I was dead for 7 days — PATIENCE JONATHAN

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61820

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PENSION SCAM: Maina flees Nigeria •Pg.8

CRUDE LIFTING: Indigenous coys call for higher allocations •P.44

I was dead for 7 days

— PATIENCE JONATHAN •I had nine surgeries in one month, she says

BY BEN AGANDE

A

BUJA—FIRST Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, yesterday, said she died and woke up after seven days during her illness which necessitated her absence from the country for almost three months.

In a thanksgiving service held at the State House chapel in Abuja, the First Lady said the prayers of Nigerians sustained her while some people who thought she

Continues on page 5

•P.17 COLUMNISTS:

DELE SOBOWALE •P.36

LES LEBA •P.40

OCHEREOME NNANNA •P. 41

RECEPTION FOR FIRST LADY—From left: Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Aloma Mukhtar; wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Aminat Sambo; First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; President Goodluck Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo; Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and members of the Federal Executive Council during a reception for the First Lady at the Banquet hall, State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photos: Abayomi Adeshida. See more pictures on Page 13.

Five siblings, 10 others die in Kano fire, auto •Pg.6 crash

2015: Jonathan didn't sign agreement — Yakassai —P.12

Gunmen kill guard, abduct eight foreigners in Bauchi —P.7

Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

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POCKET CARTOON

From left: President Goodluck Jonathan; Nollywood Actor, Osita Iheme (Popo) and First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan at the reception. Photo: State House.

I was dead for seven days — First Lady Continues from page 1 was dead, started to sell her property.

According to her, she underwent seven surgery operations within one month and the doctors had given up hope on her survival.

She said: “I remember when Chief Obasanjo was the President of the country, I was close to his late wife, Stella. We worshiped together in

this chapel. It was a painful moment for me that time when she (Stella) died and her corpse was brought here.

“That was how my corpse would have been brought here. It was not an easy experience for me. I actually died, I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened.

“I am not Lazarus but

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

The trees may wish for quiet, but the wind will not subside. Each is doing what it has been ordained to do. Stormy winds fulfilling His purpose.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Y

OUR work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. Stay hungry. Stay foolish — Steve Jobs Joel Osteen sums it beautifully: “You have to learn to follow your heart. You can’t let other people pressure you into being something that you’re not. If you want God’s favour in your life, you must be the person you were created to be, not the person your boss wants you to be, not even the person your parents or your husband wants you to be. You can’t let outside expectations keep you from following your own heart.”

To live your best life now, you must learn to trust God’s timing, you may not think He’s working, but you can be sure that right now, behind the scenes, God is arranging all the pieces to come together to work out His plan for your life. Keep in mind, just because you don’t know the answer doesn’t mean that one does not exist. You simply haven’t discovered it yet.

my experience was similar to his. My doctors said all hope was lost.

“A black doctor in London who is with us in this service was flown in when the situation became critical. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days.

“I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead. They are people that I trust and rely on; to them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive.

Some of them even sold my things off.

“I won’t say everything here. It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive. When God says yes, nobody can say no.

“People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it (surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the theatre everyday.

“It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine operations within one month. It was not an easy one.

“The day I came back, I said God I have nothing to say, I offer myself to you. I will be doing things that will touch the lives of the less privileged.

God gave me second chance

“God gave me second chance because I reached there. He knew I have not completed the assignments He gave me, that was why I was sent back”, she said.

In his remarks, President Goodluck Jonathan said when he took over the mantle of leadership, some people had predicted that either he or his wife would die in office.

While appreciating the large turn out of personalities during the reception, the President said the day was a special one for him and the first family, bearing in mind that rumour of death in his family has always been in the air since he was the deputy governor of Bayelsa State. Giving an instance, Jonathan said when his second cousin died, one of his associates wondered aloud how people he knew who were on the verge of becoming successful suddenly die.

He said: “I thank God for keeping the life of my wife. If anything had happened to her there would have been many stories and the fake prophets would have had their predictions fulfilled,” he remarked.

The reception had in attendance, former heads of state, governors, members of the National Assembly, ministers and other dignitaries.

Pope begs for prayers, goes into spiritual retreat •Cardinals who turn 80 before February 28 ineligible

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS EDITOR (WITH AGENCY REPORTS)

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AGOS—OUT-go ing Catholic Pontiff Benedict XVI has asked the faithful to pray for him and for his successor who is expected to emerge next month when no fewer than 120 electors from the College of Cardinals convene.

In his speech to the crowd of over 50,000 worshipers at St. Peter’s Square, yesterday, the Holy Father said "I beg you to continue to pray for me and for the next Pope." The polyglot Pope chose the Spanish language to address the people after which he retired into the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace for a scheduled spiritual retreat and will not make any public appearance until next Sunday.

The crowd chanted “Long live the pope!,” waved banners and broke into sustained applause as he spoke from his window. The 85year-old Benedict, who will abdicate on February 28, thanked them in several languages.

A number of cardinals have said they would be open to the possibility of a pope from the developing world, be it Latin America, Africa or Asia, as opposed to another from Europe, where the Church is in crisis and polarized.

Reports, yesterday, said the cardinals will gather on March 1, a day after Benedict steps down and departs for Castel Gandolfo, the pa-

pal summer home in the hills outside Rome.

By the time the 120 Cardinal electors enter the conclave to choose the next pope, they must be ready to vote. There is no formal nominating process for choosing the man to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, and campaigning for oneself is counterproductive. But the cardinals will file into the Sistine Chapel.

According to church rules, the conclave could begin on March 15, but the Vatican spokesman said, Saturday, that it may start even earlier.

The cardinals, eager to finish the process by Palm Sunday on March 24, could reinterpret the mandatory 15-day waiting period, the spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said.

The waiting period was intended to allow time for cardinals to gather after the death of a pope, but because Benedict’s resignation has already been announced, the cardinals have advance notice and, in fact, many have already begun discussions by phone and e-mail.

At the moment, there are 209 Cardinals. There will be at most 120 electors drawn from the College of Cardinals to vote for the next Pope at the conclave.

Any Cardinal who turns 80 before the day the Papacy is vacated cannot take part in the election. Pope Benedict XVI will vacate the papacy on February 28.

Reports said “Any Cardinal born before February 28, 1933 is automatically eliminated, narrowing this Conclave’s possible field of electors to 116 Cardinals”.

6 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Five siblings, 10 others perish in Kano fire, auto crash

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

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ANO — FIVE children of same parents were among 15 people that perished in two separate accidents at Kumbotso and Takai councils of Kano State, weekend.

The minors identified as children of Magaji Tambaya, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Kano State University, were burnt beyond recognition during a mid-night fire at their WRECA residence at Panshekara outskirts of Kano municipality.

Officials of Kano State Fire Service told journalists in Kano that “the fire incident in the official residence was reported around 1.50 a.m.

Saturday.”

The Head of Operations, Kano State Fire Service, Kashim Musa Bichi, explained that the

cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately, adding that “it took my men hectic time to put off the inferno.”

He said investigation on Panshekara fire had commenced and advised urban dwellers to employ safety measures to safeguard their homes.

In a related development, 10 people died on the spot Saturday evening, when a Toyota bus travelling on Kano-Kari road had a head on collision with a J5 bus at a village near Takai.

Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that scores sustained various degrees of injury in the auto crash that involved 30 people.

Head of Operations, Kano Fire Service told newsmen in Kano that “the corpses and the injured have been taken to Dan’masara General Hospital near Dutse, the Jigawa State capital.”

Man, lover arrested over teenager’s kidnap He said in one of the successful battles

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AGOS — LAGOS State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko, has confirmed the arrest of a 28-year-old man and his girlfriend for abducting a boy of 14 years, whose name was given as Daniel Olumide.

Olumide was kidnapped on February 2 and taken to an unknown location.

After the arrest of the alleged culprit whose name the commissioner refused to mention “since investigations were ongoing,” it was discovered that the kidnapper kept the victim in his girlfriend’s apartment for some days after the abduction.

The lovers, after committing the crime within their neighbourhood in the Ikotun area of the state, allegedly contacted the family of the victim, demanding N2 million ransom for his release.

Parents of the victim were confused on how to handle the matter but a neighbour reportedly alerted the Police of seeing the victim with the suspected kidnappers minutes before the victim was declared missing.

The commissioner said the Police swung into action, arresting the suspect and rescuing the boy.

According to Manko, the suspects were arrested by officials of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, in the state and the victim was rescued unhurt.

SARS kills eight suspected robbers

In another development, Manko announced that officials of SARS in Lagos last Sunday killed eight suspected robbers during a gun duel, which occurred after a one-week operation to rid the state of criminals.

within the week, his men recovered a Toyota Camry with number plate, EPE 737 AT, which was snatched from its owner by robbers.

Some arrested pipeline vandals in Ikorodu area of Lagos. Photo: O

Tension in Ota over Ogun monarch's planned arrest

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA — ANXIETY has gripped members of traditional council and residents of Ijoko Ota in Ado-Odo Local Government Area of Ogun State following the order of arrest by Justice Mobolaji Ojo of the State High Court over contempt .

Justice Ojo had ordered that Chief Lasisi Ogunseye be arrested and remanded in prison for two months for parading himself as Onijoko of Ijoko Ota contrary to courts judgements.

A contempt charge was filed against the convict on May 17, 2012 at the Ota High Court by Chief Fatai Alani Matanmi, the Onijoko of IjokoOta .

Vanguard gathered that, the judgement rattled the traditional council of the embattled monarch who was installed by the Olowu of

Owu, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu as a coronet Oba in 2006.

Police spokesman in Ogun State, Muyiwa Adejobi, could not be reached for comment at press time.

It was further gathered that the embattled Oba had been allegedly advised to go into hiding to evade police arrest today.

The presiding judge, who had frowned at the alleged refusal of Ogunseye to appear before the court and as well stop parading himself as an Oba, said the defendant believed he was above the law .

He said: “I hold that this is an appropriate situation in which the court may punish the contemnor for his contempt.

“This application, therefore, succeeds and it is granted as prayed. The respondent/party cited is guilty of the orders of this court.

“I hereby order that the

respondent, Lasisi Kolapo Ogunseye, be arrested forthwith and remanded in prison custody for a period of 60 days in the first instance until he purges himself of his contempt of this court.”

Justice Ojo had also ordered that a copy of the order be served on the Area Commander, Nigeria Police, Ota, the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, the AttorneyGeneral of Ogun State and the Governor of Ogun State.

A source within the traditional council in the area who craved anonymity told Vanguard that the people of Ijoko had been in dilemma before the judgement on who to accept as their Oba among the two warring personalities.

He said with the recent judgement which ordered the arrest of Oba Kolapo, the controversy trailing the obaship in the area might end.

Police nab prophet, accomplice over fresh human

BY EVELYN USMAN

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AGOS — TWO persons, one of them said to be a prophet with a white garment church, have been arrested by the Police in L agos, following the discovery of fresh human parts in their custody.

Vanguard gathered that policemen attached to Ikotun division on patrol accosted two men at about 12: 30 p.m, Friday, with a Ghana-mustgo bag. When they requested to know the content of the bag, one of the men bolted.

When the bag was

eventually opened, fresh human parts were found inside two containers.

The recovered parts included five fingers, a human heart, liver, kidney and intestines, all concealed in separate plastics filled with water. The plastics were, thereafter, tied inside separate polythene bags and kept in the carry-all bag.

Apparently to avoid suspicion, the suspects added soup ingredients such as salt, tomatoes and two pairs of bathroom slippers in a separate nylon bag which they placed on top of the human parts.

However, during interrogation, the arrested suspect identified as Kunle Olaide, claimed the bag was given to him by his friend who bolted when they were stopped.

On further interrogation, it was discovered that Kunle and his fleeing partner, slept in the church the previous night.

Kunle confessed to be coming from the church located in Egbe area of the state when they were accosted by the policemen.

His confessional statement led to the arrest of the said prophet of the church, Dare

Akinrosoye.

Sources at SCID told Vanguard that investigation so far revealed that their victim was recently killed.

But the purpose and circumstances surrounding the killing were yet to be ascertained. Police sources hinted that it was obvious the suspects were taking the human parts somewhere, assuring that investigation would unravel the truth.

Contacted, the Lagos State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Damasus Ozoani, confirmed the arrest, stating that investigation was still on.

The suspect, Kunle Olaide and the h

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 — 7

Gunmen kill guard, abduct 8 expatriates in Bauchi

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI — GUNMEN kidnapped eight foreigners and killed a security guard when they stormed the compound of a Lebanese construction company, Setraco, in Bauchi State, yesterday, the police said.

Among those abducted were a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and five Lebanese workers, including a woman and a child.

Bauchi Police Commissioner Mohammed Ladan said the gunmen attacked a police station and a prison overnight before storming the construction firm’s compound in Jama’are town.

He said: “We repelled the attack on police station and the security men at the prison yard also repelled the attack, but they burnt two vehicles in Jama’are police station.

“They then attacked Setraco construction, killed a security guard and succeeded in

lasunkanmi Akoni.

Lagos house wife petitions IG Over alleged threat to life by Ogun ex-commissioner

BY UDO IBUOT

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AGOS — WHAT could have motivated a former commissioner in Ogun State to threaten the life of a Lagos housewife, Mrs. Aderonke Odupitan?

Why would the same excommissioner lead a four-man armed gang to keep vigil on the residence of the affected housewife at Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos?

These are some of the burning issues which operatives in the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), at Kam Salem House, Obalende, Lagos, as well as other security agencies in the state are trying to unravel.

The matter came to light

parts

human parts.

following series of petitions dispatched to the Police by Mrs. Odupitan, who has been living in fear for more than 10 months after her shocking confrontation with the ex-commissioner on telephone.

In one of the petitions, which was addressed to the InspectorGeneral of Police (IGP), the housewife identified a car, allegedly used by the excommissioner in trailing her, as bearing a Lagos number plate.

The petition stated that “before the said car was spotted near my family ’s Amuwo Odofin residence, I received a telephone call from a foreign number, which has been traceable to the excommissioner in Ogun State.”

She added: “The phone conversation which lasted almost an hour threatened my life because the ex-commissioner promised to send thugs to deal with me on, before or after November 12, 2011.

Ever since then, I have not been able to have a sound sleep because my life is being threatened.”

Mrs. Oodupitan said she strongly believes that the excommissioner might have fled the country to either the United Kingdom, the United States of America, or South Africa, to avoid possible arrest.

Dependable sources hinted that the threat to Mrs. Odupitan by the ex-commissioner might not be unconnected with her husband, who is alleged to be the excommissioner’s father-in-law.

Meanwhile, having waited for more than one year without any positive development, the family of Mrs. Odupitan has urged the Inspector General of Police, M.D. Abubakar, to intervene in the matter to save the life of an innocent Nigerian.

kidnapping people.”

Ladan who did not disclose the identity of the people kidnapped said Police had commenced investigations into the separate attacks, adding that he will only give detail of the kidnapped workers of the company after investigations.

The Italian foreign ministry confirmed one of its nationals was taken in the raid. A spokesman for the British Embassy in Abuja said it was investigating.

Meantime, Chairman of Jama’are Local Government Area, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu, has explained that the eight people kidnapped in Setraco Construction Company are expatriates.

Aliyu who stated this while speaking with newsmen in Bauchi, noted: “Among the workers kidnapped werer one from Britain, one from Greece, one from Italy while the remaining five are Lebanese."

How gangsters storm Surulere community on ‘revenge mission’

BY NWOPOKE MICHAEL

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AGOS — RESIDENTS of Obasun link in Aguda, Surulere, Lagos woke up early morning, yesterday, to count their losses following the invasion of their area by a group of street urchins popularly referred to as “Star boys” from Ijesha.

The incident which took place at about 2 a.m left several people seriously injured and about 17 vehicles badly damaged. According to Mr. Yomi Arogbonlo, chairman of New Kpako under Coker/Aguda Local Council Development Area, LCDA, the boys came on a revenge mission.

Yomi informed Vanguard that in December 2012, when the Star boys of Ijesha had their carnival, some boys from Obasun attended the party during which a slight rift ensued between them. He said the Star boys of Ijesha, after the incident, accused the Obasun boys of intentionally coming to disrupt their carnival

and vowed to cut their pound of flesh whenever Obasun boys would host their own carnival.

Apprehensive of their coming, the Obasun boys postponed their carnival from January till February to allow the situation subside. The chairman said to ensure peace during the carnival, he informed the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, who dispatched his men to provide security during the occasion.

According to him, the carnival ended some minutes before 2 a.m and everybody, including the police left the scene of the carnival. It was oblivious to the parties involved that the boys had positioned themselves, waiting for the right time to strike.

It was few minutes after 2 a.m that they noticed over 30 youths armed with guns, machetes, among other dangerous weapons going on the rampage, destroying property, breaking and looting some shops. Sadly, all the attempts to stop them at that point proved fruitless as the police had left the vicinity before they struck.

Police arrest three over murder of Nsukka-based activist

BY CHINENYE OZOR

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SUKKA — THE Police in Enugu State have arrested three persons suspected to have taken part in the murder of Nsukkabased human rights activist and politician, Christopher Onah, a.k.a. Papa Nsukka.

Reports said armed operatives from the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigations Department stormed the university town in the early hours of Friday and arrested the suspects.

Vanguard gathered that the intervention of the detectives from Enugu police headquarters followed complaints from relatives of the slain human rights activist that the local police in Nsukka failed to carry out investigations while the deceased was hospitalized and after his death.

The deceased had reportedly complained hours before he died that the police in the division did not come to obtain first hand information about how he was attacked but allowed the suspects to walk free.

After his death, his wife, children and

relations also raised the alarm that his killers were threatening to kill them if they should take up the case, alleging also that the police in the area reportedly told their superiors that the attack on Onah resulted from a mob action.

However, it was learnt that the outgoing Commissioner of Police in Enugu directed detectives at the homicide section to take over and carry out thorough investigations.

Investigations by Vanguard revealed that as soon as the suspected assailants got hint of the commissioner ’s directive, they made moves to frustrate it, using another top police officer at the headquarters in Enugu.

Their plans, however, failed after the head of the investigating team vowed that justice must be done and swiftly moved down to Nsukka.

Vanguard gathered also that one of the suspects, said to be an imbecile, reportedly opened up after the detectives, acting on information, arrested him in his father ’s compound at Agbani village.

He reportedly named fellow accomplices in the murder including two of his brothers.

8 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

2013 budget not padded — Reps

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

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BUJA—CHAIRMAN of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, John Owan Enoh, has declared that the National Assembly never padded the 2013 budget.

He also stated that the National Assembly had enormous constitutional powers that required no further court interpretation to override President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto on the 2013 Appropriation Bill.

Enoh who appeared at the inaugural media hot seat series organised by the House of Representatives Press Corps, weekend, said “we have no doubt on the constitutional powers we have, and so would not approach the court.”

He said the legislature had been offered 30 days constitutionally to override the President’s veto on any Bill, adding that by his calculation, the required 30 days had not expired on the 2013 Appropriation Bill.

Both legislative Houses had separately passed the 2013 Appropriation Bill of N4.987 trillion on December 20, 2012 but this was yet to be assented to by President Jonathan following differential issues which Enoh said the executive and the legislature were meeting to resolve.

According to him, the allegation that the budget Bill was returned by the Presidency to the National Assembly was untrue, as he noted that “the channel of returning any Bill, not just the Appropriation Bill is usually formal, and that has not been done.

"If the assent was done soon, there is hope that the country would do better in terms of budget implementation than the previous years."

Enoh, however, conceded that he was personally worried as Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations that its work remained uncompleted until the Bill becomes law, especially with its early passage.

He, however, denied that the National Assembly padded the budget for selfish reasons.

“The word padding (of budget) is not a civil language in a democracy,” he said.

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH & KINGSLEY OMONOBI

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BUJA— THERE were indications, yesterday, that the embattled Pension Reform Task Team, PRTT, Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, had fled the country to escape arrest by the police and other security agents on his trail.

Maina is reported to have moved to one of the Middle East nations, following the arrest warrant issued against him by the Senate and the decision by the Presidency to discipline him for absconding from his duty post without permission.

A close source to the PRTT boss, who had since been declared wanted by the police, told Vanguard that Maina left the country once it became clear to him that the Presidency, which had allegedly been shielding him, had given up on him.

The source said that with the partial withdrawal of the security men around Maina by the government, it was obvious to the PRTT boss that he should either report to the police or the Senate to clear himself over allegations of pension funds embezzlement.

The source admitted: “I can tell you that Maina is not in the country as we speak. He knows very well that the game is up and there is no point for him to continue a fight he can hardly win convincingly.”

Maina in Saudi Arabia It was learnt from reliable sources that since arriving the Islamic country, Maina had been making frantic effort to reach out to influential persons in Nigeria to come to his aid in resolving the crisis between him and the National Assembly with the Presidency.

One source said that the Presidency was no longer keen on protecting Maina based on emerging reports that he might have misled the Villa to provide him with undeserved protection and support to work against the National Assembly.

The allegation that led to the ultimatum handed down by the Senate to the Villa last week was that Maina had misappropriated billions of pension funds, which he claimed to have recovered from pension “thieves”.

The Senate committee probing Pension Funds Management under Maina accused him of mopping up pension funds from banks and depositing same in his chosen banks and making brisk business in the process while turning round to claim that he has recovered billions of Naira from thieves.

The committee pointed out that it was the mopping of funds from designated banks across the country by Maina that had made it impossible to pay thousands of pensioners across the country for months.

However, when he was sum-

Chairman House Committee on Appropriation, John Owan Enoh (left) and the media adviser on appropriation, Kevin Orji during an interactive session at the National Assembly, Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Pension fund scam: Embattled Maina flees Nigeria moned to appear and clear the air on the committee’s findings, Maina dodged but later instituted a N1.5 billion case against the Senate and the Inspector General of Police, who had declared him wanted following a warrant of arrest issued by the Senate President, David Mark.

But Maina’s Media aide, Hassan Salihu, said he was neither aware of Maina’s whereabouts nor what had happened to the heavy security personnel around him.

Senate bias against Maina Salihu, however, tried to dispel allegations of fraud levelled against Maina, accusing the Senate of bias and hatred against his boss.

Things came to a head for Maina last week when the Senate passed a resolution asking the Presidency to sack him within two days or face its wrath.

Although the Presidency had initially insisted that only the

Head of Service could sack Maina, it subsequently changed its tone and ordered that urgent disciplinary action should be taken against him for absconding from his duty post without permission.

The Head of Service has since raised a team headed by a Permanent Secretary to sanction Maina, an Assistant Director in the Federal Civil Service.

It was not clear yesterday what step the government would take in order to fish out Maina from his hideout and how to go about it.

Police vow to arrest Maina Meanwhile, following reports that the Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina has sneaked out of the country to avoid being arrested as directed by the Senate, Police authorities yesterday vowed that he will be hunted down where ever he is through all legitimate means.

Speaking with Vanguard on

phone, Force Spokesman, CSP Frank Mba said that though the Police authorities were yet to ascertain the actual situation regarding Maina’s whereabouts, the warrant signed by the Senate President for his arrests still subsists even if he travels abroad.

His words, “I have no information to the effect that Alhaji Abdurashid Maina is out of this country or has sneaked to Saudi Arabia. However, as long as the warrant issued against him remains in force, the Nigerian Police will do everything within legal and legitimate means available to us, to seek him out, arrest him and hand him over to the Senate as mandated in that warrant”.

Asked if there was any possibility of the Police headquarters entering into an agreement with INTERPOL, International Police Organization, of which Nigeria is an executive member, to have him arrested and extradited to Nigeria, CSP Mba said, he was not in a position to comment on such possibility.

Murder of 10 health workers: 3 Wazobia FM broadcasters resign

BY ABDULSALAM MOHAMMED

K

ANO—HEAD of station, Wazobia FM station, Kano, Malam Sanusi Kankarofi alongside two staff of the station have resigned their appointments following the controversy generated by the gruesome murder of 10 health workers penultimate week in the wake of a programme aired by the station which was believed to have triggered the murder Muhammed Suleiman Gama, the head of the station’s local con-

tent has given the station one month resignation notice, while Yakubu Musa the presenter of a popular vernacular programme ‘Sandar Girma’ has equally resigned.

The resignation of the trio came on the heels of the suspension of the programme Sandar Girma by the National broadcasting Commission, NBC, after security agents blamed the broadcast of the programme as having instigated the killings of the female health workers in Kano.

The Police authorities in Kano had arrested Gama, Musa and Mubarak, all of Wazobia FM station over the killings and charged both Musa and Mubarak to court who are currently enjoying bail on a seven counts charge.

Gama who confirmed his resignation to Vanguard stated that “he decided to quit because the management of the private radio station didn’t handle the issue well, accusing them of taking side with an interested party".

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 — 9

Bi-Courtney floors aviation ministry, FAAN in court …Set to take-over GAT A

BUJA — The Federal High Court, Abuja, has struck out the suit filed by the Aviation Ministry and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria over the concessioning of the General Aviation Terminal, GAT, of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Domestic Terminal,

MMA2 by Bi-Courtney Aviation Ltd. The court, presided over by Justice A.R. Mohammed, in a judgment delivered on Friday, described the suit by the ministry and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria,FAAN, as an abuse of court process.

According to a copy of ruling, Justice Mohammed held that the issues canvassed by the plaintiffs (aviation ministry and FAAN) had been conclusively determined by Justice J. Chikere of the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CJ/50/ 2009.

The court noted that the decision of Justice Chikere in the previous suit, which was instituted by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, was binding on all agencies of the Federal Government.

Quoting aspects of Justice Chikere’s judgment, to justify its ruling, the court stated: “The

From left: Mr. Dele Togunde, Registrar/CEO, ICSAN; Mr. Olatunde Busari, ICSAN President, presenting documents to Prof. James Kayode Makinde, President /Vice Chancellor, Babcock University, during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, between Babcock University and Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, at the Babcock University, Ogun State. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

parties named in the Relief 7 are agents/ agencies of the Federal Government. They are agents/agencies of a named principal, that is, the Federal Government. Any order against the known principal binds the agents/agencies.

The agents/agencies stationed and operating at all airports terminal in Lagos State could not have operated without the support or approval of the Federal Government. They are therefore restrained, prevented or prohibited from operating scheduled flights in and out of Lagos State from any airport terminal other than MMA2 al Government.”

MPPP ready for merger talks with APC

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

L

AGOS — MEGA Progressive Peoples Party, MPPP, weekend, rose from a twoday National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Lagos and expressed readiness to go into merger talks with All Progressive Congress, APC, to defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 general elections in the country.

This came as the party announced the indefinite suspension of its National Secretary, Mr. Hamisu Santuraki, over alleged anti-party activities, among others.

The party’s National Chairman, Rasheed Shitta-Bay, after the congress, said it was high time the progressives came together under a strong political platform to correct the anomalies in the nation’s democratic dispensation.

Nigerian Navy ships for international exercise

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BY EVELYN USMAN

AGOS — TWO Nigerian Navy ships, NNS THUNDER and NNS BURUTU, yesterday, left Nigeria en route Douala, Cameroon to participate in ‘Exercise Obangame Express 2013’, taking place from February 25 – 27, 2013 at the Gulf of Guinea.

Exercise Obangame Express is an annual multinational maritime interdiction exercise designed to build capacity of the Gulf of Guinea states in conducting policing operations at sea.

This year’s edition, according to the Chief Staff Officer, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Henry Babalola, was aimed at improving surveillance, initiative and response capabilities of the Gulf of Guinea States.

Daily Times: Court adjourns case against Anosike brothers

BY INNOCENT ANABA

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AGOS— A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has adjourned till March 4, 2013, for the proper arraignment of Mr. Fidelis Anosike and his brother, Noel, charged with stripping the assets of Daily Times Nigeria with his company, Folio Communications Limited.

Their arraignment could not hold Thursday, due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke.

In the charge, the accused allegedly conspired to commit felony by obtaining N25 million from the Education Trust Fund under false pretence of utilising the money to set up an electronic library for Daily Times of Nigeria.

They also allegedly conspired to obtain N100 million from Corporate Ideals Properties Limited and Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah under the guise that they had a printing factory at Lugbe, Abuja.

They were further alleged to have laundered about N75 million, realised from the sale of Daily Times property at Cold Harbour Lane, London.

Lagos NIPSS elects officers

L

AGOS — LAGOS Chapter of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy Strategic Studies, NIPSS, has elected Victor Banjo and Abdulmumuni Bello as its Chairman and Secretary, respectively.

At its Annual General Meeting, AGM, held recently, other officers elected to run the affairs of the association for the next two years included Mr. Lasisi Sanni (Vice Chairman), Commodore Mufutau Ajibade, (Assistant Secretary), Mr. Olu Akadiri (Treasure), Mrs. Arizunma Madukwe (Social Secretary) and Prof Ibiyemi Bello (Publicity Secretary), among others.

10 —

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

God has endorsed my government —Mimiko

From left: Dr.Segun Mimiko, Ondo State Governor; his wife, Olukemi Mimiko and Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church (RCCG), during 'An Evening of Holy Ghost Rally,'' organised by the RCCG Region 3, weekend, at Akure.

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE — GOV ERN- or Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has described the visit of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye to the state barely a week to his second term inauguration as a special endorsement of his administration by God. He added that the presence of the revered man of God in the state twice within three months was a "testimony to the fact that God dwells in the state and has the love of the people of the state at heart."

APC aims at true federalism —Fayemi

BY BGENGA ARIYIBI

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DO EKITI— GOVERNOR Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, yesterday said All Progressive Congress, APC, aimed at promoting true federalism with its attendant features of decentralisation and devolution of powers, allowing all parts of the country to feel a sense of belonging and ownership.

Fayemi in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Yinka Oyebode in AdoEkiti, assured that APC’s membership would be opened to all progressive Nigerians who were ready to wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the centre.

Fayemi, who is also Chairman, APC’s Contact and Mobilisation Committee in the South West, said the party would restore the values of federalism and internal democracy in the country.

Marginalisation: S/West PDP leaders to meet Jonathan next week

BY HENRY UMORU & OLASUNKANMI AKONI

A

BUJA—LEADERS of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the South West Zone of the country have resolved to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan next week over perceived gross marginalisation of the zone in appointments and political recognitions.

This came as Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is exposing its own folly by blaming the glaring marginalisation of the Yoruba by the Jonathan Administration on ACN, saying, “PDP has nothing

but total contempt for the Yoruba in particular and Nigerians in general.”

Rising from a meeting of the leaders of the PDP in the zone convened by the Board of Trustees, South West in collaboration with the zonal leadership of the PDP, Abuja, they expressed deep concern over perceived marginalisation of the zone in national affairs and leadership positions.

According to the party leaders in a communiqué by two former Deputy National Chairmen and members of the Board of Trustees, BoT of PDP, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun and Chief Olabode George at the end of the meeting, they argued that

....ACN accuses PDP of playing ethnic card

H

OWEVER, REACTING to the allegation by Dr Doyin Okupe that the ‘’Yoruba people in the ACN conspired against the Yoruba’’ to scuttle the election of a Yoruba as House Speaker, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement yesterday, that ACN was not bound by the shifty and phoney zoning formula of the PDP. According to ACN: ‘’If the PDP had indeed wanted a Yoruba as speaker, the party should either have won enough seats in the South-West or used its majority in the House to push through its anointed candidate.

"Failure to ensure the election of its candidate is a reflection of the insincerity of the PDP about the zoning of the post to Yoruba and the gross indiscipline in the party of tattered umbrella.

"In any case, the last option open to the PDP would have been to support any other Yoruba for the post across party lines. We the ACN have very capable members in the

House to serve as Speaker. But the truth is that the ruling party wants a PDP member, not a Yoruba, for the post. ‘’Therefore we are not surprised that the PDP easily acquiesced to the defeat of its Yoruba candidate for the post of Speaker of the House. The PDP zoning formula is pivoted on convenience rather than principle, "After all, the zoning was easily jettisoned to pave the way for Jonathan to contest as President.

Even if the PDP had not succeeded in giving the post of House Speaker to Yoruba in accordance with its so-called zoning formula, it could have rewarded them with known choice ministries or other top appointments, instead of totally relegating a whole people into irrelevance in its scheme of things.”

ACN, therefore accused PDP of playing the ethnic card, and rejected the “cheeky and devilish move by the PDP to pigeon-hole the ACN into an ethnic cocoon.

the neglect of the zone was uncalled for despite being the first zone to adopt President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2011 presidential election, adding that the meeting with President Jonathan would help redeem this deplorable situation.

The communiqué read, "the meeting which had in attendance delegates from each state of the South West – Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, also had in attendance former governors, National Assembly members, ministers and party elders. a state by state discussion of the conflicts in the zone, the party leadership resolved as follows: The meeting underscored that lack of unity among the party leaders in each state has led to attrition and confusion of party members in the zone, there is the need for reconciliation in the party as a platform to reposition the party.

"The meeting was acknowledged as the beginning of a serious and sustained effort at total reconciliation of all disaffected groups in the Party across the South West zone.

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013—11

Rivers pensioners to embark on hunger strike

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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ORT HARCOURT— PENSIONERS in Rivers State, have resolved to embark on hunger strike to press home their demand for the payment of their pension arrears.

They also resolved to take the state government to court should their hunger strike fail to yield the desired result.

The pensioners under the aegis of Nigerian Union of Pensioners, took the decision at the general meeting of Rivers State Council of the union to deliberate on the way forward, following alleged reluctance by the state government to pay them their retirement entitlements.

In the resolution, Mr Edwards Abibo, Chairman, Rivers State Council of the union, said their arrears include primary school teachers’ federal share 12 years after the responsibility to pay was transferred to states by the Federal Government and pension increments between 2003 and 2007.

Attack on Edo ACN Secretariat: Okosun clears air

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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ENIN—EDO State Ac tion Congress of Nigeria, ACN, weekend, denied allegations of substitution of councillorship candidates in Oredo and Egor Local Government Areas of the state ahead of the April 20 local government elections in the state, describing the allegation as an attempt to rubbish the leadership of the party by those who failed to impose their stooges on the people.

Some youths of Oredo had, last Friday, stormed the party’s secretariat, protesting the substitution of the councillorship list in five wards of the council after primaries had been conducted last week.

Four vehicles, including one belonging to the state chairman of the party, Mr. Thomas Okosun, were destroyed before a combined unit of mobile policemen and soldiers arrived to disperse the youths.

Vanguard learnt that trouble started in Oredo, when ACN chairmanship candi-

P

ORT HAR C O U R T — G OVERNOR Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, weekend, expressed hope that the Good Governance Tour undertaken by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, will promote healthy rivalry among governors.

The governor, in Port Harcourt, when he received the Good Governance Tour train led by Maku, said, rather than strain relationship among governors, it would promote healthy rivalry.

The governor assured that his administration will achieve its promise of 24 hours uninterrupted power supply in the

luck Okparobo.

However, Okosun who denied insinuations, that he went into hiding last Friday, when the fracas broke out, said the party leadership rejected lists of councilors that were submitted without the input of all the leaders of the party in some wards. He said:

“We are not imposing candidates, it was some of the leaders that brought lists cooked up in their bedrooms and expect us to accept them when other ACN leaders were not put in the picture and I said we cannot accept that.”

VISIT: President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote (left) and Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State, during a visit to the governor in Benin City.

Delta community vows to shut down NPDC operations

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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ARRI—DISTRESSED indigenes of Diebiri, an Ijaw community in Warri South-West Local Govern-

Good governance tour'll promote rivalry among govs — Amaechi

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

date in the council, Osaro Obazee, discovered that the forms issued to chairmanship candidates and councilors by Edo State Independent National Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, was given to one of the youth leaders, Osakpanwa Eriyo instead of the chairman of the party in the council, Mr Good-

state this year.

Amaechi, who spoke when he conducted the train around the state power project at Omoku, said all efforts were geared towards achieving the target of the state government of providing uninterrupted power supply in the state.

The train went round most of the projects embarked upon by the Amaechi administration.

On his health programme, the governor, said his administration had built 120 health centres, adding that they were functioning with doctors.

Meantime, Maku said the tour was to showcase the achievement of various state governments.

He said it was devoid of politics and other sentiments.

ment Area of Delta State, weekend, issued a 14-day ultimatum to Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, and threatened to shut down the company’s operations.

The community, host to NPDC, which is operating OML 42, said its grouse was that the company not only neglected them, but failed to enter into a well speltout Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with host communities and clean up their polluted environments.

The community, in a statement by its Governing Council Chairman, Mr. Ako Samuel, said that

it was joining forces with other aggrieved communities because of the “uncooperative and obnoxious attitude of NPDC by denying and marginalizing host communities.

“Since NPDC took over the asset of Shell Petroleum Development Company, for about two years now, there is nothing to show for its presence in our communities, rather, the communities are facing one form of oppression, intimidation or the other.

“On July 5, 2012, 200 barrels of crude oil were spilled into our environment due to

equipment failure. Till date, NPDC has not bothered to contain or recover the spill, but bluntly refused to carry out clean-up, remediation or pay compensation to the impacted communities. All efforts to resolve this matter proved abortive.”

Describing as “a tragedy, the ruin of the ecosystem without them having a taste of the benefits arising therefrom,” the community demanded that “all contracts in OML 42 should be given to host communities’ contractors in line with the Local Content law."

INEC must register APC—Oyegun

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—FORMER gov ernor of Edo State and a member of the Steering Committee of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday, said it would be foolhardy for Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to register the merger party, insisting that Nigerians were eagerly awaiting the party.

He spoke in Benin, Edo State.

Chief Oyegun, who was react-

ing to media reports that INEC might not register APC, said: “I will not want to join the speculation that INEC will not register APC. It will be a dangerous thing to do because the people of this country are waiting for APC, for hope, aspiration and focus which the dawn and birth of APC represent.

“I don’t see them not registering APC. It will be a foolhardy thing to do and I don’t think our nation is that crazy.”

He said that APC as a political party will be launched in the next two months, adding:

“We have been working on details, setting up committees, constitution, logo and flag. In fact, we have reached a tentative agreement that everything will be streamlined and polished within a month.”

On comments by Nigerians that APC was dead on arrival and would not see the light of day, he said: “Let them go on living in a fool’s paradise. We are going on, doing what we need to do to salvage this country. And I have never seen such enthusiasm, commitment and I think a new dawn is about to come on this country.”

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Demolition: I'll step on toes —Delta commissioner

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

A

S A B A — D E LT A State Commissioner for Environment, Chief Frank Omare, yesterday, said he was ready to step on toes in carrying out the demolition of illegal structures commencing today, in Asaba.

Speaking to Vanguard in Asaba, Omare said: “There is no going back on the demolition of the illegal structures. It is unfortunate that some persons knew the right thing to do yet they built on waterways and unapproved portions.

“Look at the Head Bridge in Asaba, it is a sham. Anambra people have cleared their side and here, people have turned it into a ghetto.

This the gateway to the East."

2015: Jonathan didn't sign agreement —Yakassai

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor

T

HE mystery over Pres ident Goodluck Jonathan’s alleged agreement with northern governors of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2011 not to contest the 2015 presidential election deepened, yesterday. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, who blew the lid on the issue, it was learnt, had warned his close associates and top aides not to comment on the matter. It was also learnt yesterday, that the governor may have been mandated to make the revelation on behalf of northern governors. Governor Aliyu is chairman of Northern Governors Forum.

Alhaji Tanko Yakassi, one of the leading members of the Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF, told Vanguard, yesterday, that an attempt by the forum to get the

president to concede the 2015 presidential ticket to the north failed after two meetings. Yakassi’s assertion, nonetheless, other northern opinion leaders, yesterday, pointed to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s claim on the final day of PDP campaigns where he was quoted as saying that President Jonathan would serve one term.

President's supporters disparage claims Supporters of the president last night disparaged the claims.

Mr. Joe Ambakaderemo, national coordinator of South-South Elements Progressive Union, SSEPU, described the existence of the agreement as inconceivable, outlandish and myopic, saying Aliyu should wait till 2019 to realise his ambition.

Governor Aliyu had, in a radio interview on Saturday, claimed that the president reached an agreement not to contest the 2015 presidential election.

He said: “I recall that at the time he was going to declare for the 2011 election, all PDP governors were brought together to ensure that we were all in the same frame of mind.

“And I recall that some of us said that, given the circumstances of the death of President Umaru Yar ’Adua and given the PDP zoning arrangement, it was expected that the North was to produce the president for a given number of years.

“I recall that at that discussion, it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one term of four years and we all signed the agreement.

Even when Jonathan went to Kampala, in Uganda, he also said he was going to serve a single term."

Yesterday, attempts to get Governor Aliyu to elaborate on the nature of the agreement were not successful as it emerged that the governor had decided to shut himself away from further comments

on the issue. It was learnt that he had strictly instructed aides and associates not to further discuss the issue.

Matter of honour Meanwhile, Alhaji Yakassi, who was Special Adviser to President Shehu Shagari on National Assembly matters and was also a leading member of the NPLF, the northern group that championed a northern presidential candidate told Vanguard yesterday that following the PDP primaries efforts to get the president to agree to serve a single term did not break through.

Claiming ignorance of the alleged agreement with northern governors, Yakassi said it would be a matter of honour for the president, if he ever entered into such an agreement, for him to honour it.

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 —13

THE RECEPTION ORGANISED TO HONOUR THE FIRST LADY, DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN IN ABUJA, YESTERDAY. PIX: ABAYOMI ADESHIDA.

Fom left: First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Helen Mark and former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon during a reception organised to honour the First Lady at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja, yesterday.

From left: Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; former Works Minister, Chief Tony Anenih, and Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali, at the event.

stakeholders.

The party also elected the former Minister of Health, Dr. Tim Menakaya, as its Acting Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, where it also directed that every zone should nominate at least two members for the composition of the BoT.

Interim NWC to conduct congress

From right; President Goodluck Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo; Hajiya Aminat Sambo and former ING Chairman, Chief Ernest Shonekan at the reception.

APGA crisis deepens as faction elects Okwu, Shinkafi as Chairman, Secretary

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

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BUJA—THE All Progres sive Grand Alliance, APGA, faction loyal to Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State Saturday in Abuja elected Mr.

Maxi Okwu as its new Acting Chairman and Alhaji Sanni Shinkafi as Acting National Secretary.

Mr. Okwu until his election, was the National Chairman of Citizens Popular Party, CPP, while Alhaji Shinkafi was the

National Secretary of APGA faction, led by Chief Victor Umeh. Governor Peter Obi was physically present at the National Caucus meeting of APGA, held at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, where the decision was taken by the party ’s

Dr. Menakaya, while presenting the communiqué of the meeting signed by 43 chieftains of the party to journalists, mandated the interim National Working Committee, NWC, to conduct all congresses and National Convention on or before April 30, 2013.

According to the communiqué, “whereas the High Court of Enugu State of Nigeria in a judgment delivered on February 8, 2012 removed the then National Chairman of our great party, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, and other NWC members on the grounds, among others, that their re-election was in breach of the constitution of the party.

“Whereas the National Caucus of the party has today February 16, 2013, summoned an emergency meeting to holistically review the court judgment, merger and other incidental issues related thereto.

“Parts of the resolutions at the meeting as contained in the communiqué include, that “the party has accepted the judgment of the High Court of Enugu State in good faith and will abide by it, in order to move the party forward.

“That our great party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance, has never been consulted or participated in any discus-

sion about any merger, alliance or whatever union with any political party or parties. We state categorically and unequivocally that APGA is not part of any merger arrangement.

“That Mr. Maxi Okwu and Alhaji Sanni Shinkafi are by majority vote of the stakeholders present, elected as the new Acting National Chairman and Acting National Secretary respectively of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA , to hold the offices, pending the conduct of a national convention.

Confidence vote on Obi

“That all the other former NWC and NEC members were unanimously elected to serve in the interim NWC and NEC of APGA. “The meeting passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of Mr. Peter Obi, Governor of Anambra State, as the National Leader of the party. That the interim NWC is mandated to conduct all congresses and national convention on or before April 30, 2013.

The stakeholders who attended the meeting include, the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Emeka Sibeudu, former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Okey Udeh, former NWC member, Chief Chris Ejike Uche, Mr. Obinna Obiegue, Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba, Hon. Chris Azubogu, Hon. Victor Ogene, Hon. Cyril Egwuatu, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwogbo and Prof. Dora Akunyili.

Others include, Dr. Okey Ude, Dr. Gbenga Afeni, Hon. Chuma Nzeribe, Abubakar Adamu, Dr. Sagir Auwal Maidoya, Lawal Ashiru Barma, Chief Innocent Akalazu, Hon. Nwali Chinedum, Alfred Nwosu, Hon. Edwin Alor, Alhaji Ibrahim Carefor, Chief Mrs. Christiana Duroha, Mrs. Ella Nwabueze and Chief Dickson Ogu, Bernard Akoma and Col. Geof Onyejegbu among others.

14 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FUBRUARY 18, 2013

2013 Budget not padded —Rep zSays we don’t need court intervention to override Jonathan’s veto

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN

A

OVUAKPORIE

BUJA—CHAIRMAN of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, John Owan Enoh, has declared that the National Assembly never padded the 2013 budget.

He also stated that NASS had enormous constitutional powers that required no further court interpretation to override President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto on the 2013 Appropriation Bill.

Enoh, who appeared at the inaugural media hot seat series organized by the House of Repre-

sentatives Press Corps last weekend, said: “We have no doubt on the constitutional powers we have, and so would not approach the court.”

He added that the federal legislature had been offered 30 days constitutionally to override the President’s veto on any Bill, and quickly pointed out that by his calculation, the required 30 days had not expired on the 2013 Appropriation Bill.

Both legislative Houses had separately passed the 2013 Appropriation Bill of N4.987 trillion on December 20, 2012, but was

yet to be assented to by President Jonathan over differential issues which Enoh said both the executive and leadership of the legislature were meeting to resolve.

Return of Bill to National Assembly by Presidency According to him, the allegation that the budget Bill was returned by the Presidency to the National Assembly is untrue.

He noted that “the channel of returning any Bill, not just the Appropriation Bill, is usually formal, and that has not been done.”

Enoh explained that if the assent was done soon, there was hope that the country would do better in terms of budget implementation than the previous years.

He, however, conceded that he was personally worried as Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House that its work remained uncompleted until the Bill became law, especially with its early passage.

He denied that the National Assembly padded the budget for selfish reasons. ”The word padding (of budget) is not a civil language in a democracy,” he said, pointing out that if some proposals in the opinion of standing committees were cut and re-distributed somewhere else where such may prevent a project from being abandoned, it

would be agreed that there were adjustments for the benefit of Nigerians.

He added that his committee did not get any directive to pad the Bill, and neither did it have the powers to do so.

Assenting to the Bill He also denied the assertion that the executive was always reluctant at assenting to the budget Bill over alleged inclusion of “unimplementable” constituency projects by members of the National Assembly, blaming such developments on deliberate lack of will by government ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, to develop a template for implementing such projects over the years.

He said: “What is lacking is the will to do what is needed by the MDAs, and this is something that has come out of lingering issues of who have greater powers on the budget. “ This has being a repeated issue and what is expected is for the MDAs to develop a template for implementation of the projects.”

Pension scam: Etuk-Gaya c’ttee misinformed Senate —PRTT zSays misappropriation allegations are false

BY CALEB AYANSINA

A

BUJA—THE Pen sion Reform Task Team, PRTT, yesterday, described as baseless and untrue allegations of misappropriation of pension funds against it by Senator Etuk-led Senate committee on Pension probe.

The Team explained that it had not received budgetary allocation since it was inaugurated in 2010, adding that everything of its activities was subjected to approval of the Head of Service, even as it noted that the money recovered was done through the anti-graft agency.

A statement by spokesperson of the Team, Hassan Salihu, said: “These spurious allegations are the product of Etuk-Gaya Senate Pension Probe Committee who bitterly hates the Pension Task Team with an intense emotion. ”There are no established facts to support all these allegations. Thus, the distinguished Senate Pension Probe Committee has grossly misinformed and misled the entire Senate with a fictitious report muddled up with a multitude of naked untrue and misleading unjustifiable conclusions against the Pension Reform Task Team. ”It is important for Nige-

rians to equally know that since the inauguration of the Pension Team in June 2010 to date, the National Assembly has never appropriated one naira for the Pension Reform Task Team in its Appropriation Acts of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. ”Where and how the Pension Team could have misappropriated funds when nothing has been appropriated to it by the National Assembly? ”The Task Team is not a statutory body. Thus, the Head of Service has the exclusive rights for expenditure control of his Office. All financial or material engagements of the Task Team are subject of approvals from the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. ”There is no period when the Chairman of the Pension Task Team who is an ordinary “Assistant Director” became the Head of Civil Service of the Federation? ”Hence, the Pension Team emphatically states that it has no power of approval of one naira over the pension offices that it has so far structured. Pension Task Team has not yet been provided operational budget neither has it any bank account to date.

Vanguard , MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013—15

Peace ruptures in Jos as residents panic over shooting

BY TAYE OBATERU

J

OS—PANIC has gripped many residents of the Plateau State capital following Saturday’s shooting of two people by a member of the Special Task Force, STF, which left one of them dead.

The deceased identified as Dauda Watley, a security man in the University of Jos, was said to be on his way to work in a commer-

cial cab at about 10.30 am when he met his untimely death.

The shot fired at the driver by the soldier for allegedly driving against the traffic pierced through his (driver’s) shoulder and hit Dauda who was sitting directly behind the driver, on the chest killing him.

The driver was said to have in trying to beat the traffic jam between Miango Junction and Old Airport Junction taken the other side of the dual carriage

way and was driving against the traffic when the soldier fired at the vehicle.

The driver is currently hospitalized while the deceased’s body has been deposited at the Nigerian Air Force Hospital mortuary.

Confirming the incident yesterday, spokesman of the STF, Captain Salisu Mustapha said preliminary investigations indicated that the soldier attempted to stop the driver who took one-way while approaching the guard location and

had to open fire when the driver tried to maneouver his way instead of stopping as ordered.

He said the driver’s action was suspicious considering the level of insecurity in the country, adding that the soldier has been taken into custody for interrogation.

He urged the people to avoid acts of lawlessness and cooperate with security men whom he said were posted to the state to protect them.

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

N

IGERIA Inter Reli gious Council, NIREC, has called on government to fish out those responsible for the killing of health workers in Kano State and prosecute them accordingly.

In a statement at the end of its 2013 first quarterly meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, jointly signed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and cochairman of the council, other co-chair, Pastor Ayodele Oritsejafor, President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, as well as Prof Is-haq Oloyede, National Coordinator, the council

Health workers: NIREC wants FG to fish out killers expressed worry over the persistent killing and destruction of property through acts of terrorism, religious intolerance, communal strife and pipeline vandalism in the country.

It lamented the deterioration of security and killings under the cover of religion, especially when it stated that no religion teaches violence.

In the statement, NIREC condemned the attack on the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero and killings of health workers, noting that the outbreak of political violence was associated with poverty, underdevelopment and mal-distribution of resources, while calling for equity and justice, which it said was the basis for peace in any society.

It noted: “The Federal Government must exhibit the political will to tackle all forms of security challenges using its relevant agencies".

Saraki flags off roads rehabilitation in Kwara Central

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI

I

LORIN—THE Senator representing Kwara central at the National Assembly, Dr Bukola Saraki, yesterday, flagged off rural roads scheme within the senatorial district, saying the essence was to ensure that feeder roads in the district are motorable.

The former governor said he has dedicated two graders for this purpose and that these would be made available free of charge, upon the receipt of such request from any community in Kwara central.

The programme which attracted the presence of Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed was flagged off at Joro, OkoErin ward in Ilorin West local government area.

The elated Governor Ahmed assured the people of the district that “any such feeder road graded by our leader, will be immediately tarred by the state government.

He praised Saraki for the initiative which he described as novel in the history of the state.

16 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 GHOST workers are the latest buzz words for governments. Yerima Ngama, Minister of State for Finance sounded triumphant when he announced that 45,000 ghost workers who earned more than N100 billion, had been discovered on the pay roll of the Federal Government after auditing 251 Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs. There are still 321 MDAs to be audited.

Ngama in May 2012 had announced the discovery of 3,400 ghost workers through the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System, IPPIS. It appears the 45,000 ghost workers are the ones unearthed in the past eight months.

Clearly, the IPPIS scheme introduced since the Obasanjo administration is so slow paced that it may take awhile to authenticate the federal staff list. The same disturbing news comes from all parts of the country. · Attorney-General of Zamfara State Garba Gajam noted in 2011 that a month-old baby who had been in the State’s pay roll for about three years, drawing N24, 000 monthly was among 2,000 ghost workers in the State. · The National Identity Management

A Countr ts Countryy Of Ghos Ghosts Commission in 2011 discovered that 4,800 of its 10,300 staff were ghosts. · A fake Commissioner was in the service of Plateau State with 5,000 ghost workers. · In Kano State, 8,000 ghost workers have been found. · Kebbi State discovered 9,300 fake workers in its local government system. · More than 7,000 ghost workers were unearthed in Delta State. · 8,000 ghost workers were in Rivers State pay roll.

These may only be the preliminary findings.

No state or government agency seems exempt from the business of inflated staff lists.

Ghost workers and their sponsors have

formed organised crime rings with national reaches. There are no attempts to find the kingpins – it follows that nobody is punished for crimes costing the country billions of Naira annually.

Is the challenge beyond solution? Former Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Hassan Dankwambo, now Governor of Gombe State said in 2009, “Knowing the total number of federal government staff is one of the challenges we have today. To tell you the number that we pay today, may be you’ll have to go to the Budget Office to extract that from the documents that can fill the room. ” The relevant authorities can act fast by auditing the remaining 321 MDAs but they cannot wait to punish the perpetrators of the crimes that are denying the country billions of Naira required to attend to urgent infrastructure needs.

Government is treating the matter with minimal urgency, understating the implications and criminality involved. We are not dealing with ghosts. We are dealing with criminals and there are appropriate laws to punish them. The only ghost is government’s willingness to act

OPINION

BY CHUKWUEMEKA NZEMIRO

I

AM always in a quagmire between Free Market Economy, FME and Government Social Responsibility, GSR. It is like standing between the devil and the deep blue sea.

If we deregulate the Petroleum Industry, will it make fuel more available and affordable? Will people stop vandalising NNPC pipelines and setting them on fire?

Just like Arepo in Ogun State.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has been thumping his chest, that when he came in as President in 1999, telephone lines, aka 090 ..., was more than N250,000 per line, but before he left in 2007, you could obtain a phone and a line for as low as N2,500. I am not a mathematician; could somebody please work out the percentage drop?

The free marketers capitalised on this and have been shouting themselves hoarse, that only deregulation will bring the prices of petroleum products down on the one hand.

The recent NNPC pipeline fire disaster in Arepo, Ogun State has become their linchpin.

On the other hand, the social critics have been blasting the government that they have a social responsibility to keep subsidising petroleum products. They keep enunciating the hazardous consequence that is attendant with deregulation. They have not given a thought to the fact, that though there may be initial teething problems, with time petroleum products’ prices would come crashing, just like telephone and its lines.

Nigerians are adamant, just like Peter Tosh

NNPC: Surviving fire disasters sang, “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.”

Investors said that market prices are not competitive enough, so they cannot invest in petroleum refineries. They gave the government a long shopping list, which would be near impossible to fulfil.

I found out to my chagrin, that despite our being the seventh in the line of World Petroleum Exporting and Producing Countries, we are the only one that import petroleum products. Our refineries, in terms of refining capacity, are about the 54th in the world.

Let’s look at a few of the refining capacity of some refineries in the world.

Jammager Refinery India- Refines 1.2million barrels a day. Falco in Venezuela refines-940,000 barrels/day .. SK Energy of South Korea refines 850,000 barrels/ day.

Exxon Mobile Singapore refines 605,000 barrels a day. Ras Taura of Saudi Arabia refines 550,000 barrels a day.

Nigeria has three refineries: Kaduna refinery NNPC- 110,000 barrels a day; Port Harcourt refinery NNPC- 210,000 barrels a day; Warri refinery NNPC125,000 barrels a day.

These combine to translate to 445,000 barrels a day, which is not up to one of the refineries mentioned above.

Venezuela with a population of 29 million has about 11 refineries, one of which is

vandalism

and

Falco refinery with a refining capacity of940,000 barrels a day. So she refines all her petroleum and exports the products.

Can you beat that?

A

nd Nigerian refineries hardly achieve 60 percent refining capacity mostly due to sabotage, but this is a topic for another day. Even those in the NNPC and their GMD would be in same dilemma. If they should advise government to deregulate the Petroleum Industry, knowing that it is the only way, there would be abundance of petroleum products. People would call for their heads, that they are trying to shirk their responsibility which is provision of petroleum products everywhere in Nigeria at affordable prices.

I do not in all Godly sincerity know the current GMD of NNPC. I do know that his name is Yakubu. I cannot, however, tell whether that is his first or surname; but I am convinced that whatever hand he has put on the plough of NNPC (petroleum products wise) is yielding dividend.

Following the fire disaster at Arepo, there was panic everywhere, especially in the South West region of Nigeria. This was compounded when the Ogun State Governor came out firing from all cylinders, putting the blame on NNPC. He accused NNPC of aiding pipeline vandalism in the state, adding that it did not take enough

precautions to prevent the vandalism.

NNPC countered that the lands adjoining pipel ine right of way is not under them to control, or demolish obstructing structures.

It said that the state government, in a bid to make money, allocate the lands around the perimeter fence of the pipelines-which for security reason should be a free land zone.

This is to grant access to the pipelines in cases of disasters..

I think it would be wise that all states that harbour NNPC pipelines should work out a combined management team with NNPC to ensure right of passage and remove any existing structure on the way, if that is not in existence. This should also include the setting up of a joint community vigilante for pipelines as well as high-tech monitoring schemes for all NNPC pipelines in Nigeria.

It was quite re-assuring to hear the NNPC spokesman assure Nigerians that the Arepo fire disaster would not lead to any shortage of petroleum products.

That NNPC will do everything within its power to restore normalcy in the Arepo area. As I write, I learnt repair works have been completed in the area and supply of petroleum products re-started.

NNPC should be commended for prompt response and for the assurance that there will be no fuel scarcity. Panic buyers have been stopped in their tracks.

This is how it should always be. Prompt response to disasters.

*Dr. Nzemiro, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Owerri, Imo State.

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S

Massacre of life savers preachers in dark corners of the world such as Afghanistan and tribal areas of inner Pakistan, the core theatres of Taliban and Al Qaeda activities, was once bruited here in Nigeria about some years ago.

Polio, the virus that cripples people,

Saving the Papacy

F

ATHER Joseph Rat zinger, the man who assumed the identity of Pope Benedict XVI, has done what is common in the civilised world, especially the West, but uncommon for occupants of the Papacy. On Tuesday, February 12th 2013, he suddenly announced to a stunned world that he would be abdicating his seat on February 28th 2013 because his body and mind, at nearly 86, could no longer carry on the enormous duties of governing the world single largest religious denomination: the Roman Catholic Church.

This is dramatically opposite to the disposition of his now beatified predecessor, the late Pope John Paul (II) who held onto the seat until his demise, despite years of gradual but obvious physical and mental deterioration. In fact, when a reporter

Pope Benedict XVI: Resigned

asked the late Pope if he shouldn’t consider coming down from his seat, he replied that since Jesus did not come down from the cross he would not come down.

It is a matter of style, isn’t it? But I admire the decision of Pope Benedict to break a 600-long trend of dying in office to give the Papacy and the Catholic Church an opportunity to march on, rather than being tied to the ageing circumstances of its Holy Father. One man should never be considered bigger than any institution, let alone the oldest Christian sect with over 1.2 billion faithful worldwide.

The Church is faced with many challenges, especially the steady push of worldly liberalism against the principles of Christianity as Christ divined them. Homosexuals want to be accepted as “normal” people, perhaps “ normal” enough to produce a pope one day!

Women want to be Catholic Fathers. So far, the conservative attributes of modern popes have kept them at bay.

It is only a physically and mentally fit pope that can cope. I wish Pope Benedict XVI long life and improved health in retirement, till the Lord invites him to His closer embrace.

especially children, and renders them helpless for life, had all but been eradicated in Nigeria until the likes of Dr. Datti Ahmad and some emirs in northern Nigeria suddenly took it to their heads that the vaccination was a ploy to harm the Muslim population.

While the vaccination was suspended polio made wildfire resurgence in the north and started endangering other parts of the country. It took the intervention of well-meaning Islamic

,

OMETIMES it is difficult not to be ashamed to be a Nigerian. The stories that come out of our country these days portray how hard it is to imagine the workings of evil minds.

Penultimate weekend, this year ’s vaccination against the polio virus was launched across the nation. It went well in most parts of the country except in two states of Northern Nigeria – Kano and Yobe.

In these two states, terrorists opened fire and murdered nine women, all medical workers who were administering the polio vaccines on children. Stories in the media had it that some radio presenters in Kano “incited” the violence, saying that the vaccines were created by the American Central Intelligence Agency CIA) to sterilise Muslim children to disable them from having babies when they grew up. This cock-and-bull story, which usually comes from renegade

After this incident, tell me how easy it is going to be for health workers to agree to participate in this laudable exercise in the north? How will polio ever be eradicated without first eradicating the forces of darkness perpetrating terrorism, including those supporting them through funding and propaganda?

,

leaders, particularly the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adu Abubakar III, before the exercise could resume.

Now, terrorists, particularly Boko Haram, appear to have appointed themselves as the enforcers of the war against polio and other vaccinations in the north. Nine angels of mercy,

deployed to save children from a life of disfigurement, destitution and begging, were summarily put to death by people who want us to believe they are soldiers of a religion.

After this incident, tell me how easy it is going to be for health workers to agree to participate in this laudable exercise in the north? How will polio ever be eradicated without first eradicating the forces of darkness perpetrating terrorism, including those supporting them through funding and propaganda? How are we going to stop the ugly sights of disfigured citizens in all major towns of Nigeria (especially the more prosperous south) littering the streets in their thousands and begging for a living when, if sanity had prevailed, they could easily have been like any of us contributing their quotas to the greatness of this country?

W

hy is religion used by northerners as an instrument to destroy their region, its peoples, and infrastructure; a tool for hatred, violence and bloodshed rather than a model for development? Why is it that only destructive precepts are imported into this country with a view to wreaking havoc? Why can’t those killing innocent people and destroying expensive public and private property copy the positive attributes of progressive Islamic countries, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Qatar, United Arabs Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others? Must it be the lands forever bound for self-destruction through extremism, such as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Chad, Sudan and Algeria that our people want to copy?

As I mentioned above and repeatedly before, it is about time people came out of the delusion that the terrorists are fighting the cause of any religion.

We are made to understand that the nine murdered women were Muslims working to save the lives of children of (predominantly) Muslims. A few weeks ago, it was Alhaji Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano, the fourth most prominent Islamic leader in Nigeria that was gunned down and is still being treated in a foreign hospital.

It is time we all got up to apprehend this scourge or else the north will soon be overcome by anarchy. Terrorists are dangerous, both to themselves and everyone else!

OPINION

BY MAGNIUS ONIYBE Continued from Fridayviewpoints

S

IMILARLY,El-Rufai argues in his treatise that his former boss , OBJ was fully interested and involved in a third term bid which was shot down by a defiant Senate led by Ken Nnamani, a proposition which OBJ has consistently denied.

As an elder statesman,it is expected that OBJ's latest book would affirm or dispel rumours about his alleged vice grip on Nigeria's political umbilical cord and articulate his love for a country and people who gave him opportunities twice to steer the ship of state both as a military dictator and about 20 years later ,as a democratically elected president. After all,it is said that "lightening does not strike the same place twice " but OBJ seem to be an exception to that rule.

Until these highly explosive books by Odili, Abubakar, El-Rufai and OBJ quartet are fully unfurled,we may not fully comprehend the import of the narratives on Nigeria's political space, but relying on the snippets which l have been privileged to read,l can testify that there are nuggets of uncommon wisdom in the books which would ,if read together,be a delight for a researcher on Nigeria as each book appears to form a critical missing component of a grand picture of the political jigsaw called Nigeria.

At the risk of sounding patronising,it is hoped that sooner than later,our first intellectual president by virtue

Intellectualising Nigeria's ethnic nationalism (2) of the fact that he holds a Doctor of Philosophy, President Goodluck Jonathan would join the growing ranks of political autobiographers which now bestride the political horizon of Nigeria.

Considering the poor reading culture of Nigerians, is the book campaign as efficacious as traditional political indoctrination platforms such as rallies and town hall meetings? There is a school of thought that suggests that the strategy maybe flawed because using books as a campaign tool does not correspond with the Nigerian reality as it is mainly the elite who read books implying that the masses who are critical to elections are left out of the loop.However, the other side of the argument is that politics is driven by the elite who are the agenda setters so the idea of a book campaign is to capture the elite class through books and expect them to cascade the ideology down the line to the grassroots.

What ever the case maybe,the expectation that more politically motivated autobiographies would find their way to our book shelves before 2015 is a legitimate thought.

Clearly, Nigeria's politics has evolved from the days of

violence hallmarked by the 'wetie ' syndrome of the western region,to non violent street protests that featured during the civil society struggle for the then vice president Goodluck Jonathan to be elevated to the position of acting president when president Yar'Adua was incapacitated by illness.Thankfully, a looming constitutional lacuna was resolved by the National Assembly,NASS via an ingenuous enactment of the famous Doctrine of Necessity.How can we also forget the January ,2012(our own equivalent of Arab spring) when Nigerian Labour Union,NLC led peaceful street protests across Nigeria sparked by the sudden fuel pump price hike which compelled authorities to reverse themselves.

Amongst all the chronicled political developments in nearly 14 years of the practice of party democracy in Nigeria,the aspect that resonates with me the most is the affirmation of the dictum "The Pen Is Mightier than The Sword" reflected in the present resort to political intellectualism via book publishing by political gladiators jostling for 2015 as opposed to political vandalism/thuggery with the attendant sorrow,tears and blood (to borrow a phrase from the late Afro Beat king,Fela Ransome Kuti) which was the regular trademark of politics of yore in Nigeria.

Concluded

*Mr. Oniybe, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Abuja.

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Crude lifting: Indigenous firms call for higher allocations zSeek tax exemptions L

BY CLARA NWACHUKWU

AGOS—NIGERIAN compa nies participating in the nation’s crude oil sales have called on the Federal Government to increase allocations granted to them, as a way of boosting indigenous capacity.

The oil lifters, some of whom comprise oil marketing companies also asked that specific percentage of the crude oil be reserved strictly for the indigenous companies.

Championing the cause in a telephone interview with Vanguard, the Group Chief Executive, Oando Plc, Mr, Wale Tinubu, also said that government could go a step further to grant such local companies some tax incentives.

Tinubu said: “We are in absolute support of growing indigenous capacity in every facet of our oil and gas industry. This is because the local companies are paying their taxes, reinvesting their capital and creating enormous job opportunities for the larger community.”

He argued that with such encouragements Nigerian participation in the industry will rise significantly in line with government’s aspirations with the Nigerian Content Act. “If we had not grown enough to extend our portfolio management to trading and marketing, we probably won’t be lifting oil today. If we had not gone into gas, we would not have participated in that sector either. And this can only come by way of encouragement by creating an enabling environment for companies to explore their potential.”

Inadequate capacity and licence hawking However, the inclusion of Nigerian companies in crude exports has come under heavy criticisms on account of what has often been described as their inadequate capacity to handle such businesses.

Many of those approved for such contracts have been known to go hawking such licences to the highest bidder, thereby defeating the objectives for their inclusion.

A Presidency source, who spoke with Vanguard on the telephone in confidence, simply described such companies as “racketeers.” According to him, “Those guys don’t really want the allocations; all they want is to get the papers and go abroad to hawk them.”

Indeed, it has been alleged that Nigeria is losing billions annually on account of such inefficiencies, a development that made critics to describe the allocations as more of “political patronage.”

But rushing in defence of his

peers, Tinubu noted that such practices may not be avoided for now, given current capacity.

“You cannot completely escape from paper hawking for now because due to inadequate capacities, some of these companies need to enter into joint venture, JV, agreements with some foreign companies for technical expertise. This will continue to happen until they are able to build capacity. As you know, capacity is built over time,” he argued.

With regard to Nigerian companies not having adequate vessels for such export businesses, the Oando boss noted that globally trading companies hired vessels from professionals for such operations, adding that it was not peculiar to Nigerian companies alone.

Other Nigerian companies also contacted refused to speak on the export programme. The Group Chief Executive, Sahara Group (one of the participating companies), Mr. Tonye Cole, who said he was in a meeting at the time of Vanguard call, did not respond to his text message or pick his calls thereafter.

The Vice Chairman, AITEO, another local company, Mr. Tunde Akinpelu, said he was not comfortable to speak on the subject, especially as he had not met Vanguard’s writer before.

But some other Nigerian companies, which spoke in confidence urged government to reduce some of the other criteria for participation, particularly the value for the annual turnover and net worth of the company, which was pegged at $500 million and $100 million respectively as at the 2011 advertorial.

According to them, “Government should review the amount for indigenous players because the foreign companies have the financial muscles to achieve this, but some of us do not. We all know the cost of borrowing in this country, but the foreign companies get their facilitates at between five and seven per cent interest rates.”

Participation requirements Some analysts blamed the stringent participation requirements for the low participation of Nigerian companies in the crude export programme.

The crude export programme is handled by the Crude Oil Marketing Department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The Department shortlists candidates

for the programme and forwards the list to the Presidency through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources for approval.

Each round of lifting is usually advertised, with the NNPC calling for “Invitation for Crude Oil Term Contract Application.”

The advertorial usually signed by the Group Managing Director, NNPC, also specifies the period, mostly January to December of a given year.

The advertorial also usually stipulates who may apply, other conditions for applying, the modalities and method of application, as captured below from the NNPC’s website:

Requirements for Marketing Crude Oil: Those who wish to buy and sell Nigerian crude oil must demonstrate their commitment to the oil industry through allocation of adequate resources of capital, equipment and manpower to the general business of prospecting, exploration and production of crude oil.

Crude Oil Marketing Those eligible to apply: An upstream investor who has acquired an oil prospecting license and must have completed a minimum amount of work on the concession.

Who may apply for crude oil licence: Local Refineries International Refineries Internationally recognized Oil & Gas traders

Who may purchase Nigerian Crude Oil A bonafide end user who owns a refinery and sales outlet.

An established and globally recognised large volume trader proof of its global network, its operations and volumes of crude oil handled in the last three years.

Other Conditions All applicants must have a minimum annual turnover of at least $100 million and net worth of not less than $40 million.

Successful applicants must show commitment to the development of the Nigerian economy by investing any number of opportunities that abound either in the oil industry or gas sector.

Successful companies will be required to post a $1 million performance bond through a first class Nigerian bank in addition to the regular crude oil contract provisions.

Reports indicate that Nigeria loses about N2 trillion annu-

ally to the exclusive use of foreign companies for lifting the nation’s crude which are sold free on board, FOB, rather than on cost, insurance and freight, CIF. Against this background, the Federal Government deliberately decided to include Nigerian companies to promote local content. And the number of local participants continued to increase over the years.

Agency reports said the number of companies on the list grew from 45 in 2011 to about 65 last year, with many Nigerian companies making the list About 28 companies were selected to lift Nigeria’s crude oil in 2008, including bilateral and government-to-government contracts. The figure fell to 24 in 2009, but rose again to 38 in 2010, and to 57 in 2011.

In the 2012 round, about 580 million barrels were sold, valued at nearly $60 billion based on current premiums of the country ’s light, sweet crude to Brent futures.

The tender showed that about 45 per cent of the allocated oil was earmarked for companies either based in Nigeria or owned by Nigerian companies, including NNPC subsidiary, Duke Oil, which doubled the size of its contract from last year to 60,000 barrels per day, bpd.

From left: Prof. Akin Omigbodun, Chairman DOKITA Editorial Board; Prof. Yemi Ogun, Provost, Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Science, Sagamu, Ogun State, and Mr. Oladimeji Oduyebo, Corporate Services Manager, Fidson Health Care Plc, at the 7th edition of Prof. Olu Akinkugbe DOKITA National Inter-Medical School Quiz Commpetion, at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Community backs Edo commissioner-nominee

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN CITY—THE People of Ososo community in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, yesterday, denied the insinuation, that there was crisis in the community over the nomination of Mrs. Aanenna Jemitola as Commissioner in the yet to be constituted State Executive Council.

The community in a letter by Mr. John Bello, backed the nomination of Jemitola, describing as untrue, allegation by some groups from Akoko Edo that she caused disaffection within Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the area while she was Commissioner for Tourism, during Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s first term.

The community in the letter to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, said that contrary to reports that Jemitola had not been involved actively in the political activities in the area, she “attends ward meetings regularly, has a cordial relationship with the Olososo of Ososo and pays routine visit to the palace.

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French, Malian troops secure rebel stronghold near Gao

F

RENCH and Malian troops secured the north Mali town of Bourem yesterday tightening their control over areas where Islamist insurgents have been launching guerrilla attacks to harass the French-led military operation.

“Bourem is a bastion of Islamists,” said a military official from an African military contingent called AFISMA. African troops in this contingent are being deployed behind the French forward lines in the five-week-old intervention by Paris in its former Sahel colony.

Located by the Niger River, Bourem is about 80 km (50 miles) north of Gao at a crossroads between Timbuktu to the west and Kidal to the north, both of which are now under French and Malian government control.

“All the current problems in Gao come from Bourem,” said the official, who asked not to be named. He said there had been no real fighting to take the town.

French leaders have said they intend to start pulling out the 4,000 French troops in Mali in March to hand over security to the Malian army and to the U.N.backed AFISMA force, which is expected to exceed 8,000 soldiers and is drawn mainly

from Mali’s West African neighbors.

Last week two suicide bombers struck at the same checkpoint on the road coming into Gao from Bourem, while insurgents also launched a surprise raid in Gao battling French and local troops.

...as Mali sets 7 July election date

M

ALI will hold nationwide presidential elections on 7 July, the interim government’s territorial administration minister has announced.

It would be a key step to stabilising Mali following the intervention of French troops to oust Islamist fighters from the north of the country, he said.

Legislative elections will follow on 21 July, along with a presidential run-off if required.

Thousands of troops from France and African nations are currently in Mali.

Elections were due in Mali in April 2012, but a coup the month before threw the country into disarray.

The army said it was prompted to act as it was under-resourced to deal with a rebellion in the north that had begun in January.

An alliance of Tuareg separatist and Islamist rebel groups took advantage of the chaos and seized control of the whole of northern Mali an area larger than France.

France intervened last month to help the Malian army oust the Islamist militants.

Tackle youth unemployment, former US envoy tells Jonathan

BY VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU

F

ORMER United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr.Walter C.

Carrington at the weekend called on the government to pay priority attention to youth unemployment so as to reduce security issues

US drafts backup immigration plan

T

HE White House is drafting a backup immigration reform plan in case a bipartisan congressional committee working on a bill fails, an Obama Administration official said yesterday even with a key Republican said the president’s plan would be “dead on arrival” on Capitol Hill.

White House Chief of staff Denis McDonough said the administration hoped that bipartisan efforts would deliver a broadly acceptable package, but wanted a plan B. “We’re doing exactly what the president said we would do last month ... which is we’re preparing. We’re going to be ready,” he said on ABC’s “This Week’ program, confirming a published report on

Saturday disclosing the White House effort.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle are anxious to tackle immigration reform, after the increasingly influential Latino vote turned out heavily in favor of President Barack Obama and his Democrats in the November 2012 election.

USA Today said on Saturday that a draft of a White House immigration proposal would allow illegal immigrants to become legal permanent residents within eight years.

The plan, obtained by the newspaper, also would provide for more security funding and require businesses to check the immigration status of new hires within four years.

currently facing Nigeria.

The former envoy who stated this during a lecture titled “Celebrating the Black History Month” at the University of Lagos said the young population which constitute about 40% of population must be engaged in the development agenda so as to to restrain them from evil.

He said Nigeria has a population made up of 40% of the people who fall under the age of 24. “That is really a great large demography and it is important that these lots are infused with the spirit of possibilities of things that can be done now, because if they remain unemployed, Nigeria is going to have a huge group of people who are unsatisfied”, said.

According to Carrington, this is a group of people who are going to fall prey to acts of violence and crimes.

“There has to be a feeling, transmitting through actions of government that they are in fact looking out for the interest of the young, of the poor, of those who tend to be often over looked in developmental issues”, he further said.

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Why we'll not make noise about the problems of APC — Metuh CHIEF Olisa Metuh, lawyer, politician and businessman is the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Metuh who was elected at the last March convention of the party has reenergized the publicity platform of the party. In this interview in Abuja, Metuh responds to issues concerning the prospects of the party in the face of the merger of opposition political parties, the internecine war in the leadership of the PDP among other issues.

Excerpts:

W

HAT is the position of PDP to the political merger of the major opposition parties?

We are happy with the plans of the opposition parties to merge, we welcome it. We think it is a good development in our democracy.

We wish them the best, but we want them to focus only on issues, no propaganda, no insult, no misinformation to the public. As long as they play according to the rules of the game, Nigerians will be better for it.

The idea of democracy is that there should be a party in power, there should be an opposition that should be vibrant that will tackle the party in power only on issues, policies and programmes.

As long as they bring up policies and programmes for us to debate on it, but a word of caution, they are going to attempt to be big, they will now understand what it is to run a big party.

Teething problems We will witness their conventions, congresses, primaries and they will understand that it is not easy to handle a big party the way PDP is doing it.

They will have their teething problems, but we wish them well. We are not dwelling on it, as a decent party, we do not want to make noise about their own problems and we hope they get it right for the interest of our democracy.

How is the National Working Committee, NWC of the party responding to the recent challenges against the problems you have been facing?

On the issue of the National Executive Committee of the party, there is no problem that we are having, we had a few

challenges, it happens in every company, association, political party and even in family, but it is being over-exaggerated in the media, the party is one, we are totally committed to the ideals and programmes of the party under the ableleadership of the National Chairman, Dr. Tukur Bamanga.

He is the National Chairman of the party, we are working committee members, the governors do not have any problem with the party as Governor Rotimi Ameachi, Chairman Governors’ Forum said and showed in his reception for National Chairman.

We would like the public not to focus on our challenges which we have gotten over, but to focus rather on the programmes, policies of the National Chairman and the impact he has made.

We have seen how vibrant the party has become, we have seen that the National Chairman is defining that a party must get involved in governance, we have seen the National Chairman stressing on discipline, we have seen the National Chairman’s programme, we have seen that he has embarked on the basis

,

BY HENRY UMORU

improper for any individual to bring it out especially when peace has been restored. That matter has been handled at the highest level; I will not wish to comment on it.

What is the party’s position on zoning ahead of 2015?

The best thing to say would have been no comment, but in our usual manner of being very open and transparent with the public I can tell you here that as of today under the constitution of the party and the way we run our programmes, we are going to have primaries in 2015.

We are completely unaware of any thought or any moves to change the constitution of the party. The constitution we have provides that we must have State congresses and national convention.

So, I ask you, is there automatic ticket in the 2012 constitution?

Of course a constitution can be amended at any time if the members decide to do that, if the need arises, I am just telling you what the law says as at now.

Fighting corruption

•Metuh: the progress of the party.

How is the issue of BoT

We are happy with the plans of the opposition parties to merge, we welcome it, we think it is a good development in our democracy, we wish them the best, but we want them to focus only on issues, no propaganda, no insult, no misinformation to the public

to ensure and see exactly what our elected officials are seeing.

These are the things we would plead that you media would highlight on, to show that this National Working Committee is serious about making a meaningful impact in

,

chairmanship affecting the convocation of NEC meeting?

With our constitution and convention, before we have National Executive Committee meeting, we usually have a board of trustee meeting and we have a National Caucus

before we have National Executive Committee meeting.

In the last National Executive Committee meeting, we did not have vacancy in the Board of Trustees Chairman.

Let’s look at the crises in the NWC, have the issues been fully resolved?

On the issue of what happened, it is basically improper for me to start mentioning something that the party has resolved and gone, but I must state here to you publicly that as an elected member of the National Working Committee, I am completely loyal to the constitution of the PDP which I swore to at the convention and that is the first duty that we have.

If a matter has come and has been resolved at the highest level of the party, it will be

I want to stress that no single person owns the PDP, PDP does not belong to any tribe, religion, any individual.

PDP is the only party in Nigeria that is fighting corruption; we are the only party that expose corrupt practices among its members or children of our leaders. There is no other party in this country that has accepted that there is corruption amongst their members.

Even when their people in the House of Assembly and Speaker have problem to do with corruption, their party keeps mute and they cover them. Does it mean that it is only corrupt people that enter PDP? No. However, President Jonathan has decided to engage the fight against corruption by being very open and exposing people close to him no matter how highly placed, we expect other parties, whether they have merged or not, whether they succeeded in merging or not to start this fight against corruption by exposing their members elected and appointed.

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 —47

happen.

The merger is making PDP have sleepless nights — Sen Adetumbi SENATOR Olubunmi Adetumbi representing Ekiti North Senatorial zone on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the Senate in this interview reviews the brewing political face-off ahead of the 2014 gubernatorial election in the state, the merger of the major opposition political parties into a single entity and the culture of mutual respect in the senate among other issues. Excerpts:

BY JOSEPH ERUNKE

W

HAT is your reaction to the adoption of Governor Kayode Fayemi by some ACN leaders for the 2014 election in Ekiti State and the criticism that has trailed it

by Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele?

First and foremost, let us accept that we are running a popular democracy where one of the freedom guaranteed, is the right of expressing and choice and aspirations. To that extent, I think anybody is free to aspire under the Nigerian Constitution and the constitution of our party. By the same token, it is the right of the other people with different persuasions to say this is the person we want.

So, what I see here is an exercise of rights which is not a breach of any law. At the end of the day, the people will make their choice, both within the party and in the general election. I really don’t see any serious disagreement here and there are no breaches of any

type.

You need to visit Ado-Ekiti and tell me what you see. What we are celebrating in Dr Kayode Fayemi is not politics for its own sake; it is a continuity that is evidencebased and performance-driven and it is easily measurable.

It is a product that has advertised itself by virtue of attribute and not because of propaganda. Some people say he is completing Segun Oni’s projects; should he have abandoned them and flushed the commonwealth of Ekiti down the drain in the name of partisanship? Is that the kind of governor we are looking for?

We are looking for governors that recognise issues and the interests of the people; a governor that is able to lay aside partisan divides and works in the interest of the people.

Do you think that the merger of the major political parties would help to dethrone the PDP from power at the federal level?

First and foremost, failure is

•Adetunbi not a destination, but just a pass through. So, if a merger had been attempted in the past and it didn’t work, it is not an enough reason that it should not be explored again. It has to continue until it is gotten right.

I was at a book launch recently, and all the leaders of the political parties there said that the fragmentation of opposition parties in Nigeria is not healthy for our democracy because it is not providing a strong alternative to a behemoth like the PDP. The parties realised that in their small bits and pieces with

different jurisdictions and different scales of influences, they are not strong enough to take on the PDP. The only wise thing to do is to come together and let there be a meeting of minds and that is what is going on.

I can tell you that the reason why this debate is going now is because what ACN and CPC are doing is making some people having sleepless nights and it will continue to be until that merger is consummated and what Nigerians thought is undoable will be done in 2015.

Mark my words, it will

One of the worries in the polity today is that there is no virile opposition today, particularly in the parliament.

What is really happening?

We are not running a parliamentary democracy where you have a formal opposition desk that have its own shadow cabinet so that when the Minister of Labour comes, there is a shadow cabinet of Labour that talks from both sides of the ideological divide.

That is not the kind of constitution we run. Yes, the Senate is one family; we are not supposed to be boxing each other.

But it does not stop people who disagree on issues from raising them. I can attest that when I have strong views to express and I have the benefits to express them, I don’t shy away from doing so.

The nature of our party is such that it has a defined manifesto, a defined programme and a defined ideology and that informs the choices we make on the floor.

Don’t forget that whether you are opposition or not, you cannot speak unless you are called; it is not a market square where you can just shout, like they do in the House of Commons.

The culture of a parliamentary democracy is different from the presidential system. So, things are done by rules and the rules say you will indicate and you are called and when you are called, you express yourself.

If you watch the House of Commons, you don’t wait till when you are called to shout and boo people and actually behave like an opposition.

If you do that here, you are not working in the spirit of the tradition of the chamber.

When PDP hailed Jonathan over federal roads

BY HENRY UMORU

G

IVEN that the Federal Government has repeatedly been blamed for the poor state of federal roads in the country, it was remarkable that the ruling party came out yesterday to shed light on what it claims to be the successes of the administration in that sector.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said it was particularly impressed by the projects executed by the President Jonathan-led PDP administration including the dualization, rehabilitation and maintenance of major trunk roads across the country in addition to the imminent award of the Second Niger Bridge

project.

It is a score that, however, waits for the consideration of other stakeholders notably, the opposition political parties.

The party said it is “highly impressed by the repair of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, the dualization of major trunk roads, the execution of hundreds of other major roads projects spread across the country as well as the recent flag-off of the dualization of the Lokoja-Benin-Auchi road, all in the last nine months.”

Major projects Some major projects listed by the party include the dualization of Kano-Maiduguri Road linking Kano, Jigawa,

Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states, the dualization of OnitshaOwerri Road and Onitsha Eastern Byepass, rehabilitation of Benin-Ore-Shagamu Highway and the on-going work on Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Road Other projects include the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Ijebu-Ajegunle-Araromi-IfeSekona Road in Ogun state, rehabilitation of the KanoDaura-Mai Adua Road in Katsina state, reconstruction of Gombe-Numan-Yola Road in Adamawa state, construction of the Langtag-Lanin-Tunkus Road in Plateau state and the construction of Vom-Manchok Road in Kaduna state.

The party also noted the dualization of Suleja-Minna Road in Niger state,

•Jonathan rehabilitation of Aba- Owerri Road, rehabilitation of Ayangba-Ajaokuta Road in kogi state, completion and

opening of the Kano-Western bye-pass in Kano state and the acceleration of work on the dualization of KanoMaiduguri Road as well as Onitsha-Enugu and IbadanIlorin roads among others in the last nine months.

The PDP said “ with the completed and on-going projects, the President has shown that his administration is indeed committed to his resolve to deliver on his promise to revolutionize the road sector in line with his Transformation Agenda”.

The party therefore called on Nigerians to continue to show support to the Jonathan-led PDP administration which it said is working relentlessly in ensuring that it delivered on its promises to improve the quality of life in the country.

48—Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

G

OVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, who for five months was out of circulation on health grounds, has now proved to be a far better handler of human and public relations than his aides paid from the public treasury to manage his reputation. On Monday, February 13, Chime addressed the press at Government House in Enugu where he disclosed that he was until February 9 in London for treatment of nose cancer. The Governor left the state on September 14 and spent a whole 140 days abroad, the longest period he has ever been out of Enugu. During this period, his aides, including the Commissioner for Information and the Chief Press Secretary, fiercely maintained in public declarations that Chime was hale and hearty and was merely enjoying his accumulated leave in an undisclosed location.

The propaganda by the Governor ’s aides was plain unintelligent. Propaganda can be effective only when it has a considerable element of credibility. The essence of propaganda is to influence the audience, and the audience can be influenced only when the message is believable. How these aides expected the highly intelligent people of Enugu State and, indeed, enlightened Nigerians of the 21st century to accept this hogwash of

an explanation will never cease to beat our imagination. If they had come out clean by telling the public that the Governor had an ailment and was responding very well to treatment, the rumour mill would not have been abuzz with such reports as that he had died in an Indian hospital of diseases ranging from AIDS to liver scoliosis and from mental ill health to heart failure. There would not have been so much tension in the land. Countless civil society organisations would not have risen up, in alliance with the mass of the people, in a ferocious fight against the state government then led by the Acting Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi.

Gov Chime is right in giving credit to his Deputy for holding the forte firmly during the long period of absence. As the Governor recounted before the media in his first public appearance after his return, things were moving very well while he was in London principally because the Deputy Governor and the rest of the cabinet ensured that workers’ salaries were paid promptly, just like contractors who were working on different projects throughout the period. The government machinery operated as though the Governor was in the state in flesh and blood.

To be fair to Chime, he has a record of service delivery. If this well established record is not known to every Nigerian, it is simply because the government

If they had come out clean by telling the public that the Governor had an ailment and was responding very well to treatment, the rumour mill would not have been abuzz with such reports as that he had died

,

does not spend resources recklessly on propaganda. At a time many governors are busy spending fortunes on self-aggrandizement and self-hero worshipping—all in the name of publicity for the state—Gov Chime would rather expend the resources on infrastructure provision and enhancing the people’s living standards. There is no person who can visit Enugu city in particular without being impressed with not just the immensity of basic social facilities but also the quality. He has done pretty well.

S

till, I was one of the civil activists who strongly campaigned for his removal by the state House of Assembly. The 1999 Constitution mandates every state legislature to remove the state governor if he is considered unfit or unsuitable to continue in office on health grounds, for instance.

Convinced that Chime had become incapacitated by a serious

2015: Will mergers really work?

BY ADEWALE KUPOLUYI

A

S a build-up to the general elections, merger talks among key opposition political parties in Nigeria appear to have reached an advanced stage, going by the recent moves and comments emanating from concerned stakeholders involved in the plan to oust the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The PDP, which pride itself as the biggest political party in Africa, had vowed to rule the nation for at least 60 consecutive years before it can hand over to any other political party.

Since 1999, when the current democratic era began, other political parties had made several attempts but failed to dislodge the PDP from power - for its alleged bad governance and absence of democratic dividends - and their last resort is the proposed merger and formation of a formidable alliance.

So far, parties that have shown commitment to the merger plans include the Action Congress of Nigeria of Nigeria, ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, while other parties being courted to join the proposed merger train are the Labour Party, LP and All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. Already, the parties have constituted committees to ensure hitch-free merger talks, aimed at forming a new and formidable party by aggressively galvanizing their supporters to work together at various levels ahead of the general elections.

But how far can they go? In the past, there had been series of talks among the interested parties - mostly in Lagos and Abuja, most especially, throughout last year but it appears that not much could be achieved for a number of reasons.

Point one: Critiques believe that mergers

are merely borne out of selfish interests and not by commonality of ideology, strong philosophical or aspiration in that there is no remarkable distinction between the parties; that is, the biggest threat to the merger is the parties themselves.

Recall the failed attempt in the 2011 presidential election for an alliance between the ACN and the CPC, as well as the botched 2006 merger efforts of the Action Congress and the Alliance for Democracy, to form the ACN. Historically, it appears that opposition parties in Nigeria do not always have a common idea of what they want to achieve collectively in the sense that the parties seem to have been formed to pursue an agenda that are at variance with that of the others, as they are mostly regional parties that are formed to advance sectional interests.

For example, the APGA, an emerging power in the South East is mostly regarded as an ‘Igbo’ party, which is tailored to providing a platform for the a president of ‘Igbo’ extraction.

Pundits in this school of thought and sympathisers to the sentiment maintain that since the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, no Igbo has become president and are hence “marginalized”. It is then natural for the region to reject a merger which does not immediately gratify this desire. This apply to other ethnic groupings in the nation.

Another factor in contention is the element of political suspicion. For instance, it is believed that those involved in the merger plans are mere PDP agents who were sent to ensure that the CPC candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, fails in his political aspiration.

Buhari is believed to be a major obstacle to the bid of the ruling party to hang on to power should the merger arrangement sail through.

Similarly, the ANPP merger plan is said to have pitched the ANPP party chairman,

,

BY RAPHAEL ENEH

,

Lesson from Chime's health saga

illness which his aides were hoarding from the public because of their private gains at our expense, civil society organisations, led by Save Enugu Group, moved for his impeachment. We were driven purely by our love for the state and the need to uphold the Constitution.

There was an unmistakable vacuum in the state leadership. It is to this day difficult to understand why aides of the state governor should treat our citizens in a democracy with so much contempt by telling us that it was proper for the Governor to be away from Nigeria on mere holidays for close to half a year. The explanation that the Governor was entitled to socalled accumulated leave was revoltingly insulting. To be sure, if they had been honest enough to admit that Chime was ill and was receiving adequate treatment, we would have understood. After all, the civil society is not composed of savages and sadists. As Governor Chime spoke frankly and honestly at the press conference, providing important details of his traumatic experience, the atmosphere was full of sympathy and empathy. It was a moving account which the media faithfully reported.

Talking with the benefit of hindsight, it is certain that if the Acting Governor, Mr Onyebuchi, and the Speaker of the state legislature, Anselm Odo, had cooperated with us, the Chime administration would have been history by now. We were working with most people who matter in Enugu, including Chief Enechi Onyia, SAN, who hails from the same place as Chime. Despite the acute and sustained pressure on

Before any merger or alliance can work, the opposition parties would have to break away from their ethnic, parochial and selfish sentiments, and project an enduring and national vision which every Nigerian can share

,

Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and the Trustee chair, former governor Ali Modu Sherrif, against each other, with the party negotiator, Ibrahim Shekarau placed at the heart of the cold war.

While Onu is said to be in support of the merger, Sherrif, on the other hand is opposed to the plan in addition to the choice of former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau as the chairman of the ANPP negotiating committee.

The former Borno State governor had attempted to stop Shekarau's emergence on the ground that he could use the position to re-launch his purported presidential ambition amid the rumoured possibility of a political pay-off for the former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Sani Yerima, being tipped for a PDP appointment, a move perceived to be a ploy to keep the ANPP within the PDP’s area of influence.

On this permutation, the possibility of the ANPP making it to the merger appears rough because the forces against the alliance tend to be growing by the day.

Another major challenge is that of

him, Deputy Governor Onyebuchi remained uncritically loyal to his boss, leading the frustrated chairman of one of our member NGOs to declare him “unambitious” while referring to Speaker Odo as “awfully timid to do the right thing”.

The major lesson of the communication management of the Chime saga is that men and women in the corridors of power should not treat the citizens in a democracy with contempt by engaging in what communication science researchers call black propaganda, that is, the kind of propaganda which ironically ends up making the target become resentful of both the message and the messenger. The resentfulness can lead to serious consequences.

In other words, the embarrassingly poor management of Gov Chime’s illness could have resulted in the Governor’s removal from office, as civil society organisations throughout Nigeria such as Save Nigeria Group, which played an eminent role in the emergence of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as the country’s president in 2010, joined the fray against the Enugu State government. If only Deputy Governor Onyebuchi had been a little ambitious as Dr Jonathan and Speaker Odo as courageous as Senate President David Mark or Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu who came up with the doctrine of necessity which led to the enthronement of Jonathan as Acting President, the story would have been different for Gov Chime.

Enough of all the sycophancy in Government House, Enugu.

Otherwise, the fire next time will consume everyone.

*Dr. Eneh is a member of the Save Enugu Group.

corporate identity in the sense that the three major opposition political parties are having difficulties agreeing on a name, symbol and other identities as they are insisting that any new party resulting from the merger must show their respective dominance.

As the parties are busy with their plans, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said merger propositions must meet the conditions stipulated in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act before they can be legally registered as a new party.

Also, the new party must have been on INEC’s record, long before the commission issues a notice on the election, although the law did not stipulate how long the party must have been registered before the commission issues the notice.

Section 25 of the Electoral Act, however, provides that INEC should issue a notice of election 90 days before an election, while Sections 222 to 225 of the 1999 Constitution, however, stipulates that political parties cannot approach the commission for reregistration or registration as another party.

It is expected that the proposed name of the emerging party, its symbol or logo should ordinarily not contain any ethnic or religious connotation or give the appearance that the activities of the association are confined only to a part of the geographical area of Nigeria; and the headquarters of the association is situated in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This provision may not be easily met by the merging parties.

It is important to know that before any merger or alliance can work or make any difference among the opposition parties, they would have to break away from their ethnic, parochial and selfish sentiments, and project an enduring and national vision which every Nigerian can share.

*Mr. Kupoluyi, wrote from Federal Varsity of Agric., Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 — 49

50— Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18 , 2013

How Al-Qaeda’s terrorism ravages ECOWAS The Emergence of AQIM L-QAEDA in the Arabian Peninsula was formed when members of AlQaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan fled to Yemen.

They were under the leadership of late Anwar Al-Awlaki, the mentor of Abdulmutallab, and mastermind of the plot to blow up North West Delta airline in Detroit in on Christmas day.

The American born Al-Awlaki provided the inspiration for the growth of Al-Qaeda as an international jihad organisation and developed its mode of operational strategies.

Other Al-Qaeda groups include Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb which operates in sub sahara Africa, covering Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Mali, Cameroon and Nigeria. The Salafis Movement operates in Algeria, Western Sahara, Libya.

The Al Shabaah has its operational base in the Horn of Africa extending to the East African states of Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia. Although most of the radical Islamic group pretend to belong to Al-Qaeda, majority of them operate without taking instruction and direction from AlQaeda leadership.

The Ideological camps in AQIM: There are two ideological strands that propel the activities and identities of AQIM which must be mentioned. Just as we have the Shia and Sunni Muslims, there are two camps also known as the Salafi and Surfi Muslims which

A

have two ideological perspectives.

The Surfi Muslims focus on mythical practices, music, dancing the Salafi Muslims take a more theological approach to be more devout and fundamental adherents to the articles of the faith.

Those who they regard as being worldly or corrupt, allies of the west, are regarded as enemies. The Salafi has been more brutal and closely linked to Al-Qaeda ideology which is, the drive towards fundamentalism. In Algeria where the group emerged, it has gone through some metamorphosis since its emergence in 1988. First, the Salafis aligned with Al-Qaeda, citing religious motivation.

•Map of the Sahel

Criminal activities The group has often found comfortable base in countries that have vast and uninhabited terrorists where it would settle its men and commence its criminal activities the southern part of Algeria, Northern parts of Mauritania, Niger, Mali fell into this mode.

It also found operational bases in terrains that have large Muslim population often impoverished, through insensitive governments. AQIM has also thrived in countries with internal conflicts such as Mali, Algeria, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Finally, Al-Qaeda has exploited the weak institutions and poor governance in most of the countries where it chose to

•Late Al-Qaeda leader, Alwaki

•Belmokhtar

operate. These were the conditions present in all those countries where Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been recruiting and training people, raising funds through drug trafficking, gun running and trafficking in organs sales. Such countries as Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Mali, have been used as training grounds from where they infiltrate Nigeria.

As mentioned earlier, since the emergence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, radical Islamic groups have received funds to propagate radical Islamic doctrines. Many young people

have gone to countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan to received Islamic education from the so called Madrasas. They have also received various forms of funds and technical trainings under different forms of bilateral

•Embattled Malians welcome French and African troops coming to rescue them from Islamists

,

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS EDITOR

•President Francois Hollande

The huge population of impoverished population provided the fertile ground for AQIM’s ideology of hate, to thrive. Mauritania was the second country, after Algeria to feel the pang of the destructive ac-

,

The terrain in Mauritania gave the militants the freedom to operate and grow without restriction

technical cooperation agreement but the Nigeria security did not pay close attention to the course content and the curriculum of the education that was being offered to its citizens. The result is that so many graduates of this education programme have over the years been exposed to ideologies of hate and indoctrinated to hate other people who have opposing religious and cultural world view.

Mauritania under AQIM’s scourge: Mauritania is a country with three million people who are predominantly blacks and Arabs.

It has huge land mass of about 4000,000 square km which makes it difficult for the central government to supervise the entire country and even to develop the slaves boundary with Algeria and Mali and forms an important nexus in the operations of AQIM since it formally came into existence in September 2006.

tivities of AQIM in the SahelSahara region.

The vast territory of the country made it difficult for security agents to patrol effectively, hence the AQIM found it suitable to build a base as they have been pushed south ward by the government in Algiers. The terrain in Mauritania gave the militants the freedom to operate and grow without restriction.

They had suitable training grounds in the Mauritanians and desert regions and they captured and recruited people trying to cross the Sahara desert to North Africa and later to Europe. It was from Mauritania that Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar, set up his base. The 19 year old oneeyed jihadist had a gang of 150 men bandits called EL Moulathamoune or Masked brigade. He had tried to be autonomous from the top AlQaeda leaders under Al Wadoud. To be concluded

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 — 51

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N W U D E — I , formerly known and addressed as Dr. (Mrs) Charity Konyegwose Nwude, now wish to be known and addressed as Dr. (Mrs) Charity Konyegwose Chenge. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

PETERS—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Peters Florence Bose, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omoregbe Florence Bose. All former documents remain valid. University of Ibadan (UI), University of A g r i c u l t u r e (UNIAGRIC), Makurdi and general public please take note.

VANGUARD'S LAGOS OFFICE YOU CAN B O O K Y O U R A D V E RT S AT OU R L A G O S I S L A N D O F FI C E — VA N G U A R D MEDIA LIMITED (LAGOS OFFICE) K I O S K 4 8 E A S T P AV I L I O N T B S , LAGOS.

Maina: Textile workers commend Senate’s stance

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

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A D U N A — N AT I O N A L Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, yesterday, commended the Senate for insisting that the embattled Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, PRTT, Abdulrasheed Maina, accused of complicity in the illegal diversion of pension funds in the country, was brought to answer questions.

NUTGTWN in a statement by its General Secretary, Mr. Issa Aremu, noted that by insisting that Maina be made accountable for his alleged deeds, the legislature has proven to be a useful organ of public opinion as well as the nation’s committee for handling public grievances.

Aremu, who is also a Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, believed President Goodluck Jonathan, had the responsibility to safeguard the nation’s assets as well as pay the huge pension liabilities of millions of pensioners in the public sector.

He said: “We commend the principled position of the Senate under the leadership of Senate President, David Mark, on the embattled chairman of the moribund Pension Reform Task Team, PRTT, accused of complicity in the illegal diversion of almost a trillion naira pension funds meant for pensioners in the country. By rightly insisting that Maina be made accountable for his deeds, Nigeria’s legislature has proven to be a “useful organ” of public opinion as well as ‘the nation’s committee’ for handling public grievances. The constant

legislative check on the executive impunity has truly made Nigeria’s democratic process come of age.

“The insistence of 107 senators on police enforcement of the warrant of arrest on the renegade assistant director shows that there is no hiding place for scavengers of the nation’s pension assets.

Woes unto all those who criminally inflict pains and agony on retired working men and women by looting their legitimate claims.

President Goodluck Jonathan has the responsibility to safeguard the nation’s assets as well as pay the huge pension liabilities of millions of pensioners in the public sector.

“To this extent, the President must strengthen and support institutions that safeguard the interests of pensioners such as the Senate and its relevant committees and most importantly National Pension Commission, PenCom. The presidency must not provide sanctuary for some individuals accused of criminally diverting pension funds and undermining the pension market.”

The statement added: “The critical issue is how many pensioners in the relevant public sector institutions have been paid their pensions and gratuities?

Who is responsible for nonpayments? Lastly the president must strengthen the new contributory pension scheme by protecting it against invaders looking for funds for other purposes rather than payment of retirees.

Let no one touch or divert pension asset from its legally sanctioned objectives and whoever does must be brought to justice.”

Andoni royal fathers laud NLC chieftain on projects

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HE chairman of Agwut-Obolo community council of chiefs in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chief U.N Ayauwa, weekend, commended the national vice chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade P.G. Tony Emmanuel for donation of a block of classrooms, reconstruction of the community bridge, the church centre and the Tony Skills Development Centre, TSDC, to the c o m m u n i t y .

Ayauwa said he was surprised at the philanthropic gesture of Tony even as he urged

other well meaning sons and daughters of the community to emulate what he has done.

Meantime, the chairman o f c o m m u n i t y development authority, CDA, Mr. Stanley R. Barabonye said he was not surprised at what Comrade Tony has done adding that majority of what he has been rendering to the community like giving employment to the youths, deployment of youth corps members to schools and even donating his hotel for the corps members’ accommodation are unannounced.

52 —

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

D

At the end of the day . . . joy

,

URING the Nations Cup, the call of duty did not permit me to maintain my column. The General Coordinator at the Nations Cup, or what is simply regarded as GC, runs the tournament at the venues.

As representative of the General Secretary of CAF, he holds meetings on a daily basis. Guarantees quality of team hotels and training venues, He monitors official trainings, supervises youth programmes, chairs Match Coordinating meetings, ensures the Countdown is respected as the official time keeper of matches and on match days does not get back to his room before 1am!

Starting from today, and for the next five days I intend to bring my own contribution to what has become Nigeria’s best sports moment in 19 years.

Space permitting, I will talk about the distraction called “Keshi’s resignation”, I will write on all those who are guilty of stagnating our football, yet are falling over themselves to identify with a success they knew nothing about.

What about all those products and services that are ambushing on the victory, spending millions of naira on publicity they do not merit? Do you know that the fear of the white jersey is still the beginning of wisdom in the Eagles camp?

Space permitting ( Onochie and Tony have promised there will be space) I will tell you about the Nigerian coach who drew CAF attention to the raw eggs that were broken on the Nigerian side of the field before the semi final match against Mali. Yes! Within the week I will also share my personal view on the need to take another look at reward culture, and most importantly, the need to plot a way forward.

It was in Abuja that a reporter asked me “…the way forward and the need to build on this success”.

My answer was quite straight forward. That you build on a foundation you laid. That you can only strategise on a given. But if you happen on victory, if you wake up and the heavens decide to bless you with victory, there is every need to go back to sleep to be able to try and pick up loose threads...

All these and more will come in the course of the week. For today, I want to join all Nigerians in con-

I want to be corrected that there was anytime, Coach Keshi wanted the local players in camp and the NFF declined!

gratulating the Nigeria Football Federation, Coach Stephen Keshi, his technical crew, backroom staff and the Super Eagles players for bringing back joy and glory to this country.

For now, I should be allowed to savour the triumph of this momentous achievement. No sooner had the Algerian referee blown his whistle than phones started ringing all over the country and beyond. The first word that you got to hear was “congratulations” my reply has always been “ To all of us. We thank God “ The calls have not ended. They are still coming.

From Congo, South Africa, the US, Canada…..

Ifeanyi Udeze called from Hong Kong last Friday to express his joy at what God has been able to do for Nigeria in “...the midst of crises….”

The victory of Nigeria carries with it a lot of lessons, which if not studied and analysed will throw us back to square zero.

NFF: We never planned to sack G Keshi

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HE Nigeria Football Federation has dismissed insinuations and dark innuendoes in sections of the media that it planned to sack Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Chief Emeka Inyama said at the weekend that the Federation had not bothered to dignify the insinuations with any response before now as it considered those rumours to be of such low quality undeserving of any attention.

“If an employer sits down with an employee to review performance, with focus on better output, that does not

•Maigari amount to threat of sack. In the civilized world, that happens every other day.

“The NFF never planned to sack Keshi as the Head Coach or the entire technical crew in its entirety. The Executive Committee is made up of decent and responsible Nigerians and we have respect for our employees and their contracts.”

Inyama lamented the desperation by some

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persons to discredit the NFF after the team had emerged triumphant in South Africa.“We do not have anything against people jumping on the train of success after the Super Eagles became champions of Africa. Success has many fathers (and mothers).

But it is uncharitable to try and take anything away from the Federation that worked day and night to achieve the success.

B E N G A Akinyombo and Corporal Adetunji Alaba have won this year ’s men and women categories of the AirtelIndian Golf Cup concluded at the golf section of Ikoyi Club 1938 at the weekend.

In a strong field that paraded the likes of Uwem Udoh, Andrew Oddiri, Jerome Marinho, Gbenga Akinyombo scored 71 net to top the chart and cart home the coveted prize.

He was closely followed by Andrew Oddiri who scored 72 net c/b while Uwem Udoh also with a net score of 72 c/b placed third.

In the Ladies competition decided earlier in the week, Corporal Adetunji Alaba of the Nigerian Police Club, Ikeja won the Guest category.

Folashade Oni of Miccom Club placed second while.

The journey did not start today. It started as far back as the Siasia years, when the Nigeria Football Federation supported a need to look inwards at a time we could not boast quality players at the foreign scene. Keshi came and bought into this programme and countless has been the number of times the football federation has gone cap in hand to be able to make sure that ANYTIME coach Keshi wanted the local players in camp, they were camped.

Sometimes the number was unbearable, yet the football federation bent over backward to make sure that the domestic league vision and programme was not derailed.

I want to be corrected that there was anytime, Coach Keshi wanted the local players in camp and the NFF declined!

I have also said on these pages that my membership of the Technical Committee apart, I challenge anyone to tell me of that football association or federation that had organised as many friendly matches for its national teams as the present board of the NFF. WE must situate the road to this victory. The sacrifices, the sleepless nights, the behind the scene meetings and beggarly appeals for release of funds.

Often, I have had to quarrel with some board members of the NFF on why Keshi and some coaches salaries are not paid as at when due. The answers are not always forthcoming because nobody wants to offend Government, point accusing fingers at a system that starves the NFF of funds, the same governments who today are doling out millions to the team, saints all, thereby painting the NFF black.

Why will the NFF not be broke when they pay the players ten thousand dollars as bonus for beating Rwanda and Malawi and Liberia? Yet President Maigari will tell you “...No regrets, everything will be done to motivate and support them….” Today history is being sacrificed on the altar of short sightedness.

You can imagine a reception for the Super Eagles at the Villa and board members of the NFF are not recognized. They begged for seats to sit………

I repeat, that today, I set out to congratulate Nigeria and Nigerians. No bellyaching. Nothing will sour my joy. Perhaps tomorrow

Akinyombo, Alaba win AirtelIndian Golf Cup Oluremi Olukoya was the gross winner with a score of 80 while Chinyere Ekeocha and Tom Ayonmike placed second and third respectively.

Awofala of the Ewekoro Golf club won the guest category.

The Indian Cup, sponsored by telecommunication giants, Airtel Nigeria, is aimed at promoting the

game of golf in the country, while rewarding the players. An official of the company said, “ it is another move by Airtel Nigeria to highlight its leading role in sports development in Nigeria.”

This year ’s edition of the Indian Cup will attracted both expatriate and indigenous professional golfers and caddies from across the nation.

Kano Pillars

Continues from BP Pirates of South Africa were the biggest winners as the Champions League began with a goal glut.

Zimbabwean Takesure Chinyama bagged four as 1995 champions Pirates triumphed 5-0 in Soweto against the semiprofessionals and students of Djabal from the Comoros Islands.

Pillars, semi-finalists four years ago, were almost as ruthless with a 51 whipping of the visitors from CAR in Kano as Nafiu Ibrahim struck twice.

David Ochieng was another goal poacher to score twice in a preliminary round, first leg tie.

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 — 53

We ‘ll deliver 2014 W/Cup ticket – Okpala •Says Afcon victory special to me •Mikel

BY JACOB AJOM

W

HEN Sunday Mba’s 40th minute strike against Burkina Faso sailed in as Nigeria’s only goal in the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, little did the players realise the im-

portance of that goal. It did not only win the match for Nigeria but was also enough to end the country ’s 19 year wait for the African soccer diadem.

The victory has turned out to be a defining chapter in the lives of all those associated with it

Rangers, ACL game called off ceive any kind of corre-

S

Keshi Continues from BP calling them ‘’Super Fried Chicken”.

Speaking at a Tom Tom Round table with the media, Keshi said that he couldn’t understand “how a team I captained for 14 years has suddenly become so weak that people will call the players Super Chicken. I challenged the players to rise up and prove people wrong and change this ridiculous name from a team that used to be a power-house in African football.

It was emotional and the challenge sunk into the players deeply. But I must tell you the boys were awesome. Another factor that brought out the best from the players, too, was from team Secretary, Dayo Enebi.

He approached the players to ask them their destination before the Cote dÍvoire game because he wanted to book flights for them.

The money had been provided for that. The boys were angry and told him to leave them alone because they would beat Cote d’Ivoire”.

Sports ministry denied this when we published it during the games.

Keshi admitted that the game against Cote

d’Ivoire was purely tactical, with a lot of discipline to subdue them.

“After Ethiopia, we used three days to plan for Cote d’Ivoire. We analysed the players and their team. We found out that even though they had good players, they did not play like a team. So, we fashioned a play that ensured that Kalou, Yaya Toure and Gervinho had no time on the ball. That was why they could not get the ball to Drogba”.

Asked on his feelings during and after the final match, Keshi said; “I was a little bit tensed just like any other game.

When you realize that we played the same team and conceded a last minute equalizer you are bound to feel that way.

But I tried to tell the boys that it was almost over and they should try to kill the game. After the game we were overwhelmed with emotions. But I must say that we celebrated the victory over Cote d’Ivoire as if it was the final. In the last game we celebrated too, but it was not as emotional as the time we beat Cote d’Ivoire. We went into the game against Burtkina Faso knowing that we would beat them”.

UNDAY’s Caf cham pions League game between Nigeria’s Enugu Rangers and São Tomé and Príncipe champions, Sporting Clube do Principe has been called off.

The first leg, preliminary round Caf champions league game was scheduled to kickoff at 4pm on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu but that will no longer be the case as the Sao Tome contingent have yet to arrive in Nigeria.

Officials of Enugu Rangers revealed that they were informed by officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) during Saturday’s prematch meeting that the Sao Tome club had yet to arrive in Nigeria as they were having issues over securing entry visas for their players and officials.

“We were informed by NFF officials on Saturday that Sporting Clube do Principe has made a request to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) asking for the match to be moved forward to Tuesday next week. However, we have yet to re-

spondence from Caf,” spokesman of Rangers, Forster Chime told supersport.com on Sunday.

Chairman of Rangers, Festus Onu also confirmed that the Sporting Clube do Principe contingent had yet to arrive in Nigeria for the game.

Siasia and Stephen Keshi were interviewed.

Siasia got the job but Onigbinde said he recommended Keshi for the job. Ever then, Onigbinde had always maintained that one day he would be vindicated.

“When we conducted interview for the two of them, I expressed my special feelings for Keshi. I was not saying that Keshi was the best Ni-

School children, adults lining up the streets to welcome us. It has been great.”

Okpala who was part of the 1980 Nations Cup winning team said, “this year’s victory was significant in many ways. It was won by an entirely Nigerian technical crew that believed a lot in its team. We won it after a 19 year wait.

“As for me, it is special because I have also won the cup as a player and a coach. I am overwhelmed.”

Okpala said the degree of appreciation would only inspire the team and officials to achieve more. “We have to deliver the World Cup ticket, and go ahead to do well in the World Cup proper. We will work towards that.”

R-L: Stephen Keshi, Super Eagles Chief Coach, Emil Moskofian, Managing Director/CEO, Cadbury West Africa and Agbim Chigozie, Super Eagles player at TomTom’s reception for the Super Eagles in Lagos on Saturday.

GTBank’s Heritage Cup season 2 enters q/finals

T

HE Heritage Cup which has generated

Onigbinde Continues from BP

– the players, coaches, the NFF and Nigeria as a country.

An appreciative country rose to salute the victorious team when they arrived from South Africa. “It was great,” Sylvanus Okpala, Super Eagles assistant coach said. “The reception has been overwhelming. It has been bigger than those of 1980 and 1994 when Nigeria won the title.”

Okpala said “ we all are overwhelmed by the degree of appreciation shown by Nigerians, starting with the President. Even the boys (players) did not realise the magnitude of what they had achieved until we touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

geria could produce but he was better than Siasia. But those in authority gave it to Siasia because they said he was the popular choice.

If you have to listen to the people in the streets then why are you in authority?” adding, quickly, “not that I am happy that Siasia failed, as they said he failed, but I have always maintained that feeling.”

intense passion amongst both students and alumni of participating schools has entered into the Quarter Final stage. The football tournament christened Heritage Cup is a competition for both male and female students in private and nongovernment owned schools sponsored by Guaranty Trust Bank plc, one of Nigeria’s foremost financial institutions.

The Season 2 of the much anticipated tournament commenced December 2012 with 28 participating schools spread across Lagos State.

The schools were organized into 4 groups of 4 schools each for the male category and 3 groups of 4 schools each for the female category at a publicly held tournament draw. A total of 42 matches were played leading up to the quarter finals.

This stage of the competition promises to be very exciting as the schools that made it to the last four in the maiden edition are still in contention and intend to win again whilst the other players are also gunning for glory for their various schools.

54 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 — 55

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VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Onigbinde: Keshi better than Siasia

BY JACOB AJOM

F

ORMER national team coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde is not given to mincing words when he speaks.

He bares his mind without giving a hoot to whose ox is gored.

In an exclusive chat with Sports Vanguard, on the eve of Nigeria’s third win at the Africa

R - E - A - V - E - L - E - D !

Super Chicken label won Nations Cup for us — Keshi •Confirms Vanguard’s exclusive on flight ticket plans

BY TONY UBANI

A

MIDST the euphoria of winning the African Cup of Nations, the backslapping, rewards and promises, Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has taken a cursory look at his bumpy ride to glory in South Africa and declared that he used the “Super Chicken’’ moniker to bring out the best from the players.

The Super Eagles were unimpressive in their first two games and were ridiculed by many referring to them as ‘’Super Chicken” while Ivorian Emmanuel Eboue was quoted as

Continues on Page 53

Champions League: Kano Pillars pound Real Bangui 5- 0

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WELL DONE: Super Eagles chief coach congratulating his players after winning the 2013 Afcon final

We ‘ll deliver 2014 W/Cup ticket — Okpala — P.53

PUZZLE

FRI DAY'S FRIDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 4 Pulverise (5) 7 Brawl (6) 9 Opponent (3) 10 Fuel (3) 12 Ward off (5) 13 Gem (4) 15 Pondered (5) 17 Amuse (6) 19 Pull (4) 20 Subject (5) 22 Rodent (3) 24 Went in (7) 27 Clamour (3) 28 Staid (5) 31 Dot (4) 33 Reviser (6) 35 Viper (5) 37 Circle (4) 38 Clan (5) 39 Rank (3) 41 Circuit (3) 42 Irritate (6) 43 Bordered (5)

DOWN 1 Exertion (6) 2 Display (6) 3 Droop (3) 4 Manage (4) 5 Prompt (5) 6 Pepper (8) 8 Identical (4) 11 Yield (9) 14 Fruit (4) 16 Asterisk (4) 18 Sell (4) 21 Impeded (8) 23 Trial (4) 25 Fastened (4) 26 Entrance (4) 29 Span (6) 30 Tattered (6) 32 List (5) 34 Press (4) 36 Lifeless (4) 40 Intelligence (3)

FRIDAY'S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 1, Skip 4, Raw 6, Boss 9, Ark 10, Flounder 11, Weir 14, Act 16, Cycle 19, Pressure 21, Slant 23, Estimate 24, Knell 27, Hie 31, Odds 33, Wretched 34, Got 35, Deny 36, Bay 37, Dumb

How to Play Sudoku

UPER Eagles conquest of Africa seems to be having a positive effects on Nigerian teams campaigning in this season’s CAF Champions League following Kano Pillars 51 demolition of Olympique Real Bangui of the Central African Republic in Kano last night.

Pillars and Orlando Continues on Page 52

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

Cup of Nations final, the veteran coach says Keshi was not the first to achieve continental success with locally based players. When asked how he felt about the inclusion of six homebased players in the present Super Eagles squad, he thundered back, “In 1984, how many foreign-based players were in my squad when we won the silver?” There was more to come.

Onigbinde was a member of the NFF interview panel when the vacant post of Super Eagles coach was to be filled after the sack of Lagerback, Coaches Samson Continues on Page 53

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Kill 3, Plug 4, Ridicule 5, Wary 6, Bawdy 7, Ore 8, Skill 12, Spook 13, Seize 14, Ass 15, Trash 17, Cloak 18, Excel 20, Entirety 22, Tie 25, Nudge 26, Lusty 28, Swab 29, Iced 30, Seem 32, Don

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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