the political tension gradually unfolding in Taraba State before it snowballed into an uncontrollable situation.

Addressing journalists on the crisis in Taraba State in Lagos yesterday, chairman of the group, Olanrewaju Suraju, alleged that the

acting governor of the state, Garba Umar, was being hindered from carrying out the duty assigned to him by some vested interest loyal to the ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai.

According to him, the disagreement in the governance of the state cuts across religious divide, as some religious bodies have taken a stand on who, between the ailing governor and his deputy, to support .

He said the issue was being capitalised on by some political jobbers whose priority was to create crisis in the state.

Vanguard,FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—39

DRAW: From left, Mrs. Adeola Dare, Head, Domestic Products, Ecobank Nigeria; Nike Kolawole, Regional Head, Lagos Mainland; Miss Mayowa Okuyiga, Snr. Executive (legal), Lagos Lottery; Mr. Tunde Kuponiyi, Head, Cards and e-Banking, representing MD, and Miss Omolara Ajakaiye, Scientific Officer (Quality and Assessment), Consumer Protection Council, at the grand prize draw of Ecobank Giant Prize Giveaway promo, in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

BRIEFING: Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State flanked by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State(1st left), Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State(2nd left), and Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State (right), during a media briefing after the meeting between President Godluck Jonathan and PDP Goevrnors, at the State House, Abuja.

LECTURE: Outgoing Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba (centre); Commandant, National Defence College, NDC (left); Rear Admiral Patrick Agholor, and Deputy Commandant,NDC, Maj. VISIT: From left, Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Jide Adejuyigbe; Deputy Governor, Alhaji General Adeniyi Oyebade, arriving NDC, yesterday, for a lecture to Alli Olanusi; Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Pastor Julius Olaribigbe, Chairman, Southwest zone of participants of Course 22. the National Parents Teachers' Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, and others, during a visit by the Southwest leaders of NAPTAN to the Governor's Office, in Akure

BIRTHDAY: From left, Pastor Adega Olatunji, Pastor Samuel Okomolehin, Ifeoluwa Odayemi, Prophet Peter Adebisi, President, Christ Miracle Church Mission,Worldwide, and Pastor Folashade Adebisi, Vice President, Christ Miracle Church Mission, at birthday ceremony of Prophet Peter Adebisi, at the church premises, in Lagos.

FORUM: From left, Mr. Bisi Oladele, Chairman Oyo State, Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Correspondents Chapel; Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, Osun State Commissioner for Finance & guest lecturer, and Mr. Osahenye Joseph, Secretary, Oyo State NUJ, during their monthly guest forum featuring Osun State Commissioner for Finance, on the theme: 'Improving Public Finance for Better Governance: The Example of Osun State. Photo: Dare Fasube

SIGNING: From left, Senior Brand Manager, Grand Cereals Limited, Mr. Tope Banjo; National President of Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria, CAFAN, Chief Tayo Akingbolagun; Managing Director, Grand Cereals Limited, Mr. Layi Oyatoki, and Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Plateau State, Mr. Steve Barko, during the Memoramdum of Understanding, MoU, signing ceremony, in Jos, Plateau State.

ERECTION: From left, Hon. Olayiwola Ariyibi, Councillor, Ward A2, Amuwo Odofin LG; ASP Victoria Effiong, DCO; A. B. Williams, Chairman, Police, Community Relations Committee, PCRC; ACP Dan Okoro, Area Commander, Amuwo Odofin; CSP Shehu Alao, Divisional Police Officer; Elder Awofodu, Treasurer, PCRC, and other members of the PCRC in the area, during the erection of Police sign-post and renovation of the Festac Town Divisional Police Headquarters.

CONFERENCE: From left, Rev. Fr. John Adio, Seer to ArchBishop Emeritus; Mr. Steve Olasupo, Laity President, and Rev. Fr. Felix Ethapemi, Chairman, Central Planning Committee, during the press conference on the installation of a new Catholic ArchBishop of Ibadan Diocese, Rev. Dr. Gabriel Abegunrin. Photo: Dare Fasube

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Wamakko revokes contract for Mai Kulki Soro-Kalgo Road

VP's wife lauds impact of Performing Arts in society

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K

ADUNA—HAJIYA Amina Sambo, wife of the Vice President, has described Theatre and Performing Arts as tool for addressing sociopolitical and economic issues in the society.

Sambo made the remark, yesterday, at the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence on Development Communication at the Department of Theatre Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the establishment of the centre was financed

by Mac Arthur Foundation of the United States.

The VP’s wife, who was represented by Hajiya Fatima Yero, wife of Kaduna State Governor, said the disciplines had pushed forward messages that promoted good relationships, peace, understanding and scholarship.

“Perhaps that explains why ABU through the department of theatre and performing arts has been engaging communities especially women and children since its inception in 1975.

“There is no gain saying that ABU has set a very high standard in tertiary education, which has made it the pride of not only Nigeria, but also Africa as a whole.

“This is evident in the impact the products of the institution are making in the country and beyond,” she said.

Mrs Sambo urged the management, staff and students of the institution to continue to strive in upholding the name of the university through research and development.

In a speech, the Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Abdullahi Mustapha, said the university would continue to collaborate with individuals and organisations in the promotion of academic excellence.

PDP CAUCUS—From left: Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; Chief Whip of the Senate, Hayatu Gwarzo; Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba and Senate President, David Mark, during PDP Caucus Meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.

Photo: NAN.

O KO T O — G O V. Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, yesterday, revoked the contract for the construction of Mai Kulki-Soro-Kalgo Road in Binji Local Government Area of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the governor revoked the contract when he paid an unscheduled visit to the project site.

NAN reports that the 26.5 kilometre road project was awarded in 2011 to Stan and Colimore Nigeria Ltd at the cost of N1.16 billion.

Gay Law: Nigeria damns US, others prosecutes 12 homosexuals

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE (WITH AGENCY REPORTS)

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AGOS—INSPITE of inter national outrage and imminent sanctions, Nigeria, has indicated clearly that she is serious with her anti-gay law.

An Islamic court in Bauchi State has put on trial 11 Muslim men accused of being homosexuals in violation of their religion. A 12th person arrested, a Christian, according to agency report would be tried under secular law.

If convicted of homosexuality, the 11 Muslim men may be sentenced to death by stoning according to Islamic law.

President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill into law on January 7. The new legislation applies across Nigeria, affecting all citizens.

The law prohibits homosexuals from even meeting in groups of two or more, bans marriage or civil unions between people of the same sex, and criminalises gay clubs, events and shows of same-sex public affection. Those convicted may be imprisoned for 14 years.

The Commissioner, Bauchi State Sharia Commission, Jibrin Danlami Hassan, said the alleged homosexuals were arrested by residents of Bauchi city and handed to the Islamic police force, which interrogated them. “They accept that they are doing that dirty game,” Mr. Hassan told the BBC. Before the law became national, Bauchi State had been arresting homosexuals. Dorothy Aken’Ova, a rights activist with the Nigeria-based International Centre for Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights, said that she was aware of 38 people being arrested in Bauchi State last month.

Ms Aken’Ova said some of those arrested had been beaten up and tortured, but Mr Hassan denied this and said he was “happy ” that President Jonathan had signed it into law, despite threats by Western powers to cut aid to Nigeria.

“The threat they are doing cannot make us change our religion,” he said.

However, Nigerian lawyers have endorsed the move and urged the government not to buckle under international pressure.

President Jonathan’s assent to the bill attracted immediate condemnation from the international community such as United States of America, European Union and United Nations.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday condemned Nigeria’s ban on same-sex unions as discriminatory and in contravention of fundamental human rights.

The United Nations also attacked the law, accusing President Jonathan of trampling on basic human rights and threatening vital healthcare plans.

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has pledged to cut British aid to countries that enacted new laws targeting homosexuals. In relation to the Nigerian law, a Foreign Office spokesman said: “The U.K. opposes any form of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.”

Lawyers back govt Following the international outrage, the law has generated, some lawyers yesterday urged the Federal Government not to succumb to for-

eign pressure to decriminalise same-sex relationships in the country.

The lawyers, in separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), lauded President Jonathan for signing the bill into law.

Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, said that majority of Nigerians were very happy with the law.

“Nigerians have the right to determine what we want in our country because we are a sovereign nation. Our culture supports sexual purity and natural means of conception. If you carry out a plebiscite today, you will see that majority of Nigerians are very happy with the law,” he said.

Also speaking, the Chair-

man, Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN), Lagos State chapter, Mr. Mussodiq Sanni, said that the law was a welcome development.

“We commend the president for what he has done and we all support it. The international community cannot sanction Nigeria because they need our resources. So it is just a mere threat,” Sanni said.

Another lawyer, Mr. Wale Ogunade, said it was hypocritical that the same international community, which could not sanction some countries with gross human rights abuses, was threatening Nigeria.

MDAs not audited for years in Plateau — A-G

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OS—THE Acting Audi tor-General of Plateau, Mr Thomas Gomsuk, Wednesday in Jos said that accounts of the state government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDA’s, had not been audited for some years.

Gomsuk told the Plateau House of Assembly during the budget defence that the department lacked the fund to carry out its functions over the years.

He said the department was non-revenue generating and depended on 5 per cent

audit fees from the MDAs which was not forthcoming.

Gomsuk said that the department’s lone source of revenue was the 5 per cent audit fees from which it projected a revenue of N1.5 million in 2013.

He said the target could not be met as the MDA’s did not pay up the obligation to the department, making it difficult to audit them for sometime now.

The Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Mr Gondina Sambo, who presided over the session, said the situation was unacceptable.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—41

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44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

secretaries of the defunct parties, Gboyega Adedipe (ACN), Bala Umaru (ANPP) and Olufisayo Falarungbon (CPC) and read by chairman of the defunct CPC, Lekan Obolo, said the harmonisation committee of the party was not properly constituted before the interim executive was put in place.

They stated that out of the 31 people that were supposed to be members of the harmonisation committee, only 11 were present, adding that the 11 were from the defunct ACN and that the ANPP and the CPC were not accommodated.

•Tinubu

APC Harmonisation:

Talk is cheap THE crystallization of the merger plans of the country’s major opposition parties into the All Progressives Congress, APC last year, was regarded as a serious threat to the electoral invincibility of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. However, the perfection of the merger has been another issue. All over the country, the harmonization of the structures of the legacy parties that formed the APC is stirring serious disharmony.

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & DEMOLA AKINYEMI

A

FTER scaling the major hurdle of sinking their political differences to merge as a party last February, leaders of the nascent All Progressives Congress (APC) had assured that sharing of official positions and nomination of flag bearers for elective slots would not constitute a stumbling block to their onerous goal of rescuing Nigeria by kicking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of power in 2015.

Indeed, both individually and jointly, leaders of the merged parties – Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and some stalwarts of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) following APC’s registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on July 31, 2013, said they would have a seamless sharing of positions by ensuring equity and justice in the process.

Against this backdrop, the APC hierarchy set up harmonisation C M Y K

committees to drive the process.

However, the exercise has been riddled by complaints and protests across the country. As it were, the APC is faced with another major hurdle that may hurt its main goal of capturing power in 2015 even in some of its current strongholds.

The fissures and cracks arising from the harmonisation process were further exacerbated by the defection of five PDP governors, 37 House of Representatives members and leaders of the New PDP to the APC on November 26, 2013.

Governors' defection The five governors are Alhaji Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Alhaji Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto), Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara).

Before the nPDP leaders and governors’ defection, slots were to be shared across board among the defunct merged parties according to their political

footholds.

This is a tough nut to crack on its own. Therefore, sharing positions in the bigger APC will not be a tea party.

Thus, APC has been locked in leadership crisis in Kano, Sokoto and Adamawa states, ever since the defection of the five PDP governors to the party.

Govs are leaders in their states — Masari Speaking on the challenge, Deputy National Chairman of the APC, Aminu Bello Masari reportedly said that the 16 APC governors should remain the party leaders in their states.

In an interview with BBC Hausa service, Masari said this was the position as stipulated by the constitution of the party.

He said the harmonisation committees in the states had been tasked to share positions and produce party leaderships in states where APC is the opposition party. “What I know is that any APC governor is the leader of the party in his state.

Other positions would then go to the party members. But when we come out with proper

arrangement about the problems, it will surely solve over 70 per cent of the crises. APC governors are leaders in our 16 states.

However, our harmonisation committees in states are to share positions in states where we don’t have governors,” he said.

He said in Gombe State, for example, party leaders have reached a consensus that former governor Danjuma Goje is the party leader.

Masari appealed to party members to be patient as membership registration will commence on January 28. “Then in February, we are going to

,

•Buhari

The challenge in Kwara Although, APC, which mainly arose from the nucleus of the defunct ACN has been having crisis in Kwara, the recent teaming up with the nPDP and Senator Bukola Saraki’s election winning machines appears to be complicating the problems of party in the state.

Vanguard checks revealed that the party will have its hands full regarding who flies its flag in the 2015 election.

Alhaji Muhammed Dele Belgore (SAN), the ACN’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2011 election, is said to be angling to repeat the feat in the next election, banking on his last experience to defeat the Saraki dynasty.

Will Governor Ahmed and Senator Saraki, who are now in APC, allow him? Will the Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is also from Kwara and a former governorship hopeful accept the unfolding events? How will the party handle the interests of

Thus, APC has been locked in leadership crisis in Kano, Sokoto and Adamawa states, ever since the defection of the five PDP governors to the party

begin states’ congresses and by March, the national congress to elect leaders will come up.”

Stakeholders reject interim exco in Ondo In Ondo State, the party is embroiled in crisis with some stakeholders and members rejecting the interim executive put in place for the state and accused the National Vice Chairman (South-West), Otunba Niyi Adebayo, of attempting to impose unpopular executive members on them.

Rising from a meeting, held in Akure, the stakeholders, including chairmen and secretaries of the merged parties, their governorship candidates and deputies, called on the national leadership of the party to intervene before it is too late.

In a statement by the state

,

these major stakeholders and their supporters?

This development has polarised the opposition party in Kwara along two divides but before now there has been pretences about the political squabbles between the duo of Lai Mohammed and Dele Belgore until Saraki’s entrance into the APC which blew the face-off into the open.

Another core issue about the APC crisis in Kwara has to do with those who would never be comfortable with the political leadership of Senator Saraki which they believe would hurt their political ambition. There is also the alleged issue of the nPDP destroying APC and returning to the PDP. APC camp oppose enthronement of Saraki, Continues on Page 46

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—45

How I escaped the Air Force bombs — Sen Ndume THE Chairman Senate Committee on MDGs and Senator representing Southern Borno Senatorial District, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume narrowly escaped death last Saturday when a fighter jet sighted his convoy and mistook it for insurgents operating in the Pulka area of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. The senator escaped by the whiskers to tell his story. Excerpts:

BY NDAHI MARAMA

W

HAT really happened?

As usual when I come to town I tried to take my time to visit my constituency. As I arrived I notified the Nigerian Army to give me a detachment for security purposes and I equally notified the Police and they gave me a detachment for security to move to those areas.

Unfortunately, at exactly 2:10pm, I was in Pulka waiting to go to Gwoza to deliver a letter to my Emir for his upgrade from second class to first class and we agreed that the other stakeholders in Gwoza would meet me in Pulka and from there we would move. Just as we moved from Pulka, I heard explosions. Initially I thought it was Boko Haram that planted bomb on the road because I passed a culvert.

Detonation of explosives In fact, myself and others in the car were saying it was Boko Haram because we suspected people that were waving us by the roadside, we thought they were the ones that detonated the explosives.

So, when we stopped and the situation calmed down and the soldiers that were escorting me came down, they now said ‘Oga it is from the Air force’, so, let’s quickly run somewhere for cover and we ran to the military base in Pulka.

We were inside Pulka, the incident happened inside Pulka. When we went to the base, the officer there tried to establish communication but it was not possible and for 15 minutes again the Air Force jet was patrolling that area. In fact, as far as I am concerned, we were lucky, we are alive but I truly want to believe that it was an operational blunder.

But even if it was operational problem, I think they did not handle it well, because you

don’t just see a convoy on a Federal Highway and you begin to throw bombs. I don’t want to assume anything for now, but I have talked to the Chief of Army staff, I have sent a text to the Chief of Air staff, I have talked to the Air Force commander here in Maiduguri.

Unfortunately, the fighter jet did not came from Maiduguri, I think it is from Yola. So, when I get back to Abuja, I will still do some investigation but I think, I should clarify this with you because the news is going round. It is true that my convoy was bombed, it was not bombed by Boko Haram but Air Force and it is true that, nobody lost his life.

Do you think you were a target?

No, actually no, I do not think so. Well, you get scared sometimes, but I am a strong believer that nobody can kill me or take my life except God. My family was very devastated actually, some of my friends were also devastated when I was telling them, and they said, ‘you are very stubborn’, well. I told them it was not stubbornness, but it is just an issue of fate.

So I am a strong believer that if I am to live for sixty more years nobody can take it before that time.

What do you think could have been responsible for the spate of operational blunders?

Well, I think one is professionalism and secondly there is no true coordination between the security forces; the Air Force, Nigerian Army, the Police, SSS and others. I think they are not well coordinated in this struggle or fight against terrorism, because I was thinking that, for example, there is supposed to be operational intelligence in Pulka itself.

Immediately I got into Pulka there should have been intelligence report that, the

•Ndume: I don’t want to assume anything for now Senator has arrived this place and it seemed they have just stopped over and are trying to go to Gwoza. And in fact, that piece of information would now be passed to the base there and the base, I stopped over greeted them before I got to ‘Bayan Dutse’.

The convoy passed, and they have a station there, and I stopped in Ngoshe, and even talked to the platoon commander there, he is somebody from Akwa Ibom. We exchanged phone numbers and I said I am going to Gwoza, he was even saying that I should be careful because there are Boko Haram in Gwoza that they attacked a place.

So, would I just because I

want to stay alive leave those my people that are dying by the day?

And I cannot go to even condole or sympathize with them? You know, it is not possible.

How many security operatives were with you when this happened?

I think seven military personnel, five policemen and the civilian JTF, I think were also up to five in a gulf car.

With what happened to you; would you now say that most of the operations undertaken by the security operatives are full of blunders?

Sorry, let me say that, I don’t want to start accusing the

POSTSCRIPT We didn't bomb Sen Ndume — Nigerian Air Force A statement by Commodore Yusuf Anas said: “The attention of the NAF has been drawn to reports in some media houses which allegedly said its aircraft targeted and bombed Senator Ali Ndume’s convoy on Saturday, January 11, 2014.

“The reports misquoted the Director of Information as having said the fighter jets mistakenly fired on the Senator’s convoy. For the avoidance of doubt, NAF aircraft did not target Senator Ndume’s convoy as alleged. It is public knowledge that Military Operations in the North East particularly in Borno State are ongoing.

“The NAF is constantly involved with the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in a coordinated manner aimed at defeating the Boko Haram terrorists. NAF has well trained pilots who would not conduct operational missions based on speculation or mistaken identity.”

military but actually there are operational lapses like what happened to me.

And at the same time again there are very good officers that are doing excellently well in the operations. I hope that this incident would help them take corrective measures.

If they need to inform us politicians that please don’t move until you get our clearance, we would make sure we get their clearance before moving anywhere around these difficult places.

If the bomb had hit your car and killed you what do you think the Army have said? (laughs), I am sorry, if that had happened and I died there would be serious commotion and a lot of things would be said because I would not be there to defend myself.

People would just say that I was killed by gunmen. Nobody would say that this is what exactly happened.

And the reaction of people when I am killed, only God knows, the reaction of my family when I am killed, only God knows, even your reaction as journalists in the media, only God would know. Some may be too emotional and start throwing some words.

We just pray that this incident or any incident like this should not happen. But I would not allow this thing to go like that. We would do the investigation.

46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

•Chief Isaac Akintade...2015 is still a long period of time from now

In Ondo, PDP is the opposition — Akintade CHAIRMAN, Odua Investment Company and leader of the Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State Chief Isaac Akintade (JP) is a seasoned banker and successful business man. With a first degree and Masters in Economics, he has held or currently holds such appointments as director, Ekinmogun Micro finance Bank and director Owena Oil & Gas Limited just to mention a few. A member of the American Institution of Banking, Washington DC, he presently represents Ondo State on the Board of Odua Investment Company Ltd. In this chat on his home turf, Chief Akintade examines the state of the politics in the state vis-à-vis the state of the opposition in the country at large with a long range view to 2015.

BY MORENIKE TAIRE

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S a successful business man and an elite it is a surprise that you belong to Labour Party. Why? I was a pure business man, but the late oba Adesanoye saw some quality in me and said I should go into politics so as to represent his interests. Then PDP was in vogue here in Ondo state. Oba Adesanoye was my mentor , I couldn’t refuse him. I was formerly in PDP. Before he died (Oba Adesanoye) he invited Dr. Segun Mimiko and myself into his palace and said the future of politics in Ondo state rests squarely on us, and he put his hand in my palm and blessed us. When Mimiko was leaving PDP I had no choice other than to join hands with him in the Labour party Do you agree that the appeal lodged by the PDP and ACN candidates against the reelection of Gov. Mimiko was a legless appeal?

They didn’t have any case simply because the incumbent governor won hands down. If

you win in 13 local governments out of 18 what case would two other parties have? PDP only won maybe two and the other won three.

Enough money to waste They are headed to the Supreme Court but they will come back with nothing. They have enough money to waste.

But the other parties are talking about voters’ registration and some names being inserted after the elections…

They are just cooking up stories.

Did Ondo state compile the voters’ list? No, it was Jega, and it’s the register we got from Jega that we used. If they had accepted defeat right from inception, by now they would have no followership.

I don’t understand that If they had accepted defeat at the end of the exercise all their members would have left them but now they still have hope.

They are still bamboozling them.

They know supreme court will not come so quickly but they still want to put together their

members They have the precedent of Osun state and also plenty of resources No no no no. that case is different. This case is that Mimiko won hands down. In the case of Osun there were some

malpractices detected and when the case was on there was talk on the telephone here and there; the judge trying to encourage some people to do what is not okay. Our case is straight forward. To win clearly you must win by simple majority, you must win two thirds of the state. We won by both Why is Labour Party not part of the alliance that merged into the All Progressives Congress, APC? APC comprises of strange bedfellows. They cannot last because most of them are power hungry people. It is when they are sharing positions, that is where you will see problem with them. If APC can hold on they will be a formidable opposition to PDP now that PDP is in disarray.

Is the PDP really in disarray?

They have set up a committee now to get everyone on board. If they are not in disarray why would they set up a committee?

Other than APC are there any plans of a merger/alliance?

We have our manifesto and our programs. We are not joining anybody. The most dynamic thing in life is politics, it’s not static. We in Labour Party are watching all the scenarios. It depends on the leadership of the party.We are in at least 25 states now. It’s just that we have produced only one governor but we are in the National Assembly.

Your National Chairman, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, has said that some aggrieved PDP governors would come over to Labour. Is that really true?

The party is large enough to accommodate everybody. This is where everybody can aspire to become whatever you want to become because nobody will impose anybody on anybody even starting from council chairmen. You go out and slug it out. Whoever wins will now contest and become the chairman.

But is it not that they are just trying to ride on the already existing grounds gained in the state?

APC Harmonisation: Talk Continues from page 44 Ahmed as leaders To the chagrin of the APC national leadership who vanguard gathered have already completed the merger process with the interim state executives which would be announced anytime from now, some members of APC believed to be sympathetic to the cause of Belgore, last Thursday at the APC factional state headquarters along Asa Dam Road, Ilorin threw a spanner into the political leadership of Senator Saraki and Alhaji Lai Mohammed in the state.

According to one Bashir

What is wrong with that? If the party is doing very well and somebody is riding on the existing success, is that bad?

People make the party. If they are riding on their own success, how is that bad?

Labour lost Senator Borrofice to the ACN. What happened?

He never had any allegation.

He said the governor did not carry him along. How can he be in Abuja and be carried along in Akure?

Very stiff opposition That was an afterthought. He was never a politician. He was a scientist and he thought that politics was like molecule. That is why he decamped. They just bamboozled him.

Is any of the pressure coming from your camp?

His contribution to the party was so negligible that we don’t even know if he’s existing or not. What he did is illegal but if we had wanted to recall him, we would have started the process but his contribution to the party was negligible and whether he’s there or not is none of our headache. When his term ends let him come and rerun, then he’ll face a very stiff opposition.

There have been allegations and counter allegations. How democratic is your party structure?

Most leaders want to impose their families, like in some states in Nigeria. That is not democracy…

What is so bad about that?

There are thousands and thousands of party members. All these posts should go round.

Why impose on everybody else?

It’s not bad if there is election and you win.

Do you see your party as an opposition party to PDP at the federal level?

We are in power here in Ondo State and we will continue to be as long as we wish to be. It is PDP that is in opposition to us in Ondo state.

is cheap

Bolarinwa and a former minister for state Aviation, Alhaji Aremu Yahaya, who addressed the press conference, they particularly said their group opposed alleged allocation of the party’s leadership to Senator Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in the state.

Arbitrary sharing of party offices Their words: “We are not against the Sarakis or any other group joining our party as democracy is a game of number.

We reject arbitrary sharing of party offices between us and the Saraki group. The registration

process and election of party officials from the wards to the state should provide the desired confidence to all members of the party. We reject any rule that arrogates the leadership of the party in the state to his group either through the state governor or Saraki himself. The election of party officers must be free and transparent.”

The APC stalwarts urged that the state harmonising committee set up to midwife the party through registration process, ward congresses and election of officials must not be skewed in favour of the Saraki group but be composed of equal number of Continues on page 48

T

HE reality of the Nigerian situation has remained an enigma as the Nigerian people themselves. It is a fact that the many nations that had inhabited a lovely and naturally endowed plain called Nigeria in the past one hundred years are yet to understand themselves to actually evolve as one nation.

It is gathered from romantic statistics that there are more than 250 tribes, speaking about three hundred languages in a population of about 165 millions (or is it 170 million?), with youths forming about 60 per cent of the number. The fact is that the crudity that surrounds the usual population census gives room for any serious doubt about any official figure. However, one fact remains – anybody who could speak Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba with a muttering of English language is at home in any Nigerian cosmopolitan area.

That assertion reinforces the fact that such a lucky person who is employed qualifies to be a Nigerian, irrespective of his religion or his village origin.

Also, the concept of mixed marriages or actuality of it complicates the tribal nomenclature. That idea of a tribal conflict in Warri (Delta State) presents a bit of confusion to a casual resident when belligerents have either Urhobo mothers, Itshekiri fathers or Ijaw grandmothers. It looks as a perfect case of an ideal neighbor with mixed and unified customs and traditions – as Yoruba would always say: nobody has a father’s place who does not possess a mother’s place – which means we are all members of one and the same family.

The typical question of who actually is a member of a tribe

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—47 If, as it is often naira does not allow for cheap observed, foreigners see import of necessary equipment in the size of Nigeria and for infrastructural development. its endowed resources The Swiss in their earlier phase golden opportunities, it is of economic development a credit to their clear exported their timber to import vision and propensity to necessary capital equipment to rob the rich-fool of his transform their economy.

Nigeria exports its crude oil (in many resources. Since Nigeria does not crude form) to import refined manufacture what the petroleum products (not country needs and could equipment) under a subsidy produce such goods at scheme that cost the nation about home, the opportunity is N2trillion in 2012.

The Federal Government, open to cheap and laboring under an atmosphere of inferior imports.

There is no doubt that weak effective demand and high Nigeria has gone unemployment has foolishly through various stages clung to a policy of tight monetary of economic exploitation in the policy which has prevented past 100 years. The colonial industrial expansion and master (Britain) dominated the restricted increase in the supply commercial life of the country of consumable goods.

It is recognized that where (dictating and controlling export there is increasing demand of /import trade), and after 1960, goods which might lead to Japan, Taiwan and South Korea monopolized the consumers increase in price, increase in supply will be the necessary internal trade. answer to “too much money chasing too little goods”. It is a Consumers pity that in the last three years, internal trade efforts had been directed towards curbing excessive demand for And now, Chinese products goods without a thought for (often inferior) have found expanding supply of goods to permanent place in our homes. prevent price instability.

The nation’s manufacturing A Transportation Agenda needs initiative is being crippled not transform the nation into through assumed cheap Chinese poverty. In the application of its loans and unrestricted monetary policy, a little inflation importation of cheap foreign is preferable to large-scale goods. The great problem of unemployment with Nigeria is not the inability of accompanying vices of many Nigerians to see the insurgency, armed robberies, potentials of the country, but the killings and kidnappings. In greater problem lies with the a situation of deficient effective leadership in following bad demand and infrastructural policies in an era of global deficiency, the answer lies in enlightenment. For example, massive injection of public funds what economic sense lies with an which are carefully controlled import dependent country and not directed to wasteful trading with a severely devalued projects. currency? The low value of the

Statistical elegance and the reality on ground often distorts the stated statistical figure of a tribe. As an example, to which tribe does children of mixed marriages belong? Some people may assert that the Man owns the child and that the child clings to the tribe of the father.

The reigning Queen of England is English while her husband, the Duke is Greek, will the heir to the throne of England claim to be Greek or English?

My readers should excuse my diversion into the genealogy of a tribe which appears as a flight into Nigerian fantasy. It has nothing to do with formidable statistics of Nigerian economic development under President Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda. During 2013, economic growth hovered around 6 per cent and inflation figure gyrated below 10 per cent. The foreign exchange reserves figure soared above $40 billion mark with exchange rate and price stability strictly maintained. An excellent performance by any standard if it is compared with developed economics where growth rate in 2013 was less than 2 per cent.

However, what has become an

intricate problem of economic analysis is the presence of poverty and high unemployment in such a fast growing economy. Many Nigerians, including some respected columnists, question the seriousness of some people who mistake the opulence of a few for the general misery of the people.

In fact, people with clear eyes (not blurred) would not fail to appreciate the grandeur that goes with newly built lovely estates in Abuja and new State capitals and also, the beautiful vehicles (including jeeps and multimillion bullet proof cars) that adorn the sturdy urban roads.

It is also true that politics has become more rewarding to many people in terms of money, power and prestige, and life is very rosy in many enviable environments. But apart from the negligible few, the condition of many Nigerians is a sad story of abject poverty, misery and woe. To the glamour of the citylife, is attached the parchment of the slum – which is the enviable abode of the greater percent of many Nigerians.

Pension Reform Act (Amendment) Bill 2013:

All Eyes on NASS

BY JOSEPH IFEBUNANDU

P

ENSION has remained a key electioneering and governance issue as governments and political parties around the world seek better ways to cater for the welfare of workers who have retired due to old age, attainment of mandatory years of service, downsize of workforce, injury or sickness.

Whereas Nigeria’s pension system worked for a while, soaring pension bills, corruption, and maladministration in the old pension system resulted in irregular and, in many cases, non-payment of pensions. This in turn brought untold hardship on pensioners, as the awful state of pensioners from state to federal level became a perennial national embarrassment.

It was for this reason that the Federal Government undertook a thorough overhaul of the pension system, resulting in the Pension Reform Act 2004.

However, much as the reforms literally transformed the nation’s pension system, especially as it concerns Federal Government employees and the organised

private sector, the operation of the Pension Reform Act 2004 in the last nine years has also exposed several loopholes and concerns, which must be addressed. For instance, the rampant allegations of looting in the various Pension Departments were so rampant that the National Assembly had to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter. The findings were so outrageous that the Senate President, David mark described this wickedness against our aged ones who gave their prime years to the nation as equal to blood money.

It was for all such reasons, therefore, that the nation heaved a sigh of relief when President Goodluck Jonathan Administration proposed the Pension Reform Bill 2013 to the National Assembly. The cardinal objectives of the Pension Reform Bill, which has reached advanced stages at the National Assembly, are to enhance the powers of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) in its regulatory and enforcement activities enhance the protection of pension funds and assets, and unlock the opportunities for the

utilization of pension assets for national development. Others are to review the sanctions regime to reflect current realities, provide for the participation of the Informal Sector, and also to provide the framework for the adoption of the Contributory Pension Scheme by States and Local Governments.

Importantly, the Bill provides for the proper establishment of the Pension Transition Arrangement Departments (PTADs) to take over the remittance of benefits to pensioners under the Defined Benefits Scheme. It will ensure greater efficiency and accountability in the administration and payment of pensions under the Defined Benefits Scheme, as pensioners under the old scheme will now receive their pensions directly rather than through third parties.

This will bring the era of impunity and corruption in the various Pension Departments to an end and enhance the regulatory authority and efficiency of PENCOM to reposition and provide greater oversight on the PTADs. Other major highlights of the

•Mark proposed law include the reduction of the waiting period for accessing benefits in the event of loss of job from six months to four months, creation of new offences and provisions for stiffer penalties that will serve as deterrence against the mismanagement or diversion of pension funds and assets under any guise or the infractions on pension law. It also addresses challenges and ambiguities relating to Death Benefits.

Very importantly, the Bill seeks amendment to allow for the payment of additional benefits, apart from the accruals from the Contributory Pension, to workers

at the end of their employment based on collective bargaining with their employers.

It further seeks to raise pension contribution from 15 per cent where both employer and employee make an economically disproportional contribution of 7.5 percent each to 20 percent contribution with a more proportional minimum of 12 percent contribution by employer and 8 percent by the employee.

This translates to more savings for the workers.

The Bill also seeks to emphasize competence in the qualification for appointment as the Director-General of PENCOM rather than the current 20 years cognate experience. Stakeholders have also upheld this move. They argue that the 20 years experience requirement in the current law is out of sync with local and global best practices in financial regulatory institutions.

For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which is the apex financial regulatory institution and economic powerhouse of the nation does not demand any years of experience for appointment as the Governor or Deputy Governor of the CBN. *Ifebunadu Joseph, a public affairs commentator writes from Abuja.

48 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

2015 polls: Nigerians can trust INEC — Umoette Mr. Robert Ekutmfon Umoette is among the strong contenders for the governorship position in Akwa Ibom Stake. He speaks on the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan in his first tenure in office, the pitfalls of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the just concluded election in Anambra state and INEC’s readiness to conduct credible elections in 2015.

BY UDEME CLEMENT

T

HE controversy in the political circle about President Jonathan’s ambition for 2015 presidency is taking a new dimension as some politicians, especially the opposition are calling on Jonathan to jettison his interest.

What is your take on this?

To start with, I do not share similar opinion and I believe Jonathan should contest for the presidency by 2015 because he has the constitutional right as a citizen of Nigeria to seek a second term in office. Beyond that, he has the framework to move Nigeria’s economy forward.

He is doing well in the petroleum sector and already tackling the lingering power crisis, which has been a major challenge in growing the economy. He should be given a second tenure to consolidate on the economic policies he has formulated to transform the country.

For instance, we are currently facing institutional problem in this country and without building good institutions our economy will not realise tangible outputs now and in the long-run. So, Jonathan needs another four years to build institutions capable of stimulating economic growth and development. Without institutional changes, Nigeria will be lagging behind in the scheme of things globally.

The tenure of the incumbent

•Umoette governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio is gradually running out. How will you assess his performance in office since 2007?

Looking at the level of development in the state, I believe he has done well.

His first achievement was changing the outlook of Akwa Ibom people, such that everywhere in Nigeria and even outside the country now have a positive outlook of Akwa Ibom

APC Harmonisation: Talk Continues from page 46 members from the legacy parties and the nPDP. Fears over Saraki, Ahmed unnecessary — Afolayan In a swift reaction, former Secretary of the PDP in Kwara State, Prince Yemi Afolayan, described the apprehension and fear of some prospective members of the APC in the state of possible marginalisation as unnecessary and misplaced.

Afolayan in an interview with Vanguard said for claiming that Senator Saraki lacked the potential to lead APC in the state that Bolarinwa and Yahaya had displayed their ignorance of the political barometer of Kwara.

Afolayan, who reiterated that Senator Saraki and other members of nPDP who merged with the APC had used every occasion to assure that there was no bifurcation between old and

indigenes. In terms of infrastructure, everyone can see clearly the massive work in the state, ranging from good road network to other infrastructure put in place to make the state much more productive.

Some of us still believe that Akpabio has not done well in industrial development and job creation considering the level of unemployment in an oil

producing state like Akwa Ibom?

We must be objective about this kind of assessment because infrastructure and roads, which he worked on extensively in the state are the necessities that come with governance.

Any government, be it at the federal or state level that cannot provide the basic infrastructure is seen as a failed government.

Today, there are other governors in Nigeria who are not doing up to expectation, yet they are still there. So, we should commend those who are doing their best to deliver on the dividends of democracy.

Comparatively, can you say that the infrastructure on ground and government projects in Akwa Ibom commensurate with the large amount the state receives as monthly allocation?

I do not have access to the statistics on government’s expenditure in public goods in the state but from what we see in terms of the airport project and other capital intensive projects, I believe the governor has done well and should be commended and supported to do more for the betterment of the state and the economy at large.

Many flaws were recorded during the Anambra governorship election concluded recently. With these pitfalls, do you think the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is ready for free and fair elections by

2015?

Personally, I think INEC is fully prepared for 2015 and will do the right thing to move the nation forward. INEC as an institution is committed to conducting credible elections. The INEC officials must have learnt from what happened in Anambra and will do everything possible to correct the anomalies. Also, we should note that during the election in Anambra, INEC officers were prepared before the day of the election, even as the materials needed for the exercise arrived on time and even the media reported it. But some officers of INEC for whatever reason decided to do what they did, so you cannot blame the Chairman of the INEC, Prof.

Jega for that. Those officers caused that havoc as it were in Anambra but INEC as an institution is working hard to put everything in place for 2015. So we can still have confidence in the ability of INEC to conduct free and fair elections in future. f you become the governor of Akwa Ibom state in future, what will you do to transform the economy of the state to be better than what it is at present?

You see, before handing over power to any person, the important thing is to look at the antecedent of such individual and his past achievements. His past records will determine his capability to deliver while in office. My goal is to remove that system whereby Akwa Ibom indigenes wake up every day and go to the office or a house of a political office holder looking for stipends, because they do not have what to do, to earn a living.

is cheap

new members, said it was surprising that both men were fanning the embers of disunity in their quest for recognition.

He affirmed that Senator Saraki and other members of defunct nPDP were ready to partner with men and women of good will and good conscience to advance the ideals of APC in the state and Nigeria at large.

Press conference Also, some other APC stakeholders, same day, at another press conference berated what they described as pockets of crisis being perpetrated by some members of their party opposing the leadership of Senator Saraki and Lai Mohammed.

The stakeholders, who included former Kwara State

•Akande

Chairmen of the CPC, Alhaji Suleiman Buhari and that of the ANPP, Alhaji Taye Eleja, two APC members in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Tope Olayonu and Hon. Hassan Oyeleke

among others, urged those they described as dissidents to leave the party instead of trying to cause disharmony a m o n g members.

“The agitation of the dissidents is not in the interest of the APC but a craving to continue to massage their ego when they knew that they cannot survive the competition”.

Categories of dissidents in Kwara APC The APC leaders listed three categories of the dissidents, saying they include those who

were aggrieved in the PDP when they were in the same party with Senator Saraki and later escaped to ACN stressing that, “it is just logical that they must keep on running”.

They listed other categories of the dissidents as those that enjoy the smallest of the legacy parties and always used the platform to negotiate during election while the third category are the over ambitious clique citing, Muhammed Dele Belgore, the former gubernatorial candidate of ACN among others whom they said believed that they cannot achieve their personal aspirations under the present arrangement.

The scenario in Kwara is a tip of what the APC is witnessing in many states. Whether the party will put its house in order ahead of the 2015 election is a question that time will answer.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 49

2015 election will be better than 2011 —Jonathan

BY BEN AGANDE

A

AKANDE @ 75—

The 75th Birthday Colloquium and Luncheon of Chief Bisi Akande took place at the Eko Hotel, Lagos yesterday. From left: Governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Celebrant/Interim National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Bisi Akande; his wife, Omowunmi; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN; and Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun at the occasion. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye.

Why Jonathan sacked Service Chiefs Continues from page 5 Navy.

In the Army, Ihejirika as Course 18 and still serving meant that many of his juniors have gone on retirement and more would still have gone as the army had become top-heavy and there must be weeding out for the triangle to maintain its shape.

Need to avert implosion Consequently, an internal explosion was imminent and the question arose, as to whether President Jonathan was unaware of the terms and conditions of service which stipulates 56 years of age and 35 years in service.

Moreover, many junior generals, Rear Admirals and Air Vice Marshals were being retired in compliance with the TACOS to the detriment of the armed forces.

Vanguard gathered that many of the retiring officers petitioned the National Assembly to bring to the notice of their representatives, the fate that may befall their junior colleagues if nothing was done about the anomaly, though they acknowledged that

Jonathan has the prerogative to keep a service chief as long as he wanted.

Aside these reasons, Vanguard was told that the President was convinced that the dangers posed by the Boko Haram menace had been sufficiently curtailed by the service chiefs especially with the innovations brought about by Lt. General Ihejirika.

Minimah: New Army Chief Regarding the new appointments, Major General Minimah, who hails from Rivers State and is a Course 24 intake of the NDA, was until his appointment, the Commander, Infantry Corps.

He was at several times, Brigade Commander 1 Brigade, Sokoto, and General officer Commanding 81 divisions, Lagos. He was redeployed to Jaji as the Commander of Infantry Corps after the unfortunate bombing of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College by Boko Haram terrorists last year. Minimah was born on July 27, 1959.

Jibrin: New Naval Chief

Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin was at the Defence Headquarters before his appointment. He was at several times, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Chief of Logistics at Naval Headquarters and Commandant, Defence Intelligence School. He hails from Kogi State.

Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin was born on September 16, 1959 and joined the Navy as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 24 Regular Course.

Amosu: New Air Force Chief Air Vice Marshal Amosu, the new Chief of Air Staff, hails from Lagos State. At several times, he was the Commander, Presidential Air Fleet, Director of Operations at NAF Headquarters and Air Officer Commanding Tactical Air Command, Makurdi.

Air Vice Marshal Amosu was born on August 1, 1958 and joined the Air Force as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy ’s 25 Regular Course.

Badeh: Defence Chief Air Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, formerly the Chief of Air Staff and now Chief of Defence Staff, hails from Adamawa state.

Badeh was born on January 10, 1957 and joined the Air Force as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 21 Regular Course

BUJA—PRESI DENT Goodluck Jonathan has given a firm commitment to the international community that the 2015 elections will be freer and fairer than the 2011 general elections.

Speaking at a reception for the diplomatic corps in Nigeria, President Jonathan called for international support for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to realize the goal of surpassing the benchmark attained in 2011.

The cocktail reception on the lawns of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, is an annual ritual during which the president interacts with the diplomatic corps in Nigeria.

The president used the occasion to intimate the diplomats on preparations towards the 2015 general elections and to assure them on his determination to set a benchmark for free and fair elections.

“The general elections will take place early next year but the processes that will lead to the elections will commence this year. Parties will select their candidates through primaries this year, campaigns will commence this year, so this year will be full of activities. And I know that there is some apprehension with the elections.

“Let me reassure you that the general election that will come up next

year will be better than the elections you witnessed in 2011. As we progress into the year, some of these tensions will come down.

“At the beginning of the electoral processes in most countries, especially developing nations, tensions use to be quite high even in developed countries. That is what we are witnessing now, but all these will come down. We will make sure that we maintain peace and security and that elections are conducted in the manner that will be seen as free and fair by everybody”, he said.

He told the diplomats that “I am placing before you to communicate to your organisations and countries that we still need your assistance to make sure that the INEC conducts elections that are even better than the ones they did in 2011.”

On global terrorism, the President said national and global development was being hampered by the menace of terrorism, adding that in 2014, sustained efforts through dialogue and other means must be mounted against terrorism.

On the forthcoming national confab, Jonathan said it was imperative since Nigerians feel that the 1999 Constitution that was midwifed by the military and still in place today, was not properly and fully deliberated upon or screened by the people.

FG assures Confab delegates of adequate security

BY HUGO ODIOGOR

L

AGOS—THE Fed eral Government has assured Nigerians that security of delegates to the forth-coming National Conference will be given top most priority, even as members of the National Assembly have been warned not to frustrate the yearnings of Nigerians.

The Speacial Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Alhaji Ahmed Ali Gulak spoke in a telephone interview with Vanguard Wednesday.

He said that the Federal Government would

go the extra mile to protect the lives of the delegates and the vital facilities that would be committed to the business of the National Conference.

According to Alhaji Gulak,”we do not foresee any threat to lives of the delegates but we will not leave anything to chance because this is a major political programme of the Jonathan admisitration and the success of this programme will advance peace, unity and development in the country”.

He said the experience of the 2010 Golden jubi-

lee celebration that was bombed remains fresh in the minds of the Federal Government “and we are sure that some evil minded people would want to embark on such risky venture just to truncate the National Dialogue, but those who would attempt such thing would meet their waterloo.

Gulak said “the national security agencies would be placed on alert to frustrate any plot to destabilise the work of the National Conference when ever it is inaugurated by the President Goodluck Jonathan”.

50 — V anguard Vanguard anguard,, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

BRIEFS UN panel confronts Vatican on child sex abuse by clergy

T

Syria agrees to attend peace talks S

YRIAN government has agreed to attend the upcoming Geneva peace talks, according to a leaked letter obtained by Al Jazeera, as international community tries to reach a diplomatic solution to the Syria crisis.

The letter from the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem to the Secretary General of the United Nations appears to set conditions for the peace talks to be held on January 22 aimed at ending the nearly three year civil war.

“It should be noted that we do not agree with certain points mentioned in the letter of invitation, simply for the reason that they are in conflict with the legal and political position of the State of Syria,” Muallem writes in reply to an invitation from Ban KiMoon Muallem goes on to say, “.It remains a priority for the Syrian people to continue to fight terrorism....”

“We demand the countries supporting terrorism cease and refrain from funding, training, arming or harbouring terrorist groups in harmony with international law and UN resolutions.”

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem This comes as Syria’s centrist internal opposition group, which rejects the armed rebellion against President Bashar alAssad, said on Thursday that it would not attend peace talks in Switzerland

next week.

Khaled Dahowd, an executive member of the National Coordination Body (NCB), accused Russia and the United States of rushing the conference to promote their

Trial of Hariri killers opens at Hague

T

HE trial in absentia of four Hezbollah members accused of murdering former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 has begun at a UNbacked tribunal at The Hague.

Nine years after a huge car bombing killed billionaire Hariri and 22 others in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and three

years into Syria’s own bloody civil war, the trial started yesterday for four Hezbollah suspects accused of plotting the assassination.

Hariri’s son, Saad - like his late father, also a former prime minister - was in the courtroom for the start of the trial along with family members of other victims of the February 14, 2005, blast.

Our presence here today

Egyptians endorse new constitution

E

GYPTIANS have overwhelmingly voted in favour of a new constitution drafted by the army-backed interim government, according to early results.

The tally, released yesterday also show that turnout in this week’s referendum was at least modestly higher than a 2012 constitutional ballot held during the rule of the deposed president, Mohamed Morsi.

An unofficial tally from 25 of Egypt’s 27 governorates showed that 97 percent of

own interests in the region, rather than those of the Syrian people.

The NCB has tense relations with the main umbrella opposition body in exile, known as the National Coalition, which is rife with internal divisions and will only decide whether it will send representatives at the meeting on January 17.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN special envoy to Syria, said in a statement that he deeply regretted but respected the NCB’s decision.

Meanwhile, Syria’s National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar has said that the so-called Geneva II peace talks will not solve the Syrian crisis.

voters said yes to the constitution, with less than one percent voting no. The remaining ballots were spoiled or otherwise invalid.

There are no results yet from Cairo, the country’s most populous governorate, or from North Sinai.

But turnout was about 38 percent, with 17.4 million people voting, putting it ahead of 2012, when 17 million people participated, roughly 33 percent of registered voters.

Galal Mustafa Saeed, the governor of Cairo, said he expected turnout in the city

to top 40 percent, though that figure could not be verified.

Official media hailed the outcome as an “unprecedented majority”.

“Egyptians inaugurate a new history for the region,” proclaimed the state-run AlAhram newspaper.

Colonel Ahmed Ali, the army spokesman, said the result “confirms that Egyptians are the first free population in recorded history,” according to the official MENA news agency.

GANDA’s president says his troops have joined forces with the South Sudanese military and are fighting in Bor to end a rebellion in the world’s newest country.

Lieutenant Colonel Paddy Ankunda, the military spokesman, said yesterday that Ugandan forces were helping loyalist forces flush rebels out of Bor, the strategic

•Yoweri Museveni town near the capital of Juba that has seen some

of the fiercest clashes since violence broke out in South Sudan in midDecember.

Ugandan officials have previously denied that their troops have joined the fight, saying their forces were deployed in South Sudan mainly to aid civilian evacuations.

The involvement of a foreign army in South Sudan’s conflict could

EU cancels dinner with Putin

T

HE European Union has canceled a traditional dinner with President Vladimir Putin at an EURussia summit in Brussels later this month to show there is no “business as usual” after a tug-of-war with Moscow over Ukraine.

Putin will visit Brussels on January 28 for his twiceyearly summit with the EU’s top officials, despite relations being under strain. The summit is usually over two days but will be over in one this time, without the dinner on the night before.

Tensions arose late last year after the EU accused Russia of putting undue pressure on Ukraine to reject closer ties with Brussels and forge tighter relations with Moscow instead. Kiev stunned the EU in November by pulling back at the last minute from signing a wide-ranging trade and cooperation agreement.

US nuclear officers caught in cheating ring

T

•Rafik Hariri is in itself a proof that our stance, since the first moment, and every moment, was and will continue to be: seeking justice, not revenge, punishment and not vengeance,” he told reporters outside the court, saying it was “the time of justice for Lebanon”.

The trial opened against a backdrop of ongoing sectarian violence in Lebanon, where a car bomb exploded early on Thursday in a Hezbollah stronghold close to the country’s border with Syria, killing at least three people and wounding more than 20, security officials said.

Uganda admits combat role in South Sudan

U

HE Vatican has been confronted publicly for the first time over the sexual abuse of children by clergy, at a UN hearing in Geneva.

Officials faced a barrage of hard questions covering why they would not release data and what they were doing to prevent future abuse.

They insisted the Church had learnt from the crisis and had taken action to prevent future abuse.

Victims’ advocates complained there was still too little transparency.

Last month, the Vatican refused a request from the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for data on abuse, on the grounds that it only released such information if requested to do so by another country as part of legal proceedings.

escalate a crisis set off by a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the fugitive former deputy president who commands rebel forces.

It comes a day after Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, admitted for the first time to helping his South Sudanese counterpart fend off the rebellion.

HE United States nuclear missile force has been hit by scandal after 34 officers responsible for launching nuclear missiles were removed from duty for their alleged involvement in a cheating ring.

The US Air Force said on Wednesday that 34 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, were either sharing material or were aware that material was being shared on proficiency tests.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, who described the behaviour as “completely unacceptable”, said the cheating ring was uncovered during a drug possession investigation involving 11 officers at several US Air Force bases, with two of the 11 also suspected of participating in the cheating ring.

Al-Qaeda group urges Fallujah to rise up

I

RAQIS in the western city of Fallujah say members of an al-Qaeda-linked group are handing out pamphlets urging people to take up arms and back them against Iraqi troops besieging the city.

Residents told the Associated Press news agency that fighters were distributing pamphlets with the emblem of the group - the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - at main intersections in Fallujah yesterday.

The residents say the pamphlets urge the people of Fallujah to fight alongside the al-Qaida group, give money and open their homes as shelter.

Julie Gayet sues Closer over Hollande ‘affair’ report

T

HE actress linked to French President Francois Hollande, Julie Gayet, is suing the magazine that published photos of their alleged affair.

Ms Gayet initiated proceedings against Closer for breach of privacy, the magazine told AFP news agency.

Mr Hollande decided not to sue the magazine after first threatening to.

The photos plunged the presidency into a crisis which saw Mr Hollande’s current partner, Valerie Trierweiler, taken to hospital.

Ms Gayet, 41, is seeking 50,000 euros (£41,000; $68,000) in damages and 4,000 euros in legal costs from the magazine.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014—51

C M Y K

52 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Vanguard CLASSIFIED A N YA N E T O H — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Chika Concilia Anyanetoh , now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chika Concilia Offiah.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ENIAFE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Eniafe Omowunmi Roseline, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adebayo Omowunmi Roseline. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ADEGBOYE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adegboye Remi Bunmi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Aduralere Remi Bunmi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OV UA K P O R I E — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Ovuakporie Rita, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Awala Rita. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

RAIFU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Raifu Funmilayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olajesu Funmilayo.

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GANGKERO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Gangkero Johnson Sumakari, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Raymond Ibrahim Sumakari. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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UGBAH—I, formerly

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AGUMA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Aguma Angela Ebere, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Odisigo Angela Ebere. All former documents remain valid. (NYSC), Our Saviour Instute of Science, Agriculture and Technology, Enugu (OSISATECH) and general public please take note.

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Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, U.B.A. Bank, Union Bank and general public, please take note.

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All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

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known and addressed as Miss Ugbah Lilian, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Azaka

Lilian.

All

former

documents

remain valid. General

UZOMA—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Uzoma Uzoma Chukwuka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Achinanya Uzoma Chukwuka. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AWALA—I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Awala Tosan Kate, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss EdogunOnome Tosan Kate.

All former documents remain valid. College of Education, Warri; University of Nig. Nsukka; Delta State University Abraka and general public please take note.

ADEWUMI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adewumi Grace Funmilayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Evabeta Grace Funmilayo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 53

Vanguard CLASSIFIED LAMBO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Lambo Titilope Sakirat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Alatishe Titilope Sakirat. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

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EJEFII—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Av w e r o s u o g h e n e Ejefii, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Av w e r o s u o g h e n e Origbo. All former documents remain valid. Delta state University Abraka, Delta state, NYSC and general public please take note.

ALEX-ONI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss O l a n i p e k u n Oluwaseun Alex-Oni, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. O l a n i p e k u n Oluwaseun Adeniyi.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OGBUNIZE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ebelechukwu Agnes Ogbunize, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ebelechukwu Agnes Okoye. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

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FADIPE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Fadipe Deborah Oluwakemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Otunla Deborah Oluwakemi. All former documents remain valid. Federal Staff Hospital Airport Road Jabi-Abuja and general public please take note.

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OGEDENGBE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogedengbe Evelyn Arike, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okebu Evelyn Arike. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and general public please take note.

UMEH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Obianuju Anita Umeh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obianuju Leon Uchechukwu.

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GOMA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Goma Dinebari, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Lilian Dinebari Zorasi.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I L I M E N A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Vivian Obianuju Ilimena, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Vivian Obianuju Onwuemene.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWAMUO— I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwamuo Emmanuel Hope Chinaza, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mgbajah Hope Chinaza. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

FAUSAT—I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Fausat Afolake Egbeyemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Afolake Joy Egbeyemi.

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OWOLABI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Kabirat Funmilola Owolabi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kabirat Funmilola Oke. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

N WA N KW O — I , formerly known and addressed as Nwankwo Chiderah Angela, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Njoku Chiderah Angela. All former documents remain valid.

Nigeria Merchant Navy, Federal College of Education Technical Akoka, Lagos and general public take note.

CHIMA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogechi Allison Chima, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogechi Allison Ndukwe-Kalu. All former documents valid. General public please take note.

IRIATA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Iriata Evelyn Obehi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chukwudi Evelyn Obehi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AMUTA—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Amuta Augustine Uzoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Chukwudi Augustine Uzoma. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

LAWSON—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Lawson Onegiyeofori, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Awo Onengiyeofori. All former documents remain valid. Nigerian Prisons Service and general public please take note.

OYA D O N G H A — I , formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Oyadongha Blessing, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Olorogun Blessing. All former documents remain invalid.

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VANGUARD'S LAGOS OFFICE YOU CAN B O O K Y O U R A D V E R T S AT OU R L A G O S I S L A N D O F FI C E — VA N G U A R D MEDIA LIMITED (LAGOS OFFICE) K I O S K 4 8 E A S T P AV I L I O N T B S , L A G O S .

AJC: Nigeria outshines others to qualify

T

EAM Nigeria topped eight African countries participating in the West and Central Africa Junior Tennis Championships (AJTC) qualifiers.

The qualifiers, which is the third edition of the West and Central AJTC qualifiers, holds from Jan. 12 to Jan. 20.

The championship is ongoing at the Package B of the Abuja National Stadium.

All the countries that played in the semi-finals of the championship had qualified automatically to represent their countries at the AJTC, billed for March in Kenya.

In the Boys’ U-16 category, Sylvester Emmanuel from Nigeria defeated Antoine Gbadoe from Togo after

two sets of 6-2, 7-6.

Michael Michael from Nigeria beat Patheme Diangathebe from Gabon 6-3, 6-2, to qualify Nigeria for the finals.

Miaga Yacouba from Mali took the 5th position, which also qualified him for the junior championship.

In the Girls U-16, Zainab Oladimeji and Elizabeth Pam, both from Nigeria, emerged the finalists after defeating their Cote d’viore counterparts, Amandine Kouadio and Marie Sia. Nigerian players emerged the finalists of the U-14 Boys category with Peter Lawal from Nigeria beating Anozie Chidera from Nigeria 60, 6-2, to qualify for the finals.

Wrestlers throng Rowe Park for Wrestlemania

P

ROFESSIONAL wrestlers across the country and some neighbouring African countries will tonight throng the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos as the third edition of BRF Wrestlemania begin Big-time wrestlers from Congo Democratic Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola and Cameroon are already in town, with talk of how they plan to emerge champion and cart home the cash prize of $20, 000.

Coordinator of the tournament, which has received the blessing of Nigeria Pro Wrestling

Federation, Prrince Hammed Olanrewaju Mohammed said that the body was ready for a big splash of wrestling action that will run through the nigh, with heart-thumping slugfests.

“This edition will be special because the Governor himself has promised that he would personally come to watch the final on Sunday at Rowe Park, while majority of the chairmen and chairperson of local governments and local council development areas have given us the assurance that they will storm the venue to watch the best of professional wrestling at the 3rd BRF Wrestlemania,” he said.

Powell’s doping hearing for Feb

A

SAFA Powell’s manager told a Jamaican anti-doping hearing on Wednesday that the man they hired to treat the former world 100-metre champ was not a certified physical therapist.

Powell, 31, tested positive at the Jamaican national championships in June for the banned stimulant oxilofrine.

The sprinter is blaming Chris Xuereb, saying the newly-hired physical therapist gave him the nutritional supplements that resulted in the positive test.

Powell told the threemember Jamaican AntiDoping Commission

(JADCO) panel on Tuesday that he did not list all the supplements he was taking on his declaration form before the event because he was too excited and couldn’t remember their names.

The hearing was adjourned until February 12, when the panel expects to hear more witnesses over two days.

Speaking on the second day of the hearing, Powell’s manager Paul Doyle said they hired Xuereb because the Canadian was highly recommended by a chiropractor, Carmine Stillo.

Doyle did not do any background checks on Xuereb.

54 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

I

once read a book on journalism which warns that one may not be objective if one pretends not to have biases or sentiments on issues or towards some people.

The book teaches that it is better to note your sentiments and try to check them while analysing issues lest your biases make you subjective.

I have recalled this because of the sentiments many Nigerians expressed on the 2013 Glo-Caf Awards where Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast beat our Mikel Obi to the Best Player Award.

Nigerians hardly accept defeat. How many politicians have ever congratulated their opponents after winners emerged in elections? It rarely happens in Nigeria. They head for the court, all of them.

In football, they rarely admit superiority of opponents. If it is not Sani Kaita (remember that infamous Kong Fu in the 2010 World Cup) or a defender it is the coach. If it is not the coach, it is the federation.

Nobody admits the superiority of opponents and plan to up our game, not only by better preparation but also organising a better league that could produce quality players who can win us matches at international levels including the World Cup. I’m disappointed by the way many Nigerians raised eyebrows over the failure of Mikel Obi to emerge Africa’s Best Player. If we could set aside sentiments how would one score Mikel more than Toure?

Emma Okocha, the elder brother of Jay Jay Okocha who also played great football, said that what remained confusing were the criteria used in scoring players.

“Is it individual performance, team performance and laurels won?” Okocha said in an interview with us shortly after the awards in Eko Hotel Thursday night.

I think that Okocha’s question was pertinent but it is the same with Fifa. Fifa has not announced any criteria for their World Footballer Of The Year Awards but we know it is more about the individual performance of players heavily boosted by the class of their clubs especially when such clubs are contenders in continental diadems. Players enjoy great rating when they play in the continents but it is not about winning laurels. To play for a team that wins laurels could help but it is not about winning laurels. Victor Ikpeba was absolutely sensational in Monaco when he won the award in 1979 but Monaco did not win the Champions League. He was scoring great goals and was even nominated for World Footballer of the year awards. Didn't Yekini and Kanu win these awards?

08053068728

Of Mikel Obi and our League!

Ronaldo was voted the best player in the world for the 2013 season. Did Real Madrid win the Champions League? I point this out because Nigerians have argued that Mikel won the Nations Cup with Nigeria and that he was in the team that qualified Nigeria for the World Cup. What did Argentina and Portugal win

Former Green Eagles captain Segun Odegbami brilliantly compared Toure and Mikel and rated Toure miles ahead

,

,

in those years Messi and Ronaldo won the awards?

Former Green Eagles captain Segun Odegbami brilliantly compared Toure and Mikel and rated Toure miles ahead. Toure defends, creates chances and scores. When he is not playing, Odegbami said, Man City misses him. One cannot say same of Mikel, Odegbami says of the Nigerian who has played about 301 matches (Odegbami mistakenly wrote 400) for Chelsea as a midfielder and has only four goals to tell his story. I think that Nigerians appreciate the brilliance of Odegbami in his analyses on football matters and I don’t need to say more about this man who also played great football. He did not deserve the abuse unleashed on him by John Shittu, Mikel’s agent who did not

only condemn Odegbami points on Mikel but also went on to argue that Odegbami lacked modern football knowledge. It also smacked of poor knowledge of the game to compare players who played in different generations as Shittu tried to do with Mikel and Odegbami. Style, speed, skills, coaching, character and even culture change with time time. It would be naïve, for example, to compare Ronaldo and Usebio and conclude that one was better than the other.

Odegbami, set aside sentiments and compared the two players professionally and gave it to Toure. I belong to his school on this. And Paul Bassey, in his column last Monday in Vanguard, tried to educate us on how the voting is done and was done for the period in question and one could see that the votes counted. I even now believe more on the credibility of Caf Awards.

Those who vote have sentiments. They could err but the votes count. There’s no rigging. That’s on the Caf Awards.

On our league, what I planned to write has already been well articulated by Harry Iwuala in a special piece he did on the league early this week.

Some of the clubs in our Premier League said that they would boycott registration of their clubs for the new season. Their grudge is on the conditions League Management Company, LMC, set for them to be registered. Many of these conditions are what I have been canvassing for years for our league. They have to do with playing in television friendly stadia, setting standards with remuneration and contracts of players and coaches, registering the clubs as limited liability businesses and allowing the public to own 30 percent shares, insisting on medicals for players before engaging them etc.

While I may plead with the LMC to exercise restraint on the time line for some of these conditions they must insist on their total compliance in the next one or two seasons. We must set standards for our league to grow.

And the way out is to register only those clubs that meet the standards. If only ten clubs meet the standards let them play in the premier league. That’s the way to ensure quality and to raise our football again. I whole heartedly back the LMC led by Nduka Irabor on these reforms. Nduka should know that the officials who resist positive changes and prefer what my friend Kojo Williams call Alamala league do that for their selfish interests and not for the interest of our football. He must not, therefore, give up. We support the reforms.

Azarenka cruises on D

EFENDING champion Victoria Azarenka breezed into the Australian Open third round yesterday The two-time title-holder crushed Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1, 6-4 in 88 minutes, benefiting from the roof being shut on centre court for her night match after another day of scorching heat.

There was no such luck for third seed Sharapova, the 2008 champion, who endured a brutal three-hour marathon against Karin Knapp in

temperatures touching 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) before the tournament´s extreme heat policy was enforced.

“I can´t complain about playing under the roof in the night session. It was a little bit humid. I mean, I still sweated a lot,” said Azarenka.

“But I can´t complain.”

“I felt I played pretty good,” she added. “I´m glad that in important moments I´m finding my rhythm and I´m able to raise the level.”

Murray: I’ll do my best to win Aussie Open

Nadal, Federer ruthless in wins R

AFAEL Nadal and Roger Federer rose victorious from one of the Australian Open’s most chaotic days on Thursday when a rare extreme heat shutdown and then a surprise rainstorm threw the tournament into disarray.

Top seed Nadal admitted he was “very glad” to play under the stadium roof after his campaign accelerated with a 62, 6-4, 6-2 victory against willing but outgunned local hope Kokkinakis.

A serve-volleying Federer C M Y K

showed distinct shades of his new coach, Stefan Edberg, as he overwhelmed Kavcic 6-2, 61, 7-6 (7/4) win in one hour 47 minutes.

“It would be nice if I can take some good things away from that as well. Stefan was probably one of the greatest of all time in terms of serve and volley,” said Federer, seeded six.

“He moved so smoothly and he did it so well and he did it for his entire career at the highest of levels.”

B

*Azarenka

Djokovic routs Mayer

N

OVAK Djokovic was in no mood to hang around as the great heat debate continued at the Australian Open.

Temperatures once again peaked above 40C, although they were not as consistently high as on Tuesday and there

was more cloud cover.

The main victim of the conditions on Wednesday was Croatian Ivan Dodig, who was stricken by cramp and retired in the fourth set of his secondround match against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, having won the opening two sets.

RITISH number one Andy Murray has insisted that he will do his “best” to try to win the Australian Open after reaching the third round of the tournament.

The Scotsman, who is competing in his first major competition since recovering from back surgery, reached the next phase with a 6-2 6-2 7-5 win over Vincent Millot. ”This is a new tournament,” BBC Sport quotes Murray as saying. “I have been in the final here three times, I love it here, and I don’t know if this will be my year but I will do my best.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014 — 55

FIFA Ranking: Eagles drop!

Keshi’s confidence pays off for Imenger

IGERIA have slipped four places to 41st in the latest Fifa world rankings, released on Thursday.

The African champions are placed seventh on the continent, behind Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Algeria, Egypt, Cape Verde Islands and Mali.

Globally, there is no change in the top 25 teams, with Spain still leading the way, followed by Germany, Argentina, Colombia and Portugal. World Cup hosts Brazil are 10th.

The Super Eagles played two matches in the last ranking window, beating Ethiopia 2-1 before losing 2-1 to Mali in their African Nations Championship (Chan) opener on January 1.

Stephen Keshi’s men defeated Mozambique 4-2 yesterday, and next face tournament hosts South Africa on Sunday.

Chan is an event reserved for footballers plying their trade in the country of their birth.

ORMER Nigerian international, Barnabas Imenger, has hailed the impact of Super Eagles gaffer, Stephen Keshi, on the players at the ongoing Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), in South Africa.

Imenger, who was a teammate of Keshi and his assistant, Daniel Amokachi, at the national team, applauded the team’s fighting spirit in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over Mozambique, in their second group

match.

“The Eagles played better in the second half and deserved to win. We lost the balls in the first half, but all that changed in the second half when we had more possession.

“Keshi’s half time talk was perfected by the players. It was an improved performance,” Imenger told supersport.com.

When asked about the substitutions on match day, Imenger said: “The substitutes took the game to the next level."

Keshi

work with a squad made up of domestic players from the Nigerian league, most of them with very little international experience.

It showed as a disjointed performance resulted in defeat to west African neighbours Mali.

It was, however, a far more clinical and composed Super Eagles which scored two goals without return in the second half of the Mozambique match after it was 2-2 at half-time.

Keshi’s biggest challenge has been to awaken his players from what would normally be a mid-season slumber period, the Nigerian Premier League having been in recess for the last few months. But he feels they are ready to fire on all cylinders against Bafana on Sunday.

N

CONTROL . . . Super Eagles midfielder, Ugonna Uzochukwu controls the ball ahead of Mozambique’s forward, Diogo Alberto during their CHAN Group A second match Wednesday night. Eagles won 4-2.

Uzoenyi: Man Of The Match will spur team *Training resumes for Bafana

S

UPER Eagles winger, Ejike Uzoenyi, who was named Man of the Match, in the 4-2 win over Mozambique

Wednesday has said the award will spur the team to greater heights at the ongoing tourney in South Africa.

Speaking after he

Seedorf set for dugout debut

A

look ahead to the weekend’s action in the Italian Serie A, including Clarence Seedorf ’s first game at the helm for AC Milan.

All eyes will be on Clarence Seedorf when he makes his coaching debut with AC Milan against Hellas Verona on Sunday evening.

The 37-year-old retired from professional football this week to accept an offer to guide the Rossoneri.

Milan dismissed coach Massimiliano Allegri after last weekend’s 4-3 defeat at Sassuolo left them 30 points adrift of Serie A leaders Juventus.

“I’m very happy to have come back,” said Seedorf, who played 10

*Seedorf years at AC Milan. “It feels as though I never left the club. “I’m very excited about this new adventure.”

Seedorf, who signed a contract with the Rossoneri until June 2016, added: “I feel a sense of responsibility.

“When I left in 2012 a cycle had ended and

now I have to open a new one.

“We have a lot of work to do in order to bring Milan back into the top positions of the standings.”

Milan have won five of their 19 league games and are in 11th position at the halfway stage of the campaign.

received the award, the petit Rangers International of Enugu star said he was a bit surprised at being named the star man of the game but added that the award will not have been possible if his team mates had not been very effective also in the encounter. “This award is for the entire team and I hope we go all the way and win this tournament for Nigerians”, he said.

The Super Eagles did not take a break as the team were back in training on Thursday evening. Midfielder Ikenna Ene Paul and defence ace, Benjamin Francis are still not fit yet for full training due to hamstring and knee problems but the team doctors are working round the clock to ensure that they get back well in the course of the tournament.

Stephen Keshi said, it’s not looking too good but added that the team came to the tournament with 23 players and the others should be able to hold their own against any opposition.

World Cup: NBBF hopeful of wild card for D’Tigers

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RESIDENT of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Tijani Umar has expressed hope that the national men’s team may win one of the four wild-cards on offer by world basketball C M Y K

governing FIBA for admittance to this year’s basketball world cup holding in Spain.

According to Umar, 15 nations applied from across the world but Nigeria is the only one

from Africa, a situation that may eventually play in Nigeria’s favour.

“Well, 15 countries applied for the wild card and only four are available but Nigeria is the only country from Africa”

“I believe that from February 2, a pronouncement will come out from FIBA as to who will be the four teams to benefit from the wild card application and consideration”

F

Continued from BP “I’m so happy with the players because they are getting it quickly, so I think we will get better and better as the tournament goes on.”

The Nigerians began their campaign with a 10 loss to Mali and were then given a fright by an a d v e n t u r o u s Mozambique side before winning 4-2 on Wednesday night.

The victory sets up a tantalising final Group A match with South Africa on Sunday. Nigeria must win the game to ensure they make the quarterfinals, while a draw would be enough for Bafana Bafana to go through.

Coming into the tournament, Keshi had relatively little time to

Agbim Continued from BP team he will make up for past mistakes.

“No goalkeeper in the world will be happy to concede cheap goals and for a keeper of my caliber I am most disappointed than anyone else. But that is football and I can’t dwell in the past. I have to forget and plead with fans to understand and forgive so that we can jointly forge ahead. I promise that I will do better next time and it’s a promise I wish to keep”, he said.

Head Coach of the team, Stephen Keshi, defended his captain for the flops, noting that the keeper may have limitations like all

goalkeepers in the world but the poor state of the Cape Town Stadium contributed greatly to his performance. “It’s a team work and we cannot single out one individual for blame, otherwise we had a situation in the game against Mozambique when a player had an empty net and yet could not slot the ball in until the opposing defender cleared it.

“I have worked with Agbim now for two years plus and if he was not good he will not be here.

We must learn to understand our players and forgive errors, especially as he is the last man in the defence and his own errors are easily seen by all”.

V anguard anguard,, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014

Inside: 8-Page Sports Vanguard Pull-out

‘Calamity’ Agbim begs for forgiveness F

IRST choice keeper and skipper of the Super Eagles at the on-going CHAN African Nations tourney, Chigozie Agbim, has pleaded with Nigerian fans to forgive his floppy display in the first two games of the championship so far, assuring that he will be better in subsequent encounters.

A sober Agbim, who spoke at the team’s Garden Court De Waal hotel abode in Cape Town said he was the most disappointed individual at the display and assured that if given the chance to continue as the number one goalie of the national Continues on Page 55

* Keshi blames poor pitch Keshi warns Bafana Bafana

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UPER Eagles coach Stephen Keshi fired a warning at Bafana Bafana claiming Nigeria are getting stronger with each game they play at the 2014 African Nations Championship

tournament.

“I prime my work on the mental (aspect), which I do all the time more tactical, positional play, because they need to understand the system,” Keshi said.

Continues on Page 55

MATCHES TODAY Ghana Ethiopia

SHAKY — Chigozie Agbim panics as he kicks the ball.

FIFA Ranking: Eagles drop! — Pg 55

v v

Zimbabwe 0 Burkina Faso 1

Libya Gabon RESULTS Uganda Morocco

04:00pm 07:00pm 0 1

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

Across 2 Filthy (5) 7 Forward (5) 8 Senior (5) 10 Valid (5) 12 Tune (3) 13 Not ever (3) 15 Longed (7) 17 Worn (6) 19 Vigour (3) 20 Polluted (7) 23 Tube (4) 25 Intense (4) 26 Built (7) 30 Wonder (3) 31 Modest (6) 34 Indecent (7) 37 Measure (5) 38 Animal (3) 39 Candle (5) 40 Tree (5) 41 Tally (5) 42 Boulder (5)

Down 1 Applaud (5) 2 Founded (3) 3 Worshiped (6) 4 Repudiate (4) 5 Frightened (7) 6 Cap (5) 9 Noise (3) 11 Invented (7) 13 Poor (5) 14 Utter (5) 16 Sicken (3) 18 Fall (7) 21 Beginning (5) 22 Higher (5) 24 Followed (7) 27 Sheep (3) 28 Debase (6) 29 Chasm (5) 32 Mix (5) 33 Repulse (5) 35 Weaken (3) 36 Orient (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS Across: 2, Start 7, Also 8, Insert 9, Waken 11, Bad 13, Rat 15, Eyed 16, Cos 18, Coma 19, Distort 20, Unit 22, Yank 23, Refined 25, Even 27, Lip 28, Mean 30, Did 31, Dug 33, Reach 36, Strive 37, Ague 38, Pleat

Down: 1, Allay 2, Sow 3, Ask 4, Tin 5, Ass 6, Dream 10, Eros 11, Bemused 12, Desired 13, Rotated 14, Talking 16, Civil 17, Steep 18, Cry 21, Ten 24, Nice 26, Vista 29, Augur 32, Sin 33, Rep 34, Axe 35, Hat

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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