STUDENTS' ABDUCTION LATEST:How we escaped — School girls

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 62124

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THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

8&51

51 killed in Taraba •Gunmen kill 19 in Borno

Epileptic power supply after privatisation: xclusive The real reasons 23E

STUDENTS' ABDUCTION LATEST:

How we escaped — School girls •Only 8 girls still missing — Defence Hqtrs •Jonathan summons all govs, others to security meeting

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI, BEN AGANDE, PETER DURU & NDAHI MARAMA

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AIDUGURI— SOME of the abducted students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State yesterday narrated how they escaped from the terrorists.

The terrorists, numbering more than 100 stormed the school wearing army uniforms and deceived the school girls into thinking they were soldiers who had come to evacuated them from an impending attack, unknown to them that they were being abducted.

The students, who had returned to sit for the on-

Continues on page 5

COLUMNISTS:

Confab 2014: The politics of national security •P.17

Muslim-Muslim ticket is political arrogance •P.19

Mr & Mrs

SECURITY—Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) prayer rally in Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Local Governmenmt Areas of Bauchi State, yesterday over the security situation in the state. Rally is titled: "Arise For Our Help and Redeem". Photo: NAN.

FG orders relocation of Apapa tank farms 10 C M Y K

Confab delegates protest committees composition 9

2 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

C M Y K

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C M Y K

4 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014—5

POCKET CARTOON

NYANYA BLAST—Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (left) with his Adamawa State counterpart, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (middle) commiserating with a victim of Nyanya bombing during All Progressives Congress (APC) governors' visit to the National Clinical Research and Training Centre (NCR & TC), Asokoro Hospital, Abuja, yesterday.

How we escaped — school girls Continues from page 1 going West African School Certificate (WASC) exams at their school despite a Borno state-wide closure of educational centres because of recent Boko Haram attacks in the state initially obeyed the armed visitors, thinking they were government troops there to protect them.

18-year-old Godiya Isaiah, among those who managed to escape the abductors, told Reuters that “When we saw these gunmen, we thought they were soldiers, they told all of us to come and walk to the gates, and we followed their instructions.”

But when the armed men started ransacking the school stores and set fire to the building, the

terrified girls being herded at gunpoint into vehicles realized they were being kidnapped.

“We were crying,” Isaiah said, recounting how she later jumped from a truck and ran away to hide in the bush. Other girls were packed into a bus and some pick-ups.

Shettima said at least 14 girls had managed to escape and reach safety.

Borno state education commissioner Inuwa Kubo said other girls told the same story as Isaiah.

“They went into the bus unsuspecting,” he told Reuters.

“They were lured into the vehicle because they were told that the school was going to be attacked,” he added. The attackers

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Sometimes a person isn’t emotionally available for a relationship because he or she is mentally dating someone else. Know where the rubber hits the road.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Good things come to those who wait… greater things come to those who get up to do something to make it happen —Proverb

W

HEN you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness. People will have hard time ever being happy if they aren’t thankful for what they already have. And when we cultivate optimism, this enables us to see failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life.

When we appreciate who we are, we appreciates others as well without comparing ourselves to them, this can be disturbing to one’s psyche. If we are somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority. If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself

also raided nearby Chibok town, ransacking stores and offices there and killing several people, witnesses said.

The Military authorities announced last night that most students of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok have been freed in the ongoing Search & Rescue operations to free the abducted students.

A statement issued by Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade said: “With this development, the Principal of the school has confirmed that only eight of the students were still missing. One of the terrorists who carried out the attack on the school has also been captured."

Meanwhile, 14 of the abducted school girls had earlier excaped from the terrorists den.

This came as Governor Shettima of Borno State who briefed newsmen in Maiduguri on the students’ abduction said: “So far, 14 of the abducted female students have escaped and reunited with their families, and that government and security agencies are now having sleepless nights to ensure that the remaining ones are rescued”.

According to the governor, of the 14, five female students escaped same day they were abducted when one of the vehicles conveying them to the camps of the terrorists broke down in the bush, while the other 10 escaped when they were asked to go and wash plates for the terrorists in a nearby stream.

Governor Shettima added: “I have already given an instruction to all the security agencies to marshall all resources to see that these innocent students are rescued. I have to thank the security

agencies, the principal of the school, the District Head and the Caretaker Chairman of the affected council for their support and cooperation since the sad incident happened.

On behalf of Government and the people of Borno state, we have pledged N50 million to anyone who gives information that will lead to the tracking/ rescuing of these our innocent daughters. I want to appeal to all and sundry to continue to pray for these students and for peace to return to our troubled state”, Shettima pleaded.

Many rescued, 8 still missing—DHQ However, hope was rekindled on the fate of the abducted girls as it was announced that many of the 128 female students of Government Girls Secondary School ( GGSS ) Chibok, Borno State who were abducted on Tuesday

by Boko Haram terrorists have been rescued by security operatives.

The Defence Headquarters yesterday in a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade disclosed that many more students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok abducted on Monday night by terrorists, have been rescued following a hot pursuit by Special Forces.

The statement signed by Major General Chris Olukolade simply said, “more of the abducted students of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State have this afternoon been freed as troops pursuing the terrorists close in on the den of those believed to have carried out the attack. A total of 128 students had earlier been abducted by a group of terrorists”.

In another statement issued later by Olukolade, the Military said: "More students of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok have been freed this evening in the ongoing Search & Rescue operations to free the abducted students.

“With this development, the Principal of the school has confirmed that only eight of the students are still missing. One of the terrorists who carried out the attack on the school has also been captured.

“The military intervention and search and rescue operation to ensure the safety of the remaining students is ongoing in the suspected areas.”

“Meanwhile, security forces have been directed to continue with the tempo of offensive on all the terrorists’ enclaves anywhere in the country”.

Jonathan summons security meeting Meanwhile, following the spate of terrorist activities in the country particularly Monday ’s bomb attack at Nyanya Bus Terminal which claimed 72 lives and the abduction of female students in Borno, President Goodluck Jonathan has summoned a meeting of all state governors, service chiefs and members of the National Security Council.

The meeting summoned

by President Jonathan is scheduled for 11.00 am. A statement signed by Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has summoned members of the National Security Council to a meeting tomorrow (today) at the Presidential Villa against the background of recent events and developments in the country. The meeting which will be presided over by President Jonathan is scheduled for 11.00 am Those expected at the meeting include Vice President Namadi Sambo, the Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen Aliyu Gusau, the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services and the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency.

“The meeting of the National Security Council will be followed at 1.00 pm by an enlarged meeting on security developments in the country to which President Jonathan has invited State Governors.

President Jonathan, members of the National Security Council and the state governors will review the security situation in the country as well as ongoing national security measures and operations with a view to determining the best way forward.

“President Jonathan reassures all Nigerians and

persons living in the country that the Federal Government remains very mindful of its responsibility for the safety of their lives and property in all parts of Nigeria and will continue to do everything possible to protect them from the scourge of terrorism and insecurity.

“The President is particularly concerned about the plight of the young Senior Secondary School girls who were reportedly abducted from their school in Borno State on Monday night and has ordered the military and national security agencies to deploy maximum efforts towards rescuing all of the girls and returning them safely to their parents. He welcomes reports that the military and security agencies have already rescued some of the girls.

“President Jonathan deeply regrets the pain, sorrow and anguish brought upon many Nigerian families in recent days as a consequence of recurring security challenges which the nation is contending with.

“The President remains convinced that with the patriotic commitment and support of all Nigerians, the country will ultimately overcome its present challenges and move forward in unity and strength."

First Lady condemns abduction

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has described as “inhuman and needless perpetration of evil against innocent school children”, the abduction of school girls in Chibok, Borno State and has called for their immediate release.

A statement signed by Media Assistant to the First Lady, Ayo Adewuyi quoted her as condemning the action of the abductors while urging them to embrace dialogue to resolve whatever problems they may have.

She said: “It has again become necessary for us to strengthen the advocacy for resolving differences in our society in a peaceful manner, to avert violence and wars in our country.”

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

27-yr-old iron bender docked over N223,800 theft

BY ONOZURE DANIA

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AGOS— A 27-yearold iron bender, Adeniyi Azeez, was yesterday arraigned, before an Ikeja Magistrate’s court, over alleged burglary and stealing from a petrol station.

The defendant, who resides at 5, Ikogba Street in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, is standing trial before Magistrate A b i m b o l a Oshodi-Makanju.

The defendant is facing a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, burglary and stealing preferred against him by the police.

The prosecutor, Inspector Edet Okoi, told the court that the defendant conspired with others at large to commit the alleged offence.

He said the defendant on April 4, 2014 between midnight and 4 am, burgled Intercitadel petrol station, at Mojoda in Epe area of Lagos.

Okoi claimed that the defendant, broke and entered the filling station on the said date and stole N223,800n belonging to the filling station.

According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened sections 409 and 305 (a) (b) and is punishable under sections 306 (2) and 278 (1) (a) (b) (2) (a) (b) of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

Earlier, the defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charges when it was read.

She adjourned the matter till April 30 for mention.

Arms recovered in Wukari in Taraba State.

2 siblings drown in Ebonyi village pond A

BAKALIKI — TWO chil dren of the same parents, yesterday, drowned in a pond at Enwugba village in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi, according to an eyewitness.

An eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, said the victims, Jideofor, 6 and Chinecherem, 4, had gone to fetch water from the pond.

According to the witness, Chinecherem's container slipped off her hand and in an attempt to rescue it, she slipped into the pond.

“Jideofor, who saw what had happened, rushed to assist her but he drowned as well,” the witness said.

The father of the children, Mr Pius Mbam, who resides in Enugu, expressed grief over their death.

Mbam said he received an urgent call to come home only for him to see the lifeless bodies of his two children.

He said: “If there had been any elderly person at the pond, the water would not

AGOS— A Tinubu magis trate’s court, yesterday, in Lagos ordered that a 24-year-old accused, Sanni Auwal, be taken to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation.

The magistrate, Mrs Tokunbo Omoyele, gave the order after Auwal pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of possession of army uniform and counterfeit dollars.

Omoyele said the accused,

Ottah gave the assurance that the council would sink a borehole for the community before the end of April to address the water scarcity in the area.

Gunmen kill one, snatch 3 vehicles in Bauchi

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI— ONE person was killed while three vehicles were snatched by gunmen in an attack in Soro village of Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State According to a statement issued by the Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in Bauchi, the incident happened yesterday night.

According to the statement,

the gunmen numbering about 20 attacked Soro town and snatched three vehicles including a white Hilux van with number plate 206 UN 139 belonging to the United Nations.

A white Toyota Hilux belonging to Bauchi State television, with number plate 04C-04 BA and one other yetto-be identified vehicle were stolen at gunpoint.

It stated that the suspects fired sporadically in a bid to escape and a stray bullet hit one Bose Bappa of Tudun Wada of Soro town who later died in the hospital.

Meanwhile, the entire surroundings and adjourning towns have been cordoned off by combined security forces and efforts are being intensified to get the fleeing suspects arrested.

Crashes: Kogi sends 49 convoy drivers for training

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OKOJA — THE Kogi State government, yesterday, released 49 convoy drivers and three safety managers to the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, for training in specialised driving.

The state FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Godwin Omiko, told newsmen in Lokoja that the drivers included those in the convoy of the state governor and top government officials.

He said the training became

Court sends 24-yr-old accused to psychiatric home

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have drowned my children.”

The Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Mr Bartholomew Ottah, who visited the family, urged them to accept the situation in good fate.

docked earlier on April 11, be taken to a psychiatric home to be evaluated because his behaviour was not balanced.

Auwal, of unknown address, was arrested with army uniform and counterfeit dollars at Osapa Bus Stop, Lekki, at 3.00 p.m. on April 10.

The prosecutor, Daniel Ighodalo, said the accused was found in possession of two “Ghana Must Go” bags,

containing various military uniforms and large quantity of counterfeit dollars.

“Auwal could not give a satisfactory reason for being in possession of the items, as well as how he got to Lekki and where he lives,” Ighodalo said.

Omoyele adjourned hearing in the case till May 15 for facts and sentencing.

necessary to equip the drivers with modern techniques of driving in convoy, to ensure the safety of the governor, government officials and other road users.

He said with the development, the state had bowed to an earlier demand for the drivers to undergo formal training, adding that the FRSC had trained over 700 drivers from the 36 states governments and the FCT in 2012.

Omiko said the drivers would be trained in modern techniques of convoy driving, understanding of driving code, perception and driving strategies for different environment.

He said the drivers would also go through techniques of defensive driving, effects of fatigue and emotion, and consequences of unsafe driving and poor decision making,

and use of safety and protective equipment.

“In the course of the training, the convoy drivers will be made to realise that they are not immune to crashes and above the law, and should not constitute a nuisance to other road users," he said.

He said the essence of training the safety managers was to impress it on them to ensure that vehicles in government pool were regularly maintained.

They are also to instill and enforce discipline among drivers, and ensure good physical and emotional condition of drivers before assigning them responsibilities.

It would be recalled that the state governor's convoy had been involved in a number of crashes, including the one that led to the death a former ASUU President, Prof. Festus Iyayi, who died in November.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 —7

Mob sets suspected woman kidnapper ablaze in Ilorin

BY DEMOLAAKINYEMI

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LORIN — AN angry mob at Sawmill area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Tuesday night, burnt a middle aged woman to death for allegedly kidnapping five children.

It was the timely arrival of detachment of police officers that saved two others who were rescued.

Worried by the jungle justice being meted to suspected kidnappers in Ilorin recently by residents, the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Police command, Ambrose Aisabor, warned residents against taking laws into their hands. Another woman was lynched six days ago at Emirs Road, Ilorin.

Vanguard reliably gathered that the woman, who was burnt beyond recognition, allegedly confessed that she was in league with a team of other kidnappers with a mandate to kidnap an unspecified number of children.

Vanguard further gathered that the woman also confessed to have succeeded in kidnapping five children from the same area and was on the way to taking the sixth at the Sawmill area of the town when nemesis caught up with her.

It was learnt that some people who suspected her movement had monitored her until she was caught in the act.

The said woman was unable to give satisfactory answers to their questions, a development that prompted them to raise alarm which attracted a crowd which eventually burnt her to death.

But the other two women, who were accosted around Sawmill area were, however, lucky as the police arrived on time to save them from being killed.

Contacted, Police spokesman in the state, Mr. Ajayi Okasina, confirmed the two incidents.

Meantime, the State Police

Command has issued a statement on the development. The statement, signed by Okasina, read: "The Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Police Command, Ambrose Aisabor, wishes to appeal and at the same time warn members of the public who have found the habit of taking the law

into their hands and meting out jungle justice to people suspected to be kidnappers who are in most cases wrongfully so suspected to stop this irresponsible act immediately.

"Henceforth, the command will not shirk in its responsibilities to deal with any indi-

vidual/group of people caught in such acts of unbridled lawlessness. Men and women of unsound minds are not necessarily agents of ritualists, so be warned. For the purpose of emphasis, any suspected person is to be reported or handed over to the Police if arrested."

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State condoling with a Kwara victim of the Nyanya bomb blast at the National Clinic and Research Centre, Asokoro, Abuja, yesterday.

Fire guts UNN old students affairs building

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SUKKA — Pandemonium broke out, Tuesday, when at about 10.35 am, the old students affairs building at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, was consumed in an inferno.

Policemen from Nsukka division have commenced investigation into the fire incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Enugu Command, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the incident, saying: "The old student affairs building was dismantled and was being reconstructed.

"Files and the wood at the roof top got burnt. No casualty was

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ENAGOA — THE Police in Bayelsa State have reportedly averted the burning of the home of the traditional ruler of Oruma community in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state and arrested 32 persons accused of cultism and arson.

It was reliably learnt that 14 of the suspects were apprehended for alleged cultism while 18 others were held over

alleged attempt to burn the palace of the additional ruler.

The suspected arsonists were said to have hatched a plot to raze the monarch’s palace, weekend, over allegations of mismanagement of oil money.

It was further learnt that the suspects were on their way to execute the plot when a team of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) rounded them up.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hillary Opara, who confirmed the development in

BY CHINYERE ABIAZIEM

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AGOS — A 53-year-old surety, Oke Akpo, was docked in an Ebute Metta court for failing to produce one Oluwatoyin Falilat Akpo, accused of duping a complainant of N1.5 million.

The defendant applied on March 7, at Yaba police station to take on bail, Falilat Akpo, who refused to show up when her presence was required by the police, the prosecutor said.

Another surety, Kingsley Ejiofor was also arraigned for not producing one Okechukwu Chike, whom he applied and took on bail on January 25, 2013.

The defendant is also accused of perverting justice by aiding the escape of Chike, suspected to have issued a dud cheque to one Emmanuel Umeh.

However, Akpo was admitted to a bail of N200,000 with two sureties while Chike was admitted to a bail of N100,000 with two sureties.

Ogun community debunks soldier's killing

BY PEACE ONYEUKWU

L recorded in the incident.

"From preliminary findings,

it appears the cause of the fire outbreak is electrical malfunction."

32 nabbed over attempt to torch monarch's home, cultism in Bayelsa

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Guarantors docked for failure to produce suspects

Yenagoa, commended the special team of anti-robbery squad for foiling the planned arson.

On the arrest of two notorious kingpins, who had been on the wanted list of the police, the state police boss said though they were the reasons for some recent pockets of crimes in the state, they have since been arrested.

Opara named one of them as Ogbogire and said it took

the police a long time to apprehend him.

According to the police commissioner, the kingpin on the day he was apprehended behaved like a monkey as he jumped 12 roofs of buildings only to be caught later by the police.

“He behaved like a monkey.

He jumped from one roof to another trying to escape. In fact he jumped about 12 roofs before he was eventually caught,” he said.

AGOS — THE Ogun State government said it has intervened in the alleged killing of a soldier in Odogbolu Local Government Area of the state.

The report of a soldier being killed made the rounds in the Odogbolu community which led residents to flee their homes for fear of a likely reprisal from soldiers.

But the timely intervention of the state government brought the situation under control.

Speaking on the matter, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Basorun Muyiwa Oladapo, said all hands must be on the deck to unravel the source of the false alarm.

8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Why we weren't sanctioned —ETISALAT

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU, BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE & JULIET EBIRIM

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TISALAT Nigeria, yesterday, revealed the strategies which helped it escape the hammers of the telecom industry umpire, the N i g e r i a n Communications Commission, NCC. This is also as the company announced exclusively to Vanguard that its subscriber base has now hit 19 million.

The regulator, a fortnight ago, slammed a N647.5 million fine on three of the four active telecommunications operators in the country over provision of poor quality of service.

It was only Etisalat that escaped that sanction.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Matthew Willsher, disclosed that immediately after the meeting between NCC and the operators, where service thresholds for the industry were set, Etisalat took the pains to set standards that ensure its base stations operated 99 percent of the time on 24 hours basis.

Willsher spoke during a courtesy visit to Vanguard. He said his company discovered that anything less than that threshold will result to service infractions, which would have pitched it against the regulator.

He said: “What makes the difference in our network quality and the ability to meet the standards expected of us is that the people in the company are continually committed to making sure that we plan well.

“We make sure that any time a base station has to be on air, it is. Our standards are that our base stations are up 99 percent of the time, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.”

ACQUISITION: From left— Mr. Maxime Senecaut, Assistant Director, Project and Structured Finance, Seven Energy International Ltd; Mr. Kayode Akinkugbe, Managing Director, First Bank Nigeria Capital; Mr. Bruce Burrows, Chief Finance Officer, Seven Energy International Limited; Mr. Stephen Tierney, Managing Director, Accugas Limited and Foluke Aboderin, Executive Director, Ecobank, during the signing ceremony of $170 million dollars acquisition finance facility between FBN Capital and Accugas Limited in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

Terrorists kill village head, 18 others in Borno

BY NDAHI MARAMA

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AIDUGURI— THE ongoing violence in Borno State continued with suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacking two buses on the Bama-Gwoza Road, killing 19 people including a district head, Tuesday evening.

Eighteen of the victims were said to be traders returning from a market at Pulka around 4pm. Pulka is a border town with Cameroon and 119 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the state capital.

However, the district head was killed by suspected terrorists who invaded Sabon Kasuwa village of Hawul Local Government Area of the state same evening.

The gunmen, according to Hamba Tada an eyewitness, ambushed the traders at Wala village, 10 kilometres to Gwoza, and forced them down from their vehicles and identified themselves as terrorists.

Tada said: “After chanting God is great in Arabic, the insurgents asked the traders to identify themselves first, before the drivers were allowed to proceed.

“Those who identified themselves as Gwoza residents were shot dead.

Unfortunately, all the

occupants of the two buses were residents of the town, and that was how the traders were killed that Tuesday evening.

“Non-residents of Gwoza were allowed free passage.”

He told Vanguard,

yesterday, that the selective killings of the traders was due to alleged reports that some of the villagers were providing information to both military and other security agencies about the Boko Haram sect members, leading to the arrest of one of the sect’s commanders last month.

We have links to Nyanya bombers— POLICE A

BUJA—TWO days after the Nyanya Motor Park bombing by terrorists, which claimed the lives of over 100 persons, police have said they now have links that will possibly lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the crime.

Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 7, Suleiman Abba, who made the disclosure in a briefing, noted however that no arrest has yet been made, saying “but I assure the public that with the links we have, investigation will lead us to the culprits and they will be arrested.”

Expressing the condolences of the Police to the families of victims of the attack, Abba said: “We were pained by that incident. Even at that, we have made efforts to re strategise and come out with better approaches towards ensuring that such occurrence

did not happen again.”

Explaining that the bloody incident could have been avoided, the AIG said: “The logistics and arrangement to prevent that vehicle from gaining access to the motor park premises was there.

“The park was very well fenced, supported by a strong gate for control and checking of vehicular movement into and out of the park. But the utilisation by the operators was poor.”

Disclosing how investigation is been carried out, AIG Abba said: “After the incident, the IGP, Mohammed Abubakar set up a high-powered team of experienced and highly trained investigators to unravel those behind the dastardly act.

“The team is made up of Force Criminal Investigaion department and

Book on Awolowo for presentation today

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ORUBA Elites and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: Obafemi Awolowo and Corporate Agency, a new book on one of the founding fathers of Nigeria and first Premier of the defunct

Western Region, will be presented to the Nigerian public today at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The book, published by the Cambridge University Press,

The state Police Commissioner, Tanko Lawal, confirmed the story yesterday, saying that 18 people were feared dead at a village in Gwoza Local Government Area.

He said the traders were returning from a market in Pulka, when they were killed by the terrorists in an ambush.

United Kingdom, was written

by Wale Adebanwi, an Associate Professor of African and African America Studies at the University of California, Davis, United States.

Four state governors will be hosts at the presentation expected to attract an impressive array of eminent Nigerians, political leaders and scholars, among others.

investigators from the FCT Command.

“However, let me inform you that right from the crime scene, investigations has already commenced as experts of the Explosive Ordinance department, EOD, including other specialised departments collated all materials that could possibly lead to unravelling the crime.

“Other investigators of other security agencies scooped items that could lead to getting the perpetrators too.”

Asked why closed-circuit television, CCTV, cameras were everywhere yet no criminal had been captured using the equipment, the AIG said: “Majority of the CCTV cameras in the FCT is working.

“Not long ago, I took student of the National Defence College on study tour to the control centre and we saw its workability.

“The only challenge is that the installation processes have not been completed.

However, let me say that nowhere in the world are installations of CCTV cameras left in the hands of government alone.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 —9

BY HENRY UMORU & JOESPH ERUNKE

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BUJA— IT was a stormy session, yesterday, at the Andrews Otutu Obaseki Auditorium, venue of the ongoing National Conference, as delegates protested the composition of membership of the 20 standing committees, complaining that there was no fairness and equity in the appointment of chairmen and deputy chairmen of committees.

Women delegates were also not left out as they protested against the chairmanship of committees, alleging that they were not justly treated and that only few women were appointed into chairmanship positions unlike their men counterparts.

Since the commencement of the conference, delegates never had it this rowdy as their protests, at the end of the day, marred composition of committees released by the secretariat of the National Conference.

Some delegates shouted and accused the conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, of giving preference to delegates he considered superior to others.

At the resumed plenary yesterday, where the issue of committee composition was tabled for debate, majority of the delegates disagreed with the Conference Secretariat on the composition of committees.

Shortly before taking complaints from delegates on the issue, the conference Chairman pleaded with delegates that since time was not on their side again, having spent a month out of the three months period required for the assignment to be completed, there was the need

Confab delegates protest c'ttees' composition

IBORI: Judge adjourns for ruling on retrial

for work to be done and show something to Nigerians to justify why they were at the conference.

“One month is already gone out of the three months we were given by the President for this assignment and we have to produce something for Nigeria to justify our stay here,” he had pleaded.

Delegates did not listen to his plea, as they started raising up their hands to protest over what they called the inability of the Conference Secretariat to allot them their preferred committees.

It was at this point that Kutigi shouted at delegates, stressing the need for respect for one

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another.

Apart from being denied their preferred committees, the delegates complained that most committees they considered more juicy were allotted to delegates considered superior to others.

A delegate from Edo State, Charles Edosomwan (SAN), who observed that delegates were not chosen in their areas of professionalism, suggested that they should be asked to submit memoranda to committees they feel they were relevant so that their interests can still be considered.

On his part, Mr. Abu

Clifford, a delegate from the youth organisation, protested that 18 of those representing Nigerian youths were not spread across the 20 committees and demanded that they should be spread across the committees, else they would take a decision.

Princess Rabiu Ibrahim, a delegate from women organisation, protested that gender issue was not taken into consideration as women were not properly placed as chairmen of committees like their men counterparts, saying such was not in line with the 35 percent affirmative action which the country was preaching.

CONFAB: From left— Professor Atim Okpoyo, Mr. Festus Okoye and Chief Nduese Essien at the national conference in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan.

UDGE Anthony Pitts of Southwark Crown Court in London has adjourned the confiscation proceedings of former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, to give his ruling on whether to start the case afresh as being sought by the British Crown Prosecution or continue with the hearing that started last year, which would only require him giving a ruling on the c o n f i s c a t i o n proceedings.

The judge had signaled in the course of the hearing that resumed this April that he was confused by the manner the defence team to James Ibori led by Mr Ivan Krolic, had gone about the case, while the Crown Prosecution claimed that the defence counsel had ambushed it in the hearing.

Following these statements, it was becoming clear to the defence counsel that the judge was attempting to grant the request of the Crown Prosecution to restart the case despite all the points of law it raised.

Mr. Krolic made fierce arguments against restarting the case and made reference to transcripts of all that ha transpired in the court.

2015 POLLS: Disputes 'll be resolved before inauguration, says Ekweremadu

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor

W

ASHINGTON DC— ALL pre and post election disputes arising from the conduct of the 2015

elections would be resolved before successful candidates assume office under planned reviews of the Electoral Act, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has said.

CORRIGENDUM

I

N our edition of Tuesday, April 8, 2014, we published a story with the headline, PHCN Assets: ICPC interrogates NELMCO boss.

In the story we alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission, ICPC, had begun investigations into secret sales of PHCN assets by NELMCO. We also reported that Dr. Sam Agbogun, MD/CEO of NELMCO was recently interrogated by the ICPC to determine the extent of his

involvement in the sale of the transferred assets to the custody agency; as well as that NELMCO had started selling same of the non-core assets without due diligence and contrary to laid down regulations.

We have since realised that these claims were not accurate and retract the story in its entirety.

We regret the embarrassment this report might have caused NELMCO and its officials.

—Editor.

Speaking in Washington D.C. United States, Ekweremadu also dismissed international concerns on the country ’s legal prohibition of homosexual behaviour even as he asserted that the outcome of the ongoing National Conference would not be legally binding on the country.

Ekweremadu spoke as guest lecturer to faculty and students of the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. in a lecture entitled Constitution Review in an Emerging Democracy: The Nigerian Experience.

The lecture was also attended by the Nigerian ambassador to the United States, Prof. Ade Adefuye, officials of the United States Department, experts on

Nigerian affairs and members of the Nigerian community in the United States.

Ekweremadu, who gave a rundown of his experience in leading the process that led to the first successful amendments of the 1999 Constitution in 2010 after two botched attempts in 2003 and 2006, however, lamented challenges that have continued to militate against the fine tuning of the constitution.

He cited among others, inexperience, ethnic bias and lack of political will by many stakeholders.

He particularly lamented the failure of the state Houses of Assembly to adopt the proposal for their financial autonomy supposedly in fear of their governors.

Ekweremadu, who recently

called for the adoption of a single term tenure as a solution to the crisis of succession in executive offices, again raised the issue saying that the country should adopt single term for such offices for a transition period of 30 years, during which the country’s democratic culture would have matured.

He also advocated a modification of the country’s system of government to make ministers give regular account of their stewardship to parliament in a system that would make erring ministers vacate office should they lose the confidence of the legislature.

Noting the relative success of the 2011 election, which he attributed to the amendments made to the Electoral Act in 2010, he said the National Assembly was now set to push ahead with further amendments.

10— Vanguard , THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

CJN tasks judges on consumers' protection

BY INNOCENTANABA

L

AGOS—THE Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, yesterday, called on judges in the country to explore all the options within the ambit of the laws to ensure the protection of consumers, noting that counterfeiting and circulation of fake products had dire consequences on public health and prosperity of the nation.

She also expressed concern over what she described as ‘grossly inadequacy' of legislations in the area of food and drugs in Nigeria, especially in the area of penalties and victims’ remedy.

She spoke at the opening ceremony of a two-day international conference for judges organised by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, in Lagos.

Similarly, Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, appealed to judges to see the fight against counterfeiting and substandard products in Nigeria as their fight by trying as much as possible to give matters involving counterfeiting of drugs.

FG directs NPA to relocate Apapa tank farms L

AGOS—THE Fecderal Government yesterday in Lagos, directed the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to relocate tank farms in Apapa, Lagos.

Speaking through Mr. Leke Oyewole, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Maritime, the government, who gave the directive at an interactive forum in Lagos, said that the tank farms should be relocated to the hinterland.

He said that the relocation would help to avoid further fire disaster in the area.

The senior special assistant said that it was dangerous for

tank farms to continue to be at the Apapa port.

He said there were large expanse of lands in Mosimi, Ejigbo, Kwara, Ibadan and Ore that could be developed for tank farm owners.

“The development of tank farms close to the ports is a dangerous trend. Recently a family escaped disaster when fire engulfed their house. Imagine, if the tank farm around the house had been affected, the whole of Apapa would have been on fire. NPA should look at developing places where tank farm owners can relocate. They can properly

utilise the area,” Oyewole said.

On security, he commended the Nigeria Navy and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, for ensuring security on the seas.

He said that the agencies understood that the security responsibility of NIMASA was to defend and not to carry guns or attack pirates.

He said that government was mapping out other strategies to ensure that security at off shore was improved.

On the role of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council,NSC, as a

regulator, Oyewole appealed to the stakeholders not to allow their political interests to jeopardise national development.

He promised that the government would deal appropriately with any of its agencies found collecting money from maritime operators at the ports.

Threat to Adegboruwa's life: Lagos AG petitions Police

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

L

VISIT: From left—Senator Olugbenga Obadara, Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisition and Commercialisation, Governnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Senator Abubakar Tafure and Dr. Mustapha Bintube, during the senate committee's visit to Governor Fashola on Apapa road gridlock, in Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja. Photo by Bunmi Azeez.

AGOS—LAGOS State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, has petitioned State Commissioner for Police, requesting the assistance of security operatives to unravel the attempted assassination claim made by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa.

In a letter tagged”, dated April 15, 2014, to the Police Commissioner, Ipaye described the assassination threat by the lawyer as uncalled for and “preposterous.”

The Attorney-General admitted that the state is in court with Adegboruwa, but wondered why they would contemplate killing him.

We don’t need FG’s approval to construct bridges — LASG

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

L

AGOS — L A G O S State Government, yesterday, said it did not need the permission of the Federal Government to construct bridges and other peoples-orientedprojects.

This followed the current legal tussle over tolling of the newly commissioned

Ikoyi–Lekki Link Bridge instituted by an activist and Lagos lawyer, Mr. Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa.

Also, state government, as part of efforts at finding solution to boat mishaps in the state, will today hold public hearing.

The Government who spoke through the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, during the 2014 Ministerial briefing, noted

that the state government had normally consulted relevant individuals and stakeholders before embarking on project execution.

According to him; “We do not need the Federal Government's permission to build a bridge in Lagos.

That is the reality, we do not, but like I said we work with a lot of stakeholders when building bridges or roads. It is not just Federal

Ikeja bomb blast: Victims relatives storms Fashola’s office over unpaid compensation

BY EBUN SESSOU & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

S

CORES of relatives of the victims of the January 27, 2002 Ikeja Bomb blast in Lagos, yesterday stormed the office of the Governor Babatunde Fashola, to protest unpaid compensation to the remaining 84 victims’ families.

This came two years after the state government at the ten years memorial event,

in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, gave out cheques worth N17.5 million to 70 families of victims.

The protesters who were all dressed in black attire, to express their grievances, stormed the seat of power, Alausa secretariat, and demanded payment of their compensation.

The protesters who were armed with a large banner and placards, which reads:

“please save our soul, 84 victims family have been neglected, Ikeja Bomb blast; victims forgotten, the victims widows are dying, 84 victims family neglected by Lagos State and Mr. Governor, please fulfill your promise.”

They lamented that 12 years after the ugly incident, issues concerning the blast, which was described as ‘Black Sunday’, was yet to be solved.

Government even tenant and home owners on the road, we have to talk to them.

Labour Party, union hold forum

O

RGANISED labour in conjunction with Labour party, Lagos State will today hold an interactive forum on Labour and the political process.

Under the umbrella of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, the programme is expected to bring together trade union and civil society activists, officials of the labour party and other stakeholders to discuss the issues of workers’ participation in the political process and the obligations of workers as citizens.

The event is slated for Adams Oshiomhole Hall, Textile Labour House, Acme, Lagos.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 11

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO – THE rul ing All Progressives Congress , APC, in Osun State, yesterday warned a serving minister from the South West, to steer clear of political matters in the state ahead of the August 9 governorship election.

This came as Governor Rauf Aregbesola warned

Steer clear of Osun, APC warns minister ...As Aregbesola cautions against electoral fraud that anyone who dare to rig the gubernatorial polls would face dire consequences.

The party warned that "there will be problems, if the minister replicates his activities in Ondo by-elec-

tion, on August 9, during the governorship election in the state."

The APC claimed it was aware that the Ondo State by-election incident was a test-run of what the minister and his counterparts al-

Hoodlums disrupt Ondo APC ward congresses

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE – HOOD LUMS yesterday disrupted the ward congress of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oba-ile in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The election was underway when hoodlums, numbering four, stormed the venue with dangerous weapons including guns, shooting to scare party members away.

The timely intervention of men of the Nigerian Police, Oba Ile Division and reinforcement from other formations brought the rowdy at-

mosphere under control.

However, the election could not continue as party members have fled to different directions.

The party had last week postponed the ward congress in the state, following a similar disruption in Akure, which left one person dead and 15 others ere seriously injured.

It will be recalled that some stakeholders in the party withdrew from the party's local government congress, alleging lack of internal democracy.

The stakeholders expressed fear that the congress might lead to violence

in some parts of the state, especially Akure South Local Government Area.

A statement issued yesterday by the Akure South Caucus urged the APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, to cancel the local government congress in Akure South till when all the issues arising from the last Wednesday's ward congress were resolved.

According to the statement by the Caucus Chairman, Chief Akin Olokunboro, and its Secretary, Surveyor Kayode Eso, the ward congress in Akure was characterised by violence and irregularities.

leged planned to do in Osun.

However, "As the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo said of that event, those who try to influence the electoral process in Osun will burn their fingers."

The APC, in a statement by the Party's spokesman, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi in Osogbo, drew the attention of the public and security agencies to the alleged confusion and destabilization plans by the PDP, saying any attempt to use military men, police or armed youths to corrupt the electoral process would result in serious resistance by the APC. Governor Aregbesola on his part spoke after commissioning 15 township roads in Ilesa area of the state.

Before the commissioning, he inspected the newly constructed 15 roads witnessed by a mammoth crowd before returning to Ibala Community Primary School for the commissioning.

Governor Aregbesola assured citizens of protection before and after the August 9 election saying "It will be practically impossible for PDP to ferment any trouble in any part of the state".

He warned those allegedly planning to use federal might to rig Osun elec-

tion, saying such group or individuals would face the wrath of the Osun people.

Boko Haram has gone out of control — Soyinka

N

OBEL Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday lamented that the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram has gone out of control of those who created it.

In his reaction to the recent bombings in the country which have claimed hundreds of lives, Prof. Soyinka said: "If the United States citizens decide to be bombing the USA everyday and ready to die, there is nothing Obama can do about it. The only thing he can do is to urge citizens to report bad people. If citizens refuse to report evil people then there is nothing anyone can do.

“Here in the USA, in Chicago to be precise, more than 10 people are killed everyday and that’s the same thing. I am only worried that this is Abuja. I’m worried that people who do not support them were killed in this attack." And I add: I remember the Boston Marathon bombers were apprehended with the help of private American citi-

zens. They volunteered info, agreed to lockdowns and all that. Can we say the same of our hypocritical lovers of bloodshed?

Can government stop millions of yam sellers? Orange sellers? etc, from being loyal to their ogas at the top, who have impoverished them for years and then use them to bomb innocent Nigerians because they want power to return to the North?"

LAUTECH hospital workers begin indefinite strike

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO—ACTIVI TIES at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Teaching Hospital, Osogbo were yesterday grounded by workers who began an indefinite strike.

Doctors under the aegis of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, Tuesday commenced strike, while other workers joined yesterday, paralyzing all activities in the hospital.

Vanguard gathered that all patients receiving treatment at the hospital had been discharged by the hospital management because of the strike.

However, it was learnt that some patients whose relatives were not available were still at the hospital without anybody attending to them.

Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council, JNC, comprising all the unions in the hospital, Mr. S O Faniran said the strike was to press home the demand of the hospital workers for payment of all their outstanding salary arrears.

12—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

2015: Oshiomhole warns royal fathers against politicians' empty promises

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has urged royal fathers in the state to remain focused on the maintenance of peace and security in their domains and ignore politicians, who make promises but have nothing to offer the people, as the 2015 elections approach.

He made the call, yesterday, at the inauguration of the state’s Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs, under the chairmanship of the Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, at Government House, Benin City.

He said: “As we approach the 2015 elections, we politicians, myself inclusive, will go round your domains and promise to put air conditioners everywhere. Some of us might use ethnic sentiments and play one brother against another. This is the moment where your leadership will be brought to test because, for some politicians, the end justifies the means.

“Some will try to spread false rumours and disinformation, but I pray that you will remain constant in your commitment to peace and security.”

Urging the royal fathers to help the government in the

maintenance of peace and security in the state, Oshiomhole, said “current events in parts of the country have opened the eyes of everyone to the fact that without peace, there can be no development. We cannot even talk of governance, infrastructure, or investment and wealth

creation.

“In Edo State, individually and collectively, you have continued to assist government in ensuring that there is peace in your various domains.

“There can be no peace in the home if there is no peace

RECONSTITUTION OF EDO STATE COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL RULERS AND CHIEFS: From left: Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State; HRH, Ehidiamen I, Onojie of Opoji, Vice Chairman and HRH Dr. A. Dirisu, Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, Vice Chairman, at the reconstitution of Edo State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs, under the chairmanship of the Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, yesterday.

Uduaghan presents score card to kinsmen ...blames shortcomings on middlemen

BY SAM EYOBOKA

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ARRI—EMINENT sons and daughters of Itsekiri nation, yesterday, held an annual thanksgiving service at the palace of the Olu of Warri, an occasion that provided the Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, an opportunity to present to the people, his stewardship since 2007.

Responding to a charge by the National Presbyter of Church of God Mission, Rev. Eruebi Friday, who preached the only sermon of the day, Governor Uduaghan, who was accompanied by his wife, Roli, his deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama and wife, the three senators representing the state and several other politicians from the state, said that politicians often send good messages, but the messengers often de-

in the state. The peace that we enjoy in this state is because of the conscious effort that you are making in your various domains to settle community and family quarrels and mediate in disputes, all of which help to achieve peace in the state."

liver bad products.

According to him, when he came on board in 2007, “one of the things I tried to do was to reopen schools that were affected by the crisis. The deputy governor was the chairman. There was a particular community school that was given to an Itsekiri contractor; what did he do? He sold the contract to an

Igbo man, made his profit, but the money left for the Igbo man was not enough to execute the contract.

“And this is your community. What messenger can be worse than that?

So, when the preacher was talking about message and messengers, we experience a lot of messengers who do not carry the right message."

Mekwunye for burial

T

HE Nkonye Asua of Ute-Okpu Kingdom, Chief Reuben Mekwunye, aged 90, will be buried on April 19, at his residence, Ibiegwa, UteOkpu, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.

Christian wake-keep and social carnival will hold tomorrow at Ute-Okpu Grammar School compound, Ika North-East Council, while funeral service and reception hold at Ute-Okpu Grammar School Compound.

He is survived by children, grand children and great grand children.

Late Chief Mekwunye

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 —13

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14—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Presbyterian Prelate condemns Nyanya bomb blasts T HE PRELATE & Mod erator of the General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Rev. Prof. Emele Mba Uka has condemned the bomb blasts at the Nyanya Motor Park

in Abuja in which more than 70 persons are feared dead and over 160 injured.

In a statement by Rev. Kalu U. Eme, Director of Information & Public Affairs of the Presbyterian Church

Nsukka consumers protest estimated electricity bill

BY TONY EDIKE

E

NUGU — MEMBERS of the Allied Business Community in Nsukka, Enugu State, yesterday, protested over alleged exploitation of their members by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC.

The protesters carried placards: “Forced to pay electricity bills," "EEDC stop exploiting Nsukka people," "Replace estimated bills with prepaid metres," among others.

The group in a letter by its President and Secretary General, Okagu Augustine and Ojobo Godwin respectively, stated that “over the years, Nsukka has continued to suffer neglect in the provision of power, a situation that has critically affected our businesses."

of Nigeria, the Prelate lamented such heinous and barbaric massacre of innocent citizens.

He said that the perpetrators were not only inhuman, but also sick.

He commiserated with President Goodluck Jonathan and the families of those who lost their lives in the incident, and prayed God to grant their souls eternal rest.

Most Rev. Prof. Uka called on security agents to effect tighter security controls in the country as it appeared that the orgy of terrorist attacks was spreading more rapidly and with impunity.

The Prelate urged the President to engage, where necessary, more global intervention to bring the menace of terrorism in Nigeria to an end to restore security, peace and progress.

Obiano promises gun-boat to Navy ...praises Police over arms dealer's arrest

G

OVERNOR OF Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has promised to buy a new gun-boat to support the Nigerian Navy, especially in the ongoing operations to rid the state of criminals.

Obiano made the promise while reacting to the arrest of an arms dealer

and four armed robbery suspects by the state Police command.

The governor said the state government would also repair all grounded naval vessels to put them back into operation to enable the Navy secure the state's water-ways effectively, stressing that some of the arms were smuggled into the state through River Niger.

Expressing delight at the breakthrough recorded by the Police, the governor said: “Ndi Anambra should go home and sleep. This war against criminals will be on through out the life of my administration.

"More criminals, drug barons and arms dealers will be arrested and their routes blocked. All criminals must be prosecuted and if convicted, face the full penalty for their offence. You know kidnapping attracts death penalty. We are going to ensure speedy trial of all those arrested.”

Obiano explained that the war against criminals had entered the second phase which would include going after the criminals, command and control activities, targeting those who supplied them arms and ammunition as well as blocking the routes through which they smuggled arms into the state.

AY, APRIL 17, 2014—15 THURSDA Vanguard, THURSD

Nyanya bomb blasts: Agencies lament inadequate facilities in FCT hospitals

BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

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ESCUE AGENCIES, yesterday, lamented the lack of facilities at hospitals in the Federal capital Territory, FCT, to cater for victims of last Monday’s Nyanya Motor Park bomb blast.

Operatives of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, FCT, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, the Police, the Army, Department of State Service, DSS, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and other stakeholders, also expressed disgust over the poor attitude of hospital staff to victims and other patients as well as poor administration and inadequate mortuary facilities.

FEMA Director-General, Alhaji Idriss Abbas, who commended the media for a job well done in the reportage of the explosion in Abuja, said the hospitals gave the agencies and other stakeholders tough time, demanding for payment and hospital cards for the

victims, both dead and injured.

He lamented: “We converged ourselves and visited about nine hospitals, took stock of all the victims, including those who are dead and the injured, from general hospitals at Nyanya, Maitama, Asokoro to the other six primary health care facilities that the victims were taken to.

“We observed that among all the problems associated with the hospitals, inadequate facilities were pronounced. The hospitals denying patients medical attention until payment are made and card obtained is a major impediment to implementation of service improvement plans that would lead to quality healthcare services.”

Speaking on the evaluation of services at the nine hospitals, Abbas said the structure did not allow immediate medical attention to victims without going through the rigours of payment and signing of documents before attending to patients.

The FEMA DG noted that some of those lapses in the hospitals needed to be addressed to get to the standard expected of them.

Although, the Asokoro

General Hospital was rated two-star in its services, making it the best hospital among the 11 owned by the FCTA, He said the Nyanya ex-

plosion gave the hospitals as lacking a customer care policy that could adequately take care of the needs of victims.

“The situation is that

there are no adequate facilities, which was why we had to look for alternative places to relocate the corpses in the hospitals.

VISIT: From Left; Mr .Eze Anaba, Deputy Editor Vangaurd Newspaper; Matthew Willshere, Acting Chief Executive Officer ,Etisalat Nigeria and Enitan Denloye, Director Brand Communications Etisalat Nigeria, during a courtesy visit of the Acting CEO Etisalat Nigeria to Vanguard. Photo: Akeem Salau

....Indian hospital offers free drugs to survivors

BY VICTORIA OJEME

P

RIMUS INTERNA TIONAL Specialty Hospital, Karu, has offered to donate free drugs to survivors of Monday’s bomb blast at Nyanya bus park.

Management of the hospital in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, also condoled with families of those who died in the

blast.

Over 70 people were confirmed to have died from the blast, while more than 100 people reportedly sustained various degrees of injuries.

The hospital is to deliver special burnt cream as well as antibiotic dressing materials to Asokoro and Maitama General Hospitals, where majority of the blast survivors are still be-

ing treated for various degrees of burns and other forms of injuries.

The statement by the hospital's Public Relations Officer, Jibia Umaru, read: "We, at the Primus International Specialty Hospital, are devastated and saddened by the incident which resulted in the needless loss of lives, injuries and destruction to property.

....APC govs establish Trust Fund for victims

BY OKEY NDIRIBE

T

HE PROGRESSIVE Governors Forum, PGF, yesterday, announced plans to establish a Trust Fund to cater for victims of last Monday’s bomb blast at Nyanya, Federal Capital Territory.

This was announced by chairman of the group and Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, during a brief visit paid by the group to injured victims of the blast at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Okorocha, who was accompanied by seven other All Progressives Congress, APC, governors expressed the group’s condolences to families of victims of the bomb explosion which left 75 persons dead and over 100 injured.

Said he: “We know that they must be in serious pain C M Y K

at this moment. What happened was rather unfortunate. This is one killing too many. Our nation has experienced increased loss of lives.

“On a daily basis, we hear one ugly story or the other

over the loss of lives. For the Nyanya incident, we, the APC Governors Forum, join millions of Nigerians to condemn this unholy act which does not do our nation any good.

I’m not building mansion in Akure —Kuku

BY SONI DANIEL

A

BUJA — SPECIAL Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, has denied ownership of a multi-million Naira mansion under construction in Akure, Ondo State, credited to him.

Kuku said, yesterday, in Abuja, that he was neither building a house in Ondo nor intending to put one in the area since he had built a house in the state capital when he was a member of

Ondo State House of Assembly between 2003 and 2007.

"The Presidential Adviser believes that this new attempt to sully his image is a fall-out of the contentious by-election for the vacant Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency seat conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Saturday, April 5, 2014,” Daniel Alabrah, Head of Media at the Presidential Amnesty Office, said.

16 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 17

I

N the best case scenario, countries rally together in moments of national crisis.

They put aside superficial divisions; suspend deep-seated hostilities to create the necessary national accord to defeat a nationthreatening crisis. Many examples abound in history. The British allied faced with the danger of the Third Reich; the Soviet Union made the greatest sacrifice in the Second World War, losing about 25million people, rallying in the face of Nazi aggression even Nigeria found common purpose to end the secessionist project of the 1960s. When nations rally in the face of crisis, they collectively work to ward off danger. Nigeria is in crisis today; big time! But politics can hinder the ability to come together. Nigerian politics is characterised by unhealthy suspicions between its elite groups; the entrenched rivalries

National Conference, 2014: The politics of national security sponsored a motion at the National Conference. But it was not straight forward; because as the day's session opened, and against the backdrop of the early morning bombing in Abuja, Dan

Nigeria. I had argued prior to sponsoring the motion, that we should use the crisis situation to build bridges to other Nigerians and use it to deepen unity within

But what is clear to me too, is that there is no way a nation can be successfully constructed where the elite deeply distrust themselves as those in Nigeria. The fact that we could not rally ourselves with the crises situation that threaten all of us, just underscores the danger which Nigeria faces into the future

,

,

across region and religion; between North and South. Even the mutually destructive anti-state insurgency; kidnappings and killings in our country today, can't reduce these suspicions; they threaten our ability to rally.

On Monday morning, I

Nwanyanwu of the Nigeria Labour Party moved a motion that was seconded by Mike Ozekhome (SAN). The motion threatened what we had submitted to the Conference Leadership to concentrate minds about the killings in several parts of Northern

the National Conference and Nigeria in general. My position was canvassed because rumour was rife that Northern Delegates planned to boycott sittings for two days, to protest the security situation in the North. Frankly, I thought it was wrong strategy. I

Borno's baggage of despair and hope I MADE up my mind to write about political developments in

Borno state, in the wake of the reported rapproachment between Governor Kashim Shettima and former Governor Ali Modu Sherriff.

It was clear that all was not well between the two, and in the build up to the 2015 election, the struggle to control the ruling APC and who would be the party's gubernatorial candidate, would be the central issues. The portents were frightening; and Borno could not afford the looming political crisis, especially with the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency.

Tremendous efforts had been invested into the development process by Governor Kashim Shettima, as I have written on this page in the past: agricultural projects; developments in education; empowerment processes for youth and women; renewal of the urban areas; infrastructural development, and so on. These developments will take a backburner once the negative elements of the politics of 2015 preoccupy all sides. Just when the worst seemed inevitable, it was announced that hatchets had been buried in Borno, following clear-the-air meetings between Governor Shettima and former governor Sherriff. And the process was facilitated by Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim Imam. Incidentally, Imam is a delegate at the on-going National Conference. On Monday this week, I discussed the Borno scenario with him. He gave me a detailed analysis and why it

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became imperative to work for peace, because in the long run, it was about Borno's future!

Kashim Imam said there was no way that the war of attrition would not further the suffering of the

people. A people that have been visited by the depredations of Boko Haram must not suffer the double jeopardy of political warfare within and amongst members of the elite. That all sides of the feud

reminded the Northern Delegates' Forum, that when students of the FGC in Yobe state were murdered in cold blood, parents in Southern Nigeria demonstrated against the killings. They were not obliged to do so, but they made a powerful statement for our collective humanity and helped to bring us together as Nigerians.

Joint statement against insurgency I argued further that we should rally other delegates to jointly make a statement of unity against the insurgency in the North; the killings of innocent, poor people and the wanton destruction of infrastructure in the most underdeveloped regions of Nigeria. By winning the buy-in of our colleagues into our concern, we would emphasise the pan-

chose to bury the hatchet was a major statement of leadership responsibility, the kind that this moment in Borno demands of all its elites.

Abducted female students

B Re: Fulbe Nomads: From negative profiling to ethnic cleansing

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AST week on this page, I wrote about the unending negative profiling of the Fulbe nomads and the new and dangerous effort at ethnically cleansing Fulbe people in different parts of Nigeria.

The most recent was the killings perpetrated by the Nigerian Army in Keana, Nasarawa state. I also noted the role of the Nigerian media in that dangerous trend, making a particular note of THE NATION newspapers titles in the profiling of the Fulbe nomad. The reader will recall that I mentioned my discussion with Sam Omatseye, Chairman of the Editorial Board of THE NATION newspapers. Last Friday, he called me and angrily objected to my mentioning his name in the piece, because it linked him directly with the issues I had raised. Sam Omatseye reminded me that we did not conclude our discussion three weeks ago, because we were about to commence plenary at the National Conference. He was right! We did not conclude our discussion and I should not have brought him into my narrative. I assured Sam that I did not intend to impugn his person whatsoever, and as a sign of my goodwill, I have decided to make this full disclosure this week. What I said about the general pattern of media coverage and profiling of the Fulbe retains its poignancy. In a moment like we have in Nigeria today, especially in Northern Nigeria, with the tragic killings, wanton destruction of properties and the unconscionable kidnap of young women, it has become even more imperative for the media to be more professional in its fidelity to the facts. These are times of very deep wounds and emotions in our country, and people can easily lose their heads and precipitate even worse crises than we are grappling with at the moment. We must do everything to assist the growth of tendencies of peaceful co-existence amongst our peoples; the profiling of the Fulbe or any other communities will not assist such a process.

ut we were talking effusively about political reconciliation, when the story broke of the abduction of over 100 female students from a secondary school in Chibok,

Borno state. Armed groups around Africa in recent years have targeted young school girls, as booties of war. The Ugandan Lord Resistance Army; the RUF in Sierra Leone and now Boko Haram in Nigeria, have abducted young girls. These young girls, according to the experience, were turned into sex slaves! As a parent of daughters myself, I feel the pains of the parents and relations of the abducted young girls. These are communities with some of the lowest enrolment figures in schools in Nigeria (especially those of the girl child), and to lose over 100 girls to abductors is the worst form of trauma for the children and their families. But above all else, it can set back every effort to improve education in these communities. It is therefore important that every effort be made to rescue the children but we must also offer counseling opportunities to them, their parents and communities.

Nigerian nature of the problem; bring ourselves together and help to reduce the mutual suspicions that the Boko Haram insurgency engendered in the country. The narrative for many in Southern Nigeria, was that the insurgency was sponsored by the Northern political elite, against the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. In recent months, there is a shift of grounds; the indiscriminate ferocity of recent killings have made many people to reconsider their perception.

And by winning the empathy of all delegates, I strongly argued, that we would have done more for national unity.

But old prejudices and suspicions resemble Pavlov's dog in the old scientific experiment; they have become conditioned reflexes amongst the Nigerian political elite. By Monday morning, BLUEPRINT newspaper, which is well circulated at the National Conference, led with the story that Northern Delegates had a plan to boycott the conference.

That must have conditioned attitudes on the "other" side of the Nigerian political divide. The Nyaya bombing seemed to then lend some incendiary residuals to the charged atmosphere against which plenary held on Monday.

The rival motions which ought to have brought us together, just opened a bit more the chasm of suspicion located in the Nigerian political arena. So from trying to use the crises situation to rally ourselves, we ended up becoming even more suspicious of each other and the bitterness that people were barely suppressing like an active volcano released some hot political lava by Tuesday's meeting, when a choreographed response was let out again, by those who felt the Conference Leadership had shown bias towards my motion, in refusing to record Dan Nwayanwu's first motion from Monday morning. Even when an emendation was cobbled together by the leadership, a retired military administrator from AkwaIbom, objected to the third item of my motion, which had asked for reconstruction and rehabilitation of crises affected areas of Northern Nigeria!

Whatever was applicable to those areas in the North must equally be done in the South.

I have never underrated the depth of the divides in Nigeria.

There is incredible suspicion bordering on near-hatred in some circles. Much of these negative feelings built up over the decades as rivalry within the political elite deepened in the desperacy to control power and the accruing riches. The National Conference accentuates these hostilities; suspicions and mutually reinforcing prejudices. But what is clear to me too, is that there is no way a nation can be successfully constructed where the elites deeply distrust themselves as those in Nigeria.

The fact that we could not rally ourselves with the crises situation that threaten all of us, just underscores the danger which Nigeria faces into the future.

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 PRESIDENT Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has done something about the Boko Haram insurgency – 24 hours after an attack in Nyanya, Abuja killed more than 100 and injured hundreds, he was in Kano campaigning for his 2015 re-election.

His action was horrendous. Families are searching for missing members, the injured are battling for life, condolences are only commencing, tears are running freely, the wailings are loud, fear, panic and uncertainty abound, but the man who swore by the Holy Bible to protect our lives, was in ebullient moods, professing his plans to be president again.

The insensitivity was simply unspeakable.

Nigerians were mulling the situation. Some had suggested a day of national mourning.

They expected their President to be in security meetings, articulating new strategies to curb the attacks that have been occurring daily for more than a year.

Nothing would stand between Mr. President and canvassing for support, not against Boko Haram, but for his political ambition. Is his stay in office more important than the lives of Nigerians?

Does Mr. President Care?

While he was thumping the opposition in Kano, beaming his best smiles, news spread that Boko Haram had abducted over 100 female students of a government school, Chibok, Borno State.

The President’s quick appearance at the scene of the Nyanya bombing, hospital visit to the injured, earned him some marks unlike in August 2011 when he arrived the bombed United Nations building days after the incident that killed 26, including foreigners.

We never knew a rally in Kano, the next day, was so important it could not be cancelled, at least postponed. We thought as he pursues his ambition, the President

would burnish his image by caring.

He prefers to maintain a record of absence at critical moments. On 12 June 2012, Nigerians woke up to realise their President had departed for the Earth Summit in Rio, Brazil, two days after Sunday’s bombing of three churches in Zaria and Kaduna, a continuation of the almost weekly Boko Haram attacks on churches in Northern Nigeria.

Kaduna was immediately placed under a 24-hour curfew. The next day, gunmen attacked Damaturu, Yobe State, leading to scores of casualties. By Tuesday, President Jonathan, his wife, some governors, and government officials were in Rio. “One of the problems we have is that some Nigerians play politics with everything, but we cannot destroy our country because of personal political ambitions,” the President had retorted to critics of his Rio adventure.

Does the advice exclude him?

Section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution states, “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” Our Constitution expects the President to place the people above politics.

OPINION

BY JULIUS OGUNRO

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HEN Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi was dropped from the federal cabinet a few weeks ago, the consensus was that he was one of the best ministers in the Federal Executive Council and that competence was sacrificed on the altar of politics. Even the sports media, notorious for its caustic pen and for being the albatross of more than one minister, praised Abdullahi for bringing stability to the sector and as the best minister of sports Nigeria had had in a while.

Nothing best describes the affection of the sports community for Abdullahi than the soppy headlines, 'Thank you, Abdullahi,' 'Bowing out with pride', and the likes, which became common in the days after his sack.

I worked with Mallam Abdullahi for more than two years, first in Youth Development and later in Sports, so I think I know what makes the man tick.

I know that the adulation that followed his exit from the FEC was well earned and well deserved. I know too what it cost Mr. Abdullahi to follow the narrow path to build a reputation as a competent manager of men and resources. It is essential to tell the Abdullahi story, it is a story which suggests that Nigeria is redeemable, that in a society where mediocrity is often celebrated, there could be competent, honest and detribalised folks in government.

I first met him in 2008 in Lagos where I was the editor of a magazine and he a Commissioner for education in Kwara,

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No thanks to Abdullahi becoming famous for radical reforms.

After interviewing him, I left with the impression that he was very knowledgeable and cut out for greater things. The next time we met was in July 2011 when I was invited to be part of his team soon after he was appointed Minister of Youth Development. That began the journey with him, at the end of which I have come to admire him deeply as an innately good man imbued with rare qualities.

Abdullahi is a handworker who has a single-minded pursuit of results. No matter how difficult or complex the matter was he didn't let go until it was resolved to his satisfaction. And he is not easily satisfied. Not with mediocrity. Not with a job half-done. I recall his first task in sports.

It was to find peace in the troubled football sector, where factions and litigations were crippling the administration of the beautiful game. The sector was so crisis ridden that our senior national team, the Super Eagles had failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup in Gabon/ Equatorial Guinea.

Some of the parties quarreled with the election that brought in the current board of the FA; others faulted the change of name from NFA to NFF. Others were annoyed over some indeterminable issues, but very angry nonetheless.

The FA board led by Aminu Maigari was clearly distracted by the numerous court cases and increasing number of parties

spoiling for a fight.

Abdullahi knew that achieving peace and stability was essential in creating the right policy environment for sports development. Without it, all efforts would be tantamount to fetching water with a basket. So he went about it, setting up meeting after meeting, sitting down with one aggrieved person and the other. At a point, I felt it was a wasted effort and it was impossible to achieve any kind of rapprochement among the numerous aggrieved parties. First, they were so many and secondly, and perhaps more important, it seemed the parties thrived in a crisis environment. And their demands were numerous, some ridiculous, others irreconcilable with any genuine effort for peace. But Abdullahi worked at it, and after several exhaustive meetings, soothing big egos, made the parties to agree to a comprehensive peace deal.

This open-minded nature and willingness to take on difficult tasks defined the 'ministeralship' of Mallam Abdullahi. He is very modest too and does not live above his means. I was a bit taken aback when as a newly appointed minister of Youth Development; he was busy looking for a rented apartment in Sun City, at the fringe of the Abuja metropolis. He got a modest apartment there and was the only minister living in the neighborhood.

Abdullahi, would not spend above what he can personally afford and reminds us, his assistants that the job was temporary,

which would come to an end someday.

But that does not mean he does not like the fine things of life. He does. His suits are often dapper and his babariga, well cut. It is just that he would not steal or misappropriate funds to acquire these things. However, like he often said, being poor does not indicate integrity, just as being wealthy does not mean one is a thief. Unbelievable as it may seem, I know that as minister, he relied heavily on funds from his businesses in Ilorina farm and digital photography studio, among others - to supplement his living expenses, which ballooned when he became minister.

For Abdullahi, work came first. And, boy, was he good at it? You bet! With a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, several leadership courses across the globe, Abdullahi crowned his education with a master's (he made a distinction) in Development Studies from the University of Sussex. So he seemed well prepared for the leadership roles he has played since 2003 when he left journalism. In each of this position, whether as special assistant, commissioner for education or doublebarreled minister, he served with distinction, initiating policies and implementing them with passion.

But of all the good qualities of the Mallam, what I admire most is his knack for being confident in his own skin.

•Mr. Ogunro, a SA to the former Minister of Sports, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014— 19

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It is not just a Muslim-Muslim ticket that will meet this sort of electoral waterloo; any attempt to concoct a ChristianChristian ticket will fare no better

Muslim-Muslim ticket is political arrogance HE rumour has been making the rounds that the All Progressives Congress, APC, is plotting to unfold a presidential ticket made up of a Muslim for President and another Muslim for Vice President in the impending 2015 elections. The rumour has it that retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari will be the presidential candidate while his co-leader of the Party, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be his running mate.

Some unnamed top officers of the party have been quoted as dismissing the rumour, as it is already kicking up storms that might threaten the fragile fabric of the newly amalgamated patchwork of three parties. The Presidency is being blamed for this rumour, because the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its supporters have often demonised the APC as the “Janjaweed” and “Muslim Brotherhood” due to the overwhelming dominance of its commanding heights by Muslims from Arewa North and Yorubaland.

The APC has always rebuffed this labelling, accusing the PDP of playing the religious card against it

because it has long sensed its imminent downfall at the party’s feet.

Political sabre-rattling apart, I do hope, for its own sake that the APC will not dream of such double lefthanded pairing for presentation to the Nigerian electorate. It will result in one of the most comprehensive defeats in the annals of Nigeria’s presidential votes. It is not just a Muslim-Muslim ticket that will meet this sort of electoral waterloo.

Any attempt to concoct a ChristianChristian ticket will fare no better. I do not think that any Christian presidential candidate will even contemplate it because Christians in Nigeria are far more sensitive to fair balancing of political scales than Muslims.

Many Nigerian Muslims often assume, without any credible or proven shred of evidence, that their population is more than those of Christians. They are always eager to take daring unilateral steps in favour of their religion, such as the enlistment of Nigeria in the Organisation of Islamic Conference, OIC, in 1996 without the matter being debated at the Supreme Military Council. Other

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instances include the design of the Presidential Villa with Muslim architecture, the design of Nigeria’s flag in Sokoto Caliphate (Usmaniyya) Muslim colours, the naming of Barbeach road in Victoria Island, Lagos after Ahmadu Bello signifying that he dipped the Koran into the Atlantic as he had boasted he would do, the inscription of Islamic messages in ajami in our currency notes, as well as the recitation of Koranic verses by Muslims before speaking at official public functions, without regard to the multi-religious complexion of such gatherings.

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n April 1993 after the Social Democratic Party, SDP, convention in Jos, the winner of the Party’s presidential ticket, Alhaji Moshood Abiola, picked his closest rival, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, as his running mate, thus creating the first MuslimMuslim ticket for a presidential contest by a major national political party in Nigeria. The ticket defeated its Muslim/Christian rival of the

The Heart of Gold of a First Lady

BY NKEMAKOLAM NWACHUKWU

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ODAY, marriage, to many, is mainly for the purpose of procreation and materialism. But even with that, most marriages have crashed, many are on the verge of crashing, while some others are thriving even as the couples aged. For Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Ahamuefula Orji (Ochendo) and his ever supportive wife, Mrs. Mercy Odochi Orji (Osinulo), it was a marriage made in heaven many decades ago at their youthful age, and consummated on earth for several purposes that will benefit mankind.

Recollecting the genesis of their blissful marriage, Governor Orji in his book titled “Confronting Errors With The Truth” said: “Because I was my mother’s only male child, she requested that I should marry early. I acceded to the request and it has remained my best decision in life.

“Fortunately my search for a bride at a young age led me to a sober, careful, beautiful young girl with impeccable manners and a very pleasant disposition.

Though I met her when we were both young, I noticed that she was mature for her age.

“While my peers were busy searching for wives, my life moved on at full blast. I had a job in the civil service which I liked, a family that I loved that loved and valued me in return, a wife who loved me and gave me all the support and encouragement I needed to follow my dreams."

The above statement best captured and described the unique attributes that differentiate Mrs. Orji from the other women. With this, it is obvious that Mrs. Orji’s philanthropic and humble life style which has endeared her to all Abians as a

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mother of all before and since her husband assumed office as governor of Abia State in 2007 is genuine and natural.

Instead of embarking on bogus pet projects that will not have direct impact on the lives of the less-priviliged people in the state and rather benefit the privileged class, Mrs. Orji embarked on grassroots projects that have directly impacted and still impacting positively on the lives of the downtrodden and less-privileged ones in the state without much publicity or fanfare. It was on this basis that she was recently honoured with the “Award of Heart of Gold” by the management of the Champion Newspaper alongside the wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola.

A visit to Abia will surely convince one that Mrs. Orji is truly a woman with a heart of gold as underlined by the award. It would be recalled that in 2007 when her husband was unduly incarcerated by the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, after emerging as governorship candidate of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA, Mrs. Orji against all odds mounted the podium and led her husband’s election campaign train. At the end, her husband emerged victorious in the election while in EFCC custody.

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s a way of giving back to the people for their support, Mrs Orji on her husband’s assumption of office initiated a lot of people-oriented and empowerment programmes targeted at empowering the widows, the downtrodden, the physically challenged, the women and youths in the state. Through these programmes, Mrs. Orji has built several three-bedroom bungalows for the indigent widows, blind men and women in the state. The latest beneficiary of the gesture was Mrs. Best Ekoba Alozie who

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National Republican Convention, NRC, led by Alhaji Bashir Tofa with Dr Silverster Ugoh as running mate.

Emboldened by the apparent magnanimity of the Nigerian Christian community in overlooking the anomaly because of the special circumstances of that time, the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, created another Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket with Malam Nuhu Ribadu as presidential candidate and Alhaji Fola Adeola as his running mate in the 2011 presidential poll contest.

The ACN only got 2.1 million votes, while the more balanced tickets of President Goodluck Jonathan/Vice President Namadi Sambo won with 22.5 million, followed by Muhammadu Buhari/Pastor Tunde Bakare (12.2 million).

It is important for politicians to note that the Abiola/Kingibe winning ticket was a mere fluke. Prevailing factors made Nigerians to put aside ethnic, religious, regional and other divisive factors aside to vote for that ticket. Top among these was the fact that both Abiola and Kingibe were popular all over the country and had grassroots appeal each on his own steam. Their cult images transcended primordial borders. Secondly, their opponent, Tofa was a dark horse, and his running mate, Ugoh, lacked popular support even among his Igbo people.

Buhari is only popular among the rabble of the Muslim Arewa North, with little horizontal appeal among the elite even in the North. Tinubu is the prevailing political leader of the Yoruba people, but many are beginning to doubt his hold in the zone after the way he imposed family members and cronies in high places in the defunct ACN. Murmurings are getting louder over the marginalisation of Christians in his political fold. The APC has to do something extraordinary to disprove

Mrs. Orji embarked on grassroots projects that have directly impacted and still impacting positively on the lives of the downtrodden and lessprivileged in the state without much publicity or fanfare

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hailed from Abayi, Ohanze, Obingwa Local Government Area of the state. Apart from putting shelters on the heads of the indigent widows in the state, she has taken the responsibility of catering for many indigent children whose parents cannot afford to take care of them.

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hrough her charity organisation, Hannah-May Foundation which was named after her mother, many women in the state have undergone skill acquisition training. This is both in the state capital Umuahia and rural areas where the foundation built several skill acquisition centres for the training of youths. The foundation has also provided those who undergone training with the necessary support to take off. Today so many of them own their own shops in the state and are doing well. Health African Cancer Mission, Abia State Medical Mission, MTN Foundation, Associated Health Resources Centre in the United States and Tolaran Charity Foundation, Lagos have been attracted to partner with Hannah May Foundation to provide support to the lessprivileged in the state. Also not left out in

the Muslim-domination tag developing around it or it will become a drag on its electoral fortunes.

The truth be told, Nigeria is a multi-religious society. It is a country created to give ethnicity, region and religion their special places of pride.

The original founding fathers of Nigeria’s independence, such as Dr Herbert Macaulay and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe set out to make Nigeria more than a mere geographical expression by fomenting a nation united by common citizenship like the US and other progressive multiracial societies. But Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Action Group brought tribalism into the country’s politic, while Sardauna Ahmadu Bello brought Islamic imperialism and Arewa fundamentalism.

Between these two, Macaulay and Zik’s nationalism was defeated and Nigeria has lived for ever unhappily after.

Political parties that seek to win elections in Nigeria must carefully and strategically balance their tickets between Christianity and Islam and between North and South, East and West. It is not only equity; it is the right thing to do. There will be no shortage of talents from any corner of Nigeria to carry out the balancing act. To say it does not matter is self-deceit. If a section of Nigeria will not accept a Christian/ Christian ticket, what makes it think the others will accept a Muslim/ Muslim one? The sectarian violence masquerading in Sharia riots, Boko Haram attacks, Fulani militia strikes on Christian-dominated hamlets at night and places of worship in Northern Nigeria cannot promote a political society where religion does not matter.

Those who ignore the Nigerian reality and present “single-cell” presidential tickets must be ready to accept the defeat that awaits them.

Mrs. Orji’s magnanimity are the physicallychallenged people who have been provided with artificial limbs, wheelchairs and other things to make life better for them. Several bedding materials, food items and others have also been provided to prison inmates in the state.

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ith Mrs. Orji’s assistance and advocacy, many women have been empowered politically and otherwise. From the council chairmanship position to state executive and ministerial appointments, Abia women have enjoyed and are still enjoying the best opportunity to serve in governments. It has never been like this before now. For the first time since 1999, the people of the state, especially the women, are feeling the impact of the First Lady in the state. From Abia North to Central down to the North, the people are testifying to Governor Orji and his wife’s goodness to them.

But surprisingly with all these laudable achievements, Mrs. Orji has remained herself, not flaunting or bragging about anything. She has been able to combine well her roles as the First Lady of the state, a mother of all and wife of the Governor. She has been able to draw a parallel line between her immediate family and her office.

That is why she has remained a role model and very submissive to her husband. Blessed with very humble children just like her and her husband, Mrs. Orji has remained the pillar behind her husband’s success; an evidence of the wise saying that behind a successful man, there is a good woman.

This success has trickled down to every nook and cranny of the state, as the people are happy today for having Mrs. Orji and her husband, Governor Orji as mother and father of the state.

*Mrs. Nwachukwu, a banker, wrote from Umuahia, Abia State.

20 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Tears, lamentations as Onitsha market fire victims count losses

•Obiano pays sympathy visit, promises to rebuild shops

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EARS are now flowing freely from the eyes of the victims of last Saturday’s fire disaster that destroyed goods estimated at over N1 billion at the food stuff section of OseEkwodu market, Onitsha, Anambra State.

The losses which were earlier estimated at about N100 million by the market officials when the incident was still fresh, have now been properly evaluated at over N1 billion by the victims themselves.

Some of the goods destroyed by the inferno included tailoring materials, bags of rice, salt and brooms, onions and baskets, clothing materials, cosmetics, rolls of ropes, crates of soft drinks, cartons of beer, drums of local gin, tubers of yam, mirror, foam, palm oil, provisions, kerosine, cash, jewelries, among others.

For Mrs. Ndidi Okonkwo, a widow and mother of three whose two shops, stocked with bags of rice, were razed completely. “I am now living a miserable life and I don’t know where to start from”.

Also for Madam Justina Eze, whose rolls of ropes, many quantities of umbrella, palm oil, provisions, soft drinks and local gin which she estimated at N1.5 million were lost to the fire: “My only hope is on the state government to come to our rescue”.

Reacting to the development, the traditional ruler of Ifite Anam and chairman of Anambra West Local Government Traditional Rulers’ Council, HRM, Igwe Sylvester Nnose whose wives

and sisters were affected by the inferno, called on the state government to take urgent steps in rescuing the victims before they give up hopes.

Other victims who are equally counting their losses included the chairlady of the burnt line, Victoria Okoye and Papa Imo, chairman of Oguta line.

Governor Willie Obiano who paid a sympathy visit to the burnt market on Monday, consoled them and promised to rebuild the market for the victims, even though he did not mention a specific period to commence the rebuilding work.

The Chairman of OseEkwodu Market, Sunday Ewulu, disclosed that a fast food dealer residing within the market premises was arrested by the vigilance group attached to the market and handed over to the police on the suspicion that the fire outbreak started from his residence.

Ewulu who noted that five suspects were initially arrested, said it was after a thorough screening by the vigilance group and the police that four others were released, while the actual suspect who disclosed on interrogation that he forgot to put off his stove before going out, is still with the police.

Ewulu who admitted that some vigilante operatives attached to the market were able to secure some goods, also called on the state government, public spirited individuals and groups to come to the rescue of the traders whose source of livelihood have been terminated by the inferno.

Also speaking, the President of Anambra Markets Amalga-

*A section of the Onitsha market destroyed by fire mated Traders Association, AMATAS, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo who also visited the market, expressed sympathy for the victims and specifically called on Governor Obiano to assist the victims in terms of rebuilding the shops for the traders and giving them funds to return to their businesses.

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BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO, ONITSHA

The pregnant shop owner who wanted to jump into the fire was heard shouting: “How can I repay the loan I took in opening this shop?”

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*Smoke-filled mangled remains of shops’ roofing sheets

Ezenwankwo also called on the state government to provide firefighting equipment in all the markets to forestall future occurence, adding that government should set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the cause of the incident.

He disclosed that AMATAS would soon commence an enlightenment campaign on the need for the traders to take up insurance policies so that in the event of such an incident, the

victims would be compensated by insurance companies.

In far away Nnewi, the industrial town of Anambra State, another fire disaster was equally recorded at the multi-million naira Umuisiedo Market, Okpuno Egbu, Nnewi on the same Saturday night. Goods estimated at N50 million were said to have perished in the inferno.

Eye-witnesses said that the Ose-Ekwodu in Onitsha fire incident occurred at about 3.30 a.m., while the Nnewi disaster occurred at about 2.30 a.m.

Likewise, the Onitsha fire outbreak was brought under control by men of the state fire service from both the nearby Onitsha main market and Okpoko after all the goods had been burnt, while the Nnewi inferno was brought under control by sympathisers.

At the scene of the Onitsha incident located at the bank of the River Niger, known by the traders as Zone 3, Marine Road, Ose Ekwodu, the debris and burnt remains of the affected goods, including roasted yams and burnt pieces of zink and planks, were seen littering the ground.

On the Nnewi fire incident, eyewitnesses stated that one of the shop owners, a pregnant woman, attempted to jump into the raging fire as the inferno destroyed all her goods. She was prevented from doing so through the prompt intervention of some sympathisers.

The inferno was said to have already burnt down eleven shops fully stocked with various kinds of groceries to ashes before the intervention by passersby. The traders alleged that fire fighters in Nnewi could not respond to their distress call until the Okpoko fire service station, near Onitsha, came to their rescue when great damage had been done.

It was gathered that while sympathisers were busy trying to secure the goods, some street urchins in Nnewi were said to have been busy looting the traders’ goods in the ensuing confusion.

One of the burnt Nnewi shop owners whose goods were all consumed by the fire, Mrs Adinu Mercy, said she was a returnee who fled from Kano State with her family due to incessant attacks by Boko Haram insurgents.

The pregnant shop owner who wanted to jump into the fire was heard shouting: “How can I repay the loan I took in opening this shop?”

For Mr Chikwendu Nnadi, another victim, “all hopes have been lost. “Where will I start from?” “where will I end?”. In fact, as I am talking to you now, I’m confused and I don’t know what to do”.

Chairman of the market , Chief Gilbert Eriobuna and chairman of Okpuno Egbu Security Organisation, Chief Amobi Nnoruka, expressed shock at the incident and pledged to investigate the cause of the inferno.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 21

New GDP figures’ll attract FDI, foreign portfolio investment – CIS President

By PETER EGWUATU

he new Gross Domestic Product, GDP T of $510 billion will enhance inflow of Foreign Direct Investment, FDI and Foreign

From left: Acting CBN Governor, Mrs Sarah Alade; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Bank Plc, Dr. Alex Otti and Chief Economic Adviser, Prof. Nwanze Okidegbe during a meeting at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting in Washington DC., USA.

CBN mandates branches to supply lower currency to public

BY OMOH GABRIEL

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HE current shortage of lower naira denominations will soon be over as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has directed all its branches across the country to deal directly with the public, including business owners, in an effort to resolve a lingering scarcity of lower denominations of the naira. Speaking to

200.10

-6.00

2,982.00

+12.00

16.82

-0.26

CURRENCY BUYING DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA

154.74 258.8955 214.7636 176.5247 1.5247 0.3082 239.3962 RENMINBI 24.9106 RIYA 41.2607 KRONA 28.7573 SDR 240.2493

107.72

+0.50

104.07

+0.26

CENTRAL SELLING 155.24 155.74 259.732 260.5686 215.4576 216.1515 177.0933 177.6637 1.5296 1.5345 0.3182 0.3282 240.1698 240.9433 24.9915 25.0724 41.394 41.5273 28.8502 28.9431 241.0256 241.8019

CBN Exchange rate as at 16/04/2014

journalist at the just concluded IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, Mr. Isaac Okorafor said there was sufficient supply of lower denomination of the local currency currently in commercial banks. He said “In addition, all our branches have been directed to indeed interface directly with members of the public, including shop owners to enhance the easy circulation of these notes”.

Okoroafor said that the apex bank only issued clean and fit notes to banks and could only replace unfit notes brought to it by the banks. On currency hawking, he said that the apex bank was aware of the unwholesome act and other abusive treatment of the currency.

“The bank in collaboration with the law enforcement agencies, have taken steps to curb these acts. The CBN is investigating to determine if any of its staff is involved in the criminal

act and to take appropriate action on such staff,” he added.

He assured that the law enforcement agencies were working on how to stop the abuses, and called on all stakeholders to join in the fight against abuse of the currency.

He said that “unfit and dirty notes” have remained in circulation because banks failed to invest in currency sorting.

He denied the allegations that the apex bank was charging commercial banks for the replacement of unfit notes. “What is happening now is that banks have failed to make the needed investments in currency sorting and therefore resorting to re-circulating unfit and dirty notes. I can assure you that in due course something will be done to check this,” he said.

Okoroafor explained that the CBN does not charge Deposit Money Banks, DMBs, for currency sorting services for pecuniary benefits. “The CBN does not impose any charges on DMBs for currency Sorting Services for the purpose of pecuniary benefits, he said.

“Instead, it is the responsibility of each bank as it is the practice world over to sort its own currency notes appropriately into ‘fit and unfit’ categories before lodging them with the CBN.” He said if any bank failed to perform the responsibility of sorting the notes, the apex bank would do the service on behalf of the bank. This, he said, would attract a legitimate but paltry charge of N12, 000 per box of the currency.

Portfolio Investment, FPI into the country, said the President of Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr. Ariyo Olushekun.

He stated this at a press conference on the forthcoming 3rd CIS national workshop to hold in Abuja from Wednesday, 23rd April to Friday, 25th April, 2014 .

The new GDP figures of $510 billion was the outcome of the rebasing of the country’s GDP. The base year was moved to 2010 from 1990 reflect the changes that have occurred in the structure of the economy in the last 20 years.

According to Olushekun “The impact of GDP rebasing will be positive in the capital market as it will attract more foreign investors into the Nigerian capital market, thus increasing value of FPI. It means that operators and other stakeholders need to work hard to create securities that will attract investment. The rebasing has reduced the contribution of market capitalization to the GDP. This means that our market has become highly underrepresented and foreign investors who are already looking at the Nigeria’s economy at a larger scale would be looking for opportunity to invest in the market.”

Continuing, the CIS President said “Beside the increase in portfolio investment, we should expect increase in FDI. Foreign investors would want to come to Nigeria to invest directly in the country since there are abundant untapped resources in the country.

Collaborating the views of the CIS President, the Group Managing Director of BGL Plc, Mr. Albert Okumagba said “The rebasing has placed the country as the biggest economy in Africa. Nigeria’s GDP, which placed the country as Africa’s largest economy, has exposed the country ’s investment potential to the world.”

He added that the rebasing had exposed sectors where Nigeria’s economy recorded dynamic growth, stressing that such areas would attract more investment inflows. He noted that apart from attracting investors, the rebasing would also expose those areas of the economy that had not witnessed astronomical growth.

While commenting on the forthcoming CIS workshop, Okumagba said, the its previous workshops had contributed positively to the development of the capital matket.

According to him “The CIS contributed significantly to the establishment of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON. We played a major role in ensuring that AMCON bill is passed. Also the amended investment guidelines for Pension Fund Asset by the Peccom is also part of the CIS’s effort.

22 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

AfDB dedicates $4.3bn to finance clean energy projects

A

From left: Director, International and Federal Affairs, Philip de Leon, AGCO Corporation; Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe; and President/CEO, Development Finance International, Diane Willkens at the Investment In Africa Panel, MIT Africa Innovate Conference 2014 in Boston, America.

PoS: Bank customers to get cash back reward — CeBIH

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

B

ANK customers that use their e-payment cards to pay for goods and services on PoS terminals and web platforms will now be rewarded with cash back of 50 kobo for every N100 spent.

This is courtesy of an initiative between the banks and the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) aimed at encouraging the use of cards to pay for goods and services via PoS terminal.

Chairman, Committee of E-Banking Industry Heads (CEBIH), Mr. Chuks Iku disclosed this at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos yesterday.

“The committee and all member banks have partnered with the Nigerian Inter Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) for an incentive scheme for members of the public whereby cash back rewards are given to card holders for using their cards to make payments on alternate channels. The objective is to encourage usage of cards on PoS and the Web”, he said.

Under the guidelines for PoS Terminal Card Acceptance Services, merchants are to pay PoS transaction fee of 1.25 percent of the transaction value subject to a maximum N2000.

This fee is shared among organisations involved in the provision and operation of the PoS terminals.

Iku explained that under the incentive scheme, 40 percent of this fee, which represents part of the portion that belongs to NIBSS and the banks will be given as cash back for transactions on PoS terminals and web platforms. This translates to 50 kobo cash back for every N100 spent through these e-payment channels.

He said that this is in line with the objective of CeBIH, which is promotion of electronic banking

services in Nigeria in line with “Global best practices”.

CeBIH, he said, “comprises all heads of e-business, e-banking, e – channels/ card services of all banks in Nigeria and the overall vision of the Committee is to drive the adoption of electronic banking services through the right technologies, policies, standards, innovation and public awareness>” He added that this underpins CeBIH’s support for the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced in January 1 st

2012. “The committee acknowledges that the effort is yielding positive results as reflected in the increase in the number of transactions consummated via electronic payment channels since the flagoff of the policy.

The Committee acknowledges the spirited efforts, the CBN is making towards engendering a vibrant and prosperous banking sector in Nigeria and particularly the drive to ensure the success of the cashless policy in Nigeria”, he said.

GDP rebasing’ll boost investment opportunities — AfriHeritage

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

A

friHeritage, a think tank initiative based in Nigeria, has called on the Federal Government to put policies in place to sustain the recently released rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP), because of its potential to create new economic opportunities, new jobs and better investment environment.

The Executive Director of AfriHeritage, Dr. Ifediora Amobi who stated this in reaction to the recently rebased GDP said the rebasing is a move towards realising the nation’s Vision 20:2020.

Amobi said, “The incorporation of sectors such as entertainment, music, telecoms and information technology into the GDP is a step in the right direction and global practice.”

He noted that, “The rating shows that the service and industrial sectors in general which were not part of the calculation 14 years ago are all part

of the economic growth.”

He stressed that with the rebasing; Nigeria has become a safer haven for investment with strong base just as the country went through bank reconsolidation few years ago.

He however allayed the fears of the people who have cited insecurity as threats to foreign direct investment, arguing that in economics, high risks culminate in high returns. He advised investors to take advantage of the consumption gap being created by the insecurity and respond to consumer demands.

Also speaking, an Associate Fellow of AfriHeritage, Mr. Onyukwu . Onyukwu said Nigeria is not poor but the wealth has not been optimally redistributed.

According to him, a country with large population would definitely have high number of poor people.

frican Development Bank has dedicated $4.3 billion to finance clean energy across the continent in the last five years. The Bank Group disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday. It said, “In its just-released 2013 Annual Report for its work with the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the African Development Bank (AfDB) has indicated that it is supporting 16 national and 1 regional Investment Plans in renewables, forests, resilience and transport in Africa, and that more than half of the projects under those plans – including all projects addressing forests and climate resilience – have been approved by the Bank’s Board and are driving toward implementation.

As spelled out in Financing Change: the AfDB and CIF for a Climate-Smart Africa, this work is part of the Bank’s larger vision to support African nations’ efforts to achieve climate-smart growth.

AfDB has dedicated $4.3 billion to clean energy since 2007 to become the largest financier of clean energy on the continent. Today, through the AfDB as a CIF implementing agency, 16 African countries – nearly one third of the continent’s 54 nations – are actively engaged in innovative and urgent climate-smart work, and 13 projects out of the AfDB CIF portfolio’s total of 25 have been approved and are beginning on-

Inflation concerns weaken Indian Rupee

I

ndia’s rupee weakened a second day on concern inflation that exceeded economists’ estimates will erode returns from the nation’s assets.

Wholesale prices rose 5.7 percent in March from a year earlier, compared with 4.68 percent in February and the 5.3 percent median forecast in a Bloomberg survey. Figures to be released after market hours today will show consumer-price gains quickened to 8.25 percent from 8.10 percent, according to a separate survey. The rupee also fell after an April 11 report showed factory output shrank.

“Wholesale inflation is above market consensus and that is weighing on the rupee,” said Subramanian Sharma, a director at Greenback Forex Services Pvt. in Mumbai. “The industrial production data have not been supportive for the currency.”

The rupee declined 0.1 percent from April 11 to 60.2325 per dollar in Mumbai, according to prices from local banks compiled by Bloomberg. India’s financial markets were closed yesterday for a local holiday.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 —23

EXCLUSIVE VANGUARD INVESTIGATION

Epileptic Power Supply after privatisation:The real reasons N November 1, 2013, the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, through the National Council On Privatization, NCP, handed over the privatized and concessioned Assets of the former PHCN to their successful bidders. To most Nigerians, power supply should improve the day after but to the disappointment of consumers, the bad situation appears to have degenerated.

Power generation and distribution declined to near record levels.

What is truly happening?

Vanguard investigation revealed why power situation continued to be poor.

Protracted privatization process and delayed handover: A major factor that impacted negatively on the power sector is the prolonged privatization process.

Serious deterioration This long bureaucratic process and the delayed handover of the plants to their new owners caused serious deterioration in the assets.

Staff morale also went very low and at some point staff developed an 'I don’t care' attitude to work. These impacted negatively on the already weak infrastructure, most of which have not been overhauled since coming into operation for upwards of three to four decades. Some generating plants had less than half

of their installed capacity when they were handed over to the new owners.

Collections from DISCO dropped to a record low level due partly to customers' apathy and the effect of dis-engagement of some key staff from the sector.

NERC’s lack of readiness and creation of market uncertainty and fallout: The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Government's regulatory agency for the power sector, was not ready at the point of hand over of the privatized entities. This fact was clear at several meetings when successful bidders made their final payments when they took over. At the point of take over, the Transition Electricity Market, TEM, was supposed to kick into effect. This would fundamentally start the operations of NBET, the electricity bulk trader. Because of this lack of readiness by NERC, it issued what is called interim market rules. The promulgation of this rules had the following negative effects in the system.

• It suspended the take off of the TEM; this effectively suspended the operation of the Bulk Trader, NBET. At the take off of TEM all generating companies were meant to have an effective Power Purchase Agreement, PPA. With NBET, they are meant to send their Bills to NBET based on agreed prices in the PPA as set out in MYTO II (Multi Year Tariff Or-

der -this is the billing guidelines for Power in Nigeria).

The Bulk Trader is meant to sell the power it collects from the generating companies to the distribution companies.

This arrangement was intended to provide comfort and assurances to the generating companies to the effect that the power generated and billed to NBET would be paid for and to assure the Discos of an even spread of supply of power. The Discos are to secure their payments via LC or some Bank guarantees with NBET while NBET on the other hand will give generating companies World Bank supported Partial Risk Guarantee.

The NERC swept off all these arrangements with the interim rules. Now generating Companies supply power and send out Bills that are not paid in full to Market Operator (MO)

Disrupted cash flow This disrupted cash flow projections of the Generating Companies and slowed down Capital Expenditure and Capacity Recovery Plans Banks are now unwilling to continue their financial support.

Also because the Disco’s have not given any guarantees to secure payment of the energy supplied to them payment is on best effort basis, the agreed baseline remittances set out by NERC in its interim rules were never adhered to. There

is therefore no much incentive for the GENCO’S to continue Capacity Recovery Plans or start any serious rehabilitation work on the plants.

•To further compound the problems, NERC released what it called Levelised Capacity Charge. This altered the way Capacity Charge is calculated for the GENCOs and reduced their revenues.

This was done at the instance

,

O

operations of these plants as to sincerity of Government in the entire process.

•BPEs done and delivered posture: BPEs posture after the handover on November 1, 2013 has not helped the new owners in resolving the challenges they currently face.

BPE appears to think and believe that it has done its job and everything is well. Therefore contractual obligations earlier entered into by the BPE on Governments behalf are not respected and the BPE is not showing any concerns.

These obligations have direct implication to the performance of the new owners. PPA, Gas

The DISCOs are to secure their payments via LC or some Bank guarantees with NBET while NBET, on the other hand, will give generating companies World Bank supported Partial Risk Guarantee

of the DISCOs to help reduce their loss positions occasioned by poor collections. The introduction of this levelised capacity charge coupled with the already excruciating interim rules pushed the revenues of the GENCOs into negative territory.

The combined effect of all these regulations introduced

by NERC is the creation of uncertainty in the market place as a result of suspension of PPAs and the operation of NBET, the lack of predictability in revenues, which has forced Banks to keep away from financing refurbishments and capacity recovery of the plants and distribution networks. This is ultimately creating doubt in the minds of the

,

Contracts etc are just a few.

•Non-availability of gas: What most Nigerians do not know is the fact that some if not all the gas powered plants have serious gas supply challenges. The Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) is owed several millions in unpaid bill for gas delivered. Now in a privatized environment, they have to manage the level of debts with the privatized generation companies. It must be pointed out that the non-payment of gas bills is the direct result of the interim rules issued by NERC which has reduced revenues accruable to the Gencos to the extent that they cannot compete in the gas market with other commercial users.

24—Vanguard, THURSDAY,

C M Y K

APRIL 17, 2014

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 25

CREATIVE CHEATING @ UTME:

Students smuggle in handsets, chips amidst tight security

BY DAYO ADESULU, LAJU ARENYEKA, TARE YOUDEOWEI & CHINYERE ABIAZIEM

A

LTHOUGH the opening examination of the 2014 Unified Tertiary M a t r i c u l a t i o n Examination,UTME, last weekend, witnessed stiff supervisions by security agents, this did not, however, deter some candidates from smuggling handsets, chips and other materials into examination halls. Some candidates went as far as writing on their bodies and slipping contraband materials into their shoes.

Other forms of malpractices, such as writing on laps and

other body parts, hiding phones in shoes and receiving text messages with answers were observed, albeit at a minimal level. The Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, told Vanguard Learning that the

impersonation for the purpose of exam malpractice seems to have reduced drastically this year as a result of the mandatory biometric confirmation as a prerequisite for entrance into the examination halls. Members of

C M Y K

EXAM MALPRACTICE:

Some students were still able to manipulate and get their phones inside the hall. Only God knows how they did it. I wrote my exams at a Federal Government College and the supervision was quite strict

Sierra Leonean President tasks WAEC to sustain fight

Board could not, as at the time of this report ascertain the level of exam malpractice but that it is not as high as it used to be.

T

On

the

other

hand,

the Police and Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were on ground to maintain law and order at the examination halls visited by our reporters. Other forms of

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

4 UNIPORT VICTIMS: PPP/HMI sue for peace Pg. 26

malpractice were still attempted in some centres though very few.

A candidate who craved

anonymity told our reporters that even after thorough searching, some candidates still entered the halls with their phones. He said: “Some students were still able to manipulate and get their phones inside the hall. Only God knows how they did it. I wrote my exams at a Federal Government College and the supervision was quite strict.

There were about 15 invigilators in one hall, and it was almost impossible to cheat without being caught.”

Continues on page 26

Get gasoline, diesel, ethanol from plastic bottles and non-edible plant

Pg. 30

Fulani herdsmen and threat to the Nigerian economy Pg. 29

BY DAYO ADESULU HE President of Sierra Leone, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma has tasked the West Africa Examinations Council, WAEC, to work harder to fight against examination malpractice in order to uphold credibility, integrity and excellence in all examinations.

Koroma who gave this charge in Freetown, Sierra Leone during the 62nd Annual Meeting of the WAEC told delegates to carry out with candour and wisdom their deliberations aimed at moulding the lives of the youth in the sub-region.

He noted with satisfaction the

extent to which WAEC had deployed technology in its operations and urged the Council to continue to guard against manipulations by internet fraudsters. He expressed the need for delegates to the meeting to come up with innovations towards a more robust and relevant educational assessment and certification system.

Koroma whose countryman, Dr. Mohamed Kamara was elected as Vice-Chairman for a one-year tenure, succeeds Mr. Baboucarr Bouy of The Gambia.

The President,while Continues on page 26

26 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Creative cheating @ UTME Continues from page 25 UTME candidates who had their centres at Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area, in Lagos had theirs conducted at Tolu Schools Complex, Oshodi Junior and Senior Secondary School, Newland Junior and Senior Secondary School, Bola Ige Millennium Senior Secondary School and Alakoto High School. At those centres, checking in began by 8am with officers of the NSCDC carrying out thorough checking of students to ensure items used in examination malpractice were not carried into the hall. After biometric attendance taking processes, the three-hour long examination commenced at 11am.

Contrary to the fallacy that Ajegunle is a den of examination malpractice, all the four centres were without eventualities.

A number of security officials affirmed that the centres were risk free, as the students were well behaved, orderly and calm.

According to a worker who pleaded anonymity, this year’s turn out was nothing compared to other years, where candidates witnessed close to stampede situations. He went further to say what he thought gave birth to the idea of using only four schools in the complex as exam centres. On the experience of online registration, some parents and guardians of the candidates said it was hitch-free, as a button click gave immediate response unlike the NIS job registration.

This is the second year in a row that the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board, JAMB, has adopted the Computer Based Test, CBT, and the Dual Based Test, DBT, alongside the traditional Paper Based Test, PBT. Although the PBT and CBT held once and for all on Saturday, the CBT is ongoing.

Investigations carried out by Vanguard Learning across several centres however, revealed that the DBT was not a popular choice for candidates this year.

Sierra Leonean President tasks WAEC to sustain fight Continues from page 25 speaking through the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Minkailu Bah congratulated WAEC on the successful execution of its mandate for 62 years despite various challenges that seek to undermine its standards.

Koroma explained that his country’s decision to adopt a 6-3-4-4 system of education was to create the required contact hours for adequate syllabus coverage and improved performance in the terminal examinations.

Conduct of examinations He said, “Council is the highest decisionmaking organ of WAEC and hosting of its annual meeting is rotated among the five member countries, namely The Gambia, Ghana,Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.”

The meeting was hosted by the Government of The Gambia in 2013, and it will be the turn of the Government of Liberia to host the meeting in 2015.

The week-long annual meeting was attended by delegates from member countries. They included nominees of governments, representatives of ministries/ departments of education, universities, secondary schools and other interest groups. During the meeting, Council received reports on its examinations conducted in the preceding year in the member countries. It ratified the decisions taken on its behalf by its various committees and also considered action plans of the national offices for quality service delivery in the year ahead. Besides, the Council

received reports from the leaders of country delegation on developments in the education sector of their respective countries. It expressed appreciation to all the member governments for theireducational initiatives and support for WAEC, and appealed for collective efforts at combating examination malpractice in the Subregion. It congratulated the Government and people of Liberia on the successful conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for the first time in that country in May/June 2013. Council noted with satisfaction the preparations being made by the Secretariat to host,under the aegis of the WAEC Endowment Fund, an international conference on Education, Gender and Development in October 2014 in Liberia and a National Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Examination Malpractice in each of the five member-countries.

The Council honoured three candidates with the WAEC International Excellence Award for their outstanding performance in the May/ June 2013 WASSCE. They were Miss Ivy Ama Mannoh (1st Prize), Miss Rhoda Adu-Boafo (2nd Prize) and Master Mwinmaarong Lucio Dery (3rd Prize). The three candidates, all from Ghana, were selected from a total of 2,109,122 candidates who sat the examination in TheGambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia.

The Augustus Bandele Oyediran Award for the Best Candidate in West Africa in theMay/ June 2013 WASSCE also went to Miss Ivy Ama Mannoh. At the same ceremony, the Distinguished Friend of Council award was conferred on Mr.V. A. V. James, a Sierra Leonean and former Head of the Freetown Office of WAEC, in recognition of his contribution to the development of education.

4 UNIPORT VICTIMS:

PPP/HMI sue for peace

BY DAYO ADESULU

M

OST Nigerian universities lack adequate accommodation for their student population, therefore students seek alternative accommodation outside the campuses and the neighbouring communities become helpful providing small inexpensive accommodation. The problems that often follow are born out of mutual suspicion and lack of understanding of each other’s culture.

This arrangement has led to various forms of disagreement between university students and their host communities, and loss of innocent lives and destruction of property. In October 2012, four students of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State were killed by some persons in the host community, Aluu over allegations of theft in the community.

The killing attracted global condemnation and made headlines in Nigeria’s national media.

The incident led to palpable tension between the host community and the student population and could have degenerated into violence but for the quick intervention of security agencies and swift response from members of the society.

Conflicts and face-offs Conflicts and face-offs across the land can be reduced especially between communities hosting higher institutions and the schools if there is effective communication between students of institutions that are being hosted by communities.

Understanding the cultures and norms of the people playing host to them is very crucial. There are many other arrangements like this - both state and federal institutions. It is therefore clear that communities will continue to play host to students from institutions they host.

It is in this realisation that the Purdue Peace Project in collaboration with Health Matters Incorporated came up to support a community-driven conflict prevention and management in Port Harcourt. The PPP is a project of the Purdue University, Indiana, USA.In 2013, PPP initiated a process that facilitated a participatory dialogue between the University of Port Harcourt and Aluu community to discuss issues that have potentials for causing violence between the host communities and the university. The parties were ably represented by the school authorities, students,

community leaders, women leaders, youth and religious leaders in the process of proffering solutions to issues of conflics identified. The process paved the way for the emergence of a community-led peace group which was named “Community Peace Development Initiative (COPEDI).” This process is working to produce a model for conflict resolution and peace building. The project brought local leaders and Aluu community members and the University of Port Harcourt authorities together to engage in a dialogue, to prevent potential conflicts from degenerating into bloody violence. It also provided

,

From left (centre row): Oni Edigin, Valentina Oghor, Muyi Obaseki, and others performing calisthenics at the University Preparatory Secondary School, Children's Academy interhouse sports held at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin.

The killing attracted global condemnation and made headlines in Nigeria’s national media

,

opportunities for dialogue between conflicting parties, increased the restoration of peace between the University of Port Harcourt and her host communities which include Aluu, Alakahia and Choba, promote peace and increase knowledge on conflict resolution in order to mitigate future violence between higher institutions and host communities through documentation of the processes leading to the resolution of the conflict.

The COPEDI was inaugurated on the 4th of April, 2014 at the Crab Hall, UNIPORT. The objective of the inauguration was to formally present the group to the general population of the host communities and the university. The committee consists of 20 individuals from the host communities and UNIPORT. The host communities were well represented by their chiefs, elders, women leaders, youth leaders and religious leaders while the university had in attendance the university management/authorities including Prof. Bell-Gam, Dean Student Affairs, the Vice Chancellor who was ably represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor and a large number of students and lecturers. The event attracted the Rotary Club. PPP was represented by Stacey Conaughton, Ph.D and Mr. Agaptus Anaele, Doctoral Student, while HMI was represented by Mr. Peter Ujomu, Executive Director and Mrs. Maryann Mokobia, Senior Program Officer.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 27

ASUP strike will worsen admission crisis

BY LAJU ARENYEKA AS a result of the new directive by the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, JAMB, Nigerian polytechnics have more applications in this year ’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, than ever before in the country’s education history. Under normal circumstances, this should mean that the ever strenuous admission crisis boosted by candidates craze for University education above other tertiary institutions is being stabilized. But with the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, this development seems to have back fired.

Entire academic session Polytechnics have lost an entire academic session to the strike. As a result of this, many of those who gained admission during the last academic session have not even begun classes. With the UTME already underway, if a new set of students are admitted into Polytechnics, they might not begin their own academic journey until next year. Last year, of the 1.7 million candidates who wrote the UTME, the nation’s tertiary institutions could accommodate barely 700,000.

Polytechnics are expected to absorb 80,000-100,000 students each year. However, with the crisis in the polytechnics, the situation

*From left: Invited guest speaker, Mr. John Babalola; Registrar, Delware Institute of Technology; Chairman, Board of Council , Prime Innovation Institute of Technology (PIIT), Bishop Moses Adedipe; Director of Operations, PIIT Mrs. Ngozi Odoh and Acting Rector, PIIT, Mr Ayotade Ayeni at the PIIT 2014 matriculation in Lagos.

could be worse this year.

Speaking to Vanguard Learning, the ASUP Boss, Mr. Chibuzor Asomugha said: “It is very sad indeed. An entire academic session has been lost.

It is almost time to admit new students, but the ones we admitted last year have barely resumed school. We are still waiting for the Government to show some form of sincerity in ending the strike. Last week, we heard that Mr. President had intervened into the situation, but so far we have not heard anything from anybody.

The supervising Minister of Education told the press recently that the Federal Government has met 90 percent of our demands. Let him prove it. There is a 13-point agreement, that the Government has done two out of them. How can two out of thirteen be 90 percent?”

In an earlier interview, the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde told Vanguard Learning: “Most university managements claim that they

do not run second class universities, and as a result, do not want to admit students who choose them as a second choice. From our experience, universities refuse to take students who make them a second choice, but they do not hesitate to collect the students’ money when they want to write the post-UTME. And this is not fair to students. So last year, Vice Chancellors of universities, provosts of Polytechnics and other stakeholders in the sector decided that students should only pick one university, one polytechnic, one college of education and one innovative enterprise institute when applying to write the UTME. If they do not follow these instructions, they cannot apply. We are also hoping that this will go a long way to curb the admission crisis. A lot of times, there are spaces in tertiary institutions other than universities, but the bottle neck lies in the fact that everyone wants to go to the university.”

Academics, sport are pivotal to learning — Educationist

BY MUSBAUDEEN SHEKONI

E

DUCATING a child takes much more than the daily routine of sitting in class with a book and a pen. Exposure to extensive extra curricula activities relieves the child of the load of books into the atmosphere of learning with fun, ease and simplicity. This was the position of Ms. Sisan Durotimi, Head of School, Tosvvi Precious School, Ajangbadi, Lagos during the school’s maiden Inter-House Sports Competition, held at the Corona Sports Complex, Agbara, Ogun State.

She said, sports competition is an integral part of the school’s eclectic curriculum.

According to her, the curriculum framework is designed upon the psyche of academics and carefully C M Y K

selected and coordinated sporting activities best appropriate for raising a total child.

She asserted that sports foster many of the skills pupils use in high school and adulthood which promotes a healthy life style, motor skill development and teamwork skills.

Durotimi who said he has a mindset of creating a total child in the school,added it will not be limited to academics alone but also sports. “We believe that if we actually build these children from now,they will be stars for Nigeria,” she said.

She said, “Before now, the mindset is that sporting activities are for people who were nothing to reckon with so we all have to go back to the drawing table because

sports has a huge role to play,” To her, every stakeholder has a role to play to actualise grassroots sports as it is being neglected or afforded the slightest attention.

Durotimi believes that sports helps to unveil the talents buried in the teens and strengthens schoolparents’ relationship. Her words: “Sports day is a platform to further strengthen the relationship between the school and the pupils’ parents because, everybody is intrigued with excitement. I always look at my child as somebody who possesses nothing asides academic abilities, but now through this platform, I am seeing my child from an entirely different angle.”

*Chief Mrs. Deborah Omisore, founder, Tendertouch schools, with some children after receiving an Award of recognition as one of the Education Icons in Festac

Inter-house sports open a new world of hope to blind students

BY AMAKA ABAYOMI, LAJU ARENYEKA & CHINYERE ABIAZIEM

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F all the definitions of the word ‘joy’ in the English dictionary, nothing comes quite close to the elation our correspondents witnessed at the interhouse sports competition organized by the Vocational Training Centre for the blind in Lagos last week.

The trophy glistened in the sunlight, and although as a result of their visual impairment, students of the Red house could not again be temporarily blinded by that golden refraction, it signaled a vision of hope for those who thought they had lost everything. Singing, dancing, laughter and shouts of ‘Yes, we won’ enveloped the atmosphere. Even members of the blue house, the only competing house, did not sulk at their loss. For them, it was a blessing to partake in sporting events that had once upon a time been termed a no go area for them.

To be blind from birth is one thing, but to lose one’s sight suddenly is another painful kettle of fish altogether.

Adesope Adeleye knows this all too well. After obtaining her National Diploma from Osun State Polytechnic in 2011, Adesope had big dreams for herself. However, on December 30th, 2011 everything changed.

Recruitment Manual hits book stands

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RECRUITMENT manual, ‘You’re Hired’, which gives prospective employees hints on selection for employers and on how they can make themselves employable, has hit the bookstands.

Authored by Harry Nnoli, the book, which is a blend of the author’s personal experiences as well as wellresearched work from the best authorities around the world, shows candidates how to land the job, make the right choice and excel.

According to the author, “the book gives young professionals strategies and tactics for selling self and making the best of job interviews. It also provides three key strategies for getting hired, offers tools to identify a candidate’s strongest qualities and provides help answering interview questions.

“The book equally includes practice worksheets to help apply the book’s lessons and outlined guides for employers on what to look for in candidates seeking to fill in vacant positions in their establishments.”

The book, which comes in paper and hardcover, is available in e-bookformattomeettheyearningsofyouthfulandtrendyreaders.

St. Anne’s School Old Students meet in Lagos

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t. Annes School, Ibadan, Old Girls Association has announced its forthcoming meeting for all sets, scheduled to hold, on Sunday, 27 th April 2014, at Triplecross Secondary Schools, Agidingbi, Ogba, Lagos.

The meeting which will hold by 2pm is the second quarter meeting for the year 2014 to receive all old students of all sets. Deliberation will be made on moving forward the Association as well as the School.

28 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science inducts graduates

By IRUOMA, KELECHUKWU, UNN

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HE Pharmaceutical Sciences, University o f Nigeria,Nsukka recently held her induction/oath-taking ceremony for its newly graduated pharmacists. The ceremony was held on 12th April, 2014 at Princess Alexandra Auditorium (PAA), UNN. The occasion was graced by Hon. Paul Onyeka, member, Anambra State House

of Assembly, who chaired the ceremony; Pharmacist Ekenna Elikee, MD/CEO, Ekenna Natures Ltd who gave the keynote address; Prof. V.C. Okore, Dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UNN who represented the Vice-Chancellor; lecturers from Nnamdi Azikwe University; Heads of Departments and lecturers of the various departments in the faculty; pharmacy students and parents.

In his remarks, the chairman advised the inductees to be of good behaviour and adopt the 3Hs, which are hardwork, humility and honesty in professing their profession as pharmacists. After the keynote address, he inducted the new graduands on behalf of the Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Pharm. Gloria Abumere, who was not present at the ceremony. The induction/oathtaking was administered on 96 students from the faculty, which constituted 56 per cent of the entire 2012/ 2013 class.

The best graduating student, Deborah Aluh who spoke to Quadlife said: “I feel elated. I feel so so happy and I am grateful to God for this day. I also thank my parents for being there for me.” The young pharmacist who bagged numerous awards shared her success principles.

Deborah said hardwork accompanied with determination made it possible.

1000 Students to benefit from PMT Boss scholarship annually

By CHINENYEH OZOR

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T least1000 Nigerian students are to benefit from Sam Maduka Onyishi African Entrepreneurship Foundation Scholarships (SAMOAEF) annually. This was disclosed by ChiefSamMadukaOnyishi at the 2013 Scholarship Award Ceremony at University of Nigeria Nsukka, explaining that his life's dream has been to pay school fees for an averageof1000studentsannually.Henotedthat whatwasuppermostinhismindsince2008when he floated the foundation in collaboration with theInstituteofAfricanStudieswastoassistindigent and impaired students in the country.

He said that he did not float the foundation for political reasons, adding that one can render

helpwithoutnecessarilyspendingmoney. A total number of 125 students from different states of the countryreceivedtheawardof N50,000eachforthe furtherance of their studies. The donor also said that he will extend the scholarship to primary and post-primaryschools in the country in 2015. Chief Onyishi in the same vein donated seven brand new 16-seaterToyotabusesto someinstitutionsof higher learning and churches.

These include Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Anglican Diocese of Nsukka , Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Nsukka branch, Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu,AkanuIbiamFederalPolytechnic,Uwana, Afikpo, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and Federal College of Education Eha Amufu.

SUCCESS RECIPE WITH UDEME ARCHIBONG successrecipe2009@gmail.com 08035095243

You are a living magnet

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NCE upon a time, there lived a woman who had a difficult relationship with her mother-in-law. She never saw herself to be blamed for the friction in the relationship, after all, she was so sweet and all.

However, she decided to experiment. Each time she thought about her mother-in-law, she decided to bless her. In fact, she will deliberately think loving thoughts about her. Up until this time, her mother-in-law rarely calls her, she never had any interest chatting with her. Remarkably, after she started showering her with thoughts of love and blessing, her C M Y K

mother-in-lawcalledherthreetimes within five days and it was all friendly calls. She had never called her more than six times in the previous year before the time.

Whatever thoughts you dwell upon in your mind will manifest in your reality; this reveals to us that our thoughts and feelings have a magneticfrequencythatattractsinto our lives people, events and circumstances which harmonize withthefrequencythatweemitfrom our thoughts and feelings.

Becoming aware of this, we need to carefully choose the kind of thoughts we think about ourselves; people and our world. After all, the

Kogi Primary school teachers protest non-payment of salary

By BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

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RIMARY school teachers in Kogi State recently took to the streets protesting the non-payment of February and March salaries as well as lack of leave allowance in the last three years.

The teachers under the Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN) later converged at the gate of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, which was under lock and key.

Addressing journalists during the protest, the state Chairman of BESAN, Adomu Sule, who said they have not been paid February and March salaries, stressed that payment of leave allowances has stopped since 2011.

Adomu added that teachers’ promotion since 2009 has not received any cash backing, lamenting that they have been undergoing different kinds of screening since 2011 without any positive result.

According to him, “There was agreement between the teachers and SUBEB last year December that the minimum wage which was being implemented at 60 per cent would become effective fully by March this year. But till now, we are yet to receive February and March salaries while still waiting for full minimum wage implementation.”

The chairman said the protest was to let the governor and the people know that the basic education is being neglected in the state and that the teachers are suffering.

Responding, the Permanent Member 11, James Momoh who addressed the teachers on behalf of SUBEB chairman, Jibrin Usman pleaded with the teachers to exercise patience, saying that they would be paid by next week.

He said they are aware of their grievances as they are doing everything possible to make sure that the minimum wage is implemented.

20 undergraduates to benefit from Qua Iboe Church scholarship scheme

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O fewer than 20 undergraduates are to benefit from the Qua Iboe Church, Lagos scholarship scheme which is in its third year. This was disclosed recently by the Chairman of the church, Elder Samuel Bassey in Lagos as part of activities marking the end of Men of Wisdom Association week, tagged Wisdom Week in Lagos.

According to Elder Bassey, who is also the President, Men of Wisdom Association of the church, the scholarship scheme carries a cash price of N100,000 per beneficial per year and is being powered by the Men of Wisdom Association.

On what inspired the scheme, he said it was meant to help those who are brilliant but have no financial capability to go to school, noting:

only thing that we have absolute control over in life is our thoughts and the images we hold in our mind and our behaviour and these aretheexactsamethingsthatcreate the quality of our lives.

Every channel on the television operates on a particular broadcasting frequency. For example, when you tune onto the CNN, all you watch and listen to is news. However, if you do not like what you are seeing on CNN, you have the ability and power to tune ontoanotherchannelofyourchoice.

So it applies. If we do not like what we see in any aspect of our lives, we are now aware that we attracted that through our thoughts and feelings and to change our experiences, we need to flip channels using the remote control of our thoughts. Therefore, we need to learn to mentally change channels whenever negative thoughts, feelings and images appear on the “screen” of our mind.

When you dwell on good, positive

“Our focus has been on brilliant students without financial endowment and we felt those are the people we should assist. We set up a committee that screened the candidates. That is why we were able to come up with two for now. The screening is ongoing and at the end of the day, we will still emphasise on the best.

“The reason is that if you train a brilliant student who has not been able to go to school because of finance, then you have added value to that family, the church and the society.

“So far, we have produced about five graduates from this programme and they have all passed out with second class upper. This time around, the projection is to award scholarship to about 20 indigent undergraduates.”

thoughts you create good and happy feelings and you will be hooked onto the frequency of attracting positive people, events and circumstances into the arena of your life and this changes or transforms the quality of your life.

To get rid of the poverty experience, we need to change our focus from lack to abundance.

Remember, whatever you focus on grows and expands. To become a money magnet, you must focus on wealth; imagine and “act as if” you already have the money you want; feel happy and good about having money. Never talk lack. Tune out thoughts of “not enough” and tune in thoughts of “more than enough”.

Be generous with money.

Remember, what you give replenishes; what you hoard diminishes.

Whatever you resist will persist and whatever persists perpetuates.

Focus your thoughts on what you want; talk about only what you want. Remember, life does not

happen to you rather life responds to you. You can never rise above the level of your thinking. The big question is: What do you think and believe? Do you believe that we are living in a universe of infinite possibilities? Or do you believe that there is scarcity and limitation in the world? Until we are aware that there are no scarcity and limitations anywhere; the only limitation and scarcity is in our minds we end up selling ourselves short; becoming the number-one enemy in our lives.

If you want to live in health; focus on perfect health. If you want to improve on your relationships, begin with yourself; improve on yourself; feel good about yourself; treat yourself with love and respect.

Focus on the strengths of people rather than their faults; focus on what you appreciate about people rather than complain or criticize them.

Your mind is a magnetic field; use it as a power for good.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 29

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30 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Get gasoline, diesel, ethanol from plastic bottles, non-edible plant FIRST, it was the use of plastic bottles which otherwise would have constituted a threat to the environment, to build a house and construct chairs at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola. Researchers at the institution are not resting on their oars as they have found other uses for waste plastic bottles which abound all over Nigeria.

Plastic beverage bottles are made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) polymer.

In this chat with Vanguard Learning in his office in Yola, Dr Wan Jin Jahng, an associate professor of chemistry at the AUN shares how he has been able to produce fuel from waste plastic bottles and a non-edible plant. Excerpts:

BY EBELE ORAKPO

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FTER obtaining his undergraduate and master's degrees in Chemistry from Korea, Jahng went to the US for his doctoral degree in Organic Chemistry. From there, he moved to Harvard Medical School for his

post-doctoral degree in (eye research) ophthalmology and two years ago, he moved to the AUN. Fuel from plastic bottles: "We convert these plastic bottles into chemical energy including gasoline and diesel. These

polyethylene bottles are cut into small pieces so the polymer becomes monomer by heating (thermal catalytic conversion). We put in some catalysts and then we get some gasoline and diesel from these bottles. This is wonderful even though it takes some form of

*Dr Wan Jin Jahng energy because you have to heat it up but still, we can make some fuel from the bottles.

"And we realise that all these plastic bags and bottles are very useful materials because after getting the fuel, we also have some solid part and that solid part we use for road pavement. Although at this early stage, we get very small amount of the liquid part for energy and solid part for road pavement, but it is very promising," he said.

Ethanol from nonedible plants: The importance of ethanol, especially in the automotive fuel industry cannot be over-emphasised.

Some cars can run on 100 per cent ethanol or fuel mixtures containing part gasoline and part ethanol (gasohol).

"We have elephant grass, sweet sorghum, and corn stem which are inedible for ethanol fermentation, so we do not compete with food for

*Good source of ethanol energy. So again, these plants are not edible but we get some ethanol from them and we can use ethanol as energy. We can add 20 per cent ethanol to gasoline and use it as petrol.

"We are applying all these resources, as well as man-made bottles to produce energy. This is very exciting," he enthused.

Eye research: Jahng who is also an assiostant professor of ophthalmology, carried out a research on the eye.

"Our third research is on the eye.

We are using fish and chicken eyes to understand what is going on in the human eye. This is a collaboration with two institutions in the United States.

We carry out human eye analysis and we compare the results with animal eye. We learnt that some proteins go wrong and some lipids also. For example, cholesterol concentration goes high so it looks like cholesterol not only causes heart disease but also affects our eyes too.

Also, long time use of the eyes affects the eyes negatively. For example, you sit working on the computer for 12 hours and after that, you watch television. It is not good for the eye. It destroys our vision. After dark, you need to rest the eyes. After 9 - 10pm, you should sleep. Sleep is very good, it keeps the eyes healthy.

We will present some of these findings at a conference in the US.

Ex-White House aide for AUN's 6th Commencement

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MBASSADOR John Simon, ex-White House aide, is billed to speak at the sixth Commencement ceremony of the American University of Nigeria billed to take place on May 10, according to a release made available to Vanguard.

Ambassador John Simon, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard University, recently served as the US Ambassador to the African Union and the Executive Vice-President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). He is a founder and Managing Partner of Total Impact Advisors, a firm of investment consultants, and the author of More than Money, a report on impact investing as a development tool.

Formerly at USAID as Deputy Assistant Administrator, Simon was asked by the President to serve in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and as Senior Director for Relief, Stabilization, and Development for the National Security Council (NSC), the first to hold this post.

During his tenure at NSC, Simon oversaw the implementation of ground-breaking development initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Account, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, and the President's Malaria Initiative. He was also responsible for the U.S. Government response to international humanitarian disasters such as the 2005 South Asia earthquake.

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 31

Duke, Ajumogobia, others, unveil Centenary edition of Monopoly games

BY IKENNA ASOMBA HE Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke; former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Odein Ajumogobia; Peter Carter, British Deputy High Commissioner and former Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Wale Edun were dignitaries who thronged the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, Wednesday, to unveil the West African Commemorative Country Edition of Monopoly games.

Being the maiden edition, the board was earlier launched on February 25 this year, by the VicePresident, Architect Namadi Sambo, at the Centenary Charity Gala and has the endorsement of the Nigeria Centenary Committee and Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC).

According to Nimi Akinkugbe, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Bestman Games, the African distributors of customised editions of the Monopoly game: “This Centenary edition offers more than just the thrill of an exciting board game. Embedded in the “Opportunity ” and “Chance” cards are strong social

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messages that seek to educate players about Nigeria’s environmental laws, promote personal financial literacy, travel and tourism.

“One card for example reads "You have been posted to Sokoto for your National Youth Service Corps orientation camp, collect N50,” she said.

Adding, “A unique feature of this commemorative edition is the inclusion by Hasbro of a special playing token in the form of a football boot. The boot was included to acknowledge and

celebrate our common love for football and to honour our outstanding national teams, the Eagles, Falcons and the Flamingoes over many years.”

The Monopoly is a real estate trading game aimed at inculcating the attitude of creating wealth among schoolaged children through buying, selling and renting property.

It is also aimed at educating players about some societal (Lagos) laws that are so often overlooked, and to attempt to correct negative behaviours.

*From left: The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke; Nimi Akinkugbe, Founder/CEO Bestman Games and former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Odein Ajumogobia at the unveiling of the West African Commemorative Country Edition of Monopoly games, at Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, Wednesday.

Don advocates use of theatre, culture to fight terrorism SIMON EBEGBULEM

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PROFESSOR of Drama, Theatre and Development Communication, at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Professor Austin Asagba has advocated the use of theatre and culture in fighting the restiveness in the Northern part of the country.

He therefore urged the Federal Government to look inwards and start deploying the cultural resources of the nation in fighting the Boko Haram sect, regretting that so much violence is being

witnessed in the country due to what he described as the abandonment of our cultural values by Nigerians.

He stated this while delivering a lecture entitled: Theatre and the Challenges of our Changing World: The Implications for Africa in the 21st Century, at the celebration of the World Theatre Day organised by the Nigerian Association of Theatre Practitioners in the South-South zone.

Prof. Asagba who urged government to invest in theatre which he said is a tool for change

and development, asserted that “worldwide, theatre is being deployed for social change and Nigeria cannot be in different space especially given our social problems, the kind of crisis we find in the north, in the Niger-Delta and other parts of Nigeria.

“It is imperative for us to look inward to start deploying the cultural resources we have and also theatre as a medium for conflict resolution. I want us to forget the bureaucracy in the government business and start being real and deploying our culture to change

our people in terms of creating awareness, creating jobs for them and making them love peace and harmony in the society,” he stated.

While noting that the theatre artists in Nigeria are faced with several challenges, Prof. Asagba stressed that government has a responsibility to create artistic centres “so that people can be entertained and educated. We want to take theatre to the school as well because when we do, it is very possible to address social issues.

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32—Vanguard, THURSDAY,

APRIL 17, 2014

Main features of new Pension Act 2014 as passed by Senate

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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FTER a year of leg islative processes, the Senate Tuesday last week, passed Pension Reform Act (Amendment) Bill into law with some pragmatic clauses that could revolutionize the pension industry in Nigeria.

In this edition, Pension and You, highlights some of the salient clauses that will positively change the face of pension administration in Nigeria.

The new Pension Reform Act, 2014 now stipu-

lates at least a-10 year jail term on conviction for pension fund administrators or anybody that misappropriates or diverts pension funds and a fine of an amount equal to three times the amount misappropriated or diverted.

In addition, any pension fund administrator or pension fund custodian or anybody that is convicted for diversion or misappropriation of pension funds would be compelled to refund the said amount.

It noted that all monies received as penalty by the National Pension Com-

mission, PenCom, shall be paid into the Pension Protection Fund which would had been established under Section 82 of the Act. According to the new Act, whenever any person is convicted of an offence, the court in passing sentence shall in addition to any punishment which the court may impose in respect of the offence, order the forfeiture to the Federal Government of any property, asset or fund with accrued interest.

“Any Pension Fund Custodian who contravenes the provisions of Section 70 of this Act com-

mits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not less than N10,000.000 and each of its director or principal officers shall be liable to a fine of not less than N5,000.000 or to a term of not less than five years imprisonment or to both such fine and imprisonment.

“Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, the Commission may in addition to the penalties stipulated under this Act, impose additional sanctions on the board, any director, management, manager or officer of Pen-

prosecuted.

It stated “Unless he proves that the act or omission constituting the offence took place without his knowledge, consent, The Act also stated that connivance or neglect or if a corporate body, direc- he took reasonable steps tor, manager, secretary or to prevent the commission other officers of a corpo- of the offence.”

Any person who is currate body commits offence under the Act and that if rently standing trial over the person had knowledge pension fund embezzleor believed to have had ment would be tried unknowledge of the commis- der the old law but whension of the offence and did ever the President signs not exercise due diligence the Bill into law, the ofto ensure compliance with fender may be unfortunate the Act shall be deemed to stand trial under the to have committed the of- new law.

On transfer of workers fence and should also be from one employment to another, the same retirement savings account shall continue to be maintained by employee or be transferred subject to Section 13 of the Act. sion Fund Administrator or pension Fund Custodian that violates any of the provisions of this Act,” it stated.

Pension scheme The new pension scheme covers private organizations with at least three or more employees and also included employees in the Public service of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory.

Under the new Act, persons that were involved in running failed financial institutions would not be appointed to the board of the commission, while the Director General of the Pension Commission is expected to have about 15 years cognate experience against the controversial 20 years as canvassed by some members.

On the cognate experience for consideration in appointing the Director General of the PenCom, Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment, Senator Aloysius Etok said, “So the post qualification experience for the one who would be DG of PENCOM is 15 years. In Nigeria professional pension administration would be about 10. And because we are talking about cognate experience not post qualification experience.

“Because if you are talking about post qualification experience what about somebody who has 30 years’ post qualification experience with two years cognate pension experience."

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014—33

BITS Bits Nigeria, a worthy African rep, says ILO

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NUTGTWN lauds NIC over Gaskiya Textiles

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ATIONAL Union of Tex tile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, has commended the National Industrial Court, NIC, Lagos Division, for striking out a stay of execution appeal brought before it by the management of Gaskiya Textile Mill Kano, Nigeria.

The court had on March 27, 2014 struck out an application for stay of execution brought before it by the management of Gaskiya Textile Plc over payment of N128, 394,220.33 gratuities of 465 of its former workers who are members of the union.

In the judgment delivered March 27, 2014, the court presided over by justice Kanyip of the NIC struck out the application for stay of the execution of the earlier judgment for lack of merit. The said judgment now paves the way for enforcement of the earlier judgment by the National Industrial Court (NIC).

The Union in a statement by its Deputy General Secretary, Sylvester Chimezie, recalled that it had dragged the management of Gaskiya Textiles to the Industrial Arbitration panel, IAP, after failing to secure workers’ benefits through the regular process of collective bargaining.

NLC members during a rally. INSET: John Odah, immediate past scribe

NLC shops for new scribe amid politics of exclusion

Competent people

SINCE the internal crisis within the NLC peaked with the purported sack of then General Secretary, Comrade John Odah which the NLC was forced to reverse as a result of the ruling of the National Industrial Court (NIC) and subsequent internal discussion, which saw Comrade Odah properly’ retired, all manners of scheming have been going on as to who becomes the substantive general secretary of the NLC. This edition of Labour Vanguard gives an insight into what has been going on and the plan of the NLC leadership not to settle for the best.

BY FUNMI KOMOLAFE

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OR over one year, the Nigeria La bour Congress has had no substantive general secretary, neither has it got a particular acting general secretary.

Just after the so-called sack of then general secretary, Comrade John Odah, on May 24, 2011, Comrade Owei Lakemfa, a senior assistant secretary was made to act. He barely acted for four months, before he was removed. Comrade Lakemfa has since moved over to the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) as secretary-general.

At that time, the only deputy general secretary that the NLC had was Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, who was then private secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

Olaitan was murdered by yet to be identified killlers.

Those who have acted as general secretary include Comrade Chris Uyot, the longest serving senior assistant general secretary, Mr. Segun Rotimi, an accountant and head of finance and Emma Ugboaja, who joined the NLC about three years ago after a crisis that saw him out of an affiliate of the NLC — National Union of Footwear, Leather, Rubber and Mettalic l Products ( NUCFLAMPE).

Odah was reinstated February 1, 2013 and formally retired on April 30, 2013; about a year ago. The reinstatement was the result of a suit filed by John Odah at the NIC which NLC lost. Both parties then agreed to some terms of settlement.

An insider at the NLC told Labour Vanguard, “ You can see, the same NEC people want to exclude others. No one from the state council can apply, yet we have very competent people at that level”.

Our source added: “So it is easier for a younger person to be President of Nigeria or State Governor than to be president of the NLC. You can see clearly that the job is not for the best candidate”.

The advert also stated that only a general secretary of a union may apply.

Unionists who are more committed and more active than many arm-chair general secretaries are not qualified to seek appointment as the general secretary of NLC. In a letter to all affiliates of the NLC dated March 24, NLC president , Abdulwaheed Ibrahim Omar wrote: “You may also recall that in order to have in place as quickly as possible the best talents, the most competent persons with the most relevant experience for the job(s), it was the decision of the organs to restrict the

So who becomes the next general secretary and how?

For the records, the first general secretary of the NLC was Comrade Aliyu Dangiwa who was a staff of Ahmadu Bello University ( ABU), Zaria. He was succeeded by Dr. Lasisi Osunde, an economist and lecturer at the University of Lagos. At various times, Comrade Salisu Mohammed and Comrade Morgan Anigho (now late) acted as general secretary.

Unionists who are more committed About two weeks ago, and more active than many armthe NLC issued “an internal advertisement“ which chair general secretaries are not states “ Those who wish qualified to seek appointment as to apply for this post are expected to meet either of general secretary of NLC the following requirements: 1. A suitable and qualified Deputy search to the affiliate unions and the staff General Secretary of Congress who has of Congress”. The organ that so directed shown manifest vocation for the post is not stated.

In conclusion, NLC president , Omar and inspirational collective/ leadership wrote, “ In line with the Conditions of attributes and team work.

2. A suitable officer of the rank of Gen- Service, process and procedure of the eral Secretary of an affiliate union with Congress governing the recruitment/ appointment of this caliber of staff, the recproven vocation, skill and knowledge with cognate experience of not less ommendations of the Establishment Comthan five years on the post provided mittee will be subject to the scrutiny and approval of the relevant organs of the s(he) has the required qualification required for the post of Deputy General Congress”.

He added, “ I urge you to circulate this Secretary of Congress. This will also notice/ advertisement to your members. include commitment to appropriate soNothing but the best is good for the Concial and political orientation consistent gress”. with the Labour Movement.

Can NLC really have the best when the 3. A Congress staff who has worked at choice has been limited? Your guess is as the Congress for a minimum of ten years good as mine.

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NTERNATIONAL commu nity has been urged to accord due recognition to Nigeria’s leadership position not only as a member of the International Labour Organization, ILO, but as a very able representative of African interests in global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council.

A statement by Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director (Press), said the new ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, Mr. Aeneas Chapinga Chuma, spoke in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.

Mr. Chuma disclosed that work has reached an advanced stage towards finalization of the ILO Decent Work Country Programme for Nigeria (DWCP II), adding that the document would be ready for signing by June this year.

He emphasized the importance of the Decent Work Agenda and assured Nigeria of the commitment of the ILO to working with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and the social partners towards the successful implementation of the DWCP 11.

and has held or holds the rank of Senior Assistant General Secretary or its equivalent.”

In addition, the internal advert stated, “ They must meet the following conditions”.

1. A minimum academic qualification of first degree/ HND in any discipline.(additional qualification shall be an advantage) 2. A minimum age of 45 years.

It is noted that this is the first time that the appointment of the general secretary of the NLC is made public in a mere “ internal memo”.

Before John Odah was appointed, NLC made a public advertisement, which saw several people apply. The then secretarygeneral of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), a seasoned unionist and lawyer, Comrade Sola Iji applied and was short-listed.

Odah’s appointment was confirmed by the National Executive Council (NEC), the highest decision making organ of the NLC in the absence of the Delegates Conference in Session during its meeting in Owerri, Imo state in 1999.

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34—Vanguard, THURSDAY,

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APRIL 17, 2014

V anguard, THURSD AY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 37 Vanguard, THURSDA YOUR LUCK TODAY

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 AQUARIUS; Make sure your plans for both immediate and far future are legal friendly. This is day of success you will need to savour with your partners/spouse.

PISCES; Even if you think your health is ok you better make sure you confirm your fitness from your doctor before giving in to strenuous activities. Success at work indicated for those of you who are truly healthy. Be practical please.

ARIES; It will not be a bad idea trying to consolidate on progress made recently. And the more co-operative you are today the better it will be for you..

TAURUS; You will be in good position to take good advantage within your working arena.. Don’t wait till tomorrow before you make important future plans.

GEMINI; Tomorrow may bring more challenges than anticipated that is why you will need to prosecute your plans now. Lovers are fairly favoured.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

Succeeding Anyway

Y

ES! The w i t h i n exercises a great deal of control over the without.

I am sure you are getting my point

here.

For example, what are you going to teach a man who believes he can never go to school. How do

TERROR MUDA

you convince a man who believes that no matter what he does he will never be a suc-

in “Never say goodbye”

cess?

Want success, then first settle the internal contradictions within you – self doubt, unbelief, fear, impossibility etc.

By Lanre Kehinde

CANCER; Those of you who are moderate and practical with their financial plans are in for a good day. Live up to expectation within your family circle.

LEO; Success is within your reach but you must do away with mental arrogance and take good and practical advice from the professionals. Work harder.

VIRGO; Your being enterprising will go a long way to further enhance your prospects and if financial advancement is your priority you will fare better. Be more loving.

LIBRA; Prepare to take the lead and exhibit your special talent. Advice from younger people may look good but not practical enough thus if you must take advice today take it from matured personality who may appear authoritative.

SCORPIO; Element of luck will work in your favour, however that is not to say you can not back your reasonable plans with practical action. Keep your secrets.

SAGITTARIUS; You will have your ways; much will depend on how ambitious you are, the bigger your aspiration the better. Take your tried and trusted friends seriously.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Pretty Lunatic’

By Andy Akman

CAPRICORN; Here is an ambitious day for many of you and with moderation things will go according to your plans.

Financial success is actually close to you than you think.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

My full horoscope please!!!

Dear Joshua, I want you to analyse my horoscope fully. I was born on July 8, 1969. I am a male graduate of Geology gainfully employed.

Ezekiel. Asaba.

Dear Ezekiel, To analyse any horoscope fully I will need three to four pages of this highly respected Newspaper; I believe you understand what I mean. But not worry what you will get here-under will prove helpful.

YOUR HOROSCOPE DATA/PLANETARY PLACEMENT

DATE OF BIRTH = TUESDAY MAY 8, 1972 SUN SIGN = CANCER ;SUN IN 16TH DEGREE OF CANCER MOON SIGN = TAURUS ;MOON IN 8TH DEGREE OF TAURUS MERCURY IN ZERO DEGREE OF CANCER VENUS IN 1ST DEGREE OF GEMINI MARS IN 1ST DEGREE OF SAGITTARIUS JUPITER IN 29TH DEGREE OF VIRGO SATURN IN 7TH DEGREE OF TAURUS URANUS IN ZERO DEGREE OF LIBRA NEPTUNE IN 26TH DEGREE OF SCORPIO PLUTO IN 22ND DEGREE OF VIRGO NORTH NODE IN 23RD DEGREE OF PISCES SOUTH NODE IN 23RD DEGREE OF VIRGO NUMBERS OF PLANET HOSTED BY GROUP OF STAR SIGNS (ACCORDING TO QUALITY & ELEMENT) ARE; CARDINAL = 3, FIXED = 3, MUTABLE = 4, FIRE = 1, EARTH = 4, AIR = 2 WATER = 3.

PUSH-FULL INFLUENCE = 30% NON-PUSHFUL INFLUENCE = 70% FINAL DISPOSITOR (PLANET AT HOME) = NONE ANALYSIS OF THE HOROSCOPE DATA/PLANETARY PLACEMENT As there was no Planet at home when you were born, too many ideas will constantly struggle for supremacy in your mind, especially whenever you are to take important decision of finality nature thus, confusion can creep in. But thank goodness for the quality of your mind that do not allow day-dreaming as indicated by preponderance of Planets in mutable (qualitative) and earth (elemental) Star Signs; this simply means you can be adaptable but must not give away the practical approach in you.

Astrologically, Cancer is a calm, cool-headed and kind hearted Star Sign with greatest regard for the family tree.

VIRGINIA

HOME & ABROAD

dadadekola@yahoo.com

By Lawrence Akapa

38—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

I’m not anti-Jonathan — Nwabueze

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

L

EGAL icon and Chairman of The Patriots, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), has dismissed as unfounded comments that he is opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan giving his stance on the on-going National Conference and whether or not the president should seek reelection to drive further his transformation agenda.

Clarifying his position towards President Jonathan, in a four-page paper, yesterday, Nwabueze said he is concerned about the president’s interest and the success of his administration. He endorsed the transformation agenda saying however, that it would be difficult for President Jonathan to pursue a reelection and the transformation agenda at the same time because the two projects are mutually antagonistic.

The paper read: It has become necessary to make some clarifications in order to dispel the unfounded story in some political quarters that I am opposed to or antiPresident Jonathan. Quite the contrary, I have a concern, a sincere concern, for his interest and for the success of his Government.

I want him to be the President

•Nwabueze: Wants Jonathan to be father of modern Nigeria invested with immortality. That was an honest, personal advice.

An advice as to what I would do if I were him cannot mean that I am opposed to or an enemy of my own interest.

It is the attempt to combine the mutually antagonistic objectives of national rebirth, national greatness and national unity and the political ambition for re-election in 2015 – an

,

,

Honestly, I think that the transformation of Nigeria cannot be combined with the ambition for re-election in 2015

who will transform Nigeria into a new, better and united country which, to me, is the highest achievement for any President.

At the same time, I honestly think that the transformation of Nigeria cannot be combined with the ambition for re-election in 2015. For one thing, transforming Nigeria into a new, better and united country and the political ambition for re-election as President in 2015 are mutually antagonistic objects which cannot be successfully combined together.

You have to choose to pursue the one or the other, but not both together at the same time; pursuing both together is like trying to gain the best of two worlds at one and the same time. It is an impossible dream.

And I told the President so in writing. I said that, if I were him, I would go for the honour of being the one to transform Nigeria, which would make him the father of modern Nigeria and a national hero

adroit political strategy – that has led to the nature and type of the National Conference being muddled up and to its being deprived of the capacity to serve as an instrument for the creation of a new, better and united Nigeria. That is the simple truth which we should frankly admit to ourselves and to our fellow countrymen and women.

Despite the frustration of the objective of national transformation caused by the intrusion of the ambition for reelection in 2015, there can be no question of me calling on Ndigbo, Nigerians or anyone not to vote for President Jonathan in 2015 if he decides to run, which is his constitutional right, a right no one can take away from him.

Yet, I do not understand my sympathy and solicitousness for the President’s interest as requiring me to abandon my role, as constitutional lawyer and analyst of the practice and processes of governance in the country, to criticise, in a

constructive manner, errors by him and his government, or to betray my nature and character by compromising truth and principle in order to please anyone. The analyses and conclusions in my two recent write-ups are based on straightforward truth and principle that nobody has faulted; they stand on their feet, quite independently of support for, or opposition to, the President. I owe the analyses and conclusions in the two write-ups to the Nigerian people and to posterity, and I am content to leave it to them to be the judge.

Ethnic nationalities The two write-ups are titled: (i) Will the National Conference, as now convoked and constituted by President Jonathan be effective in realizing our aspiration for a new, better and united Nigeria; and (ii) the ethnic nationalities are best suited to negotiate the terms of our unity as well as serve as necessary pillars for building a nation.

It is in the honest discharge of that role that I criticize, constructively, I believe, the muddles in the nature and type of the National Conference that deprive it of the capacity to serve as an instrument for the transformation of Nigeria into a new, better and united country. I am deeply pained that the Conference should have been turned into what it is, but my feeling is simply that of pain and disillusion, not

vengefulness or ill-will or even anger towards the President.

But the matter is no longer one of criticism of errors committed in the way the Conference is constituted, however constructive the criticism may be; it is rather how to salvage the Conference and make it serve the objective of transforming Nigeria into a new, better and united country.

I think the Conference can be salvaged even at this stage– by the President summoning the courage to send to the National Assembly an executive bill in terms of the National Conference and Referendum Bill prepared and submitted to him by The Patriots, with such modifications as he may deem necessary. If he does that, he will have played his part, and it will be left to the Nigerian people to mobilise to get the National Assembly to pass the bill into law in the shortest possible time.

Committee deliberations While the bill is in the National Assembly undergoing the usual processes, the National Conference, after the committee deliberations now going on, should set up a Committee of its members to begin work on the drafting of a new Constitution which, after adoption by the Conference, will be submitted to the people at a referendum for approval.

While the Drafting Committee is working on the draft, the rest of the delegates should go on recess to resume when the Draft Constitution is ready for discussion.

Hopefully, by this time the National Conference and Referendum Bill would have been passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President.

The issue of referendum has become befogged by unnecessary confusion. There are two aspects to the issue, viz (i) the amendment of section 9 of the Constitution by the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly to provide for a referendum as a method of either changing the Constitution in its entirety by the adoption of a new Constitution to replace it or as a method of altering specific provisions in it; (ii) the enactment of a law by the National Assembly, after step (i) above has been accomplished, authorising the holding of a referendum to

approve the decisions of the National Conference.

The argument of the National Assembly is that it cannot enact a law under step (ii) above until step (i) above has been accomplished, i.e. until section 9 of the Constitution has been amended by it and the State Houses of Assembly. This argument, which does not take into account the provisions of section 4, purposively interpreted, is open to disputation.

Certainly, the National Assembly has power under section 4, taken together with section 315(1)(a & (4), to abolish the 1999 Constitution by repealing Decree 24 of 1999, to which it (the 1999 Constitution) is annexed as a Schedule. Decree 24 of 1999 is “an existing law” under section 315(1) and, like all existing laws that are within federal legislative competence, is embraced within the National Assembly ’s legislative authority to repeal or amend.

It would be inconceivable and a manifest absurdity that there should be “an existing law”, as defined in section 315(4), which is beyond the power of the legislative authorities, federal or state, of the sovereign state of Nigeria to repeal.

Sovereign state And once repeal Decree 24, the 1999 Constitution in its entirety, with its section 9 relied on by the National Assembly, disappears completely from existence. The sequence to be followed in the abolition of the 1999 Constitution (through the repeal of Decree 24 to which it is annexed as Schedule) and the adoption of a new Constitution to replace it is explained and elaborated upon in a 5-page write-up I submitted to the President and the National Assembly in 2013.

The President was so excited and taken in by the idea, nodding his head repeatedly, when I spoke on it at The Patriots’ meeting with him on 29 August, 2013, (I was also myself so excited when the idea first came to me) but the write-up was soon thereafter shoved away. I am also deeply pained by this. The President and the National Assembly should put their self-interests aside and put their heads together to find a way to give us a Peoples Constitution that will lead us to a new, better and united Nigeria.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014—39

STORIES BY DAPO AKINREFON

G

OVERNOR Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday, took his re-election campaigns to Okemesi in Ekiti West local council, where he promised welfare packages for students and teachers in Ekiti State.

On the same day, rallies were also in a number of communities such as Ido Ile, Erio and Aramoko, the council headquarters to drum support for Fayemi.

Speaking to the ecstatic crowd of supporters, Fayemi said pupils will be getting free meals at the commencement of new academic session in September.

Besides, the governor equally disclosed that teachers in public schools will now have the opportunity of overseas training to further motivate them and build their capacity to perform better. Fayemi said these are the policies that are coming on stream if he is reelected at the governorship poll.

Many leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) defected to the ruling APC at the Okemesi rally and pledged to work hard to ensure the governor is re-elected.

Teachers, students, youths and old people benefiting from the state government hailed the governor for giving them better

•Labour Party governorship candidate, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele addressing supporters at Iyemero in Ikole LGA of Ekiti State

Day Fayemi stormed Okemesi life and bringing change to their community.

Fayemi who welcomed defectors from PDP and LP described APC as a party of peace and progress that has the interest of the masses at heart, noting that PDP mismanaged resources during its stint in power. The governor said the state witnessed political instability when PDP was in power as the party produced

seven governors in seven years and urged the electorate not to return to such era.

The APC standard-bearer reminded the audience that former Governor Ayo Fayose had three deputies before his impeachment while the state also had three House of Assembly Speakers and three Chief Judges.

He explained that the legacies of his administration

Why I support Fayose — Sen Arise SENATOR Ayo Arise is a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Ekiti State. Arise; who represented Ekiti North Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011. In this interview, he explains why he is supporting Mr. Ayodele Fayose, the PDP flag bearer. Excerpts:

S

INCE you left the Senate in 2011, you disappeared from the political radar, what have you been up to?

I have been facing my business but at the same time I have been active in politics even though I do not hold any office.

Observers are of the view that you are no longer in the PDP, owing to cracks in the. How true is this?

I have made myself very clear at every opportunity that I am still in the PDP and I am a President Goodluck Jonathan person for the simple fact that he is the one that transformed my community by locating one of the federal universities in my hometown.

The minimum I can show for gratitude is to support him. I have made it very clear that I will leave PDP only if Jonathan leaves PDP. There is no need for anybody to convince me to go either party A or party B. Many people had anticipated that you would have contested

the governorship primaries but you did not. Why? I originally wanted to contest but the discussion was that they wanted someone from Ekiti South Senatorial district. If I had thrown my hat into that ring, it would have complicated issues and I decided to give my support to whomever emerges. More so, when the aspirants collectively decided to hold their meetings in my office, I felt it would not be quite charitable if I was running alongside with them.

So much controversy trailed your party’s governorship primaries that threw up Mr. Fayose as the PDP flag bearer.

Are you supporting him in his quest because you have been absent from his campaign rallies?

Now, I have decided to support Mr. Ayo Fayose because that is whom my party has supported to be the candidate of the PDP. The PDP has come up with a candidate but it does not make

Arise the process the best and I am not ready to go to another party. I am not going to APC or Labour. I will support Fayose to become the next governor of Ekiti State.

Why should Ekiti people vote for PDP this time around?

The roads in Ekiti have gone from bad to terrible. The governor (Kayode Fayemi) promised that

could be seen in renovation of schools, construction of palaces, renovation of hospitals and payment of monthly stipends to old people.

The governor’s promise to implement free feeding in public schools and sponsorship of teachers to courses abroad drew a deafening ovation from teachers and students at the rally. Teachers in Okemesi led

by Mr. S.A. Adedigba praised he was going to construct the roads from Ado to Ifaki, but he has deceived the people of Ekiti.

He said he was going to make every town a local government.

We have the seen the discord he brought about between Oye and Ikole people over the university. He has been playing politics with it. He has done a few things in Ado but most of the things he is boasting to have done were started by Segun Oni because government is a continuum. But for me, he has not done much sufficiently for the state. I believe he has performed below expectations.

What do you make of the violence trailing the campaigns?

Before the elections, you would have read about the acts of violence perpetuated by the APC in the last one year. You will recollect the Emuree saga and the Erinjile saga. All these were perpetuated by the APC and not the PDP. The recent attack on Fayose is totally uncalled for.

I understand there were allegations that some people threw stones at the convoy of the governor and so the thugs came out and started raining bullets.

It is totally uncalled for and more so from the person of an incumbent governor.

Fayemi for bettering the lives of teachers with payment of core subject allowances and rural teachers’ allowances.

Adedigba noted that principals now rise to Grade Level 17 receive their promotion as at when due.

Kasali Oluwafemi who spoke behalf of students of the community said the Fayemi administration annually spends N1.2 billion on stipends for old people, N2.4 billion on youth volunteers and N10 billion on laptops for teachers and students.

He appealed to voters to keep faith with a government that cares for the people of the state and not to vote for political parties that have failed the people. The PDP defectors were led by Adesegun Adetunji while the LP defectors were led

by Temitope Olusegun.

According to them, they are joining APC for the progress and development being witnessed since Fayemi came to power.

LP also lost some members to APC at the rally held in Ido Ile where Fayemi said his administration is ready to do more for the people, if reelected. Leader of the defectors, Richard Oluwagbemi, who was the LP vice chairman in the ward, said they were attracted by the good work done in the community by Fayemi and wanted to identify with the success of the APC government.

I’ll bring govt closer to the people —Bamidele

T

HE Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Mr. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured the people of Ikole local council that he would ensure ward delineations in order to bring government closer to those in the rural areas, if elected.

He also promised that his administration will embark on mechanized farming especially in Ikole local government because of the availability of its large arable farmlands.

Towns and settlements visited by MOB and his team included Iyemero, Itapaji, Odo-Oro, Isaba and Ebira communities. Others were Odo Aiyedun, Oke Aiyedun, Ayebode, Oke-Ako, Ipao, Irele and Ikunrin among others.

Earlier, the Labour Party standard bearer had paid homage to the monarchs of these communities, who prayed for him and wished him success at the polls.

40—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Confab should correct the imbalance in Nigeria — Okulaja, SAN CHIEF Yemi Okulaja, SAN, in this interview, speaks on the ongoing national confab, corruption on the Bench and the acts of organising seminars for judges by bodies that have cases before the courts. Excerpts:

BY ABDULWAH AB ABDULAH

I

Qualified lawyer Before you can become a judge, you must be at least 10 years old at the Bar. Aside from being a qualified lawyer, it is a fact that some of our judges have spent 20 to 30 years at the Bar. Now, you call them for a seminar and I strongly believe that it is a way of perverting justice.

It is not done and it should never be done. Like I said, I’m happy that you people (media) observed it and you are taking it up. You can ask other lawyers and see what they feel about the matter.

For instance, if I have a case against AMCON in your court, how will I get justice from the same judge that has attended a seminar organised by AMCON? But these seminars are put together to enrich the knowledge of these judges on issues of law.

It is wrong. You see when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was not getting conviction as they ought to, they resorted to buying generators for the courts where their cases will be heard. The generators will be serving only the courts where their cases are

•Yemi Okulaja, SAN being heard. They will do all sorts of things for the judges just to secure conviction.

These are the things that are going on and it is spoiling this profession. I’m 40 years old at the Bar. Where do you want me to go? Is it to go and learn how to sell cement or learn bricklaying?

I have no other job than this profession. Why should we allow the profession to be destroyed even by the establishment? The judges do not see anything wrong with it, whereas a lot is wrong with AMCON organising seminar for them.

It is a pity that we lost people like Gani Fawehinmi. I recalled when they put the picture of General Ibrahim Babangida, the then Military Head of State, in the courts and the judge was sitting under it, he challenged it.

Justice for the accused You see, there must be a level playing field before you can have justice. There must be justice for the accused and justice for AMCON. Although what we are saying sounds like a joke, but it is a serious matter. A party in a case should not be hosting judges who will decide cases in which they may be involved now or in the near future. If there is any law, the judges

Oscar Pistorius trial (3) — Page 41

should interpret it and if they don’t do it correctly, you go to the Court of Appeal.

It is not for AMCON to now call a judge to a seminar and be explaining the law to them. That is what I feel about it.

What about where the Nigerian Institute of Advance Legal Studies, NIALS, organise seminars for judges?

,

s it right for judges to attend workshop organised by corporate and government bodies, especially those that appear before the courts, because you did challenge a Federal High Court judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba recently on a workshop organised for judges by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON? We go to courts everyday and we see that the judges are openly exposed to external influences and temptations.

Sadly, many of them do fall into these temptations. There is no point putting judges in a position where their decisions may be influenced. That is what we are saying. What AMCON and co are doing is unethical, and judges should know better. You, who will judge and decide cases of others, should not be the breaker of the law. Judges are not supposed to be visiting people.

These people may have cases before their courts tomorrow.

All I am saying is that it is wrong for AMCON, which is always a party before these same judges to organise workshop for these judges.

will tell you that, “Í will show you who I am,” and he will hire a lawyer. So, these are the type of people that AMCON is dealing with. People who can afford to hire lawyers to fight them.

There are instances where the courts have to interpret the law and there instances where the courts have to use its discretion. For instance, if you go to court and asked for an adjournment, the court has the discretion whether or not to grant the adjournment. So, if you’re somebody who is well disposed, you will have your ways before the judges. The judicial job is very delicate and does not call for wining and dining.

There is National Judicial Institute, which is used to train judges and to organise seminal for judges. What AMCON is doing is not for them to do because there is already a statutory body established for training judges and to enlighten them. AMCON can give money to the Judicial Institute to host the event, but it’s wrong for AMCON to host the event for judges. We should not expose our judges to these kinds of influences. The National Judicial Institute is managed by a Justice of the Court of Appeal or of the Supreme Court.

What was it like the days you started practicing the profession of law?

In those day, this sort of thing will not happen, but these days, when all sorts of people are appointed to the Bench, you also see all manner of things.

I was called to Bar 40 years ago and I know what the Bench was as at that time.

At that particular time, people don’t apply to be judges, it was the Judicial Service Commission, which will invite you after a thorough assessment of your performance at the Bar. But, because salaries of judges at that

Why should we allow the profession to be destroyed even by the establishment? The judges do not see anything wrong with it, whereas a lot is wrong with AMCON organising seminar for them

That is different. The Nigerian Institute of Advance legal Studies doesn’t have any case before the judges. I am not aware of any. It is also a body created purposely for knowledge development. But, AMCON by virtue of its portfolio and because they are involved in so many financial cases, they are not the same.

For instance, if you go through the list of the Federal High Court, there is hardly any day you don’t see AMCON featuring at least once or twice. Because they manage assets for banks and other financial institutions, they have many cases in the courts. If you slap someone who is poor, he may not say anything, but if you slap someone who is rich, he

,

time were not much, many people did not show interest in becoming judges.

It was the military that started the appointment of their cronies as judges and nobody queried them. The same is happening today, some lawyers who were managing restaurants and others who have relocated to America are often invited to become judges. It is a fact that most of judges in some states are children of former judges and prominent people in the state.

Corruption involving judicial officers at the top echelon of the judiciary has exposed the judiciary to much ridicule.

What does this portend for the country?

Continues on Page 41

Governors can’t appoint, remove CJ without NJC recommendation (2) — Page 42

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 41

Oscar Pistorius trial (3)

BY AWA KALU, SAN

T

HE Oscar Pistorious trial, if you recall, is about the famous South African blade runner whose trial for the murder of his girl friend, Reeva Steenkamp has been going on for several weeks.

It is a quintessential adversarial confrontation between the accused and the prosecution, the state and a star athlete. It is a public demonstration that any person who does what is wrong and with a guilty mind ought to be punished and that conversely, when you have committed an offence without a guilty mind, different consequences ought to follow.

By way of recapitulation, Mr. Pistorious’ trial is all about four gun shots that were fired in the early hours of the 14th February, 2013.

The deceased, according to the version of the events presented by the prosecution was hit by three of those shots and died in conse-

quence. It is not in dispute that the gun shots were fired

by Mr. Pistorious nor is anyone challenging the fact that the inevitable outcome of the gun shots was the death of the deceased.

What has remained intriguing and in dispute is Oscar Pistorious’ state of mind at the time he shot the deceased. Was the shooting premeditated? Was there an altercation between the accused and the deceased before the gun shots? Was there anything between the deceased and the accused, shortly before her death that put her in mortal fear of danger leading her to flee from the accused and into the bathroom before her death?

You may recall that all the bullets pierced the bathroom door. The contentious question then is, whether the accused fired through that bathroom door knowing that the deceased was behind it, thus intending nothing but death for the deceased? In the alternative, was the accused forced to shoot sim-

easy, and certainly, not a walk in the park. This epic trial reminds me about a trial that took place in Kano State of Nigeria early in the eighties. The case is Nafiu Rabiu v. The State (1981) 2 NCLR 293. In the reported version, the Appellant was charged with culpable homicide (punishable with death) of his wife, Hajiya Fati Muhammadu Nafiu.

Verdict of acquittal

Oscar Pistorious standing trial before a South African court ply because he believed that he was about to be confronted by an intruder who had led himself into his bathroom on a ladder?

Was it likely that he would be a victim of an assault if he did not act preemptively?

Was a shot into the bathroom the most reasonable option open to him?

In the light of the questions above, this is the right time to recall that Oscar

Pistorious has testified in his own defence and was subjected to about five days of grueling cross examination during which his testimony was dissected and tested. It will be up to the Judge and her Assessors to tell us at the end of it all whether the accused or the prosecution will prevail. What needs to be emphasized is the fact that a peep into the mind of Oscar Pistorious has not been

The murder allegedly took place on the 10th May, 1979 and after the Appellant’s trial at the Kano State High Court, he was discharged and acquitted. The State appealed against the acquittal to the Federal Court of Appeal (now simply known as Court of Appeal) and the verdict of acquittal was substituted with one of culpable homicide not punishable with death. The Appellant was thus sentenced to four years imprisonment. Although this verdict was sustained by the Supreme Court, it is clear that several weighty constitutional

questions (which have since shaped our criminal law jurisprudence) were raised.

According to the law report, these questions were, among others, as follows: (a) Has a prosecutor a general right of appeal against acquittal by a court of first instance? (b) Is the plea of ‘double jeopardy’ under section 33(a) of the Constitution available to a person acquitted by a court of first instance when there is an appeal to a higher court? (c) Does ‘Decision’ in Section 277 of the 1979 Constitution exclude ‘acquittal’? (d) How is the 1979 Constitution to be interpreted?

Before we advert to the decisions of the Supreme Court on those crucial issues in the 1979 Constitution which have since continued to reverberate by virtue of similar provisions of the 1999 Constitution, a reflection on the facts of John Agbo v. The State, (2007) 2 NCC 158 and the decision of the Supreme Court thereon, will guide the discerning in appreciating the likely turn of events in Oscar Pistorious’ trial.

To be concluded

Confab should correct the imbalance in Nigeria — Okulaja, SAN Continues from page 40

When I started practice, most of these things happening today were unknown. For instance, it was not common for you to just walk into a Judge Chambers just as we do these days. The judges were high on top, but these days you find out that some of them have descended from their Olympian heights and have started mingling with lawyers and other members of the public.

In those days, if you became a judge, you have

EDITORIAL TEAM Dayo Benson (Editor) Innocent Anaba ( Head) Wahab Abdulah Ikechukwu Nnochiri

sentenced yourself to a life of a hermit in which you keep away from members of the public as much as possible. At that time, many of the judges were very upright and if you went to court in those days, you would know that any judgment that came down from the Bench was judgment according to the justice of the case. Sadly, most of the things happening now do not make us happy.

Larger society You find out that it is just a reflection of what is happening in the larger society. These judges did not come from the moon. They are our brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, and they are part of us. It is a corruption that has eaten deep into the society.

For instance, when we were young, all the politicians at that time went into politics for the public good.

The likes of Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe.

You did not see them acquire property in the United Kingdom or Dubai in those days. Many of the politicians actually went to serve, but can you say that about our politicians these days? When people went to the Bench in those

days, it was to make themselves immortal. Many of the judges we are reading their judgments today died long time ago.

But, as far as the lawyers are concerned, they are immortal because they speak to us from the grave through the judgments they wrote. That is the sense in which people went to the Bench in those days, but it is no longer the case these days. One is not really happy about what is happening in the judiciary today.

What is your suggestion for the ongoing national conference?

I will like them to advocate more on true federalism. If you look at Kano State, it has almost 50 lo-

cal governments, but the people in Kano are not up to the people in Lagos.

Today, if you want to pass any Act in the National Assembly and you did not get the support of the North, it will not pass through.

National conference This is because there are more people from the North in the National Assembly than Southerners.

This is the imbalance which we want them to correct at the national conference. We should go back to the regions, so that each region can grow at its pace.

All over the world, you see more people staying in the coastal

area, where there is constant rain than the arid hinterland, it is only in Nigeria that the reverse is the case.

That is why we are asking for true federalism, so that we go back to the regions. Do you know that some people from Bayelsa State have never been to Abuja until they got elected to the National Assembly? They were surprises that in Abuja where there are no rivers, there are many bridges. However, in Bayelsa State, where there are many rivers, there are no bridges.

The South West is set to produce the next president of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, when the tenure of the incum-

bent, Mr. Okey Wali, SAN, expires. What is your take on talk of consensus candidate?

They should throw the contest open and lay good example for politicians.

But, what I think is that they already have a candidate, which they want to impose on the people and that is not democratic.

There are people who want to become NBA President for self-esteem and there are people who have been working for the NBA and because they are not well contacted or because their faces are not liked, they may never become president of the Bar. Why do you want to impose? If the man is good, let him win.

42 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Governors can’t appoint, remove CJ without NJC recommendation — Supreme Court (2) I The court came AAT

THE

SUPREME

COURT

OF

NIGERIA

1. HON.JUSTICE RALIAT ELELU-HABEEB (CHIEF JUDGE OF KWARA STATE) 2. NATIONAL JUDICIAL COUNCIL VS 1. THE HON. AT TORNEY- GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION 2. THE HON. ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF KWARA STATE 3. THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF KWARA STATE (PANEL OF JUSTICES) MAHMUD MOHAMMED JSC (PRESIDED AND READ THE LEAD JUDGMENT) WALTER SAMUELNKANU ONNOGHEN JSC CHRISTOPHER MIT CHELL CHUKWUMA-ENEH JSC MUHAMMAD SAIFULLAH MUNTAKA-COOMASSIE JSC OLUFUNLOLA OYELOLA ADEKEYE JSC MARY UKAEGO PETER-ODILI JSC OLUKAYODEARIWOOLA JSC

and the subject matter of the case.

In the same judgment however, the Court of Appeal proceeded to hear the matter on the merit and came to the decision that the trial Federal High Court was right in its decision on the merit, of the claims of the plaintiff and consequently affirmed the decision of the trial court.

It is glaringly clear from the record of this appeal that all the parties at the Court of Appeal, except the Hon. Attorney-General of the. Federation, were not happy with the judgment of the court and therefore decided to appeal and cross-appeal to this court against party, of the judgment that the parties were not satisfied with.

While the plaintiff at the trial court and the defendant/respondent in that court the NationalJudicialCouncilwho were the respondents at the Court of Appeal were not pleased with the decision of the Court of Appeal on the issue of jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to entertain and determine the case of the plaintiff the 3rd and 4th defendants/respondents at the trial court, who were appellants at the Court of Appeal decided to challenge the decision of the Conn of Appeal in deciding to hear and determine the matter on the merit in spite of its decision that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to deal with the, matter and therefore filed their respective cross-ap-

,

N this respect, the learned trial judge, after considering the claims of the plaintiff against the provisions of the Constitution in support of the claims and the defendants” opposition of the same, came to the Conclusion that the plaintiff was entitled to all the reliefs claimed and proceeded to grant them. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants/respondents, who were aggrieved with the judgment of the trial Federal High Court, immediately lodged their respective appeals against the judgment to the Court of Appeal Ilorin Division.

The notices of appeal however excluded the 1st defendant/respondent at the trial court from the list of parties in the appeals at the Court of Appeal. However, on the application by the 1st defendant/ respondent, it was later joined in the appeals on the side of the respondents.

The appeals were heard by a panel of full court of five justices of the Court of Appeal having regard to the constitutional importance of the issues that arose for determination. In a split judgment of 4 to 1, delivered on 2 July 2010.

The court came to the conclusion that the trial Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the case of the plaintiff and held that the matter ought to have been taken to the High Court of Justice of Kwara State for hearing and determination having regard to the parties

to the conclusion that the trial Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the case of the plaintiff

,

peals against that part of the decision of the Court of Appeal.

The Attorney-General of the Federation who was on the side of the appellants at the Court of Appeal has neither filed an appeal nor a crossappeal, as the cross-appeal earlier filed on his behalf was laterwithdrawnandstruckout before the appeals and the cross-appeals proceeded to hearing in this court.

Taking into consideration the position of the parties at the trial court, the Court of Appealandinthiscourtwhere both appellants/cross-respondents and the respondent/cross-appellants chose to pursue their respective cases separately. I have decided to list the parties in this single appeal number SC. 281/201 as follows: “1. Hon. Justice Raliat Elelu-Habeeb - 1st appellant/ cross-respondent 2. National Judicial Coun-

Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar cil - 2nd appellant/cross-respondent and 1. The Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation -1 st respondent 2. The Hon. Attorney-General of Kwara State - 2nd respondent/cross-appellant 3. The House of Assembly of Kwara State - 3rd respondent/ cross-appellant.”

Henceforth, in this judgment, the parties shall be referred to according to their respective designations specified above. In the present case, there is no doubt whatsoever that the dispute that was brought before the trial Federal High Court in the originatingsummonsthatwas filed before it involves the subject of provisions dealing with the procedure made in the

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

1999 for taking disciplinary action against a Chief Judge of a State found wanting in the discharge of his functions to warrant his removal from office. It is therefore necessary in mv view to examine all the relevant provisions contained in the Constitution governing, the procedure for the appointment and removal of Judicial officers. This is because while a constitutional power should not be used to attain an unconstitutional result the language of the Constitution were clear and unambiguous must be given its plain and evident meaning.

To be concluded

Lagos creates special fund for free legal services

BY DAYO BENSON

L

AGOS State Attor- ney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, has said that the state government will set up a special fund to assist young lawyers to give free legal services to the poor.

Speaking at a stakeholder meeting with the theme, “Building a Culture of Pro Bono in Nigeria,” in Lagos, Ipaye said the fund will create better access to justice in the state, noting that such funds can be used for payment of filing charges.

“We intend to launch a fund for independent young lawyers to assist them in handling their pro bono cases. Such funds can be used for payment of their filing charges and transportation cost to fast track the justice system,” he said.

According to him, lack of legal representation for accused had caused long adjournments in courts there-

by, casting shadows on the reputation of the judiciary.

The stakeholders meeting was part of activities to markg the 1st Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership, LPILP, Pro Bono Week.

In her address, the state deputy governor, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said women and children were at the receiving

end of unequal access to justice in the society.

“Everyday we read about gender-based violence, women and child abuses.

Some of these women are so helpless that they do not even know what to do” she said, adding that the population of Lagos had placed an enormous responsibility on the government, especially in the area

of providing access to justice for all residents.

Adefulire commended the 66 law firms and four non-governmental organisations for partnering the state government to actualise the objective of the pro bono services in the state.

Prof. Edwin Rekosh, an adjunct professor at Colombia University, New York, on his part, noted that

it was not only in Nigeria that access to justice was under pressure, saying “countries such as the United Kingdom and United States had cut funding for legal aid in recent years.”

Rekosh pointed out that government still had an obligation to render free legal services to its citizens who could not afford such services.

Presenting a report on the culture of pro bono in Lagos, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, who represented the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, said that there were enormous challenges being faced in providing equal access to justice for citizens, as majority of litigants still appear in court without attorneys for economic reasons.

Arbitral Tribunal awards NEMA $6,897,725 over contract dispute

BY DAYO BENSON

A

N Arbitral Tribunal has awarded the sum of $6,897,725 (N1.082billion) in favour of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, over a contract dispute involving an Isreali company LGC for supply of Mi-17 helicopters for search and rescue operations with equipment and spare parts.

The tribunal also ordered LGC to pay NEMA the additional sum of $211,765.84 and

N3. 385Million being 1/3 of the cost of the arbitral proceedings and all the other claims by parties in the proceedings were dismissed by the t r i b u n a l .

NEMA, which was represented by Mr. Augustine Alegeh,SAN, had on November 23, 2009 entered the said contract with LGC, but trouble started when the company failed to supply the helicopters within 90 working days after the purchase price

was negotiated, agreed and full payment made as stipulated in Clause 2.1 of the contract.

Sequel to Clauses 6 in the contract, parties agreed that in the event of a dispute arising from the contract, parties will submit to arbitration at the InternationalArbitrationCourt of Stockholm, Sweden.

TheArbitralTribunalchaired

by Mr. Claes Lundblad with Dr. Ziya Akinci and Mrs. Olabisi Soyebo, SAN as o-arbitra-

tors in addition ordered the LGC Ltd., to pay NEMA interest on the sum at the rate of four per cent.

LGC Co. Ltd as claimant in the arbitral proceeding was represented by Mr. Benjamin Leventhal, Ms. Daphna Fisher and Ms. Inbal Livne of Gideon Fischer & Co., TelAviv, Israel.

The proceedings were commenced by LGC which filed a request for arbitration to the Stockholm Chamber of Com-

merce on July 28, 2011.

When the parties failed to reach an agreement on the issue of applicable law or rules, the Tribunal decided that the UNIDROIT Principles 2010 should be applied in the proceedings.

By the judgment, NEMA will be on record as the first Federal Government agency to win a major international arbitral award for which Alegeh has been receiving commendations.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 —43

New food and health vision for Nigeria

BY HAKEEM JIMO HREE newspaper articles are showing symptoms of a greater topic: Desertification: Fed Govt seeks support from AfDB, World Bank; Nigeria: One Dies Every 10 Seconds From Diabetes – WHO and Making Agricultural Transformation Agenda reality.

At first glance, these three headlines and the stories behind them do not seem to be connected, however, you would be wrong. Nigeria is changing dramatically and is almost unrecognizable from independence to what we commemorate this year 2014.

Back then, we were not even 20 million inhabitants. One hundred years later we are almost 200 million. It is projected that by the year 2050 our country's population will be 400 million and by 2100, one billion! I need to catch my breath when I think about these numbers, this mindblowing growth and the impact it will have on our nation and also to our environment. To put that into perspective: in 85 years we will have a population rivaling that of present day India, but have just a third of it's landmass, which means we will need to find a way of feeding the same amount of people (1 billion) with just 30 percent of the landmass India has.

Projection: I am bringing India

T

into the equation for another reason. As of 2007, statistics of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicated that Indians had the lowest rate of meat consumption in the world.

Approximately 31percent of Indians are vegetarians, while another 9 percent consume eggs.

So that is a whopping 40 percent of the population being vegetarian in the wider definition.

That is the simple explanation why India is able to sustain its 1.2 billion people. A meat-based diet requires 7 times more land.

Only 20 percent of the corn production in the United States goes to human consumption. The rest is to feed animals. The U.S. could feed 800 million people with the same amount of grain that livestock eat. The same goes for water. A meat-based diet consumes double the amount of water than that of a plant-based diet.

As animals in Northern Nigeria reduce vegetation, the land that is left, dries up. Desertification is the consequence. In fact, we are actually loosing land, and I am not talking about Bakassi. Due to the desertification we are probably loosing several Bakassis. The food insecurity we have seen in the past with food prices increasing are the first signs of what the future may look like.

• Hakeem Jimo.

Recent population growth should make it clear that we need more than just a more efficient agricultural sector. The Agricultural Transformation Agenda, even at its best is too little too late. We need a total new approach to the upcoming challenges. Already millions of Nigerians today are facing food insecurity. It is a generational challenge rather than a governmental policy change.

Otherwise it will be like fighting against windmills to try to reduce

our dependence on imported food and ultimately poverty. Not only will the economic growth be eaten up by demographic challenges but even more the food supply.

Cost of Food: Whether 400 million now or the one billion Nigerians on the horizon, every household will have to pay significantly more for food than today. The era of cheap food is coming to an end. Not only that.

If we continue on like we are doing now, our national budget and productivity will be strained

by increased costs of medical services and reduced productivity due to the health constraints of many citizens.

When I read the health pages in Nigerian newspapers I am amazed by how many warning signs we ignore: diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, blood pressure are rampant.

Other developing countries like Kenya or Mexico are already facing huge problems with large numbers of obese and unhealthy people. Wholly caused by unhealthy food and little or no excercise. We need to look at our lifestyle.

Forefathers: What are we eating now that our forefathers did not, or eaten much less of.

What have they eaten more of?

Rather than eating meat three times a day they probabely had it three times a week. There was certainly no chicken everyday.

Our culinary heritage is proud of an amazing variety of vegetable stews. Efo riro, Egusi, Afan, Bitter Leaf and so on – great in nutrients and antioxidants. Our elders were more in tune with nature, meaning raw fruits and vegetables were a normality rather than an exception. A healthy eating culture lies within our tradition.

Hakeem Jimo, founder of VeggieVictory – Nigeria's 1 Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurant (Freedom Park in Lagos Island / 08089750576) and Lagos Vegan & Vegetarian Association veggienaija@gmail.com.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

S

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Follow this treatment regimen seriously and your penis will get bigger with time. For your wife, she needs a libido booster. Get her the Pink Elevate Female Libido Supplement or Max Desire supplement.

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Apply the lubricant generously all around the genitals during intercourse and you will not feel pain again – Uche I just wanted to thank you for the Exploding Thunder supplement you recommended for my weak erection. It really helped me and today, my erections are back and stronger than before. God bless you and thank you again – Echezona You are welcome. That’s it for today. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties can reach us on 08191978308 or 08027901621 to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria.

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44—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Benin monarch backs Edo tax policy

Firm organises security awards

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN— THE Benin monarch, Oba Erediawa, has urged indigenes of the state to key into the tax policy of Edo State Government to sustain the developmental strides of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led administration.

The monarch spoke when he registered for Tax Identification Number, TIN, to formally inaugurate the TIN exercise in the traditional institutions in the state.

He said: “We all know that the dynamic governor has been doing well and he needs more money to develop the state.

“Anyone who enters Edo

R

I C H F L AV O U R Communications Limited, a firm behind security 247 broadcasts on radio and television, has said it was set to hold Nigeria Security Profile awards.

The event, with the theme Security is Our Collective Responsibility, will hold on May 3 in Lagos.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State will be the special guest of honour, while the keynote address will be delivered by Mr. David Akhimien, who is the President of Society of Security Practitioners of Nigeria.

State today will confess to the fact that our city has changed.

Investors are coming in every day and boosting the economy of the state.

“We all know that these developmental efforts cannot

be sustained unless we pay our taxes. So, we must all endeavour to assist the state government by paying our taxes.”

The monarch spoke through the Esere of Benin

UGBORODO: C'ttee member faults list submitted to FG

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN— SOME aggrieved members of the Ugborodo Peace and Resolution Committee, set up by the Federal Government to resolve the crisis in the community, have rejected the list submitted to the Chief of

Naval Staff who is handling the issue, insisting that more names should be included in the list.

Some members of the committee, in a statement by Mr. Itse Wilkie in Benin, Edo State, yesterday, said it was appalling that those who fought hard to ensure that there was peace and order in

CRISIS: Ibeju monarchs meet

T

HE Onibeju of Ibeju, Ibeju Local Government Area of Lagos State, Oba Rafiu Salami, has initiated a peace meeting to settle the dispute which has divided the Ibeju Lekki council.

At the gathering, chaired

by Oba Salami, which had in attendance Oba Hamzat Onimedu of Orimedu and Oba Onise Ogbengbelekun of Ise, the allegation by Oba Tajudeen Elemoro, that

Itsekiri carnival holds in Lagos

T

HE Otu-Oma Iwere Cultural Society of Nigeria, alias Oma-Iwere Ete, will this Easter Friday, present its 20th annual cultural carnival, under the distinguished chairmanship of Daniel Gumm, in Lagos.

The event, which will feature different Itsekiri cultural revivals, will also see the display of Itsekiri dances, fashion parade and spectacular masquerades.

The three-day event will hold at Amodu Tijani Street, Off Tolu Bus Stop, Olodo Apapa, Lagos.

Kingdom, Chief Stanley Obawonyi. The monarch’s registration was processed by the Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, EIRS, Chief Oseni Elamah.

Princess Toyin Eleku was parading herself as the Queen in the council, was discussed.

Princess Eleku, at the meeting, said she will never disobey the traditional leaders in Ibeju and Yorubaland, pointing out that though she was not a traditional queen, she was one in Obatala Kingdom.

She said it was confered on her in Ile-Ife by the Oni of Ife, following her contribution to

the Obatala in Ibeju and Lagos State.

She denied the allegation by Oba Elemoron and called on the state government to checkmate any Oba that has become a land-grabber in the state in order not to cause crisis.

She commended the peace meeting called by the three most powerful Obas in Ibeju council and thanked them for given her fair hearing.

the community had their names removed from the list.

They said: “At the meeting of April 14, at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja, under the chairmanship of Rear Admiral Oyagha, we proposed that in the interest of fair play that the list of 20 members be enlarged to include our names. More so, there is nothing sacrosanct or religious with the number.

“Our argument was further fortified by the fact that the earlier list of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State had 28 names and the one drawn up by the community had 28.

“Nothing stops this present list from being increased to accommodate other stakeholders.”

Onuesoke lists economic benefits of Ughelli-Asaba road project investors to take advantage during an inspection tour of

T

HE Special Project Director, Office of Delta State Governor, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has said the ongoing Ughelli-Asaba dualisation project will attract investments.

Onuesoke, who spoke

the project, said the dual carriageway will connect the various communities, towns and cities, opening them up for commerce that will also herald other developmental economic endeavours.

He pointed out that the road will be a major incentive for

of the business potentials in the communities.

He said the value of every initiative in the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s development agenda would be more meaningful and valued when such can be accessed easily.

P

ROPHETIC Voice World Outreach is partnering Agbonifo Foundation on a one-day prayer crusade, free feeding and medical care for Kokori community in Delta State.

In a statement by Dr. Felix Onomerebor, Bishop of the outreach, the crusade, with the theme Kokori Light Must Shine, holds Saturday, April 19, at Ehijere Model Primary School, Kokori.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

Crusade

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

On bomb attacks

S

TOPPING Boko Haram means steady electricity for security cameras to work and capture footage.

Unfortunately, there is no electricity to power the cameras 24/7. No lesson was learned when it happened in Kano.— Mrs Ifeoma Ayambuba, Businesswoman.

P

R E S I D E N T G o o d l u c k Jonathan is on top of the situation. May God console the families that lost their loved ones at the Abuja bomb blast and grant eternal rest to those that lost their lives in Jesus name, amen.— Mr. Nwosu Leonard, Businessman.

W

HAT are all these bombings in the North about? I see this thing getting out of hand and it really has to stop.

I see no reason why a poor fellow, probably somebody who is looking for his daily bread, should end up being bombed.— Ms. Kubura Aremu, Model.

P

R E S I D E N T G o o d l u c k Jonathan should declare state of emergency in Nigeria and arrest all those suspected to be the brain behind this madness. They think that they can bomb and kill their way to the presidency.— Mr. Udoh Wilson, Clergy.

H

OW do you want the security forces to fight when they are not being paid very well?

They are not getting equipment to fight back.

If it were you would you fight like that? So let our government provide better incentives for them.— Ms. Alice Udoyoh, Student.

W

HAT I can say is that there has been poor response and irresponsible leadership in this country.

Otherwise, no good leader will be talking of 2015 election when many people are being killed by the Boko Haram insurgents.— Ms. Blessing Ezeokoye, Student.

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 45

2015: Why we support Olejeme—You and I Foundation

Maritime safety: Lagos govt to issue 5,500 life jackets

D

BY IFEYINWA OBI

L

AGOS State Government has said that safety of lives on the waterways, was a major concern to it, as it plans to distribute 5,500 units of standard life jackets to boat operators in the state.

Speaking on the enforcement of the use of standard life jackets in the state, the Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority, LASWA, Mr. Yinka Marinho, said: “In Lagos, 1.8 million people travel by water every month.

Because of this, the use of life jackets is paramount to the safety campaign of LASWA. Places like Sagbokoji have a more serious issue owing to their closeness to the path of big ships. The waves generated by passing ships can be quite enormous, thereby putting the small boats in danger.

“The enforcement of life vests in some of these places is like a driver who sees a road safety official and quickly crosses his seat belt over his chest, but removes it as soon as he passes the official."

Ofuokwu Foundation awards scholarships to Delta students

BY TOMMY ANADUAKA

T

HE Domvicky Ofuokwu foundation has awarded scholarships to indigent students just as it presented cash to widows of Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Making the presentation at Ibusa, the founder/financier of the foundation, Mr. Larry Ofuokwu, represented by the Coordinator of the project, Mr. Chris Nwani, said the gesture which, is the fifth in the series, was to assist the students, widows and reduce the difficulties they face in sourcing funds for school fees and upkeep.

VISIT: From left: Mr. Fred Odueme, AGM Brand, Vanguard Newspapers; Mr. Eze Anaba, Deputy Editor, Vangaurd Newspapers; Mr. Matthew Willshere, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria; Mr. Enitan Denloye, Director, Brand Communications and Ebi Atawodi, Head, Corporate Communications, High Value Events and Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, during a courtesy visit by the Etisalat Nigeria team to Vanguard in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau.

Peace returns to Ugborodo as factions sign FG peace accord zUduaghan to inaugurate new EPZ Interface C'ttee

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

W

ARRI—FEDERAL Government’s effort at resolving the factional crisis in Ugborodo oil community, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, has paid off, as parties have agreed to a peace accord.

After three months of dialogue with the Nigerian Navy/Policeled peace process, the Dr. Alex Ideh/David Tonwe faction and that led by Chief Thomas Ereyitomi, signed a peace accord at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja, on Monday on mutually negotiated terms.

In the signed resolution, contention over membership of the expected new Ugborodo Export Processing Zone, EPZ, Interface Committee was put to rest as parties submitted their respec-

tive 10 nominees needed to reconstitute the committee, which already has the state government’s appointed Austin Oborogbeyi as Chairman.

Listed in the Dr. Ideh and Tonwe-led faction are themselves, alongside Dr. Ayo Ayomike, Maxwell Okoro, Moses Ajijala, Betty Igbene, Mike Lodge, Tuoyor Ojogor, Elliot Ukutse and Femi Uwawah.

Chief Thomas Reyitomi tops his faction’s list, which also has Alex Eyengho, Prince Perry Atete, Ayiri Emami, Pullen Esimimajemite, Isaac Botosan, Sanbys Omadeli-Uvwoh, John Edah, Mercy Olowu and Julius Atete as nominees.

The seven-point resolution states: “Parties agreed to maintain existing peace in the communities and anybody seen with arms will face the full wrath of

the law. All displaced persons must return to their communities immediately.”

Meanwhile, a participant at the final resolution told Vanguard yesterday, that the new Ugborodo Community EPZ Interface Committee could be inaugurated next week by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Our source said: “There is no room for division anymore.

All parties are bound to sheathe their swords and embrace a new united Ugborodo. President Goodluck Jonathan is expected in Delta State at the end of the month and top on his itinerary is the groundbreaking for the Ogidigben Gas City Development and the Marine University at Okerenkoko where Ugborodo also holds stakes.”

Youths shut down oil firm's operations in Delta ...Allege marginalization

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—HUNDREDS of Isoko youths, yesterday, barricaded the operational base of Mid-Western Oil and Gas Company in Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area, Delta State, in protest against the company’s alleged unwillingness to employ and award contracts to the people of Isoko nation.

The protesters, who called themselves members of Association of Indigenous Contractors, under the aegis of Isoko Indigenous Synergy Contractors Limited, comprising skilled and unskilled workers, stormed the op-

erational field of the company chanting war songs with placards that bore different inscriptions, such as “No to non-employment of Isoko youths”; “Stop marginalizing Isoko Indigenous Synergy Contractors Limited”; “Isoko Youths demand for justice and fair treatment,” amongst others.

Speaking during the protest, President General of Isoko Progressive Youth Centre, Mr. Anthony Ogbalor, condemned the company’s alleged nonchalant attitude to the Isoko Indigenous Synergy Contractors, noting that the protest will continue until the plight of the youths was addressed.

“Following the action of Mid-Western Oil and Gas Company, the association will not relent in its struggle until companies working in Isoko land grant us our request,” he said.

On his part, Chairman of Emevor Clan Indigenous Synergy Contractors, Mr Simon Ologbo, said that the youths embarked on the protest following the company’s failure to address their grievances, after series of letters, adding that a 14-day ultimatum was given to the company to have a dialogue with the communities, but same was disregarded by the company.

IRECTOR General, You and I Foundation, Mr. Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, yesterday, described the chairman of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme, as a highly focused individual.

According to him, Olejeme is a natural successor to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

“If the succession is about continuity, keeping up the tempo of sustainable development and lifting the state and the people to the greatest heights, then Deltans have the answer in Dr. Olejeme.”

In a statement in Warri to explain the backing of Olejeme by prominent Nigerians for the governorship of the state, Uduaghan said they opted for Olejeme owing to her track record as the chairman of NSITF and her philanthropic activities.

“Olejeme has a cordial relationship with Governor Uduaghan. She has vision, moral fortitude, zeal, leadership, commitment and love for all. She enjoys the friendship of the leadership of the party and the confidence of the people and will definitely triumph in 2015.

She is knowledgeable and straight forward. Her goodwill and philanthropy will see her through.”

Princess Atake for burial

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RINCESS Amonetsone Atake, nee Malumi, is dead, age 54.

A statement by the family said service of songs will hold at 165, Yoruba Road, Sapele, Delta State today, while funeral service/interment will take place tomorrow, at her compound, Old Ogorode Road, Sapele.

She is survived by her widower, Mr. Solomon Atake, eight children and seven grandchildren.

Late Princess Atake

46— Vanguard , THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

11 indigent persons detained by FMC, Owerri regain freedom

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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WERRI—ELEVEN indigent persons detained by the management of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, for their inability to offset their hospital bills have regained freedom.

Vanguard recalls that the bills, which amounted to over N800,000 was eventually settled by a nongovernment organisation.

It was also gathered that the 11 lucky citizens were among the many patients treated and discharged but were detained by the hospital management for allegedly failing to clear their bills.

Some of the patients told Vanguard that a number of them have spent months either waiting for the government or good spirited individuals to bail them out.

Apparently touched by the plight of these citizens, the NGO, known as Divine Care Global Community Initiative, negotiated a 30 per cent rebate with FMC, which lifted the debt burden on the patients.

Senator empowers 56 artisans

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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HE senator representing Lagos East senatorial district, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, has distributed empowerment tools to 56 artisans and small business entrepreneurs within his area as part of efforts to reduce the level of unemployment.

Ashafa, who was represented at the distribution ceremony by a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the senatorial district, Alhaji Akeusure Bareehu, assured residents that the weekly empowerment programme would be sustained in the district.

He said: “In this year alone, between the month of March and April, not less than 56 artisans that have lost hope on how to get their working tools, after acquiring the technical know-how, have been empowered with different tools.

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EFCC recovers N4.3b of N422b subsidy fraud

BY SONI DANIEL

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BUJA—MORE than three years after the subsidy fraud that deprived Nigerians of over N422 billion of tax payers money, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC said yesterday that it had been able to recover a paltry N4.3 billion from the oil dealers.

Chairman of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, announced the figure when officials of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, visited him in his office.

The PPPRA officials were led by their Executive Secretary, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, who sought

greater collaboration with the anti-graft agency for better performance of their duties.

Lamorde said the recovery of the amount from the oil firms indicted in the subsidy scam was made possible by the synergy between the EFCC and the PPPRA and called for more teamwork to retrieve more from the firms.

He said more effort was required by the two agencies to sanitise the petroleum industry.

The chairman served notice that EFCC would mount pressures on PPPRA officials to testify in the prosecution of the 13 oil firms indicted by the Presidential Committee that probed the

subsidy fraud in 2011.

“I know pressure will be put on your staff. Please bear with us. It is because of the need to sanitise the country,” Lamorde said.

Earlier, PPPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed, thanked the EFCC chairman for receiving his team, adding that the visit was to further consolidate the relationship between the EFCC and PPPRA. Ahmed, who commended the EFCC for its efforts to rid the country of economic and financial crimes, said he was looking forward to a more effective collaboration between the two agencies.

The Federal Government set up

a committee to verify 2011 fuel subsidy payments to oil marketers and importers, which uncovered 17 infringements committed by the companies that led to the loss of N422,542,937,668.59 in overpayments.

The committee, headed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, with Mrs. Sola David-Borha, MD, StanbicIBTC Bank as secretary, was set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance to undertake a forensic audit and verify claims by oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The report, which was submitted to the Presidency, detailed 17 broad categories of infringements used to defraud the Federal Government.

Tension mounts at Mbaise over imposition of Bishop

BY SEBASTINE OBASI

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AWARD: From left—Special Assistant on Media/Publicity to the Director General, Centre for Democratic Governance in Africa, CDGA, Mr. Adeniyi Odewale; Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Eze Chikamnayo and CDGA boss, Dr. Dafe Akpocha, at the presentation of souvenir on the upcoming Africa Distinguished Gold Service Award for Excellence in Good Governance to Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, held at Umuahia.

Court overrules Anambra Election Petition Tribunal in Ngige's suit for the election. also in another unanimous

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

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WKA—THE Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu Tuesday ordered the restoration of all reliefs struck out by the Anambra State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Awka during the pre-trial stages of the case filed

by Senator Chris Ngige and All Progressives Congress, APC, seeking the cancellation of the November 2013 governorship elections in the state.

The court also threw out the appeal filed by the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, gubernatorial aspirant in the election, Chief Chike Obidigbo against the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano.

The court in an unanimous decision dismissed Chief Obidigbo’s case number CA/E/ 08/2014 for lack of merit.

Following Obiano’s nomination as APGA’s flag bearer for the election, Chief Obidigbo approached the Federal High Court sitting in Awka, praying INEC to recognise him as the authentic candidate of the party

The lower court ruled in his favour, mandating INEC to recognise him along with Chief Obiano as APGA candidates for the election but Obiano appealed against the judgement.

In the case of Ngige, the court

judgement, read by Justice Abdulkadir Jega upheld the grounds of appeal raised by Senator Ngige and APC counsels, led by Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN and Emeka Ngige, SAN.

Stakeholders urge accountability of SURE-P allocations

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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W E R R I — PARTICIPANTS at a one-day SURE-P sensitisation programme in Owerri have called for proper accountability of allocations made to all tiers of government.

They also asked for clear demarcation of what each tier of government should do with its SURE-P allocations.

This appeal was part of an eightpoint communique issued at the end of the seminar and signed by chairman of the Communique Committee, Dr. S. A. Okwodu and six others.

“The states and local

governments should go back to the Memorandum of Understanding and implement as contained, so that the goals of SURE-P programme will be fully actualised,” the participants pleaded.

While urging government to extend the programme beyond the present intervention period, the participants also commended the Federal Government for improving access to Mother and Child Health services in the state.

“The location and spread of SURE-P Mother and Child health centres should be done in collaboration with community stakeholders, so that they will be evenly distributed for effective service to the people,” they noted.

ENSION is brewing in the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara, Mbaise, Imo State over the impending imposition of rejected Bishop Peter Okpalaeke by the Apostolic Administrator, John Cardinal Onaiyekan.

Indications emerged that Onaiyekan had concluded plans to use today’s Christ mass to read the Papal Bull, a canonical official document of authority of office from the Vatican and, thereafter, install Okpalaeke as the bishop of the diocese, against the wish of the people.

This has not gone down well with the people of Mbaise, who had clamoured for an indigenous bishop.

But a priest close to Cardinal Onaiyekan dismissed insinuations that the Cardinal was planning to install Okpalaeke.

Tension heightened last Tuesday, when Vicar General of the diocese, Fr. Louis Asiegbu, appointed by Onaiyekan tendered his resignation due to what sources said were based on principle.

Since his appointment mid last year, Asiegbu was said not to have had a smooth relationship with the Cardinal, who the people alleged to have veered from the directive of the Pope to seek for solution to the impasse in the diocese.

The pope had last year directed the Cardinal to get a bishop acceptable to the people and the church.

He was also directed to report directly to the pope but since last year, Onaiyekan has not had a good relationship with the priests in the diocese, who accused him of having a personal agenda.

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 — 47

FORUM: From left, Head, Logistics, PZ Industries, Mr. Oluwaseun Oduyebo; Executive Director, Personnel and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank; Mr. Obinnia Abajue, and Managing Director/CEO, Joza Global Logistics, Mr. Emmanuel Usiakpor, at the 2014 Haulage & Logistics Forum, organised by the bank, in Lagos.

FLAG-OFF: Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, (1st left) and Lagos Deputy Governor, Hon. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, administering the polio vaccine on a child, during the flag-off ceremony of the second round of Year 2014 National Immunisation plus days, at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Ibeju, Lagos. With them is the Chairman of the local government (right, standing), Hon.Semiu Surakat . Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

PROGRAMME: From left, Dr. Abimbola Ajayi, Director of Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health/President, Lagos Chapter, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, NSN; Victor Ajieroh, Nutrition and Health Manager, West Africa, Unilever, and Professor Ngozi Nnam, President, NSN, at the NSN Nutrition Education programme, in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

ELECTION: From left, Hon Josiah Abiola, Hon. Dayo Saka,House of Assembly Ifako Constituency 1, and Hon. Oloruntoba Oke,Chairman Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, during APC Local Government Exco Eeection, in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau

AWARD: Chairman, Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria, BJAN, Goddie Ofose, presenting BJAN most efficient technology bank brand award in Nigeria 2013, to Head, Corporate Communications, Zenith Bank Plc, Victor Adoji, and Ikem Okuhu, Editor, Brandish in Vanguard, at the Bank Head office, on Victoria Island.

EVENT: From left, Lead, Public Sector and Education, HP System, Emmanuel Eze; Event Director, African Resources and Technology for Education, ARTE, Folabi Obembe, and Business Development Manager, Inter Semi-Conductor West Africa Limited, Omobayode Abe, at the 3rd Annual ARTE event, sponsored by HP and Intel,, at the Federal Palace Hotel, in Lagos.

TALK: From left, Chairman,Island Club, Prince Ademola Dada, representative of the wife of Lagos State governor; Mrs. Olatundun Oki, representative of the guest speaker; Rev. Ephraham Ademowo,Venerable Samuel Uhie, and representative of the Lagos State Deputy Governor, and Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture,Mrs. Omotayo Olabenjo, during 2014 Island club Lenten Talk and Evening of Choral Rendition, with theme, ''Overcoming Temptations,' at club's premises Victoria Island, Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau

VISIT: From left, Mr. Joshua Kayode,Plant Manager, Pulkit Alloy and Steel Limited, and Kayode Beckley, during the Building Collapse Prevention Guild visit to Pulkit Alloy and Steel Limited, Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau

AWARD: From left, Dr. Yeyunde Israel-Aina, Consultant Paediatrican, University of Benin Teaching Hospital; Dr. Jemilade Longe, Director, Disease Control, Lagos State Ministry of Health; Mr. Dennis Okoro, Director, MTN Foundation, and Prof. Olu Akinyanju, Chairman Sickle Cell, Nigeria, presenting cerification to Dr. Yetunde Israel-Aina, after the closing/certificate award ceremony of the 16th Genetic Counselling Training Course on Sickle cell Disorder, at National Sickle Cell Centre, Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos, weekend. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo-Editor

48—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Work on N49bn confluence bridge begins October

Adamawa records success in reducing spread of HIV/AIDS

By BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

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OLA—THE Adamawa Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, yesterday, said it had recorded success in reducing the spread of the disease in the state.

Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Stephen John, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Yola that the success recorded was due to collaboration between the agency, government, the private sector and other stakeholders.

He said: “From 2003 to 2008, the disease was spreading like wild fire and the state ranked first in the North-East region with 3.8 per cent prevalence.

“But with the positive intervention and commitment by the agency, the spread of the disease has now reduced from 3.8 per cent in 2008 to 1.9 per cent in 2013.”

He, however, explained that the agency was still faced with the challenges of repositioning its focus from curtailing the spread of the disease to total eradication.

John solicited more support of the state government to establish comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment centres to enable more people get access to treatment and care.

Revival Assembly holds Easter Resurrection Praise

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EVIVAL Assembly Church will on Easter Sunday celebrate the risen Jesus in a high praise celebration service tagged ‘Resurrection Praise’.

According to the founder and General Overseer of the church, the event, which will hold at the church headquarters, Revival Assembly Miracle Cathedral, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, will feature Nigeria’s finest gospel acts, Midnight Crew, Seun Bankole, Minstrel Edith, and a solo performance by Pat King.

The church choir, Higher Dimension, will lead in worship and praise.

He said: “Resurrection Praise is about God resurrecting everything that is dead in the life of his children, hence we are going to praise God like never before."

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From left: Mr Ade Ipaye, Attorney-General of Lagos State; Dr Paul Orhii, Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC; Justice Amina Augie, Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Lagos Division and Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, Chief Justice of Nigeria, at two-day International Judges Conference on Legal Protection for Consumers of Food and Drugs organised by NAFDAC, in Lagos, yesterday.

Photo: Biodun Ogunleye.

FG laments influx of people into FCT

BY SUZAN EDEH

B

AUCHI — THE Federal Gov ernment has lamented the high influx of people from crisistorn states and job seekers into the FCT on daily basis.

The FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed spoke in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi, yesterday.

He did not state the crisis-prone states but the North-East states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno are some of the states with serious problems of insecurity.

Apart from the three, other states experiencing one form of crisis or the other included Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau, with many of their residents relocating to areas where they think were safer.

The minister said there were over five million people residing in Abuja, pointing out that most of them were coming from areas where there were security challenges.

He described Abuja as a neutral ground with opportunities for every law-abiding citizen.

He said: ”There are things like

street begging and trading and so on that are not allowed in the FCT and we are telling people to try and earn a living for themselves as we have expanded and developed so many sites. The whole city is a construction site, where one can find something to do.“ He further explained that new

APC supporters protest alleged imposition of chairman in Zamfara

BY SALISU MARADUN

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USAU —THOUSANDS of All Progressives Congress, APC, supporters from Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, yesterday, stormed the Government House, in Gusau, the state capital, protesting against what they described as “imposition” of their party chairman, Alhaji Aminu Gamagiwa.

More than 60 vehicles conveyed the protesting party supporters to the Government House, where they vowed to resist alleged imposition of

Monarch lauds NAF on community service

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AGOS — THE traditional ruler of Shasha Kingdom in the Alimosho Local Council Area of Lagos State, Oba Babatunde Ogunronbi, has lauded the men and officers of the Electronic Maintenance Depot (43 EMD)of the Nigerian Air Force, Shasha for their humanitarian services to his subjects.

He made the remark as part of the golden jubilee of the Nigerian Air Force celebration, when the medical team of the depot provided the indigenes and residents of the community free medical services.

The occasion which held at the Bameke area of Shasha saw the

vocational centres where Nigerians who are coming for opportunities could take advantage of rather than begging and indulging in other bad behaviours had been established just as there were other areas where artisans and skilled people could engage themselves positively.

people trooping out in their thousands and were taken through the various medical processes and finally dispensed with drugs for their ailments.

Earlier in his welcome address,the Commander of the depot, Air Commodore Inalegwu Agbeje revealed that the occasion was to mark this year’s Nigerian Air force Day, noting that the body was established by an act of parliament in 1964.

He said the Force was established to compliment the efforts of its sister agencies of the Army and the Navy in the bid to defend the territorial integrity of the country through the land, the sea and the air.

Gamagiwa on them.

They threatened to dump the party for a new one if the chairman was not removed as their leader forthwith.

Some of the party supporters who spoke to Vanguard explained that Gamagiwa lacked the requisite experience to lead a party like APC in the area.

One of them, who gave his name as Alhaji Salihu Sanda, said for over 15 years now Gamagiwa had transformed from the chairman of the defunct All People’s Party, APP, to the All Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP and wondered why he wanted to continue as the chairman of APC. He said: "From 1999 to date, this man has never done anything tangible enough for the people. Instead, he went about causing trouble and thereby creating enemity and hatred among the party followers through his divide and rule policy. His imposition on us is undemocratic and that is why we want him out for the betterment of all."

Also speaking, a woman leader, Hajiya Larai, said women in the area, like their men counterparts, were not in support of Gamagiwa, adding: "Actually, we are fed up of his leadership and if this decision taken by whoever is not reversed, then we will mobilise ourselves for another party."

OKOJA — WORK on the proposed N49 billion Confluence Bridge across the River Niger and River Benue in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, is to commence in October this year.

Managing Director of WALCOTT Consortium, the company handling the project, Mr. Christopher Ezea, stated this yesterday during a courtesy call on Governor Idris Wada.

Ezea, who said the company was proud to partner the state on the project, noted that the bridge would be completed within 36 months.

The bridge would serve those passing through the state to Abuja from the east through Ganaja in Ajaokuta Local Government Council to Shintakun in Basa Local Government Council of the state.

Responding, Governor Wada said aside from reducing travelling time between the eastern axis of the country and Abuja, the bridge will also open up the structural development of the state.

Jigawa moves to reduce maternal mortality

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UTSE — THE Jigawa Government says it has commenced training of 204 focal persons to educate husbands on the need to allow their wives to attend ante-natal clinics as part of efforts to reduce maternal mortality in the state.

The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Alhaji Magaji Uba, said this at the commencement of the three-day training programme, yesterday in Dutse.

He said the beneficiaries consisted of 102 males and 102 females.

Uba said the training was jointly organised by the ministry in conjunction with the Millennium Development Goals’ office, MDGs, in the state.

He said the beneficiaries, who were members of the state’s Safe Motherhood Programme, were selected from the 27 local government areas of the state.

The permanent secretary attributed the failure of husbands to allow their wives attend ante-natal clinics to illiteracy and poverty.

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FULANI/JUKUN CLASH: Soldier, 50 others killed in Taraba N

O fewer than 50 people, including a soldier, were reportedly killed and several others injured in Wukari, the headquarters of Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State yesterday, following a bloody clash between the Fulani herdsmen and Jukuns in the area.

Places of worships were among several buildings that were burnt by the belligerent groups.

The crises reportedly started Tuesday at 10a.m. at Nwokyo village, near Wukari town, last week.

It was said the situation escalated when the Jukuns,

who went on a reprisal attack, lost seven of their members Tuesday evening.

The Jukuns in Wukari were alleged to have been further infuriated when they saw the corpses of their men being conveyed to the Wukari General Hospital morgue at 4.30p.m. and started attacking suspected Fulani or Muslims in the area.

Speaking with newsmen on the crises, the member representing Wukari I at the Taraba State House of Assembly, Ishaya Gani, said that his immediate elder brother was killed during the incident.

He said that the incident was worse than last year ’s religious crises which led to the killing of over 200 people, pointing out that the victims would be given a mass burial later yesterday.

Gani also blamed the acting governor of Taraba State, Garba Umar, for neglecting the security advices given him by stakeholders.

He also revealed that a soldier was killed while two others were critically wounded, quoting the report he received from the Wukari.

According to Gani, when

some Fulani herdsmen from some neighbouring states started making life unbearable for the people of the area, he called on the

acting governor to order the deployment of more security men at some strategic areas of Wukari council, but that Umar failed to listen to him.

Gambia woos Nigerian tourists

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HE Gambia Tourism Board, GTBoard, Director-General, Mr. Benjamin Roberts, has advised Nigerians planning to travel to The Gambia as tourists or for business, to take advantage of a range of incentives offered by the Gambian government to make their stay in the country pleasurable and memorable.

Receiving a group of Nigerian journalists on a familiarisation tour of The Gambia, Mr. Roberts said the country, easily the region’s biggest holiday destination, offers a lot of attractions for Nigerians for holiday and a conducive business environment.

The Director stressed the open-door investment policies and modern facilities in The Gambia as some of the valuable support Nigerian investors will need to boost their business in The Gambia.

He added that while Nigeria and The Gambia currently enjoy excellent bilateral relations, this, to a large extent, is yet to reflect in the level of interaction between the people of both countries.

Roberts said: “GTB is taking the initiative to bring our peoples together. Nigerians will find The Gambia a fascinating country to visit in terms of its tourism attractions and as a suitable environment for business.”

Also addressing the visitors, the GTBoard Director of Marketing, Mr. Adama Njie, disclosed that The Gambia has emerged as a leading tourist destination, attracting a large number of visitors from Europe and other continents to its exotic locations.

He also urged Nigerian investors to take advantage of the country ’s liberal investment policies and attractive incentive packages under the Gambia Investment Promotion Act 2001 & Free Zones Act 2001 in all sectors of the economy.

Prayer

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RIUMPHANT Baptist Church, Akowonjo, will on Saturday hold her monthly programme, Heavenly Dew, on the themeLet us go to Gethsemane.

The Church Pastor, Dr. Sunday Oladejo, said the programme is an avenue to pray for Nigeria and Nigerians.

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MT Sac Relays: Greene in first training with athletes T

EAM Nigeria relay c o o r d i n a t o r, American Maurice Greene who was recently employed by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had his first training session with Nigerian athletes on yesterday in preparation for the MT Sac relays Championships which starts today in California and the Penn Relays which comes up in a week’s time in Philadephia.

According to AFN, Greene was given a warm welcome by coaches and athletes who also commended the AFN for taking a step, which they all said will improve Nigerian relay teams in the major championships this year.

AFN Secretary General Olumide Bamiduro stated that Greene’s contract, which will commence at the MT. Sac Relay on 17th of this month, will terminate after the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Africa Athletics Championships in Marrakesh, Morocco in August 2014.

Speaking on the training session, Coach Daniel Etsebiminor said; “The AFN is always taking steps that will improve track and field in Nigeria and the coming of Maurice Greene has shown that again; we the coaches appreciate his coming and also thanked the AFN”.

Team Nigeria will be participating in the Mt Sac Relays Championship which holds from April 17 to 20 in Walnut, California and is part of the AFN build up for the IAAF World Relays in Bahamas next month and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in July.

According to the AFN, 20 athletes will represent Nigeria. They include Blessing Okagbare, Gloria Asumnu, Obinna Metu, Amaechi Morton, Regina George, Nicholas Imhoapermhe, C M Y K

SAMBA: Mr. Felix Awogu, General Manager, SuperSport; Mrs. Chioma Afe, Marketing Manager, DStv and Mr. Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing and Sales, MultiChoice Nigeria during the MultiChoice World Cup Press Conference yesterday at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victorial Island

SuperSport ready for FIFA World Cup S UPERSPORT, broadcaster of premium sports programmes on DStv has announced that they have secured the rights to screen all the matches of the forthcoming FIFA World Cup tournament to be held in Brazil, from 12 June 2014. Nigeria’s Super Eagles and four other African countries; Ghana, Cameroon, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire will lead the continent with hopes of lifting the prestigious trophy.

Speaking at the press conference to launch the campaign titled “We are Brazil”, General Man-

ager, SuperSport, Felix Awogu said DStv and GOtv subscribers will get to watch all the matches with the best picture and sound quality available. There is also the added perk of watching live matches on the SuperSport HD channels on DStv. In addition to the world class broadcast quality that is our trademark and which our subscribers will enjoy, they will also have access to insightful football analysis and thrilling magazine programmes which will showcase the stories outside the field of play” he said.

Greensprings/Kanu Football

Sponsorship: Wolves plan court action, Camp targets 400 kids ULO tells them to go ahead HERE are strong giant in football and othBY ONOCHIE ANIBEZE

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N April last year, Va n g u a r d Newspaper was among the media that celebrated Warri Wolves sponsorship deal with ULO, a construction company.

The contract was to enrich Wolves to a tune of N50m.

The club was also to be sponsored to a pre-season training tour of Europe.

In return, Wolves were to contribute to the visibility of the company by wearing jerseys with the logo of the company. They did that promotional aspect of the contract.

However, one year on, the Warri team are yet to receive anysponsorshipmoneyfrom ULO in spite of the fact that their chairman and CEO of ULO, Uche Okpuno presented Amaju Pinnick, Delta FA Chairman, with a symbolic cheque on April 18, the day Okpuno excitedly said that he was delighted to renew the contract with Wolves. But Okpuno said yesterday that the said deal with Warri Wolves was a voluntary and philanthropic exercise for which there was no written agreement. He was, therefore surprised that Delta FA was threatening his company with a court action.

“We will pay at our convenient time. I had given them money the previous

season and this year I informedthemthattherecould be changes. In sponsorship many things come to play.

Nobodywantstogivemoney withoutinnovation.Andwhat I did was an incentive. I have done so in golf and other events and I knew what the mileage was like. So, when it is convenient for us we will pay. There was no agreement between ULO and Delta FA on the money you are talking about. But like I said, I promised an incentive and when it is

convenient for us we will pay. If any person says he wants to go to court let him feel free to do so. But let him show you the contract first.”

A Delta FA official said that they are in possession of the tape where Okpuno excitedly spoke of the renewal of the said contract and that verbal and written evidence are admissible in court, adding that they were ready for litigation.

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indications that the organisers of the Annual Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp are targeting over 400 kids for the third edition of the clinic, as the registration for this year’s edition has commenced across the country.

The camp is organized

by Greensprings School in collaboration with former African Footballer of the Year, Nwankwo Kanu with the aim of developing talents among Nigerians as well as reestablishing Nigeria as a

er sports.

Also key among the objectives of the seven-day camping is character moulding of the participants including sessions with Kanu Nwankwo and David Shepherd According to Greensprings’ Director of Education, Harry McFaul, this year’s would witness the inclusion of community service by the foreign coaches.

“This year we will have three new major community initiatives."

Okoku’s Foundation: Dame Patience, Shema, others unite for Nigerian children special guest, former

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience and Katsina State first lady, Fatima Ibrahim Shema, are among eminent Nigerians, who will gather in Abuja today for the launch of a programme entitled, ‘Improving Children for a Brighter Future.’

The campaign is the brainchild of former Super Eagles star, Paul Okoku, who said he has been involved in such charity programmes in the United States.

Other prominent Nigerians expected at the event scheduled for the Nnamdi Azikiwe hall of the Nicon Luxury Hotel,

Abuja, are Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Gbenga Elegbeleye, who is the

Sports Minister, Sani Ndanusa, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Aminu Maigari, Super Eagles’ Coach,

Stephen Keshi and Trade Union Congress (TUC) National President, Comrade Babboi Kaigama, among others.

Ghana, Kenya, S/Africa for 3rd Nestle Milo U-13 football tourney

BY SOLOMON NWOKE

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OUR countries, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria as the host will slug it out in the 3 rd Nestle Milo U-13 African Football Championship slated to hold from May 29 to June 1st , 2014 at the Campos Square playground, Lagos.

The Championship is a biennial competition among Nestle Milo countries in Africa for the school children under the ages of 13 aimed at bringing out their talents as well as inculcating strong life values that will help them in life.

This year ’s edition’s the first time Nigeria is hosting the Nestle Milo African Championship – a pan- African football

competition Saint Barnabas LGEA School ‘A’, Ilorin Kwara State will be flying the Nigerian flag in the t h r e e - d a y championship. The school emerged tops at the last National School Sports Federation (NSSF)Games held in Ilorin last year and thus, were selected to represent the country in its third appearance in the competition.

C M Y K

62 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

NNPC/Shell Cup: Semi finalists emerge F

O R M E R champions of the NNPC/Shell Cup for the All Nigeria Secondary Schools Football Championship, St. Thomas Basic Secondary School, Benin, Edo State and three others have qualified for the semi finals of the 2013/2014 edition of the competition.

According to the National Co-ordinator of the competition, Shola Akinwale, St. Thomas Basic Secondary School defeated Akwa Ibom representatives, Etinan Community Secondary School, Uyo 2-0 in one of the quarter finals decided in Port Harcourt at the weekend.

Other semi finalists include Brightville College, Ibadan, Government Model Secondary School, Kotangora, Niger State and Government Day Secondary School, Bangudu, Zamfara State.

To get to this stage, Brightville College beat

Randolph Comprehensive College of Port Harcourt 10 at the Sagamu centre while Government Model School, Kontagora stopped

Government Day Secondary School, Dange, Sokoto State 2-0 at the Kaduna centre.

In Minna, Dangogo

Ref

Secondary School, Bungudu, Zamfara were 20 better than Government Day Secondary School, Bokos, Plateau State.

Nadal, Federer through to third round in Monte Carlo this tournament every surprised with his easy

R

AFAEL Nadal safely made it through to the Monte Carlo Masters third round with a straightsets victory over the Russian qualifier Teymuraz Gabashvilion Wednesday.

The 27-year-old world No1 claimed a 6-4, 6-1 triumph in an hour and 12 minutes to move into 12th place above the American Brian Gottfried (who has 679 victories) on the all-time wins list.

The top seed, who won

year from 2005 to 2012 and was beaten by Novak Djokovic in last year’s final, was trailing to Gabashvili before coming back to take the first set 6-4 and comfortably saw out the second to advance to the third round.

Earlier, Roger Federer marked his return to the tournament – his first appearance since 2011, via a wild card – as he saw off Czech Radek Stepanek 6-1 6-2 in just under an hour.

The three-times finalist here admitted he was

progress.”I’m a bit surprised how well it went.

Then again, it’s hard to serve through the opponent,” he said. “I was able to get a lot of returns back into play."

Continues from BP Neant and Menkouande Evarist both from Cameroon made the cut.

“They have Issa Hayatou who is CAF president and from Cameroon on their side. I was supposed to be at the world cup too but no one stood for me” Edibe lamented.

Leading the African contingent of referees set for World Cup in Brazil are – Noumandiez Doue (Ivory Coast), Bakary Papa Gassama (Gambia), and Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria).

Other African referees on

Nigeria Continues from BP attributes Queiroz has long been known for could spell doom for those who take them for granted.

Coach Stephen Keshi has overtime stated that he was not afraid of any team and would not

underestimate any of his opponents in Brazil. ‘’We’re African Champions and as Nigerians, we respect our opponents but not afraid of them’’, he said.

Iran are in Africa to have a fee of the physical play that

the shortlist include: Doue Noumandiez Desire (Cote d’ Ivoire), Alioum Neant (Cameroun), and Bennett Daniel Frazer (South Africa).

The assistant referees nominated from Africa are Yeo Songuifolo (Cote d’Ivoire), Birumushahu Jean Claude (Burundi), Menkouande Evarist (Cameroon), Kabanda Felicien (Rwanda), Achik Redouane (Morocco), Etchiali Abdelhak (Algeria), Camara Djibril (Senegal), and Range Marwa (Kenya).

characterise African play..

Not many know that Argentina and Iran met for the first and only time in 1977 and the match ended 1-1 in Madrid. They may be making their debut but they have resilient players.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 —63

C M Y K

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Ref accuses FIFA of playing politics

N

IGERIAN FIFA b a d g e d referee, Peter Edibe has slammed FIFA for dropping him from officiating at the World Cup in Brazil, a

Nigeria spy on Iran in South Africa

BY TONY UBANI

T

HE Nigeria F o o t b a l l Federation is not taking anything to chance as they have delegated some coaches to South Africa to spy on Iran, one of their opponents for the Brazil World Cup starting in June.

The Iranians landed in the rainbow nation of South Africa on Tuesday for their first pre-World Cup training camp with only 11 players and no goalkeeper, local media reported although more of their players would later join them.

A source from the NFF said that they would be

sending their coaches to keep an eye on the Iranians that many soccer fans have written off as no opposition for the Eagles. ‘’We’re very much aware that they are in South Africa and our coaches are there to watch them’’, our reliable source said.

Iran, coached by Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz may be considered as an outsider in the group that sees them against Argentina, Nigeria, and Bosnia-Herzegovina but their solid organisation with the technical Continues on Page 62

development, which he claims has robbed Nigeria of the chance to have a referee at the world cup.

Edibe revealed that he was suddenly removed from the list with no cogent reason from the world football governing body, alleging that FIFA’s decision was based on politics.

Edibe further alleged that and that because he had no ‘godfather ’ to protect his interest, he was made a victim, pointing out that his team mates, Alioum

Continues on Page 62

CELEBRATION: EMMENUAL EMENIKE (r) and Brown Ideye celebrate Super Eagles victory at Afcon 2013 in S/Africa.

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 3 Irrigate (5) 9 Astonished (6) 10 Season (6) 11 Drugged (5) 12 Frank (4) 15 Formerly (4) 17 Lived (7) 20 Deity (3) 21 Figure (5) 23 Shape (4) 25 Haze (4) 26 Keen (5) 28 Deed (3) 30 Varied (7) 33 Cease (4) 35 Facts (4) 36 Jam (5) 38 Plant (6) 39 Lacehole (6) 40 Deal (5)

DOWN 1 Chief (5) 2 Hell (5) 3 Marry (3) 4 Worshipped (6) 5 Pitcher (4) 6 Free (3) 7 Hurt (5) 8 Avarice (5) 13 Flawless (7) 14 Saltpetre (5) 16 Competition (7) 18 Plunged (5) 19 Vigour (3) 22 Weary (5) 24 Rug (3) 27 Circled (6) 28 Test (5) 29 Sum (5) 31 Recover (5) 32 Ground (5) 34 Tolerate (4) 36 Damp (3) 37 Watch (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Revise 5, Rented 9, Undid 10, Billed 11, Pistol 12, Tenet 14, Fled 17, Den 18, Cede 20, Fetid 22, Fared 23, Nastier 24, Baggy 26, Decay 29, Ally 30, Bed 32, Dare 33, Coded 35, Honour 36, Mortal 38, Deemed 39, Neared.

DOWN: 1, Rebuff 2, Velvet 3, Suet 4, Ended 5, Ripen 6, Edit 7, Tether 8, Delved 13, Nestled 15, Legal 16, Dingy 18, cared 19, Debar 21, Day 22, Fed 24, Batched 25, Glance 27, Captor 28, Yelled 30, Bored 31, Demon 33, Cube 34, Dome.

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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