I'm alive, back soon — Chime, Enugu gov

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61802

**

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

I'm alive, back soon — Chime, Enugu gov

....Speaks exclusively to VANGUARD

The Chime we saw — Amaechi, Akpabio, Suswam Enugu Speaker berates Chime's critics

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & TONY EDIKE

L

AGOS—FOR the first time since he left the country 135 days ago, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, yesterday, opened up on his condition, saying he is in good health and will soon return to the country.

The governor spoke exclusively to Vanguard while receiving three governors, who visited Continues on Page 5

•P.17

DEAR BUNMI •P.37

ROTIMI FASAN •P.19

ALIVE—From left: Govs Godswill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom) Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Sulivan Chime (Enugu) and Rotimi

Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, during the visit of the governors to Chime in London, yesterday.

Man stabs ex-girlfriend to death

•Pg.46

Minister, IG may clash over rot in Police College •P.6 I've no hand in funds — Minister

....Another runs amok, slaughters his•Pg.6 five brothers•P.7 C M Y K

OGAGA IFOWODO

•P.19

Mr & Mrs

2 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 , 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 , 2013 — 3

4 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 , 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—5

POCKET CARTOON

wise. We should pray for them instead of wishing them bad.”

Speaker berates Chime’s critics TAX—Governor

Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State (C), flanked by representatives of the six Corporate Institutions which won the Lagos State Tax Compliance Award presented at the Haven, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday. Left is the Principal of Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Mrs. Olusheye Awobiyi.

I'm alive, 'll be back soon — Chime Continues from page 1 him in London, United Kingdom where he is recovering after an illness.

Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State; Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and Governor Gabriel Suswam of

Benue State who constituted the delegation, separately attested to Chime’s state of well being in telephone interviews with Vanguard.

They said Chime was, yesterday, moving about, eating and in good health.

The visit of the governors followed unprecedented speculations on

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

It is the well doing of a thing that attracts a well done. Do things well and they will be well done!

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

B

E Impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don’t Take Anything Personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.

When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering –Miguel Ruiz Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.

Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.

With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

When we think good things about others, we feel good and release positive thoughts about them. We are consciously choosing to focus on the strengths of the individual because this is what we want that individual to develop and become known for.

the state of Chime’s health.

I'm very great — Chime Governor Chime’s declaration came as the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo, rejected a call by prominent citizens of the state under the aegis of Save Enugu Group (SEG) for the House to invoke the Doctrine of Necessity to enthrone the deputy governor of the state, Sunday Onyebuchi as acting governor.

Speaking to Vanguard, yesterday, Chime said: ”I am alive and well, I will be back very, very soon.”

Asked how he felt, the governor in a very strong, cheerful voice said: “I am great, very, very great. Tell Nigerians to discountenance all the rumours about my health.”

Chime is in good shape – Amaechi Speaking on Chime’s health, Amaechi said: “We saw him in an atmosphere of recovery.

We were able to go out with him, he is in good shape and is getting ready to come back home very soon. We thank God

for what He has done, how He has helped him to recover.”

He has recovered fully – Suswam Also speaking, Suswam said: “Chime has been discharged from the hospital. He has recovered fully and is physically okay. I was impressed with what I saw. We walked around together, ate together and he is going about on his own.”

We must desist from wishing our leaders evil – Akpabio Also speaking on their encounter with Chime, Akpabio said: “He has recovered tremendously, I am very happy and I give glory to God. This our visit to him and the fact that he was able to speak with Vanguard has put paid to all the rumours. Nigerians should learn how to pray for their leaders instead of ganging up through NGOs and groups and wishing them evil. We are all human beings. As humans, we can break down anytime which means we should be sympathetic with our leaders when they face challenges whether health wise or security

Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Eugene Odo, yesterday, faulted the position of the Save Enugu Group (SEG) on Governor Sullivan Chime’s prolonged absence from the state, saying the lawmakers did not in any way violate the Nigerian constitution in their handling of the issue.

Odo, who spoke on the floor of the House at the resumption of debates on the state’s 2013 budget proposal, said by not invoking the Doctrine of Necessity to dislodge Chime on account of his leave, the House had not done anything wrong to warrant any attack as witnessed in the recent past.

The Chief Maxi Okwuled SEG had in a letter to the Speaker on Monday asked the lawmakers to use the Doctrine of Necessity to empower the acting governor of Enugu state, Sunday Onyebuchi, citing the case of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Gov’s absence is in order – Odo Countering, Odo said: “We believe that those demanding that do not actually know what the Doctrine of Necessity is all about. Perhaps, people equate Doctrine of Necessity with a mere jamboree phenomenon.”

Insisting that Governor Chime’s absence was in order and should not be compared with that of late President Yar’Adua, the Speaker restated that the governor transmitted a letter to the House before travelling,

and “in the letter he empowered his deputy as the acting governor.

“And under the 1999 Constitution, section 190, whenever a governor is travelling and he intends to stay for more than 21 days, he should transmit a letter to the House of Assembly, in which case the deputy governor now becomes the acting governor, which Sullivan Chime had done.

“It beats my imagination when some people started to say that the House of Assembly should empower the deputy governor to act.

Under our constitution, the power to act has been vested on the deputy governor and the constitution does not provide for double acting capacity as some people are clamouring for.”

Odo explained that the Doctrine of Necessity was applied by the National Assembly in the case of late President Yar ’Adua when the president traveled without handing over to the vice president.

He also dismissed the request that certain individuals be empowered to to go and see how the governor was faring overseas.

“That is a mere moral issue. The constitution of Nigeria in Section 189 made it specifically clear that even when the governor is not feeling fine, the only statutory body that can generate a resolution to the House of Assembly is the State Executive Council and even in the House of Assembly, the Speaker has a duty to nominate five medical practitioners including the governor’s doctor for that purpose. In other words, those listed by the group did not meet the constitutional requirements;

Continues on page 41

6 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS:

Senate seeks powers to summon President zAs Mark urges colleagues to accept the Bill

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA— SENATE President David Mark, yesterday, urged the Senators to accept the Bill on the State of the Union Address that gives two thirds of the National Assembly the power to summon any sitting president to address the country on his/her activities in government.

Speaking, yesterday, on the Bill when it was presented by the sponsor, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Mark noted that it had become imperative for it to be fully endorsed against the backdrop that it had earlier been debated when it was brought on the floor of the House of Representatives.

He said: “There’s nothing that would be added if we debate it today.”

If passed, the president, besides briefing on his/her stewardship, will assess policy issues as well as give an overview of policy thrusts of the administration.

Meanwhile, the Senators are working to ensure that the Bill for an Act to prescribe an Annual State of the Nation Address and Other Matters connected thereto scale through at the end of the day.

The bill, which is making a second comeback in five years, was first introduced in the Senate on February 19, 2008.

According to Ekweremadu in his lead debate, Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind when established democracies, including the United States of America, Russia, South Africa, Ghana, Phillipines, Mexico and even Zimbabwe, have embraced the concept.

He said: "Without prejudice to the budget presentation, this Bill seeks to provide for a formal and mandatory platform where the President will lay the account of his or her stewardship, assessment of the polity and the policy thrusts of his or her administration from the economy to politics, foreign policy, security and other aspects of our national life on the table for public scrutiny.

"Democracy is not just about elections, irrespective

of how free and fair. Beyond election is governance and this Bill seeks to uphold the right of the people to hold their President accountable, take stock of the nation, and make governance more open and participatory. ‘’Beyond the USA, from South Africa where State of the Nation Address has been in practice since 1994 to Russia, from Ghana and Zimbawe in Africa to the Philippines, and Micronesia to Mexico in South America, the world has embraced this value and we cannot be odd, especially when we should be leading the way in democratic best practices in Africa and beyond.”

Breakdown of the Bill Giving a breakdown of the Bill, Senator Ekweremadu said, ‘’Section 1 clearly sets apart the annual budget presentation from the State of the Nation Address and makes it mandatory on the President to present it to a joint session of the National Assembly on a set date.

"Section 3 empowers the National Assembly by a resolution of 2/3 majority of votes of members of each House of the National Assembly to summon the President to address the Nation pursuant to the provisions of this Bill.

“Section 4 regulates the timeframe, being 60 days, within which the National Assembly must communicate its resolution on the Address to the President, but Section 5 empowers the National Assembly to regulate its procedure with respect to Provisions of the Bill.

"And as earlier mentioned, the benefits of more accountable, open, and participatory governance which this Bill intends to enthrone to our quest for national development cannot be overemphasized.

“Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, I enjoin you to support this Bill given its numerous benefits. It presents us as the people’s representatives the platform to not only ensure accountability and openness, but the opportunity to assess government’s plans and make inputs even before any harm is done. It is indeed a platform for co-governance and comanagement of our nation by all Nigerians.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (left) and former Ghanaian President John Kofour (right), keynote speakers, with Niger State delegation to the 2nd AGCO Africa Summit in Berlin, Germany, Monday.

Police Minister, IG may clash over college rot zMinister sets up c'ttee to probe funds to police colleges

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

A

BUJA — UNENDING public outcry over the monumental rot in police training institutions across the country may compel the Presidency to summon the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Olubolade Caleb and the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, to explain their roles in the festering conditions of the institutions.

Meanwhile, the Police Affairs Minister, yesterday, set up a high powered committee to examine funds appropriated and donations received by the Nigeria Police Force for renovations and upgrade of its institutions between 2009 and 2012.

This is just as a forum, organised by Channels Television, scheduled for yesterday where issues arising from the deplorable conditions of the training institutions were expected to be discussed, has been postponed.

Minister ready to defend self Sources close to the minister said, yesterday, that he was ready to defend himself over the decay in the police colleges across the country as he had no hand in the running of the institutions.

The minister is reported to have been preparing his defence ahead of Jonathan’s return to the country to prove to the world that neither himself nor the Ministry of Police Affairs has anything to do with the running of police training institutions in the country.

According to the source, the minister is willing to prove to the world that all monies approved for such colleges are controlled

directly by the Force Headquarters and not the Ministry of Police Affairs, as insinuated by uninformed persons since the visit of the President to the Ikeja College, last weekend.

The source said: “What most people do not understand is that the police colleges are directly under the Force Headquarters and money appropriated for them is given to them directly.

“Contracts for the running and renovation of the colleges are controlled by the Inspector General of Police and not the minister, who simply monitors the use of such funds,” adding that the minister was not afraid to defend himself before the President.

IG also preparing defence However, given the embarrassment and the outcry that have continued to trail the President’s visit to the Lagos police college, the Office of the Inspector General of Police is said to also be preparing its defence.

The IGP’s defence is said to be predicated on the fact that the police establishment has been denied of funds meant for its development and training programmes by the ministry and the Police Service Commission.

The Osayande c'ttee report A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said that it was a welcome development that the Parry Osayande Committee recommended the scrapping of the Police Affairs Ministry to give unhindered access to police funds and equipment and enhance performance.

But the officer said the

Presidency appeared not serious to address the rot in the police force by not implementing the Osayande’s report months after it received the report.

He wondered why the President turned round and appointed the Police Affairs Minister and the Attorney General of the Federation to study Osayande’s report and make recommendations.

Minister sets up c'ttee The committee which is headed by the Director, Special Duties, and a representative of the Nigeria Police Force as Vice Chairman has nine others as members. They are: Director, Finance and Account; Director, PID; Director, PSD; Representatives of NPF; Legal Adviser; Head of Budget Division; Head of Internal Audit; Head of External Audit; and PRS as Secretary.

The committee’s term of reference include: "To ascertain the amount of funds appropriated by the Federal Government of Nigeria to the NPF for renovations/upgrade of the Nigeria Police Institutions between 2009 and 2012 and total donations received in the period under review; "To examine the budget proposed/appropriated by NPF for the Training Institutions between 2009 and 2012; "To verify the utilization of the appropriation to the NPF for the upgrade of facilities in the following Police Training Institutions: Detective College Enugu; PMF Training Schools Gwoza and Illa Oragun, ATS Training School, Nonwa Tai; Police Colleges Ikeja, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Oji-River, PTS Iperu.

The committee has up to Tuesday, January 29, 2013 to submit its report.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—7

Man runs amok, kills his five brothers

BY PETER DURU

M

AKURDI — FIVE young men were, yesterday, allegedly murdered in a bizarre manner by their brother who was recently discharged from hospital after being treated for insanity in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

The suspect later escaped but was fished out and lynched.

Vanguard gathered from sources in Naka, the local government headquaters, that the suspect, popularly known as Torjor, murdered his victims at the Naka Earth Dam, just few metres from their home.

It was learnt that the suspect had over a long period of time suffered "from insanity but was taken to the Makurdi Federal Medical Centre where he was treated and discharged but unknown to his people the condition of the young man deteriorated, leading to his killing of his five brothers.’’

Vanguard gathered that he had "invited his victims to the earth dam on the pretence that he wanted them to assist him fetch water from the dam, only for him to pull out a knife and killed them in cold blood before escaping. ”When the news of his deeds got into town, youths in the village mobilised themselves and searched the entire village until they caught him where he was hiding in a nearby bush. ”His captors had contemplated taking him to the police but they finally resolved to mete out jungle justice on him by beating him to death,” the source further stated.

When contacted, the Secretary to the local government, Mr. Mike Torkuma, who confirmed the incident, said the culprit was caught by the people and beaten

to death.

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Superintendent Daniel Ezeala confirmed the incident, blaming the villagers for

BY LUKA BINNIYAT

K

Vice President Namadi Sambo (right) and Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama during a meeting on National Council on Privatization at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

Nigerian crude may not find market in US in 2013 ...to face stiff competition in Europe

BY OMOH GABRIEL WITH AGENCY REPORT

L

AGOS — THE United States, the highest importer of Nigeria crude, now gets so much crude from its own shale deposits that Canadian exporters to US are selling as far afield as Europe, showing how deeply the US

energy revolution is transforming global oil flows according to international oil market report by Reuters.

According to the report as recently as 2011, close to 100 per cent of Canada’s crude exports went to its neighbour the United States, according to the US government’s Energy

Gunmen kill 23 in Borno, Kano M

AIDUGURI— NO fewer than 23 people were killed by unknown gunmen in Borno and Kano States, yesterday during separate attacks in the areas.

Eighteen people suspected to be vigilantees/local hunters were killed, Monday, by unidentified gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, just as five others were killed in Kano State, with two others seriously injured at Dakata area of the municiplaity.

Damboa is 88 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, which has witnessed series of attacks and killings in the past.

District Head of Damboa, Alhaji Abba Ahmed, made this known when the state Deputy Governor, Zanna Umar Mustapha, made a stop over in the town on his way to Maiduguri from Biu. Ahmad said: "Unknown gunmen, suspected to be members of Boko Haram, came to the town’s market and

resorting to jungle justice.

Ezeala, however, added that the command was investigating the matter to ascertain if the suspect was actually insane.

Young NAF officers design, build drone

shot dead 13 local hunters on the spot while five others died from the injuries they sustained at the hospital.’’

It was gathered that the incident was coming barely 24 hours after some gunmen shot dead a vigilante member in the outskirts of Maiduguri metropolis, even as the state government has recently procured patrol vehicles for distribution to local vigilante groups to fight terrorism in the state.

The District Head further said: "The gunmen are not residents of Damboa because they came to the market in a Volkswagen Golf car, carried out the operation and left.

"The 18 victims are local hunters who engage in killing monkeys and pigs or animals forbidden by Islam which they sell at the market.’’

Confirming the incident in a telephone interview, the Police Commissioner, Mr. Abdullahi Yuguda said; “Yes, I received a distress call from the Divisional Police Officer in Damboa that some gunmen laid ambush in the town on Monday and I have

already sent my men to the area. As soon as I get the details, I will inform you appropriately”

5 killed in relaxation spot The Kano attack came on the day the state government banned commercial motorcyles in all the eight municipal council areas.

Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that the gunmen arrived at a relaxation spot on three motorcycles and opened fire on the victims.

The source stated that JTF operatives that were attracted by the sporadic shootings arrived a little bit late as the gunmen had escaped before their arrival.

Vanguard learnt that the security agents on arrival took stock of the casualties and conveyed the corpses and the injured to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital The state Police Public Relations Officer, Majia Majia, was not available for comments as calls put through to his GSM telephone line were not going through.

Information Administration (EIA).

But trade and shipping sources said more than two million barrels of light crude from Canadian offshore oilfields have gone to Europe in the last month, in a test of what is to come. The change is due to technological advances the US expects will bring 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) record jump in its oil output to 7.3 million bpd in 2013, from places like the Bakken shale deposit in North Dakota that now feeds U.S. East Coast refineries served by Canada.

But here at home, executive arm of government is at war with the legislators on the right budget bench mark for crude oil, but the oil market equation is fast changing against Nigeria. While the executive favour the use of $75 per barrel, the legislators pegged the budget at $79.

US refineries’ traditional suppliers in West Africa, notably Nigeria, are also having to seek alternative customers and are feeling the pinch of the new Canadian competition in their established European markets.

“Globally, Canada has been trying all the exports routes. US east coast refineries are also taking more from Bakken fields so that should replace the flow from Canada and West Africa,” said Olivier Jakob of consultancy Petromatrix.

The drilling technique hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which water, sand and chemicals are forced deep underground to drive out trapped oil and gas, have allowed access to millions of barrels of U.S. oil that were previously unattainable.

ADUNA — YOUNG officers from Nigerian Air Force School of Engineers, Aircraft Design Centre, Kaduna, yesterday, dazzled the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon Bassey-Ewa when they displayed to him an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, referred to as drone, which could fly non-stop for about four hours at 3000 feet.

The drone was conceptualised, designed and built by them in Kaduna under the direct supervision of the Provost of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Institute of Technology, Prof. Emmanuel Ezugwu.

According to officials of the institute, the drone’s empenage was about three metres while the wing span was about half a metre.

The four officers, all Flight Lieutenants, said it was a three-year effort in collaboration with Cranfield University of United Kingdom with funds from the Federal Government.

The officers who asked that all the credit for break through be given to the Commandant of the school and Chief of Air Staff pleaded that their names be not mentioned in the press.

The school had earlier displayed a conceptualised model of an ab-initio training fighter aircraft known as Farawa (meaning "the beginning" in Hausa) for the Air Force just as it was trying to design a Nigerian-made Air Beattle, AB-18, for the Air Force.

The four officers had bagged Masters degrees in various fields related to avionics from Cranfield University, after their first degrees from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.

They told Vanguard: “We designed and built this UAV based on the pressing needs of our country today. The vehicle can be used in pipeline monitoring, border patrol, mapping and disaster monitoring. Other areas of use include maritime patrol, aerial surveillance and pest monitoring.

"The vehicle can fly at 3000 feet, and remain airborne for four hours using petrol for now. The first one we built is called Amebo 1. The second one is Amebo 2 and is an improvement over the first.

“If we keep getting the right support as we are getting now, we will accomplish our mission for the country."

8—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

Ministry seals up NNPC filling station, 2 others for cheating customers

A

BUJA—THE Minis try of Trade and Investment has sealed up three filling stations, including NNPC Mega station Gwarinpa in Abuja for short-changing motorists.

The others were AYM Shafa, Gundu district and M. Major Oil and Gas, Mborra District.

This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by Bolaji Kazeem, the ministry ’s Public Relations Officer.

The Weights and Measures Department Director, Alhaji Bashir Zoror, sealed up the station during an inspection.

The statement stated that AYM, Shafa Filling Station in Gundu District short-changed customers by 0.8 litres on every 20 litres of PMS ( giving 19.2 as 20 litres) It added that customers were cheated by the attendants at the same sta-

tion reducing 0.95 litres on every 20 litres (giving 19.05 as 20 litres) of diesel.

The statement explained that M. Major Oil and Gas in Mborra was sealed up because it short-changed customers by 1.6 litres on every 20 litres (18.4 as 20 litres).

According to the statement, the NNPC mega station in Gwarinpa was sealed up because the sales attendants deserted the place on sighting the inspecting team.

It stated that the official of the filing station also refused to switch on their dispensing pumps for inspection feigning power failure after shutting down their generator.

Zoro said that it was extremely disappointing that motorists were being short changed at the filing station.

He said: “It is extremely disappointing that

motorist are being short changed. We will not relent in our official duty to ensure that marketers exhibit integrity, fairness and accuracy while dispensing PMS to customers.

“We shall continue to use media to educate marketers and the public so that they will be alive to the need for measurement and standards as prescribed by law.”

From left: Mr. Lateef Ibiragba, Commissioner for Information and Strategy; Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, Commissioner for Finance; Mr. Ben Akabueze, Commisioner for Economic Planning and Budget and Mrs. Iyabowale Aluko, Special Adviser to Governor Fashola on Economic Planning and Budget, during budget analysis at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

Boko Haram: Reps advise Jonathan to dialogue

BY OKEY NDIRIBE

A

BUJA—THE House of Representatives yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to explore the option of dialogue with Boko Haram and other groups causing unrest in the country.

The legislators also commiserated with the Emir of

Kano and the families of those who died during the violent attack.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion titled “Urgent need for the Federal Government to open avenues for dialogue as a means of addressing security challenges in the country,” which was moved

by Muhammed Bashir

Galadanchi Galadanchi, while moving the motion, expressed concern that the present approach of the government in using “military action, random arrests and imprisonments obviously had limited effectiveness and escalated trends of insecurity, indicating that they are only short-term so-

lutions”.

He added that, “if this approach is not reversed and more long-term solutions deployed, these incessant incidents will pose serious threats to our security, democracy, rights and freedom of our innocent citizens and ultimately destabilise the nation’s fragile stability and unity”.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—9

From Left: Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; President Goodluck Jonathan and Dr. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, at the inaugural meeting of Presidential Eminent Persons Group on Agriculture, in Geneva, yesterday. Photo: State House

From Left: Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., Director General, Nigeria Economic Summit Group; Mr. Oladimeji Owofemi, Managing Director, Multi Trex Integrated Foods and Amb Martins Uhomoibhi , Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Inaugural Meeting... in Geneva.

2013 budget: Lagos targets N316.578bn from IGR ...to rehabilitate roads to Dana plane crash cenotaph

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

L

AGOS — LAGOS State Government, yesterday, said it planned to generate N316.578 billion through the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, in the current fiscal year.

This came three weeks after the state Governor, Babatunde Fashola signed into law the 2013 budget of N499.605 billion.

Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, who spoke during the 2013 budget analysis, in Alausa, said the

state government would within the year rehabilitate the network of roads linking the site of the Dana Plane Crash in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area, LCDA. Akabueze noted that the state would also receive N117.250 billion through Federal Transfers to the state, explaining that the state revenue target for the year had increased by N26.902 billion from the 2012 which was N289.676 billion.

According to him, “N253.200 billion would be generated through the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, N 37.113 billion

through other sources, N21.753 through dedicated revenue while N4.512 billion from Extraordinary Revenue.

From the Federal Transfer, the state is expected to receive

....Shuts down Mile 12, Ketu markets over sanitation offence

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

L

L

AGOS — LAGOS State Police Command, has arrested a 25-year-old man who allegedly specialised in kidnapping children for herbalists, for money making rituals.

Also arrested, was a couple and a middle aged man who masqueraded as house- helps, only to rob their supposed bosses of their belongings.

The kidnap suspect, Tope Akingbemila, reportedly met his waterloo following a

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

A

BUJA — The Nige rian Army. yesterday. court-martialled and dismissed four soldiers serving with the Brigade of Guards in Abuja, over alleged rape, extortion and assault.

The Non Commissioned soldiers, a Corporal and three Privates are Ex Cpl Nsa Eyedep, Privates Emzien Uzoma, Ugwu Mathew and Efosa Ikhuomoregbe.

Briefing newsmen on the dismissal of the soldiers, Commander, Guards Brigade, BrigGen. Emmanuel Atewe said the soldiers were alleged to have abducted and raped some women at the Wuse Zone 2, Abuja in December 2012.

Atewe spoke through Major Peter Elayo, noting that the Brigade convened a Board of Inquiry to investigate the circumstance surrounding the allegation with a view to taking punitive action and preventing a future recurrence.

AGOS — LAGOS State Government, yesterday, shut down Mile 12 and Ketu Fruits markets over noncompliance to the state sanitation law.

Also, in anticipation of early rains, the state Drainage Maintenance Department and Emergency Flood Abatement Department had commenced the massive cleaning and dredging of drains and canals to attain the State Zero Tolerance on flooding.

Announcing the closure, Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, claimed both markets were closed for flagrant abuse of the failed attempt to kidnap environmental sanitation law and a five-year-old child in indiscriminate loading and off- loading of Ketu area of Lagos. goods on the main road, creating traffic Tope arrested last Tues- bottlenecks for other road users. day, according to spokes According to him, there were inadequate person of the Lagos State toilets in the markets, while traders messed Police Command, Ngozi up the surrounding environment with human Braide, had succeeded wastes, saying the closure of the markets in dragging the five became inevitable after several unheeded year-old child into a warnings to forestal epidemics and other tricycle, saying, “but the health hazards in the state. victim’s mother who was Tunji Bello noted that markets were meant close-by, raised alarm for business activities and not for residential when she sighted her purposes and that converting markets to son being driven away. residential purpose would evidently cause "An angry mob chased untoward consequences on the environment. them and eventually rescued the child. Tope Akingbemila was arrested while three others escaped.

"In his confessional N967.6 million fuel subsidy fraud.

BY ONOZURE DANIA statement, he said his Onigbanjo, who issued the warrant gang had received after Ogunbambo’s absence stalled the AGOS —The trial judge of a continuation of his trial, directed the ransom from parents of Lagos High Court, sitting in authorities to produce him at the next two children earlier kidnapped. He is now Ikeja, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, adjourned date, on February 11, 2013. helping the police to yesterday, ordered the authorities of Ogunbambo was charged to court by track his fleeing gang Ikoyi Prisons, Lagos, to produce an the Economic and Financial Crimes oil marketer, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, members.” in court, to face trial in an alleged

Police in Lagos arrest child kidnap kingpin

BY IFEANYI OKOLIE & UJU MBANUSI

N59.000billion through Statutory Allocation, Value Added Tax, VAT: N58.

000billion and N0.250 billion through extra ordinary revenue.”

Army court martials 4 soldiers

Cour t orders Ikoyi Prisons to produce marketer for trial

L

10—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 ,

UCH CMD wades into doctors' strike

BY OLA AJAYI

I

BADAN— CHIEF Medical Director, CMD, of the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Oyo State, Professor Temitope Alonge, has intervened in the planned three-day warning strike by members of National Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, to protest assault on one of its members by members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the state.

The doctors, whose three-day strike was to begin yesterday, called it off after the CMD’s inter. vention.

2013

Let's tackle rising insurgency with 'conscious youth employment' — Aregbesola O

SOGBO — GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, has advocated a conscious youth employment policy to be jointly powered by the Federal Government and the 36 states of the federation as a major strategy towards solving the rising insurgency in the country.

Governor Aregbesola who condemned Saturday attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, described the assassination attempt as unconscionable and sacrilegious.

Lamenting what he described as a total paralysis of the social and economic activities caused by the activities of the

insurgents, the Governor said a palpable atmosphere of fear pervaded the nation now as fall-out of the unending spate of violence unleashed on the people.

According to him, “We condemn this unconscionable attack on an octogenarian who is also a traditional ruler in very strong terms. It is unAfrican and against all known religious doctrines.

"It should call for the concern of all patriots. While condoling with the Emir, the entire people of Kano and Nigerians in general on the cruel assassination of the personal guards of the Emir, his driver, Interim Chairman

of Kumbotso Local Government Area, Alhaji Salisu Abdullahi Kura, and other victims of the sad and unfortunate attack, it is important for all patriots to reflect on the atmosphere of insecurity that pervades the nation now.

“We must be frank with ourselves to admit that containment alone of whatever nature and degree cannot solve these challenges.

"It is in this light that we want to tell all governments in Nigeria that an emergency should be declared in youth employment; that the Federal Government should minimally promote a policy of marching

each state one to one on youth employment with a maximum of 10,000 in what we call counterpart youth employment initiative.

This is will be between the Federal Government and each of the 36 states of the federation. What this means is that while the state employs 10.000 youths, the Federal Government should support that state with another 10,000 making 20,000 for each state.

"While these youth will be deployed to community, social and public works.

"This initiative coupled with military actions will take youth insurgency out of this country in the next five years.”

Rainstorm destroys 200 houses in Owo

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE—RAINSstorm has destroyed over 200 houses in the ancient Owo town in Ondo State destroying property worth millions of naira.

Vanguard gathered that the first rain of the year in the town occurred Monday night.

A visit to the town, yesterday, showed that the downpour blew off roofs of many houses, public buildings including schools and churches, shops and damaged several vehicles.

30,000 jostle for 3,000 SURE-P jobs in Ekiti

A

DO EKITI —Over 30,000 job seekers have applied to benefit from the Subsidy R e i n v e s t m e n t Programme, SURE-P, Community Services, Youths and Women Employment Scheme in Ekiti State.

Chairman of the State Implementation Committee, SIC, Femi Akinyemi, who announced this in a statement, yesterday, said the first 3,000 to be recruited from the applicants would be made public before the end of this month.

Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State Governor (middle), flanked by Island Club executives led by Prince Demola Dada, Chairman, Island Club; Senator Ayo Otegbola, Chief Augustine Ayo,Secretary; Diji Vera-cruz, Social Secretary; Aare Kamoru Ajao Danjuma, Alhaji Taiwo Rasak and Barr. Segun Odubela, Commissioner for Education,Science and Technology (1st right), during the Island Club executives' courtesy visit to the governor in his office, at Abeokuta, yesterday.

Osun presents N183bn budget for 2013

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO —GOVERnor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, yesterday presented a total budget proposal of N183 billion to the State House of Assembly for approval, christened “Budget of Freedom”.

It is N33billion higher than that of 2012 which was N150 billion.

The Governor said total recurrent expenditure for this year stood at N64, 030,642,560 representing 34. 97 per cent while the capital expenditure stood at N119,075, 164,900 representing 65.03 per cent.

Aregbesola explained that the 2013 budget was to ensure the consolidation of the achievements his government had recorded in various sectors and sub-sectors of the economy in the last two years.

According to him, the budget would also ensure the continuity of policies and

Man in police net over alleged rape of deaf and dumb

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO — OSUN State Police Command, yesterday, paraded a 21-year-old Shina Amusa, for allegedly having canal knowledge of an 18-year-old deaf and dumb.

The Command stated in Osogbo that already the suspect had been subjected to thorough and systematic investigations by detectives attached to Dugbe Divisional Police Headquarters, Osogbo.

Giving the details of the crime, the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case, said the suspect overpowered and forced the hapless deaf and dumb girl inside his room before allegedly raping her.

He said: “The case which was reported to the station by the father of the victim, Yisa Adebayo has been taken with every seriousness as the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO) CSP Rauf Razak is leaving no

stone unturned to ensure that the suspect faces the full consequence of his offence.”

Meanwhile, Ladoke Akintola Teaching University Hospital, (LAUTECH), Osogbo, had confirmed in a medical checkup that there was penetration into the victim.

The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, (SCID), of the Osun State Command of the Nigerian Police for further investigations.

programmes of his administration, saying that the budget was aimed at ensuring proper implementation of his administration’s six Points Integral Action Plan.

It would also ensure the completion of all ongoing projects and the commencement of new ones across the state.

Giving a breakdown of the budget, Aregbesola said priority attention would be given to agriculture, education and rural development, stressing youth employment as a priority in the state.

He assured that the 2013 budget would be objectively and faithfully implemented.

While maintaining that the priority of his government is the welfare of people, he urged members of the House of Assembly to give speedy consideration to the budget to ensure its prompt implemen. tation.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, JANUARY 23, 2013—11

Kidnapped Bayelsa Speaker’s mum regains freedom

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

ENAGOA—EIGHT days after her abduction by gunmen, Mrs. Betinah Benson, mother of Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, has regained her freedom.

Though it could not be confirmed if the N40 million ransom demanded by her captors was paid before she was released, a source told Vanguard that the 78-year-old woman was released to the family last night in Patani, Delta State.

Media aide to the Speaker, Mr. Piriye Kiyaramo, told Vanguard: “We are happy Mama is back.”

The relieved Speaker, Mr. Kombowei Benson, who said his mother was released in good condition, added that she had to go through medical examination because of her old age.

Benson said the family was yet to get over the trauma experienced during the eight days period his mother was held captive and thanked

US-UPU boosts Delta health sector

U

RHOBO Progress Union, UPU, Northern California, United States of America branch, has donated medical equipment worth millions of naira to Central Hospital, Ughelli, Delta State.

The medical equipment were received by Permanent Secretary, Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Caroline Ajuyah, represented by Chief Public Relations Officer of the Board, Mrs. Mary Eyagbe and Zonal Medical Director, Central Hospital, Ughelli, Dr. Moses Eyovwerhuvwu.

The equipment include ultrasound machines, incubator, CRU 5000 centrifuge, refrigerated microcentrifuge, electrical beds and mattresses, medical examination tables, wheelchairs, IV poles, VWR 1530, blood pressure/oxygen/heart analyser, GE portable suction machine, among others.

Dr. Ajuyah commended the union for the gesture.

She said it would go a long way to complement government’s effort in meeting the medical needs of the people.

God for sparing her.

He said the kidnappers, who had initially sounded very rude and insulting to him on phone, later shifted from their hard line posture

as they agreed to free the old woman on their own without any ransom paid.

“Ransom paid? No, there is nothing like that. These boys, how much do you want to give

them that will satisfy them? It was the pressure by the security people, our prayers and pleas to them that made them release Mama. No ransom was paid to any one,” he said.

VISIT: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (left) and HRM Alfred Diete Spiff, Chancellor, Novena University, Ogume, Delta State, when the monarch led a delegation of the university on a courtesy visit to the governor in Asaba, yesterday. Photo: Henry Unini.

Dissolve Delta LG Transition C’ttees, ACN tells Uduaghan

BY FESTUS AHON

U

G H E L L I — D E LTA State Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Chief Adolo OkotieEboh, has called for the dissolution of the 25 local government area Transition Committees in the state, describing their inauguration as unlawful and unconstitutional.

It will be recalled that the state government had, on November 12, 2012, inaugurated transition committees

in the 25 councils in the state.

Okotie-Eboh, in a statement, yesterday, condemned the delay in the conduct of local government elections in the state.

Okotie-Eboh, in a statement by the party’s state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Frank Eghomien, said: “We of ACN in Delta State strongly believe that the non-conduct of elections by the Delta State Government to ensure a system of local government run by democratically elected persons, is a gross violation of Section 7 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, (as amend-

ed), which guarantees a democratically elected local government system.

“The administration of oath of office on November 12, 2012 on selected persons by the Government of Delta State into Transition Committees to manage the affairs a n d funds of the local governm e n t councils of Delta State is unlawful.”

Commissioner urged to probe missing 200 KVA generating set in Delta

D

ELTA State Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Charles Emetulu, has been urged to investigate alleged disappearance of a 200 KVA diesel generating set at the Rural Development Agency, RDA, Asaba Delta State.

Some officials of the ministry, in a petition to the Commissioner, said that the brand new 200 KVA F.G. Wilson Perkins diesel generating set,

which was removed on December 20, 2012, was among the 14 purchased for use in the riverine areas of the state in 2004.

Some of the officials of the ministry, who spoke on ground of anonymity, said of the 14 generating sets, 12 were allocated while two were left at the old Deputy Governor ’s Office until they were brought to the agency’s office following

the vandalization of their electrical components.

When contacted, Mr. Emetulu said he was not aware of any missing generating set but confirmed that there was a petition to that effect sent to his office, adding that he had directed his Permanent Secretary to investigate the issue as he was out of office on official assignment.

C-River community accuses Ebonyi govt of masterminding killings

C

ALABAR—THE Ad adama Clan in Cross River State has accused the Ebonyi State Government of being behind the invasion of its villages and killing of its people by the people of Ikwo.

Speaking to journalists on the plight of his people, many of whom had been displaced, Chief Vincent Ekpah, said the unprovoked attacks by the Ebonyi people had left no fewer than 11 of his kinsmen dead.

Ekpah, who is the Clan Head of Ekpon Clan, said the fragile relationship between his people and their Ebonyi neighbours worsened on January 14, 2013 when suspected armed militants from Amagu community in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, waged a full scale war against his community.

He said, the militants numbering over 50 were fully armed with AK47, Kashinikov, GPMGs and hand grenades.

“On crossing the boundary line into Adadama, they immediately kidnapped seven farmers, mainly women and children and took them to Amagu in Ebonyi State.”

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

Okah’s conviction a ruse, says ex-militant leader

BY EMMA AMAIZE

W

ARRI—MORE reactions poured in, yesterday, to Monday’s conviction of leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Mr. Henry Okah, of terrorism by a South African court, with an exmilitant leader and a Niger Delta activist, saying it was a “set up” by the Nigerian Government.

They also contended that Okah’s conviction was a big blow to the Niger Delta struggle, as it was calculated to stop further struggles by the people for resource control.

Spokesperson for the defunct Niger Delta Liberation Force, NDLF, “Captain” Mark Anthony, told Vanguard, that “There wasn't enough evidence to convict Henry Okah. The South African court is working on a written script of the Nigerian Government.

“He (Okah) said he was not the leader of MEND. He is a victim of circumstances. What happened to Henry Okah is a lesson to all of us."

Madam Okolieapiti passes on

M

RS Cecilia Okolieapiti, a community women leader in Ibusa, Delta State, is dead, aged 90.

Burial arrangements as announced by one of her children, Chief Augustine Onochie, will start with a service of songs will hold tomorrow at St. Monica’s Catholic Church, Ogboli, Ibusa, while social wake-keep will take place at her Ezukwu residence.

Funeral mass will hold the next day at the same church.

She is survived by many children, grand and great grand children.

Late Madam Okolieapiti

Kidnap suspect killed in Delta, victim rescued

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—APPRE HENSION, yesterday, enveloped Agharho community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, as a suspected kidnapper was shot dead by men of the state Police Command while rescuing a kidnap victim.

Vanguard gathered that the kidnap victim, Mr. Omamuyovwi Oseri, owner of a popular hotel in the area, was whisked away in a Toyota Camry car by one of the suspected kidnappers, while one other escaped with bullet wounds.

It was learnt that the suspected kidnappers, numbering three, forced their way into the hotel premises and ordered the staff and visitors to lie on the floor as the hotelier was bundled into the waiting car.

Briefing newsmen on the incident, Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of Agbarho Police division, Mr. Paul Audu, said the police swung into action after a distress call was received from the management of the hotel and accosted the other two kidnappers, who were already escaping in a Jeep they had snatched from the

bishop of one of the churches in the area.

Audu added that on sighting his men, the suspected kidnappers opened fire and in the ensuing gun duel, one of the kidnappers was killed while the other escaped with bullet wounds.

He explained that the Toyota

Camry car conveying the victim had sped off into a nearby bush moments before the police arrived the hotel, adding that a ransom fee was demanded. He said a search team comprising the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Agbarho vigilante group and

COMMISSIONING: Senate President, Senator David Mark (middle), flanked by Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah (right); Water Resources Minister, Mrs. Sarah Ochepke; Chairman, House Committee on Orientation, Mr. Buba Jubril and on his immediate left, Interior Minister, Comrade Abba Moro; Director General, National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri and Minister for State, Trade and Investment, Mr. Samuel Ortom during the commissioning of 22 NOA’s operational trucks in Abuja.

Nigeria to keep troops in Mali until resolution of crisis

BY UDUMA KALU

G

ENEVA—NIGERIAN troops will remain in Mali till the crisis is over, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

President Jonathan, who spoke to reporters in Geneva, yesterday, said the country’s troops would stay back in the crisis-ridden country until elections there are over.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has boosted security on its borders in anticipation of increased attacks by Boko Haram militants after it sent

troops to help expel Islamists from northern Mali, a military spokesman said.

“If they are part of al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, if they are in support of the northern Mali crisis, there is every possibility that they will heighten their attacks,” Colonel Mohammed Yerima, Director of Information at Nigeria’s Defence Ministry, said yesterday in Abuja. “On our own side, we’re strategizing on how to counter them,” he added.

Nigeria plans to deploy up to 1,200 troops as part of a West African intervention force to support French and Malian troops

battling Islamist militants in the Sahara desert.

Allied French and West African forces are seeking to drive the rebels out of northern Mali, which the rebels seized from government forces after a coup last year left a power vacuum.

“We cannot pull out until we have solved the problem. I cannot tell you when we will solve the problem, but Nigeria is totally committed and we remain committed until the crisis is resolved,” Jonathan told Reuters in an interview in Geneva.

Why North is opposed to PIB —Clark

BY EMMA AMAIZE

W

ARRI—SOUTHSOUTH leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has said the major reason why the North was opposed to the Petroleum Industry Bill , PIB, was because of the allocation of 10 per cent equity to host communities.

He said the uncompromising stand was not surprising as the various interest groups in the North do not want such benefit to go to the oil communities. He, however, called

his men went into action and later rescued the victim.

He added that the vehicle plate number of the Toyota Camry car used by the kidnappers was different from the number engraved on the body and wind screen of the car.

on host communities to continue to mount pressure on the appropriate quarters until the bill was passed.

Clark, who was represented by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, former Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters to former President Umaru Yar’Adua, stated this at the inauguration of the newlyelected executive of Izon-Ebe Oil Producing Communities Forum in Warri, Delta State.

He blamed the leaders of the country for the woes bedevilling the nation, saying that they were insensitive to the plight of the pop-

ulace, as they want to own everything and leave the people with nothing.

New President of the Forum, Mr. Moses Edougha, called on Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and oil multinationals to implement the local content policy of the Federal Government.

He also appealed to oil firms to wake up to their Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, to host communities by implementing the local content rules in their employments and award of contracts.

Edo LG polls: No imposition of candidates, ACN insists

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—AHEAD the April 20, 2013 local government elections in Edo State, the leadership of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the state has described as untrue, allegations in some quarters that leaders of the party had anointed candidates in the 18 councils, making the February 9, primaries look deceitful.

Vanguard gathered that some of the chairmanship aspirants were confused on whether to proceed with their campaigns or not after they learnt that the powerful leaders in the party may have anointed their preferred candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship positions.

But the party, through the state Secretary, Chief Osaro Idah, described the allegations as untrue, reiterating the party’s resolve to conduct free and fair primaries on February 9.

Chief Idah spoke, yesterday, shortly after an aspirant from Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, Mr. Akin Agbaje, purchased his form of intention.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 —13

Abductors of 73-yr-old woman in Imo demand N70m ransom A

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

WKA—ABDUCTORS of the 73-year – old mother of an Nnewi-based industrialist kidnapped at Urualain Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, have demanded a ransom of N70 million from her son, Mr. Chika Emenike.

The victim, Mrs. Patricia Emenike, was kidnapped on January 10, 2013, by gunmen in a Toyota Camry as she was returning from the market.

It was the second time Madam Emenike was kidnapped. In 2011, the septuagenarian was also kidnapped and released after the family paid ransom that ran into millions of naira.

Her industrialist son, Emenike, who is the chairman and chief executive of Kotec Group, manufacturers of motorcycle parts and makers of tommy tommy noodles, told reporters in Nnewi yesterday that the kidnappers established contact with the family some days ago and demanded N70million.

He said, however, that negotiations were continuing.

According to him, the family is worried because the woman is diabetic and hypertensive.

Abacheke community sues Imo govt

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—ABACHEKE community in Ohaji/ Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, has dragged the state government to Oguta High Court, praying it to stop Governor Rochas Okorocha from utilising the N400 million released to the state by the Federal Government to attend to the needs of those sacked by flood.

Similarly, the community chased out the team that went there to fumigate the flood ravaged area, especially the homes of the most affected flood victims.

The aggrieved people also prayed for an order dissolving the committee set up by the state government, which did not have a representative from Abacheke community, Egbema.

Acting through their counsel, Mr. Israel Onyeoyibo, the community sought a declaration that the committee did not have a right to share relief materials meant for flood victims without verifying the extent of the devastation in each community.

He added that three days after his mother was kidnapped, she told him on phone from the kidnappers’ custody that she was not being fed.

Emenike said: “We have not

even gone for thanksgiving after her abduction and release in 2011 because of her ill-health. Now they have abducted her again and we are worried because of her health condition.”

He said the incident had since been reported at Uruala police station and office of Imo State Commissioner of Police, stating that the police had made a firm promise to track down his mother’s abductors.

VISIT: Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State (left) receiving the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye at Government House, Abakaliki, yesterday. Pastor Adeboye was in the state on a one-day Crusade, yesterday.

Reps order probe of Ezu River bodies

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

A

BUJA—MEMBERS of the House of Representatives, yesterday, mandated security agencies to quickly initiate action towards identifying corpses found floating in Ezu River in Anambra State and unravel those who dumped the 40 bodies in the river.

The House also directed the National Emergency Manage-

ment Agency, NEMA, to, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, immediately provide alternate water source to the affected communities.

This was sequel to a motion brought to the floor of the House by Chukwuemeke Nwogbo, APGA, Anambra State.

Nwogbo had told his colleagues that “the Amansea

and Ebenebe Communities of Awka North woke up to a pungent and obnoxious smell.

“On further investigation, they discovered about 40 corpses of various stages of decomposition floating in River Ezu.” He said the river was the only source of domestic water for Amansea, Ebenebe and other neighboring communities in the state.

Indigenes want FCTA to release resettlement report

A

BY LAIDE AKINBOADE

BUJA—THE Original In habitants Development Association of Abuja ,OIDA, and Alliance for Credible Election, ACE, have urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, to make public the report of the resettlement committee created by the FCT government.

A statement by OIDA and signed by President of the organisation, Mr. Danladi Jeji, in Abuja, said the report was yet to be in the public domain, especially members of OIDA. It will be recalled that the Minister of State for FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide,, recently said about 8,000 indigenes of FCT would be resettled. 4,800 indigenes of the FCT are to be given plots of land at Apo in Abuja Municipal Area Council and Galuwyi-Shere in Bwari Area Council.

He said another 3,000 indigenes of the FCT will be allocated houses as another 2571 households will be resettled in 1st quar-

ter of 2013 in the Apo Resettlement Scheme.

He also noted that six communities made up of Utako, Maje, Jabi, Yakubu, Zhilu and Kpaadna with 5172 households would re-

settled in the second quarter of 2013 at Galuwyi-Shere She said a report on resettlement and compensation for FCT Indigenes had been produced.

Anyim urges NASS to support Centenary project

BY HENRY UMORU &

JOSEPH ERUNKE BUJA—FORMER Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, yesterday, appealed to the National Assembly to support the Centenary Project and celebration of Nigeria’s 100 years of existence saying that the cost of the project will be borne by the private sector Briefing Senators yesterday, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, told his colleagues that Nigeria’s hundred years of existence was desirable against the backdrop that the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Pro-

A

tectorates of Nigeria in 1914 was not an accident.

Anyim in his twenty-four page presentation said that there was the need for Nigeria to celebrate it because we have faced many challenges and came out of it, just as he stressed that the project was fully a private sector driven and the Federal Government was not spending any kobo on the celebration.

Anyim explained that the event will hold in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, all the State Capitals, some historic towns and cities in Nigeria and other cities around the World.

Oyo tasks Nigerians on security

BY ONOZURE DANIA

L

AGOS—MANAG ING Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Mrs. Remi Oyo, has said the nation’s security should be everybody’s business.

According to her, security should not be left to the security agencies alone, as there is need for concerted effort by every Nigerian to be involved in security issues.

Oyo said this on Monday in Lagos while delivering a lecture, entitled “The Media, The Church and National Security, Any synergy?”

The lecture was part of activities marking the 14th Pastor Solomon Odunaiya Annual Memorial Lecture organised by the Young Men Christian League, Christ Apostolic Church, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

She noted that the Church and the media needed to play purposeful roles in promoting peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.

Oyo said the two institutions had direct dealings with the people and had enormous powers to influence the people to take certain actions or refrain from particular acts.

Upgrade your skills, GOC tells military nurses

BY TONY EDIKE

E

NUGU—THE Gen eral Officer Commanding, GOC, 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Major Gen. Oluwaseun Oshinowo, yesterday, asked Military Nurses to upgrade their knowledge and skills in contemporary health care delivery challenges.

General Oshinowo, who gave the charge while declaring open a five-day Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme for Nigerian Army Nurses and Midwives including their civilian counterparts at 82 Division main auditorium, Enugu, stressed the need for them to improve on their interpersonal communication skills and knowledge through higher education that would propel them to learn new attitudes.

14—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

APGA: Stakeholders fault Obi on zoning

BY ENYIM ENYIM

O

N I T S H A — TAKEHOLDERS of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, yesterday declared null and void Governor Peter Obi’s pronouncement that the position of governor in the scheduled November 2013 governorship election had been zoned to Anambra North senatorial zone.

Addressing reporters in Awka, spokesman of the stakeholders and former Deputy National Chairman, South, Chief Onwuka Ukwa, said: “All these stumbling blocks being put on the way by the governor is not going to help the party in the election ahead.

“I heard the issue of zoning the governorship position to Anambra North senatorial zone first from Governor Peter Obi and that is not supposed to be the case.”

C M Y K

Merger: ACN, CPC move to check Sheriff, Yerima

BY EMMANUELAZIKEN,

A

POLITICAL EDITOR

BUJA—POLITICAL par ties involved in the merger talks to produce a formidable opposition party are devising plans to keep moles of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in their midst from sabotaging their ultimate objective participating in the talks.

The plans of the opposition parties came to fore following revelations that two former governors presently members of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP were already engaged in talks with the PDP.

The duo, former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Yerima were yesterday, reported to have held talks with the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as part of the process of wooing them over to the ruling party.

The revelation of the secret talks was received with mixed feelings in the ranks of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the two major parties driving the merger talks.

“We have always said it that

we will talk with progressive minds and so anyone that is frolicking with PDP cannot have a progressive mind,” CPC national publicity secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashikin told Vanguard, yesterday.

Pledging that whatever actions of Sheriff and Yerima would not derail the process, he said: ”We are going to have the merger and will involve only those with progressive minds.”

He said that certain elements in the ANPP would pull the rug off the feet of the former governors.

Edo PDP sacks Director of Publicity

B

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

ENIN CITY—AS Edo State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, intensifies preparations for the forthcoming April 20, 2013 Local Government Council elections, the party yesterday, terminated the appointment of its Director of Publicity, Okharedia Ihimekpen, for alleged “unguarded comments” as regards the party’s position on the polls.

It would be recalled that Ihimekpen and state Publicity

Secretary of the party, Matthew Urhoghide, differed on the issue of the party’s participation in the forthcoming election. While the leadership of the party, led by Chief Dan Orbih, expressed readiness for the election, Ihimekpen said the party, was boycotting it contrary to the position of the party.

However, in a statement signed by state Secretary of the party, Felix Utubor, it explained that the State Working Committee had

to take the decision due to the re-organisation currently going on at the state secretariat of the party.

The letter terminating Ihimekpen’s appointment read: “Your appointment of April 20, 2009, as the state Director of Publicity and strategy, PDP, Edo State, is hereby terminated with immediate effect. By this development you are to hand over all property of Edo PDP in your possession to the party’s secretary.”

A leading chieftain of the ACN involved in the merger talks was forthright last night saying that his party and the ANPP were conscious of those he described as black legs in the ANPP and had taken care to safeguard the merger plans from their actions.

“You would see that the two of them are not really involved in the merger talks and it is instructive that all sides have been watching them knowing their antecedents. We know those who cry out in the day time against PDP but go to bed with them in the night,” the ACN chieftain said.

ANPP national publicity secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, said the party was unaware of the alleged talks between Sheriff, Yerima and PDP saying the party received it as newspaper rumour.

CPC national leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari had at the inauguration of the party ’s merger committee last week disclosed that the merger plans would be achieved in phases with the CPC and ACN consummating the alliance before the ANPP would be ushered in.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—15

Jonathan meets eminent persons group zSays reforms 'll create 3m jobs

BY BEN AGANDE

A

BUJA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has said the reforms embarked upon by his administration in the agricultural sector would add 20 million metric tonnes of food to domestic supplies and create at least 3.5 million new jobs in agriculture and allied industries by 2015.

The President, who made this disclosure at a meeting with members of Eminent Persons Group on the transformation of Nigeria’s agricultural sector, said the objective of the structural and policy reforms was to build on Nigeria’s tremendous natural resources.

He also said it was founded on the need to reverse the decline in the agricultural sector’s productivity which followed the discovery of oil; establish domestic self-sufficiency in food and make the country a major net exporter of food.

He said: “Such a shift will not only reduce billions of dollars we spend importing basic food items, but will also create millions of jobs, especially for our youths.

“This shift will also drive agricultural industrialization as more agro-allied enterprises will be established to process and add value to local foods for domestic and international markets.”

He emphasised that his administration was committed to a government-enabled, private sector driven transformation of the nation’s agricultural sector to change the perception in the country that agriculture was for the never do well.

“Government will continue to support public-private sector partnerships that reduce the costs of doing business in Nigeria, especially by providing critical infrastructure such as power, water and roads. This is why my Government is developing staple crop processing zones as a new framework for attracting the private sector into areas of high food production, to

C M Y K

process, and add value to all commodities produced in Nigeria.

“We also recognise the need to accelerate investments in research and development and take advan-

tage of modern technologies, including bio-technology and ICT that will expand possibilities for our farmers.”

The President disclosed that the initiative to trans-

form Nigeria’s agricultural sector through the private sector was already paying off with new private sector investments worth about $8 billion now committed to agriculture.

Governor Tanko Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State addressing the people affected by the recent communal clash in Kokona LGA of the state.

PDP 'll not victimize any gov—Tukur zSays merger plans by opposition parties, not a threat

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA—NATIONAL Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday said there were no plans to victimize any governor elected on the platform of the party.

He also admitted that the governors were his people, stressing that as a father to all, he had put behind him the action of 10 members of the National Working Committee, NWC, who reversed the party’s earlier decision on Adamawa State PDP. Tukur said: "I am a father!

Once you are looking forward, you don’t look back again. We are one. We all can make mistakes". He noted that all the governors were his field commanders in the states, implementing the manifesto and agenda of the party.

On governors insisting

that there must be National Executive Meeting, NEC, before they could soft-pedal, Tukur said his job was to follow the party’s constitution to the letter.

He said: “Sure, the NEC will be convened. My job is to ensure that we do what the party constitution says.

So, there is no fear and I also told you that the party is supreme. The party is above everybody, from the President down to the councillor, they are all under that umbrella. PDP is an institution and above governors, above president, above chairman of the party itself.”

Tukur, who also boasted that the PDP was not in any way threatened by the planned merger of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; All Nigeria Peoples Party,

ANPP and other opposition political parties ahead of 2015 Presidential election, said the merger would not distract the PDP. He said: "I will continue to tell people because we have to be fair and just and fulfil what we promised and people will follow us because we mean what we say and we deliver what we promised, and we agree to do what our people want us to do.”

On when the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT will emerge, Tukur said the issue bother everybody in the party and not just the executive.

He said: “It is an advisory body. It is supposed to be a collection of people who are custodians of the conscience of the party, advising the party on how to get it right when the party is going wrong. So, it is going to come."

SURE-P: Sanusi, others shun public hearing

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

A

BUJA—STAKE HOLDERS in the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme SURE-P, yesterday shunned an invitation by a House of Representatives panel set up to assess the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme of President Goodluck Jonathan.

They include Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Dieziani Allison-Madueke, Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Transportation, Sen. Abdullahi Umar, Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Worgu and governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Members of the joint committees, however, vowed to deal with erring stakeholders if they failed to turn up on the rescheduled date for the probe which was

fixed for February 12.

The Presidential committee on proceeds from the partial removal of subsidy on petroleum products by the government is headed

by Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade.

Chieftains of Transport, Health, Finance, Niger Delta and Petroleum Ministries and the CBN governor who did not honour the lawmakers’ invitation were mandated to assist the SURE-P to deliver on the presidential promise of utilizing money realised from the partial removal of subsidy to provide hospitals, ease transportation for majority of Nigerians and repair the East-West Road in the Niger Delta.

Committees on Petroleum Resources(Downstream), Finance, and States and Local Government which were mandated to look into the implementation level of the SURE-P, through the joint-committee Chairman, Dakuku Peterside,PDP-Rivers, condemned what he claimed was a deliberate decision of the ministers not to honour the invitation of the House.

Police, Okada riders clash in Abuja

BY NOEL ONOJA

A

BUJA—COM MERCIAL motorcycle operators, popularly known as Okada, again clashed with the police in Abuja over imposed taxes and dues which they viewed as indiscriminate from their union.

Although the violence recorded no casualty, eyewitness told Vanguard that the Okada riders mounted a road block around Karu market and the CBN junction where they were confronted by policemen from Jikwoyi

and Nyanya axis.

The policemen were said to have used tears gas to disperse the crowd, shooting into the air severally for up to 30 minutes.

The clash, which entered its second day, was said to have started on Monday afternoon when a union not known to the riders allegedly connived with the police to impose and enforce a compulsory due on Okada riders in the area.

An operator, who identified himself as Musa Danladi, said “we don’t even know this so called union.

They said we should pay N9,500 for helmet and dues, including another N2,000 for vest.

16 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 , 2013

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

Okah’s conviction a ruse, says ex-militant leader

BY EMMA AMAIZE

ARRI—MORE reactions poured in, yesterday, to Monday’s conviction of leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Mr. Henry Okah, of terrorism by a South African court, with an exmilitant leader and a Niger Delta activist, saying it was a “set up” by the Nigerian Government.

They also contended that Okah’s conviction was a big blow to the Niger Delta struggle, as it was calculated to stop further struggles by the people for resource control.

Spokesperson for the defunct Niger Delta Liberation Force, NDLF, “Captain” Mark Anthony, told Vanguard, that “There wasn't enough evidence to convict Henry Okah. The South African court is working on a written script of the Nigerian Government.

“He (Okah) said he was not the leader of MEND. He is a victim of circumstances. What happened to Henry Okah is a lesson to all of us."

W

Madam Okolieapiti passes on RS Cecilia Okolieapiti, a community women leader in Ibusa, Delta State, is dead, aged 90.

Burial arrangements as announced by one of her children, Chief Augustine Onochie, will start with a service of songs will hold tomorrow at St. Monica’s Catholic Church, Ogboli, Ibusa, while social wake-keep will take place at her Ezukwu residence.

Funeral mass will hold the next day at the same church.

She is survived by many children, grand and great grand children.

M

Late Madam Okolieapiti

Kidnap suspect killed in Delta, victim rescued

BY FESTUS AHON

GHELLI—APPRE HENSION, yesterday, enveloped Agharho community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, as a suspected kidnapper was shot dead by men of the state Police Command while rescuing a kidnap victim.

Vanguard gathered that the kidnap victim, Mr. Omamuyovwi Oseri, owner of a popular hotel in the area, was whisked away in a Toyota Camry car by one of the suspected kidnappers, while one other escaped with bullet wounds.

It was learnt that the suspected kidnappers, numbering three, forced their way into the hotel premises and ordered the staff and visitors to lie on the floor as the hotelier was bundled into the waiting car.

Briefing newsmen on the incident, Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of Agbarho Police division, Mr. Paul Audu, said the police swung into action after a distress call was received from the management of the hotel and accosted the other two kidnappers, who were already escaping in a Jeep they had snatched from the

U

bishop of one of the churches in the area.

Audu added that on sighting his men, the suspected kidnappers opened fire and in the ensuing gun duel, one of the kidnappers was killed while the other escaped with bullet wounds.

He explained that the Toyota

Camry car conveying the victim had sped off into a nearby bush moments before the police arrived the hotel, adding that a ransom fee was demanded. He said a search team comprising the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Agbarho vigilante group and

COMMISSIONING: Senate President, Senator David Mark (middle), flanked by Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah (right); Water Resources Minister, Mrs. Sarah Ochepke; Chairman, House Committee on Orientation, Mr. Buba Jubril and on his immediate left, Interior Minister, Comrade Abba Moro; Director General, National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri and Minister for State, Trade and Investment, Mr. Samuel Ortom during the commissioning of 22 NOA’s operational trucks in Abuja.

Nigeria to keep troops in Mali until resolution of crisis

BY UDUMA KALU

G

ENEVA—NIGERIAN troops will remain in Mali till the crisis is over, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

President Jonathan, who spoke to reporters in Geneva, yesterday, said the country’s troops would stay back in the crisis-ridden country until elections there are over.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has boosted security on its borders in anticipation of increased attacks by Boko Haram militants after it sent

troops to help expel Islamists from northern Mali, a military spokesman said.

“If they are part of al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, if they are in support of the northern Mali crisis, there is every possibility that they will heighten their attacks,” Colonel Mohammed Yerima, Director of Information at Nigeria’s Defence Ministry, said yesterday in Abuja. “On our own side, we’re strategizing on how to counter them,” he added.

Nigeria plans to deploy up to 1,200 troops as part of a West African intervention force to support French and Malian troops

battling Islamist militants in the Sahara desert.

Allied French and West African forces are seeking to drive the rebels out of northern Mali, which the rebels seized from government forces after a coup last year left a power vacuum.

“We cannot pull out until we have solved the problem. I cannot tell you when we will solve the problem, but Nigeria is totally committed and we remain committed until the crisis is resolved,” Jonathan told Reuters in an interview in Geneva.

Why North is opposed to PIB —Clark

BY EMMA AMAIZE

ARRI—SOUTHSOUTH leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has said the major reason why the North was opposed to the Petroleum Industry Bill , PIB, was because of the allocation of 10 per cent equity to host communities.

He said the uncompromising stand was not surprising as the various interest groups in the North do not want such benefit to go to the oil communities. He, however, called

W

his men went into action and later rescued the victim.

He added that the vehicle plate number of the Toyota Camry car used by the kidnappers was different from the number engraved on the body and wind screen of the car.

on host communities to continue to mount pressure on the appropriate quarters until the bill was passed.

Clark, who was represented by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, former Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters to former President Umaru Yar’Adua, stated this at the inauguration of the newlyelected executive of Izon-Ebe Oil Producing Communities Forum in Warri, Delta State.

He blamed the leaders of the country for the woes bedevilling the nation, saying that they were insensitive to the plight of the pop-

ulace, as they want to own everything and leave the people with nothing.

New President of the Forum, Mr. Moses Edougha, called on Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and oil multinationals to implement the local content policy of the Federal Government.

He also appealed to oil firms to wake up to their Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, to host communities by implementing the local content rules in their employments and award of contracts.

Edo LG polls: No imposition of candidates, ACN insists

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

ENIN—AHEAD the April 20, 2013 local government elections in Edo State, the leadership of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the state has described as untrue, allegations in some quarters that leaders of the party had anointed candidates in the 18 councils, making the February 9, primaries look deceitful.

Vanguard gathered that some of the chairmanship aspirants were confused on whether to proceed with their campaigns or not after they learnt that the powerful leaders in the party may have anointed their preferred candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship positions.

But the party, through the state Secretary, Chief Osaro Idah, described the allegations as untrue, reiterating the party’s resolve to conduct free and fair primaries on February 9.

Chief Idah spoke, yesterday, shortly after an aspirant from Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, Mr. Akin Agbaje, purchased his form of intention.

B

— 17 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013— “It is not the liberties we have but the liberties we take that cause all the trouble.”

- Anon

A

Usurping the political space

,

S he is wont to do, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi triggered another quarrel when he called for the banning of ethnic and religious organisations on the grounds that they inhibit the growth of an allinclusive political process, threaten national unity and heighten the state of insecurity in the nation. He said organisations such as the Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI), and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) which claim to represent Nigerian Muslims and Christians, as well as others such as the Aferifere, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Ohaneze Ndi’Igbo are patently political, contrary to their claims. He said their existence offends the constitution which demands that government must promote associations that cut across ethnoreligious divisions. Leaders who exploit ethno-religious differences fuel insecurity, such as the insurgency ravaging the north, he insists.

Even as he spoke, Sanusi must have known that government has neither the legal right nor the political will to move against these groups. They do not offend the constitution, and they are central building blocks of much of the powers of the ruling elite. They are creations of a political process which has fed on poison that has stunted its growth. It cannot wean itself of the addiction, and it cannot destroy it. It could turn it into a non-poisonous and nourishing asset, but leaders who rode to power on its back do not have the will or the capacity to do so.

Sanusi got what he apparently wanted, which was to trigger a national discourse on these monstrosities which have taken centre stage in our political system.

Virtually all of them repudiated his claims that they do more harm than good. They insist that they are informed by the need to protect special interests, they are protected by constitutional guarantees for freedom of association, and many say they are victims of violence and insecurity, and not its causes or champions.

No one would have expected anything less from all these organisations. But then no one would be impressed by their professions of innocence either. The recent image of President Jonathan kneeling before Pastor Adeboye of the RCCG, a repeat of an earlier pilgrimage he made in the build-up to the 2011 elections is still fresh in memory. The President himself said prayers gave him victory, and his penchant for making major policy statements from pulpits have radically improved the standing of the church in the political terrain. The Sultan’s recent salvo against politicians who are either unwilling or unable to act on advise on the insurgency ravaging the north is still vibrating. This is the symbolic head of Nigerian Muslims speaking, the head criticised by many Muslims as being too friendly to a government hostile or indifferent to Muslim interests on the one hand, and

Corruption is at the heart of why fringe groups are taking central positions in our politics; religious leaders and ethnic champions corrupt the political process by giving it false legitimacy

,

repudiated by the JASLIWAJ (a.k.a Boko Haram) on the other. He heads the JNI which insists that it is the vanguard of Nigerian muslims. He sits with the President of CAN and with other clerics and traditional rulers in the governmentfunded Nigeria Inter-Religions Council (NIREC) to put out joint statements, which are promptly negated by members when they leave the comfortable surroundings of meeting chambers.

condemning him or defending organisations which respond to massive stimulus, or create their own, owing to weaknesses in the political system. The most fundamental of those weaknesses is the failure to acknowledge that the Nigerian nation is made of citizens who are Muslims or Christians, and a few who think being either is a problem. Faith is a very important issue in the lives of the vast majority of Nigerians, yet our constitution merely acknowledges that we are a multireligious and multi-ethnic state which must operate by involving all faiths and ethnic groups in its institutions and operation. Tensions exist between religious values such as personal integrity, honesty, justice, service, humility and sacrifice which are found in all the major religions, and nebulous provisions in the constitution which ape them.

A political system which demands expenditure of hundreds of millions of Naira and massive use of violence to secure an elective office, and encourages virtual looting of the public treasury in the end will stand condemned by all the basic values of Islam and Christianity. Impunity exist because there is neither the fear of man-made laws, nor those of God and the hereafter. The disconnect between core

Harmless creatures

T

he JNI and CAN are actually harmless creatures. The real action lies with individual clerics, which they cannot control. Pastor Oritsejafor alone brings the roof down when he thunders in defence of President Goodluck Jonathan; or when he threatens revenge and retribution when churches are attacked. Bishop Kukah’s homily at late Governor Yakowa funeral stands out as evidence that every inch of our political system is nurtured by religious sentiments. The reaction of Shiekh Ahmad Gummi and other Muslims to that homily merely confirms the central position of faith-based politics in the land.

This, perhaps, is where the real value of Sanusi’s provocation lies. It does no good

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, CBN Governor: Stirred the hornet’s nest.

OPINION

BY PERCY OWAIYE Continued from yesterday's Viewpoints

T

HIS is a fact that many know, but which is hardly acknowledged. In reviewing the trajectory of countries like the USA, Japan, Norway, Germany, Britain, Singapore, and now Brazil and India, the role of qualitative human capital in their advancement and in upholding their successes today as rich societies cannot be overlooked. In the political terrain, decisions on human capital development are even more difficult. In an era where people are eager to see the immediate and tell tale signs of democracy dividends, it is risky to preach human capital development. One, achievements in this area are hardly “seen”; and two, it takes longer gestation periods.

That is why only the bold and visionary can contemplate it, much more making it a priority. In Delta state, this is the choice the Uduaghan administration has made. I dare say, future generations will remember this hard choice and be grateful to him. It is in this regard that, I was not prepared for the new Saint Patrick’s College Asaba when we arrived there. In fact, on the bus ride through Asaba town, I had cynically remarked to myself who the new

Uduaghan’s Delta in the sand of time (2) moneybag in town could be to have built such imposing and gigantic edifice as home when we approached it!

Only for me to learn that it was good old Saint Patrick’s College (SPC)! I had left the school after one year of High School in 1982. I immediately alighted from the vehicle and tried to reconnect with my roots. But the new SPC is light years away from the one I attended then.

Built on an imposing three storey structure spread across the front of the old school, the new SPC can rival any school of its kind in the world. The building is not only state of the art, the classrooms are very well furnished for comfort and functionality and the laboratories very well equipped. I tell you the students that will pass through its portals will have no reason to feel inferior to their peers anywhere in the world. And that is as should be! If Nigeria is to attain its rightful place as leader of the black world and grow into one of the leading twenty economies of the world, our public school system must speak to our ambitions. I was to learn that 10 of such schools of such

religious values and the political system is complete: You cannot win an election, or run a successful business in Nigeria if you insist on remaining strictly within the bounds of your faith.

So leaders who have risen to power on the back of un-belief turn around and create their own belief systems. They invest heavily in faith-based activities; they patronise clerics who in turn create political followership for them. They create falsehoods that the fortunes of Christians or Muslims will be better or worse depending on the faith of the leader. If this does not happen instantly, it is because the “other ” side is frustrating the leader’s divine calling to deliver.

The problem is that the people are no fools. They remain resolutely Muslim or Christian, and most can see the caricature which is made of their faith by leaders.

Many ask for forgiveness as they chase crumbs. Others take up arms, denouncing the entire edifice. Majority leave matters to God, in whose name their resources are plundered, and they watch as leaders are blessed and anointed by clerics who fly their own planes.

Faith-based organisations will continue to wax stronger because they exploit a major vacuum in our political system. In a multi-religious society where political leaders exploit faith and run a winnertakes-all system, religion provides the fuel which takes leaders to power; and alienates many citizens who feel that their faith is a liability in the estimation of leaders. Religious leaders have huge powers and little responsibility. Those are the powers Sanusi wants to see taken away from then. It won’t happen. Even if you can ban them, faith will continue to play a major role in Nigerian politics.

Limitations of political system

T

he limitations of the political system which allows ethno-religious bodies to play important roles are to be found in the failure of a leadership to emerge which will lead with vision, justice and competence, whether the leader is Muslim or Christian, Gbagi or Urhobo. The political system needs to expand and subordinate these particularistic tendencies, and gradually establish a threshold where citizenry is distinctly a value equally shared, even though faith and ethnicity differ. It is important that leaders recognise that Islam and Christianity are offended by corruption and impunity, and if they can be fair and just to all citizens irrespective of faith or tongue, the damaging tendency to think we have to have one of our own in office will be curtailed. Corruption is at the heart of why fringe groups are taking central positions in our politics. Religious leaders and ethnic champions corrupt the political process by giving it false legitimacy; and are in turn corrupted by a political system which makes them its vehicles. What the nation needs are more intimate linkages between our religious and cultural values which define leadership and responsibility, and the operations of our governance structures and institutions.

magnitude are being built across the state as first phase.

And that over 100 schools have been constructed to modern standards! I saw a bit of that at the central primary school in the Ogbogunogo area of Asaba, and it was the same vision at work. The school is as good as any primary school you can find, and complete with a well kept playing field. The aim is to develop well taught and well drilled pupils. As the saying goes: A healthy mind is found in a healthy body! Delta has a rich pedigree in sports, and it is the present administration’s vision to consolidate it, by catching them young. There are scores of these schools spread across the three senatorial districts of the state.

In another few months, it will be mid-term on the second administration of Uduaghan. So it is safe to say, that the administration is on the home stretch. Will history be kind to him? I think so. As the gentleman governor himself said at the interview, his hope is to run a good race and handle over a banner without stain to his successor.

Deltans, he said, will remember him for good or bad, depending on how his policies have impacted them. Such forthrightness! Such equanimity!

Concluded *Mr. Owaiye, a researh &development consultant, wrote from Lagos.

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

IT would be shameful, if it is true that what President Goodluck saw at the Police College, Ikeja, shocked him. Why was he shocked? In what state did he expect to find a 73-year-old institution that has run for decades without maintenance?

The Police College in Ikeja is old.

Facilities in newer schools are better.

The Police College makes the side point that concentration of powers on the Federal Government does not permit efficiencies that more action participation of other rungs of the power ladder would have wrought.

It is also important that the President’s shock is properly situated. Is he shocked that institutions in Nigeria could degenerate to the point he witnessed?

Is his shock partially out of anger that votes for these institutions might have been put to other uses? Would he be shocked to know that if the authorities had fore knowledge of his visit parts of

BY LADI AYODEJI

T

HE internet is the eighth wonder of the world. It has erased the borders of nations, closed the gap of time and space, removed the veil of privacy and turned the world into a global village. No invention has affected humanity and impacted the way we live and work like the internet. The information age has advanced the course of man as no other age before it.

Like many good things, there’s also the good, the bad and the ugly side to the internet revolution. It has given unrestrained access to the social media, to miscreants and availed them weapons of mass destruction that now pose mortal danger to the credibility of innocent persons, especially celebrated persons across the social spectrum.

Negative bloggers on the internet are the terrorists and suicide bombers who use the weapons of social media to steal, kill and destroy their innocent victims, against whom they nurse some grudge. These dangerous hacks are under the influence of a malevolent spirit and now form part of the ugly side of the global information flow that we have to deal with like natural disasters.

They are the nightmares of information managers.

The sad part is that genuine men of God like Rev. Chris Okotie, whose teaching ministry regularly dispenses revelatory knowledge of the word of God, have become the perennial victim of junk journalists

After Jonathan’s Ikeja Shock the school would have been in sparkling conditions before his arrival?

What the President saw is a minor part of the decay most public institutions are under going under the uncaring watch of people we pay to manage them. If resources allocated to Police College Ikeja were mismanaged, what would the President do to redeem that and ensure there are effective procedures to spare him such agony over the state of our public institutions?

The Ikeja shock provides a great

pedestal for Jonathan to make a selfassessment of his administration. Too many things are escaping the government’s attention because the President is busy and his lieutenants have busied themselves with the politics of being in office rather than serving Nigerians. He should be out there finding out things for himself since nobody would give him the true picture.

Many areas of Nigerian life are worse than the unsettling situation the President beheld in Ikeja. If we cannot maintain physical structures, how do we deal with the environment or intrinsic values like justice and the rule of law?

We doubt if this commendable visit – which opened the President’s eyes to Nigeria, far from Abuja – would bear much fruit.

The President has a lot of work to do: if we cannot maintain what we have; it is little wonder that we cannot build new ones.

OPINION Internet mob rules bloggers and hacks in the social media mob.

The reverend’s case is particularly pathetic because over the course of his ministry for more than a quarter of a century he had, and continues to be a subject of relentless onslaught, which Satan wrought by the hands of junk journalists in different formats.

Having known Rev. Okotie for more than 30 years, I have seen him evolved from a budding recording artiste, into a world class preacher, political leader and devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. I am particularly fascinated by his wholesale commitment to his unique commission, which is why one is troubled by the unbridled, shameful assault on his person; ministry and life in general.

The mob will stop at nothing to cast the reverend in bad light at the slightest opportunity.

Although for 22years running, Rev. Okotie’ s church, the Household of God, has been making annual donations of millions of naira to charities through its GRACE programme, our celebrated bloggers deliberately ignored this exemplary effort because it does not fit into their satanic agenda. This good work is not mentioned by the mob network. For instance, December 9, 2012, the church gave out about N6.5million to charities, including awardees, the late scholar and politician, Prof. Ishaya Audu, the beneficiary of our

KARIS Award for last year.

Instead, our social networkers quietly steal into the church service to search for scandals and, when none exits, invent one. Celebrities who attend our church are trailed and monitored closely for any slip that is good enough for junk media. The latest stock in trade is to listen to Rev. Okotie’s sermons or homilies, distort them and turn them into what Apostle Paul calls “another gospel,” usually some blasphemy designed to portray the reverend as a heretical preacher who has lost his bearing. They deliberately align Okotie’s ministry with the very Satan of whom he is an implacable adversary.

A

s you read this, a causal remark made

by Rev Okotie in response to a parishioner’s question on the propriety of Christians having tattoos was twisted to portray the man of God as endorsing the untoward practice. One Linda Ikeji used her blog to promote this falsehood. When a refutal was sent to her, she refused to publish it because invariably it would call to question the credibility of her medium which enjoys considerable following because it is one of those mills whose offering is consumed by the gullible public. In a craze to stay popular on the web and maintain a huge following, bloggers like this often do not bother to ascertain the veracity of stories before

publishing.

They get away with this professional misconduct because they are not bound by any ethical standard; all they care about is money made from inflicting untold injuries on the integrity of credible citizens. This is the down side of the social media. But ultimately, purveyors of falsehood do not last because conscience is an open wound that only truth can heal. You may fool the people some of the time but you cannot fool them all the time. One day monkey will go to the market and will not return, is a local adage.

That should be the consolation for victims of the social media mob like Okotie and others who are suffering in silence .The days of the jackals are surely numbered.

One last word. When I pioneered gossip journalism in this country in the 80s with a weekly entertainment column in the PUNCH, it enjoyed immense popularity among readers, not because it blackmailed anyone, but for creating fun out of the lifestyles of celebrities. Today’s practitioners of gossip journalism are professional blackmailers who extort money from celebrities on pain of death. They’ve thus taken this interesting side kick of journalism to another level entirely, by spreading moral terror and morbid fear among celebrities.

Welcome to the era of the blogger-suicide bomber of the internet! It is the spirit of the age.

*Mr. Ayodeji is Rev. Okotie's publicist.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013— —19

, A

MONG makers of history, at least as far as Nigeria goes, Rose Uzoma must stand high. She is the second woman ever to head the Nigerian Immigration Service, a male-dominated world in which to be a woman is to be a minority.

But she rose to the height of her profession only to fall on her own sword, committing professional hara-kiri on the prompting of her employer, the Federal Government. She was last week forced to step down from her exalted office after more than two years in the saddle. The story of her fall is typically Nigerian, a tale of abuse of power and position which all translates into that word that is very much part of us but which we all hate to be associated with- corruption. It all started like a beer parlour rumour which like the proverbial smoke that is not without fire always has its root in some truth or something that sounds or looks like it. There were murmurings that NIS personnel from certain parts of the country were being favoured over and above others from other parts that were discriminated against where things were not made very

uncomfortable for them. Knowing Nigeria for what it is, when complaints like this start it’s a no brainer who the favoured cows would be- persons from the boss’ part of the country. Such would be a clear case of ethnic bias or what goes by that word that is anathema in our hearing- tribalism. Now to put a tag of tribalism on somebody is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to discredit them. Many times people carelessly make such charges to cover up for personal inadequacies. But because Nigeria is a country founded on such ethnic configuration and people have actually suffered on account of their ethnic background (a matter not helped at all by insistence in parts of our national ethos that reserve certain favours/advantages for persons from certain parts).

If I remember right, the murmurings had started with complaints that the NIS boss was extending undue favours to her kinsmen and women from the South-East. Rose Uzoma is from Imo State or at least her husband is from that state (thank goodness no petition had been brought against her before Justice Aloma

,

Muktar or she would have suffered the fate of her kinswoman, Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo of the Court of Appeal). Soon the complaints got a bit louder and soon snowballed into allegations of favouritism and ethnic bias in the recruitment exercise conducted by the NIS. While the NIS initially denied report of any recruitment, claiming there were no plans to recruit until they were so instructed

by Abuja, the murmurings only got more pointed, this time that Mrs.Uzoma had, in hiring new hands for the NIS, excessively favoured people from the SouthEast in general and Imo State in particular.

I

n spite of denials by the NIS, the issue became serious enough to attract the House of Reps that summoned Uzoma for more explanation. And this legislative investigation is what provided a glimpse into the freewheeling and unconscionably complicated patronage system that some public officials run in the name of serving their fatherland- or motherland as the

Ekwe and the raging army of God's protectors

T

HE omens remain frightful regarding what awaits us this year in the moral conscience arena of our ever more degenerate social landscape. On Monday, 14 January, a holy mob in Ekwe, a village in Isu Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, arrested three men suspected of having consensual sex, beat them up, stripped them bare to their dangling nuts, tied them together and paraded them through the streets. The photo image of this latest evidence of our headlong descent into a sadistic barbarism joins the shameful gallery of others in the past year yet to fade from the world’s memory: the lynching of the Port Harcourt Four, the Mubi student massacre, scenes of the unending bloodbaths in Plateau State and of Boko Haram’s exploded bombs.

Out of respect for the viewer’s sensibility, the publishers of a version of the image circulating on the web covered up the naked men’s genitalia with bushes of hair so dark and thick that their good intention has the unintended effect of a desire to hide something sinister and evil. After all, the prevailing but unscientific view of the righteous majority of our countrymen and women is that homosexuality is unnatural and a sin against God. It is only proper then that anyone who was not there in Ekwe be spared the trauma of seeing the offending organs with which this “greatest of sins” was committed. For, far more than murder, kidnapping, massive and systemic corruption in government, rape, the rigging of elections, child abuse, wife battering, etc., the emerging consensus of our rabidly religious country, across tribe and creed, seems to be that same sex intercourse is the greatest sin and a threat to human existence.

No African belief espouses the fire-andbrimstone condemnation of sexual difference that the Abrahamic religions exult in. Homosexuals did not drop from the sky into our corner of the earth yesterday. But until quite recently when the fire of Pentecostalism, finding inexhaustible fuel in the unprecedented poverty and misery of the people, began to lay waste to our land, homosexuals were not demonised and persecuted. Mocked and teased, perhaps, but not condemned to second class citizen status, stripped of their basic human dignity and subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment for consensual sex behind closed doors.

In a three part essay on the rising tide of homophobia in our country — see “Homosexuality and Nigeria’s Enochs and Josephs,” “Homosexuality, Biology and the Bible” and “Sex and the Church’s Missionary Position” in The Guardian of 19 and 28 December 2011 and 9 January 2012 respectively, also available online at SaharaReporters (http:// saharareporters.com/columnist/ogagaifowodo) — I addressed the dangerous fallacies spewed from the nation’s bankrupt pulpits and parliament that drive the orgy of hate against our fellow citizens. I am concerned here with what I see as the gradual coarsening effect of the self-righteous mob on the moral soul of the nation as shown by the Ekwe show of shame. The majority of those in support of the criminalisation of what at best is a sin would protest if told that they belong to the same camp as the Islamic fundamentalists of Boko Haram; that they have common cause with those who will stone to death a woman who commits adultery and cut off the hand of a

and position by persons who ought to know that public office is for public and not private service. Mrs. Uzoma grossly abused her position and had she continued in office there is no telling what she could have turned that office into. She is clearly a power monger, a public official ready to worship at the altar of power without regard to the rightness or not of her position.

She has a servile mentality and would do anything to retain the patronage of those above her. It follows, too, that her type would demand absolute obedience from her subordinates and would not be averse to exercising the authority of her position without regard for the feelings of those who are accountable to her. She failed woefully to rise to both the moral and administrative demands of her office. The entire recruitment exercise she supervised was a sham, a fraudulent scheme in which people allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of Naira to be considered. While her action confirms the claim of those braburning women who like to think whatever a man can do a woman can do and even better, it gives the lie to the claim that women are more honest and responsible in positions of power. The point is that corruption has no gender and a corrupt woman is no less so than a corrupt man. Let us not forget that we have seen, in recent times, the rise of women who in public office have shown themselves to be as incompetent and, perhaps, as corrupt as their male counterparts.

The controversy that has plagued the Aviation Ministry where Stella Oduah presides is hardly different from what has sent Uzoma on administrative leave. And although there are more men out there fouling public office, it is clear too that the few women available are no better.

man who steals a goat. Yet, from inter-tribal wars to the oppression of woman (as the primal Other of history) on to slavery and colonialism, every morality of the majority

,

Rose Uzoma...what a man can do...

Let us not forget that we have seen, in recent times, the rise of women who in public office have shown themselves to be as incompetent and, perhaps, as corrupt as their male counterparts

case may be. Asked to provide statistical details of the recruitment process, it became clear that Mrs. Uzoma had turned her Comptroller-General office into one in which she ministered to the private desires of persons she apparently believed own the country. On the score that she favoured people from Imo State on the state-by-state allocation of job slots, the lady explained she only tried to correct past imbalance against Imo by allocating it more slots. But that really is just the mere icing on the big cake of patronage she baked for herself and others who are not necessarily her friends but nevertheless important persons in her estimation. For how does one explain the fact that the mother of President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, had a combined slot of over 140? According to a report, the President’s mother got 40 slots while Patience got 100.

Certainly Mrs. Uzoma must see herself as fulfilling a national obligation by the first family and others who must now come to her aid by providing her succour now she’s been kicked out. Other beneficiaries are Abba Moro, Minister of the Interior, who got 100 slots and some commissioners of the immigration board who each got 30 slots and the Federal Character Commission that got 250 slots. All of these slots were given out of a grand total of 4000 job slots approved by the Head of Service who, it is strange, hasn’t benefited from this unhealthy sharing of pork.

It is unknown to what extent the presidency stands implicated in the recruitment racketeering and if, indeed, the ‘First Mother’ and ‘First Lady’ accepted their allocations before the bubble burst? What is happening here reveals the criminal abuse of power, privilege

Our righteous warriors will do well to heed the injunction of loving one’s (sinful) neighbours as oneself, and to let God, as Baal, fight for himself; they should be consoled that none shall escape judgement — unless of course they do not believe their holy books

,

deemed to be the law of God/nature, becomes a sanction for mindless cruelty to the minority or the weak. And, invariably, the result is that victim and victimiser are brutalised simultaneously.

T

ake the sad spectacle of Ekwe. Whereas the three men engaged in a private act, the holy mob broke in upon them, stripped them naked and paraded them before the eyes of the world. But none in the mob

could claim to have been hurt by the men’s alleged act. So coarse and hardened of heart do holy warriors become that they will not see the inhumanity of their actions.

They forget that it was God himself, and not Lot, who meted out the justice of fire and brimstone on Sodom in the seminal Judeo-Christian tale of homophobia; a tale that established the idea of homosexuality as the unpardonable sin.

Which is why Lot would offer his two daughters who “have not known man” to the Sodomites and watch them raped rather than witness the sin of “sodomy.”

Indeed, by the end of Chapter 19 of Genesis, when Lot’s virgin daughters “lie with him,” the Judeo-Christian God has no problem with incest.

But what would Jesus have done had he come as the Messiah not to the Jews but to the Igbo and happened on the Ekwe scene?

Would he, perhaps, have said to his (Godthe-son’s) holy protectors what he told the men set to hurl stones at the woman accused of adultery: “He that is without sin among you, let him tie the first knot and lead the shame parade?” Our righteous warriors will do well to heed the injunction of loving one’s (sinful) neighbours as oneself, and to let God, as Baal, fight for himself. They should be consoled that none shall escape judgement — unless of course they do not believe their holy books.

20—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, JANUARY 23 , 2013

Growing dissent over demolition of markets in Ibadan

Cell phone palaver

BY OLA AJAYI

I

T is a known fact that Ibadan metropolis is no longer what it used to be. Even though, roads and other projects are still under construction, residents of the ancient city now breathe fresh air. There is free flow of both vehicular and human traffic. Places where traffic snarl used to be a permanent feature are now free. The environment is becoming cleaner by the day due to the demolition of illegal structures embarked upon by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Since live cables snapped and killed Victims of the Ibadan demolition traders at Apata Market, Ibadan, the administration has been defrom here? Our children go to schools and this is molishing structures erected under the tenwhere we get their school fees. Let them give us sion wire and also structures which were built a new place and we will go, ” one of them said. without adherence to town planning rules and Another trader who almost attacked the correregulations. spondent when asked to mention her name said Expectedly, this has generated heated conannoyingly, “12 years, my husband died. Where troversy among residents who are crying foul. do they want me to go from here. After voting, Their cries have reached high heavens over they started demolishing our shops. Anyway, it the demolition of illegal structures they used is just four years”. as shops.

But, the claims of some of the traders that they When one moves round Ibadan metropolis were not served any quit notice were faulted by a especially places like as Eleyele, Sango, Polyman who identified himself as Victor. He said technic Road, Ring road, Molete, Orita Chalthey were given notice last Thursday but did not lenge and Ogunpa, hundreds of structures expect them to come today and start demolishing

Recently, our stalls were gutted by fire, we struggled and rebuilt them; now, they have demolished them; where do we go from here?

,

including residential ones have been pulled down.

Some traders of the demolished structures were fuming with anger when Vanguard Metro went round the city.

A widow popularly called Iya Sibi claimed that no notice to quit was given to them. “There was no notice given to us. We begged them that they should give us some time and our leaders went to them and came back to tell us that they had allowed us to stay a little longer. But, see what they have done for us.

This is not fair. This is where we eat and provide for our family members. They should provide another place for us. They are punishing us. Many of us are widows. We voted for them.

Is this what they would pay us in return? she said” They complained further that the most painful thing is that local governments collect money from them. “Recently, our stalls were gutted by fire, we struggled and rebuilt them. Now, they have demolished them. Where do we go C M Y K

Debate of the masses

,

their shops without making alternative arrangement for them.

A man who simply identified himself as Michael said he had two shops before they were demolished.

He pleaded with the government to relocate them instead of

leaving them in the cold.

Governor Ajimobi, who vowed to change the rating of the state as the dirtiest in the country, has been trying to pacify the people, saying they should see the pains currently being experienced owing to the massive urban renewal exercise embarked upon by his administration as a temporary one that would soon turn into gains for them.

He appealed for the understanding of the people of the state, saying that at the end of the exercise, they would all appreciate his administration’s efforts at giving the state a new lease of life. Ajimobi further explained that he was not doing the demolition to punish the people, but to improve the state’s aesthetics and save the state from the unfortunate stigma of being the dirtiest state in Nigeria.

Bu what most residents of the state are saying is that the governor should quickly make provision for them so that they would not die of hunger.

BY EBELE ORAKPO

“A

H, I think we are over-flogging this issue. If you ask me, I feel we should put paid to this matter,” said Emeka this Tuesday morning as the commuter bus made its way through the early morning traffic along the Apapa-Oshodi expressway. He said this in response to the comment made by another commuter by name Ade who had on hearing the name of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina mentioned in the news.

Ade had commented thus; “I’m surprised the man is still there. He should be sacked. He has his priorities upside down. Imagine a minister talking about buying cell phones for every farmer in Nigeria when there are more pressing issues. It simply shows he has no plans for our agric sector. More serious nations are talking about food security and here we are, the so-called expert is talking about buying cell phones for farmers. Is that their most pressing need at this time?”

“Bros cool down. You have a point but the minister has a point too.

I think he has done well so far. If you have been following the story, when the news first broke that the ministry was to spend N60 billion on 10 million phones for Nigerian farmers, he denied it and later explained what they actually planned to do,” said Moses, adding; “it’s not as if the money will be given to a contractor to go and buy the phones for the farmers. He said they will do so in partnership with phone companies and they are only going to pay part of the money while the beneficiaries pay the rest. So instead of denigrating the man, we should support him. I believe he is very imaginative, forwardlooking and forward-

thinking. He means well for the sector.”

Said Ade; “E be like say you are the minister ’s spokesman.

Now tell me, how many rural farmers can use the cell phone to conduct their businesses? I still don’t think that is a wise decision. Cell phone is the least of their problems. There are better things to do with the money. Give them improved seeds and seedlings, high-yielding seeds, drought and pestresistant seeds, teach them improved farming methods, provide robust extension services, get them modern farm implements and not cell phones. Cell phones ko, cell phones ni.”

Replied Moses; “I am an ordinary Nigerian like you. I have never met the minister but let’s be realistic. I have followed the story from the beginning. If you look at it critically, the massive corruption in distribution of fertiliser has reduced drastically through the use of mobile phones so farmers receive these agro-inputs directly, no more middlemen/government officials who have been fleecing the sector. It will help farmers get all the information they need real-time from the ministry’s officials.

“That is compounding the issue. How many of them can read messages on their phones? So if he is giving them cell phones, he should build classrooms and send teachers where they will be taught how to read and write,” retorted Ade, adding; “Why not use the money to train more extension officers to reach out to these rural farmers? The so-called government officials will still find a way to steal part of the money. They have come with their subsidy again when we have not recovered from the oil subsidy wahala.

Honestly, I weep for this country.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 — 21

We are yet to recover from 2012 fuel price hike — Eternit

BY DOTUN IBIWOYE

Lagos can survive without oil revenue allocation —Fashola

G

OVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State said that Lagos is the only state that will be unaffected in the federation if the oil revenues stopped coming for Nigeria, because 70 percent of its funds is internally generated.

The governor said this at the Sixth Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders Conference. He also stated that residents of Nigeria were living in a paradise compared to other places in the world where taxation is extremely high, noting that he has never passed any tax law since he was elected. While justifying why Nigeria is a tax haven, he noted that the maximum tax levied in Nigeria was 25 percent whereas, it was as high as 52 percent in Spain and Italy.

According to him, the Internal Generated Revenue, IGR, of Lagos has placed the state at an advantage over other states because of the collective effort of the citizens.

“If they shut the tap on oil and the oil revenue stops, Lagos State is the only state that can survive without oil. Seventy percent of what we spend is our collective effort in our IGR. It is better to live in a life when you have the destiny of your life in your hand s and in control, not on a life of lottery where you don’t know what will happen tomorrow.

He said.

“People have been criticising me that I am taxing everything available in Lagos, they say I have even started taxing the air. I want everyone to note that I have

not passed any tax law since I have been elected as a governor. I only implement the existing laws that I met.

He added: “I have only aggregated all the local government laws into one law. In 1999 we could not moved waste out of this state.

Olorunsogo and Idioro were cut off from Lagos because of the waste littering everywhere. Waste didn’t come from heaven, it was

0.15

2,281.00

-19.00

18.46

0.04

111.40

+0.09

111.82

-0.07

154.72 245.7577 205.992 166.0193 1.7286 0.2953 236.9687 24.8693 41.258 27.5944 237.7426

155.23 246.5518 206.657 166.5558 1.7342 0.3053 237.7345 24.9501 41.3914 27.6836 238.5109

from heaven it was from our human activities. It is easier to move the waste in the refuse bag than to move it on the street.

“In the last US election the most paramount issue in the debate between Mitt Romney and President Obama was taxation. Reduction of debts and other economic management all came down to taxes. On both sides the American people could not

escape taxes.

The governor also discouraged Millions of Nigerians who go to foreign embassies in search for greener pastures.

“There hundred million people who are the Americans owe the world over 16 trillion dollars and that is where we go and queue up for visa. We should know that we have all the advantages here in Nigeria.

From left: Mr. Kola Abdul, 2nd Vice Chairman; Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, Immediate Past Chairman; Mrs. Silifat Ige, 1st Vice Chairman and Mr. Bolade Agbola, FCIB, Branch Chairman CIBN, Lagos State branch at press briefing by the newly elected executive committee members of the branch.

155.65

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

BY SIMON ADEWALE

SELLING 155.73 247.346 207.3233 167.0923 1.7398 0.3153 238.5002 25.0309 41.5247 27.7727 239.2791

CBN Exchange rate as at 22/01/2013

E

TERNIT Limited, manufacturers of building materials, said it was yet to fully recover from the effects of the January 2012 subsidy strike that paralysed business activities in the country.

Managing Director, Eternit Limited, Mr. Dirk Modderman, a Dutch, disclosed this in a meeting with its distributors in Sapele area of Delta State. “Unusual New Year present by the federal government when an astronomical increase in price of fuel was announced and the economy was brought literary to its knees followed by weeks of organised labour and civil societies strike, forced the prices of products and services up, which affected disposable income, shrinking the volume of the company’s available cash which affected our output for the year,” he said.

Modderman said the company recently laid off many of its workforce as a result of harsh business conditions, occasioned by the hike in fuel price and effect of strike by organised labour and the civil society.

Transportation in Lagos ’ll collapse without railway — Ndanusa

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU & WILLIAM JIMOH

T

HE transport sector in Lagos state will collapse without rail transport services, according to Mr. David Ndanusa Ndakotsu, the Assistant Director, Public Relations, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).

He stated this in a chat with Vanguard on Monday while correcting the impression that NRC has been out of operation. “There was a never a time NRC went out of operation. It is just a wrong impression that people have. We had always run intra city train service in Lagos. Without the railway, transportation in Lagos will collapse,” he said.

Ndakotsu noted that it was only inter-city train services that were suspended because of the repair that was to be affected on some of the

routes. According to him, the intercity train service which was launched in December has commenced operation from Lagos to Kano.

“We only suspended inter-city train service. But that was because of the repair that was going on in inter-city train routes. But the Lagos – Kano inter-city passenger train service has commenced since December 2012.

That of Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is near completion and should be ready before the end of this year,” he said.

The NRC official said the railway is the only way to kick-start the economy in the right direction and observed that it had been in comatose condition because of the neglect of the sector by the past governments.

He however said there has been tremendous improvement from 2007 when the railway started to receive

government attention. The intracity train service has remained effective and little challenge has been encountered since the Lagos – Kano service started a month ago, he added.

Ndakotsu who acknowledged the need for more locomotives also assured that plans are underway to procure more locomotives to meet up with service demands.

He also hinted that efforts are underway to replace the 3,500 narrow gauge tracks to standard gauge tracks. This he says is to ensure optimum speed.

NRC went more than once into bankruptcy during the last twenty years. Lack of maintenance on infrastructure and rolling stock and a high number of employees in the railway produced huge deficit, not taken over by the state.

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

NSE moves to strengthen ties with other stock exchanges

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

T

he Nigerian Stock Ex change, NSE, has revealed strategic plans to strengthen its relationship with other stock exchanges and various global organisations with a view to improving its competitiveness.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema, who made the declaration while reviewing the market performance in 2012, said it was important in order to align the NSE with international best practice, as well as source for probable technical know-how from more developed markets.

According to him, the move would transform the NSE and position it to facilitate the emergence of the next group of ‘African Champions.’

He said, “In 2013, we will work towards achieving our goal of transforming the Nigerian Capital Market and helping to create cooperation that will boost African champion of tomorrow.”

“As global client demands shift, we intend to be well-positioned to adapt our business to meet the needs of our clients. With dependability, scale, scope and cost-efficiency being priority areas for exchanges around the world, achieving competitiveness will be at the forefront of the Exchange’s agenda in 2013,” he added.

Making projections for the new year, Onyema said that advocating for policy changes and pursuing regulatory soundness that would positively impact the market would be part of the NSE’ key priorities in 2013.

His word, “While the NSE’s focus has been on cleansing, transforming and making the market more accessible, in 2013, we will continue on innovations centered on technology and product development, as well as advocating changes to policies.

By the end of 2013, we will have established technology competitiveness with regulatory soundness and advocated policy changes that are necessary to making Nigerian capital market absorb the forces of changes currently reshaping the global financial markets and global exchanges landscape.”

Onyema noted that the NSE’ key growth initiative for 2013 centered on its five pillars, its transformation program, as well as to positioning itself as a strong alternative for facilitating mid- to long-term financing needs in the country.

The initiatives would be targeted on business development efforts, strong regulatory environment, 21st Century technologies strategies, growth-enabling market structure, first-rate investor protec-

tion programe and market development and improved operational efficiency.

He, however, said that the Nigerian capital market would continue to face challenges around liquidity and depth in

the New Year, noting that concerted efforts to address the situation were underway.

Although existing challenges such as the security situation in the country are not expected to disappear, the on-

going government initiatives to increase power generation, financial inclusion, and transformation of the Agriculture sector are expected to be carried over into the 2013, he said.

NSE set to appoint br ok er brok oker erss as adviser adviserss ttoo companies

BY CHINEDU IBEABUCHI

T

From left: Mobile Director, StarTimes, Mr. Song Wei; Public Relations Manager, Mr. Anetor Rete and Door-to-Door Service Supervisor, Mr Francis Ochokwunu at the launch of StarTimes M50 Mobile TV phone and Door-to-Door Service, at Zen Garden, Ikeja GRA, Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

Benue Brewery merger: Consolidated Breweries assures of job security

BY PETER EGWUATU

T

HE Chairman of Consoli dated Breweries, Prof.

Mrs. Oyinade OdutolaOlurin has assured that the acquisition of DIL/Maltex and Benue Brewery by Consolidated Breweries Plc will not result in loss of jobs by the staff of the company and its two subsidiaries.

She further assured that all existing contracts of employment of all employees of Benue Brewery and DIL/ Maltex shall be transferred to Consolidated Breweries and such employees shall become employees of the Enlarged Consolidated Breweries Plc, stress that where any employee of Benue Brewery or DIL/Maltex does not wish to continue in the employment of the Enlarged Consolidated Breweries, after the mergers, such employee would be entitled to obtain the full terminal benefits based on his or her existing contract of service. ‘’The mergers are not intended to jeopardize employment of any employee of Consolidated Breweries, Benue Brewery or DIL/Maltex ‘’, she said, adding that ‘’by creating a stronger, more efficient and more profitable organization, it is hoped that the mergers will create better opportunities for all employees of the

post-merger entity’’.

Shareholders of Consolidated Breweries Plc gave their nod to the merger schemes with Benue Brewery Limited and DIL/Maltex Nigeria Plc with a view to improving operational efficiency, expand growth prospects and maximize value for all stakeholders.

The shareholders’ approval was obtained at a Court ordered extra-ordinary general meeting of Consolidated Breweries in Lagos on Thursday, where its chairman, Prof Mrs. Oyinade OdutolaOlurin disclosed that prior to the court-ordered meeting, DIL/Maltex and Benue Brewery were subsidiaries of Consolidated Breweries Plc and engaged in the same line of business as Consolidated Breweries. She however, added that Consolidated Breweries owned 97.83 per cent of the equity in DIL/ Maltex and 100 per cent of the equity in Benue Brewery.

According to her, the primary objective of the mergers is to streamline the management, corporate governance and operations of Consolidated Breweries Plc and its subsidiaries. Prof OdutolaOlurin added that ‘’it’s envisaged that the mergers will lead to administrative efficiencies, cost reductions and operational synergies; and be

beneficial to all stakeholders of Consolidated Breweries’’ She further explained that the post-merger entity would capture positive economies of scale and realize significant synergies through enhanced operational and administrative efficiencies, a streamlined supply chain, and a unified service delivery platform.

Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman of DIL/Maltex Nigeria Plc, Chief Samuel Bolarinde and his Benue Brewery counterpart, Steven Ameh, at separate meetings noted that the merger schemes would provide an opportunity for Consolidated Breweries to better utilize its assets and further streamline its operations. The combination of the assets of Consolidated Breweries and DIL/ Maltex and Benue Brewery, the duo pointed out, is expected to increase Consolidated Breweries’ manufacturing capacity while streamlining overlapping costs, resulting in increased earnings. ‘’Significant operational synergies will be generated from the optimization of key operations, particularly the manufacturing, overall management, administration and accounting functions’’, said Steven Ameh, stressing that the merger would therefore result in improved returns to the shareholders and employees while customers would also benefit from access to a wider operational platform.

HE Nigerian Stock Ex change, NSE has invited interested dealing members eager to becoming Designated Advisers to companies listed or seeking listing to the Alternative Securities Market (ASeM) to submit their tender.

The NSE, through its Broker – Dealer Regulation (BDR) department, said member firms would be selected based on proven track record in providing required services and availability of resources, among others.

It said the Letters of Interest must be submitted with the attendant documentation and non refundable fees of N50,000 on or before 31st January 2013.

A statement by the exchange reads, “The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), through the Broker – Dealer Regulation (BDR) department, now invites eligible dealing member firms to indicate their interest in becoming Designated Advisers to companies listed on or/and seeking listing to the Alternative Securities Market (ASeM). “ Interested firms must submit a Letter of Interest together with a non refundable application fee of N50, 000.00 (Fifty thousand naira) only, completed application forms and the following supporting documents: “Company Profile, including a list of available resources (i.e. qualified personnel), affiliates and subsidiaries; evidence of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a Broker – Dealer firm; evidence of active engagement in the financial advisory or securities business in the last 3 years; transaction history demonstrating substantial knowledge and understanding of local capital market operations and practices; any other document that strengthens eligibility or is requested by the Exchange.

“The firms will be short listed according, but not limited, to the following factors: Number, duration and approximate value of capital market transactions or similar engagements in the last 3 years; proven track record in providing required services; availability of resources (financial and technical capability); and satisfactory compliance history.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—23

DIARY Select ICT events zLotusphere 2013 . Holds 27-31 Jan 2013, in Orlando, USA.

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya

Why growth of ICT industry is threatened,

by ATCON, ALTON

zITEXPO East 2013. Holds 29 Jan-1 Feb 2013 in Miami, USA. zBETT 2013.

Holds 30 Jan-2 Feb 2013 in London, UK.

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

T

zMacWorld Expo 2013.

Holds 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013 in San Francisco, USA. zCasual Connect 2013. Holds 12-14 Feb 2013 in Hamburg, Germany.

New inventions shaping life and living

Vibrating steering helps keep drivers focused

ITAN boss seeks special fund for ICT sector zLauds BOI's single digit interest rate

BY EMEKA AGINAM

A vibrating steering wheel designed to help temporarily blinded drivers navigate could help reduce accidents caused by glare. The steering wheel use GPS sensors and lane-monitoring cameras to map out the road ahead while it monitors for potential glare situations. If the sensors notice the car is beginning to veer out of its late, the wheel will vibrate on the corresponding side to warn the driver of the drift. Once the driver has corrected the veer, the wheel will stop vibrating.

The wheel was created by Eelke Folmer of Burkay Sucu of the University of Reno, who was inspired by a winter snow glare experience.

I N S I D E C M Y K

W

HILE commending Bank of Industry for its single digit interest rate for the ICT sector, the Information Technology Association of Nigeria, (ITAN) has called on the Federal Government to set aside fund for the ICT sector so as to encourage growth of small local ICT companies in the challenging market environment President of ITAN, Engr.

Florence Seriki stated this recently while taking stock of Omatek Ventures and the road map for 2013 noted that the fund would serve as a bail out for the ICT sector battling with foreign vendors.

Seriki who is also the

Dr Adesina and N60bn phones for farmers

Chief Executive Officer of Omatek Ventures PLC said that by lending funds to SMEs in the industry at a single digit lending rate, the bank would have helped the growth of the industry.

“We have approached Bank of Industry to explain the state of the industry and BOI created a desk for the ICT industry and will fund any player that is interested at a single digit or at most 10 per cent

,

,

Preview

OMATEK PLC BRIEFING: From left: Group Chief Sales/Supply Chain Officer, Omatek Ventures Plc, Mr. Manokaran Muthuveerappen; Group Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Florence Seriki; Group Chief Finance Officer, Mr. Hector Ekeocha, and Group Head, Human Resources, Mr. Abiodun Shabiolegbe, during a press briefing in Lagos. Photo: Emeka Aginam.

interest rate. BOI gives concession to ITAN members on funding.

"The Nigerian ICT industry needs a special fund. There is urgent need to patronize local ICT products. That will go a long way in creating jobs across the nation. The Students PC Ownership Scheme introduced last year by the Ministry of Communications Technology is a good one. We are ready to partner with the government on that.

We have the capacity for Students PCs ownership Scheme. We have a functional conveyor here.

Anything can go on the conveyor. It is important that the government encourages local production if the country must survive the knowledge economy,” the Omatek boss said.

According to her, apart from funding, one of the major challenges is increase in volume. “That is why we

Continues on page 26

The Nigerian ICT industry needs a special fund. There is urgent need to patronize local ICT products. That will go a long way in creating jobs across the nation

HDTV: New viewing experience

Broadband: If only govt'll open up the landscape, by Opeke, Main One boss

HE common under standing among stakeholders in the nations ICT sector is that the people including the government do not enough information about the importance of the information and Communication Technology, ICT industry and its infrastructure in economic development.

They spoke at a two day ICT appreciation Seminar on ‘‘Emerging Issues & Technologies in The ICT Sector’’ organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC for Abuja- based ICT Editors and Correspondents.

The challenges faced by the communications industry in Nigeria were largely as a result of poor perception of the industry and new trend by both the government and the general public.

Operational environment The Chairman of association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo speaking on the topic ‘‘Managing the Operational Environment in Nigeria’s Telecom Services Delivery ‘’, noted that the challenges faced by the communications industry had existed and ventilated over the years, with all tiers of government doing nothing concrete to address them.

He said instead, government contributes actively to these challenges and by so doing assist in limiting the ability of the industry to impact more positively on the attainment of the country’s de-

Continues on page 31

Digital Encode cautions SMEs against poor data security

24—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 23, 2013

E

Dr Adesina and N60bn phones for farmers O

URS is a very inter esting country, a single fact of which I had convinced myself a very long time ago. Here, there is never a shortage of anything to tickle one’s attention, from, as they say, the sublime to the ridiculous. The interesting nature of events here is what for me defined the uniqueness of the average Nigerian, irrespective of any point of the compass he may originate from. This uniqueness also defines our economy, which has defied all doomsday predictions till date.

Isn’t it a wonder that the national economy has remained resilient despite the serial buffeting it takes from poor managers and bad leaders, not to talk of unrepentant looters?

How many economies in the world can withstand the looting which our economy has laughed at, and still continues to laugh at?

Not many, if any, I’m sure!

Which brings me to one curious headline several days ago about N60 billion to be appropriated for buying cell phones for farmers! That headline, and the story it headed, set me thinking, again, about the unputdownability of the Nigerian, assuming it was true. What brilliant mind wrote the proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture to buy cell phones for 10 million farmers at a cost of N6,000 each, again, assuming that the story is true?

In this country of ours, who said we have up to, less than, or more than 10 million farmers? Just how many farmers do we have? Do we know? Anyway, the story served a purpose, one of which was that it let us know how the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akin Adesina has been using an ICT tool, the cell phone to break the fertilizer racket. Anybody who cares to know would have found out that there are millions of farmers, especially in the southern part of the country who have never seen fertiliz-

er, talk less use it on their farms.

The image of the average farmer in these climes is that of a stark illiterate with hoes and cutlasses, suffering all day in good and bad weather as he tilled the soil of his farm for what it can yield. So, what does this farmer need a cell phone for, except take and make calls to his children attending school in the urban areas, who ceaselessly demand for money?

But Dr Adesina now tells us that we have to shed this image of the farmer.

His words: “Under the G E S (Growth Enhancement Supp o r t ) scheme, we made it possible for farmers to transact business in their own local languages using their c e l l phones.

From data we collected based on farmers’ use of cell phones to access fertilizers and seeds last year, we found that the total number of transactions done by phone with respect to the GES scheme was 4.9 million. Of these, 1.2 million were in English, 620,000 were in Pidgin, 2.2 million were in Hausa, and 854,000 were in Yoruba and 344 were in Igbo. From this data, we have no doubt that our farmers are well able to use cell phones.”

See? If we leverage properly and patriotically on using ICT tools to impact lives here, many of our seemingly intractable problems will begin to be solvable, especially the problem of corruption. If the cell phone can be used to break the fertilizer racket, there must be ICT solutions that will ensure equitable distribution of the little power we generate, and among others ensure that funds appropriated for specific projects are disbursed as specified. Kudos, Dr Adesina of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Let other ministers, and commissioners in the states follow suit, and Vision 202020 might just still be achievable.

If we leverage on using ICT tools to impact lives here, many of our seemingly intractable problems will begin to be solvable, especially the problem of corruption

C M Y K

,

VER since man first got his hands on touch screens—let’s say six years ago—he’s been pinching and zooming and otherwise pawing at stuff to make it change size.

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show proves we’re still at it— but with real, threedimensional objects now. Everything is blowing up: The smartphone is becoming a superphone. The tablet is becoming a 20inch manwich. There was a 110-inch terrifyingly ultra high-def flat-screen television set on display the CES. One look at that TV and your internal wiring shorts — Why does everything in giganto ultra-HD look hallucinatorily real and heart-stoppingly huge?!? Are my children OK? Is a woolly mammoth coming for me?

Little, light nanos and micros and minis are not much in evidence here. Unless they have been blocked from vision by those 110inch gargantuans from Samsung and Toshiba.

The conclusion that no one cares about watching 3-D TV has been replaced by two more hopeful ideas: Maybe they care about

HDTV: New viewing experience

zA HDTV set at the last CES in US. Photo: Samsung USA more. It’s disfiguring. eyes “bleed”—as highmaking 3-D stuff!

And if this sounds too def fans gleefully Samsung introduced a boast—it will also make abstract—or if you like really nice 3D lens for to see men and women your eyes close. people who would High-def and now the so precisely you can rather produce depth make out where masghastly ultra high-def than consume it. cara detaches from a is pixelating beauty Hopeful idea No. 2: lash, or single nose and wantonly messing Maybe 4K could do for hairs erupt from pores with aesthetics. Maybe TV sales what 3-D made the size of apps— the vulnerable, miracudidn’t! 4K is a rough you can console yourlously flawed human approximation of the self with the thought form should not be horizontal resolution of that the Nevada-size ultrahigh-def TV, which represented with ultra-HD TVs cost cost clinical, merciless is basically four times nearly $30,000. precision. It’s hyperreas high-def as your — Yahoo!News. alism that’s so hyper 1080p HDTV. This stuff it’s not realism anywill not just make your

BuyRight Africa empowers Edo workers

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

D

IGITAL equip ment providers, BuyRight Africa, last week fulfilled its promise of launching officially, Nigerian Employees Digital Welfare Scheme, NEDWS in Edo state.

The launch, last week, saw Public servants in Benin City, capital of Edo State, taking home digital equipment ranging from laptops to phones and household appliances as their state becomes the first in Nigeria to officially launch the initiative.

Managing Director of Buyright Africa, Mr. Mukoro Emomine, had, during the national launch of the project in Abuja, late last year, promised Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that his state may become the first to herald the official states launch.

The launch in Edo State was attended by prominent citizens of the State including the Executive Director, Directorate of Information Technology, Mrs Yemi Keri, Permanent secretary, T.U Okuodoh Director of Finance & Administration, Mr Ayo Iriaye and many other public servants.

Speaking in her office with the Managing Director of Buyright Africa, Yemi Keri commended the company for the initiative, saying it was capable of boosting IT penetration in the country. She promised to extend this opportunity of owning genuine quality products with a convenient payment plan to the teachers and every Ministry in the State.

According to Mrs Keri, the programmers will design a registration form that will be hosted on the State’s website to enable intending beneficiaries complete the form and select any product of their

choice.

In his own remarks, the Managing Director of Buyright Africa, Mukoro Emomine, congratulated the first set of beneficiaries and encouraged other public servants of Edo State to embrace these life style products and enhance their positioning to benefit from the information age. He observed that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s cashless policy would soon go nationwide and the micro finance schemes would become a way of life in Nigeria. The time, he said, to begin to build a credit culture and a responsible attitude to

financial commitments is now.

According to Mukoro, several States are in touch with Buyright Africa on how their public servants can also be part of this digital exercise and plans are already in place to launch in some of these States in the next few weeks. He urged other government parastatals, agency, and private organizations to take advantage of this scheme for their employees to enjoy a minimum standard of living while working hard to improve productivity, wealth creation, networking and fraud reduction.

zRight, Governor Oshiomhole, Mrs Omobola Johnson, and Chief Leo Stan Ekeh at the national launch of NEDWS last year.

Vanguard, WDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 — 25

26—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

ITAN boss seeks special fund for ICT sector Continues from page 23

Broadband: If only govt'll open up the landscape, by Opeke, Main One boss both the regulator and the National Assembly. We are asking the government to open up the landscape in order not to make carrying service to the ultimate consumer so costly. Right now, we are moving into Warri and other places but it costs us a lot, to extend services to these places. If we get the government to open up the landscape more, we may be able to do more

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

F

ROM all indica tions, broadband could lead ICT economy in 2013. Being arguably the second mainstay of the economy after oil, improvement in the ICT economy will surely impact positively on the economy.

This could possibly be why broadband cable company, mainone believes that the government will gain a lot if it broadens the policies that would guide broadband penetration and also open up the landscapes a bit, more active private participation would be attracted.

Taking stock ,recently, of its operations in 2012 cum activities since three years of existence, the company noted that major activities that highlighted broadband as economy booster and attracted government attention has been initiated by private investors including its visionary investment in landing submarine broadband cable from Portugal to the shores of Lagos Nigeria, Accra Ghana and other Africa countries.

Recounting its participation since that time, MainOne’s CEO, Ms Funke Opeke said that, “MainOne has actually had an impact and made significant contribution to the broadband access in the country although we have not done as much as we would have liked, due to some challenges.

We are still facing the issue of last mile deployment to enable people have ubiquitous access.

We have boosted the broadband lives of people in Abuja, Portharcourt and Lagos even at great cost. Our vision is to see that at least the schools, health sector and even all the local governments in the country are wired and connected for best broadband experience. ”We will continue to drum the importance of development of road and access for a better economy” she added Opeke also revealed that while her company was expecting that the government would make policy statement that can help, it was also doing other things from behind to help.

Data centre

“We are planning a better data centre that can back up banks, media C M Y K

Resolution of right of way

zMs Funke Opeke, CEO, Main One houses and others into archiving important information and data storage that can help make the nation a global nation.

The data centre is physical. What we are trying to do is adopt a model that can hold very sensitive data that we already have and those we are also going to have. We are planning tier three, tier four data centre that can hold its own in the world. It will be located in Lagos and we are intending to com-

plete it in 2013 and it becomes fully operational in 2014. The capacity is estimated to hold at least 600 racks and after that the second one which will also hold up to another 600 racks.

Advocacy

”We are looking at both regulatory and legislative interventions before the benefit of broadband would trickle down to the remotest parts of the country. We are engaging

Right of way is a major issue. The government has intervened but it is still a work in progress as far as we know. The ministry of communications technology is working to ensure that the states and local governments adopt the same proposals made.

Let there be infrastructure sharing policy that the government can put up in less than 60 days to quicken things. The problem is that we look a lot at policy frameworks and researches and papers without doing anything actually.

Digital Encode cautions SMEs against poor data security

BY EMEKA AGINAM

T

O guide against se curity loopholes that could expose businesses to cyber vulnerabilities and attacks in the digital economy, one of the indigenous information security firm in the country, Digital Encode, has warned small and medium-scale enterprises against poor security in the digital economy.

As part of the company's roadmap for SMEs in 2013, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Encode, Mr. Adewale Obadare, decried that majority of SMEs in the country risked attacks owing to their exposure to cyber threats.

The economic risks, he said poses grave threat if SMEs remain insensitive to the security of their data and information infrastructure. He said over 70 per cent of Nigerian businesses were SMEs with huge potential to contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and job creation.

"But with poor information security systems and

constant exposure to cyber predators, it will be difficult for them to make meaningful contributions to economic development," he said. The situation must be reversed in 2013 to forestall cyber attacks and ensure business continuity, Obadare said.

Though SMEs often complain about lack of access to funds and bank loans, the Digital Encode boss insisted that information security was also a serious challenge that must be tackled in order to avoid vulnerability as well as loss of information. He explained that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s cash-less policy, which had continued to gain traction, had made it compelling for SMEs and larger corporations to embrace e-transactions. According to him, any serious business that must move with the cash-fewer trend cannot afford to be careless with its data and information infrastructure.

Speaking in the same vein, the Chief Technology Officer, Digital Encode, Mr. Oluseyi Akin-

dehinde, emphasised that it had become a must for businesses not only to protect their physical assets, but also their information assets and resources. Though stories about information security breaches often focussed on high-profile corporations and multi-national organisations, Akindehinde said SMEs were not insulated from cyber attacks.

According to him, SMEs face the same challenges as larger organisations in protecting their data. As such, he advised SMEs to develop and implement their information risk management and security programme to reduce the risk of attacks in 2013. Akindehinde, who recently led the Nigerian team to the CyberLympics, a global information security contest, said one of the greatest challenges facing SMEs globally was lack of preparation for the increasing cyber threats.

“Nigerian SMEs should not wait till they lose their resources to attacks,” he advised.

create resource centres in the Nigerian universities.

Some of the students have not used computers.

Government should see ICT as the major driver of the economy. It has worked in China, Taiwan, India and other countries of the world. We have many products for the students,” Seriki said.

On the product line, she said that t OMATEK Engineering Services Limited (OESL) has produced the first range of UPS, inverters and solar PV panels that are one hundred per cent compatible with Nigeria’s environmental conditions.

The power solutions, according to her were made in partnership with China’s based Kehua Group.

“The energy solutions form part of a green energy package that the Nigerian technology company is unveiling for homes, corporate Nigeria, the education and telecom sectors to address rising energy needs.

“A power system for remote base stations packaged by Omatek Engineering Services limited draws on solar energy to generate continuous power to drive telcos cell stations and support a microwave back haul installation, serving an operational radius of up to 120 kilometres. The solution

is perfect for remote sites, providing a green alternative to diesel generators or grid electricity source,” she said.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian local personal computer (PC) assemblers are expected to benefit from IT intervention fund currently being pushed by the Nigerian Computer Society, (NCS).

President of NCS, Mr. Demola Aladekomo during a courtesy visit to First Bank corporate head office recently said that the IT intervention fund, if fully implemented would among other things create at least one million IT-related jobs within the next five years.

He told the First Bank management that a well articulated and financially supported policy on assembly and manufacturing of hardware with incentives not just for local consumption but also for export, accelerated development of capacity for software design and publishing and partnerships with governments to develop business processing, large scale modern call centres, knowledge/incubation parks can create not just millions of jobs for Nigerians but contribute to the nation’s GDP that will rival oil as had happened in other countries.

Phase 3 Telecom lifts schools with broadband

BY AMAKA UGWU

A

ERIAL Fibre Infra structure Company, Phase3 Telecom, last week made a bold statement in the education sector of Nigeria, with the provision of broadband connectivity to several primary, secondary, and tertiary schools in Nigeria.

Also recently, Phase3 Telecom provided broadband internet and Wi-fi connectivity to Baze University, Abuja.

CEO of Phase3 Telecom, Stanley Jegede, stated that “the ability of Nigerian students to go beyond the knowledge of their teachers through research via e-books and e-libraries is the cultural shift that takes education from the conventional platform of lecture and teacher-focused education to a more open collaborative approach that reaches beyond school hours, beyond classroom walls, and between geographically dispersed locations.”

He also added that the company has plans to increase the role of ICT in many schools especially

in the rural parts of Nigeria by providing high speed broadband connectivity via their Open Access Network.

Founder and ProChancellor of Baze University, Senator Datti Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, Ph.D, described Phase3’s partnership with Nigerian schools as a positive development adding that “I see Baze University setting standards for excellence in this part of the world. Currently, no Nigerian University is rated in the top 5,000 in the world. Many Nigerians thus feel compelled to send their sons and daughters to be educated abroad. We are determined to deliver the same quality of education that many of these high ranking schools offer abroad.

The need to raise the education standard in the country led us to partner with Phase3 Telecom for high-speed and high-capacity internet connectivity so that Baze University students can experience online research and eLearning as the students in schools abroad do”.

Vanguard, WDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 — 27

28— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

South Africans jeer Eagles M

ost South Africans are not hiding their disdain for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Moments after the 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso, some South Africans who spotted our correspondent said that Eagles are not among the top favourites.

Thami said; “Your players no doubt are young but the truth is football has left the old order in Africa. Where is Cameroun today?

Nigeria also suffered the shame of not going to Equatorial Guinea in the last Nations Cup. Smaller countries like Cape Verde and Ethiopia are coming up strongly.

Bafana Bafana are haunted by Sangoma(native doctors). Cote d’Ivoire will soon see the end of their generation of players led by Didier Drogba. For me, I support young teams like Ethiopia because they play attractive football”.

Sober Eagles vow to crush Zambia …Moses set for AFCON debut

S

uper Eagles players and officials have put the 11 draw against Burkina Faso behind them and are looking forward to the potential group decider against defending champions, Zambia on Friday with Head Coach Stephen Keshi saying only a win will do.

“We threw away the game in the last minute but that is football, if you fail to take your chances you get punished.

But I have absolute confidence that you are still C M Y K

the big team of the group and on Friday go out there and prove it against Zambia”, Keshi told the players moment after the encounter against the Burkinabe.

Skipper Joseph Yobo, said the team still has the believe to go all the way in the championship and will prove that in the game against Zambia. “One slip on the way does not end the journey, we are determined to make Nigerians happy with this tournament”, he said. He praised the team spirit

exhibited by the Eagles before the equalizer and urged Nigerians not to give up on the squad.

Midfield star, John Mikel Obi, says the Eagles were a bit naïve in the manner they approached the closing stages of the encounter. Obi, who was named Man of The Match, said he preferred the three points to being so named and assured that the Eagles will be back and better in the game against Zambia on Friday.

There are already

indications that Chelsea star, Victor Moses, who was rested by Head Coach Stephen Keshi because he was not 100 per cent fit, will play a role in the game against Zambia, as he has been passed fit by the Eagles medics. The Eagles returned to training on Tuesday afternoon to perfect strategies for the game against Zambia on Friday.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 — 29

F - L - I - C - K- S My experience

bitter

K

olanut, no doubt has a place in history and the elders especially from the Eastern part of Nigeria respect it accordingly. Even computer-aged ones have learnt one or two things about kolanut from Nollywood films. Bitterkola on the other hand does not command such respect. It is bitter. That bitter taste sends signals to many to stay away from it. Women and children do not understand why men chew bitterkola. In some places, those who eat bitterkola are taken to be bitter people. Who are not happy with their lives or conditions.

Many others stay away from it because once eaten, it practically renders the tongue ineffective from sweet things.

However, only the wise elders know the importance of bitter kola. Many who eat bitter kola do not know that it is potent against poison.

Witches and wizards flee from one who eats bitter kola. No snake can bite one who eats bitter kola. No good native docter can do without bitter kola. Recently, I’ve heard that bitter kola is as good as Viagra. The way young men consume bitter kola these days makes me to believe that it is yet another power horse.

In the newsroom of Vanguard, many journalists use it to fight off sleep. I know that our Deputy Editor, News Editor,

C M Y K

and many others do not stay a day without bitter kola. It is from these functions listed above, especially preventing me from sleeping that made me buy bitter kola on my way to South Africa. Never knew that bitter kola is prohibited at the airport. One immigration officer at the Murtala

Mohammed Airport only grinned when he saw my bitter kola. I frowned back to prevent him from begging me to give him some. There is hardly anything they don’t beg. But the rude shock awaits me at the Oliver Thambo international airport in Johannesburg. A beautiful

girl with two giant dogs competing for her attention starred at me as I rolled my bag with pride aware that I was a clean man(in and out). With a disarming smile, she asked if I had anything to declare to them. “Absolutely nothing, I said, returning her smile”. The dogs wagged their tail and one barked and made straight to my bag. The lady came closer and asked if truly I do not have anything for them.

Now, afraid of the dogs, I stammered that all I had were personal effects. She decided to take a look/ Lo and behold my bunch of bitter kola. She smiled radiating more beauty and shouted “bitter kola”. Do you want some?”. I asked. No, my friend. It is prohibited. You have lost them. You can't go with them into town”, this time her beauty gave way to sternness. This is bitter kola.

It is harmless. It is good for medical reasons. We eat it with relish in Nigeria”, I said almost going to tell her that my bosses in the office eat it with relish. Apparently aware of my state, she placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down.

That hand was timely and I cherished the magic it performed, but still rapped on getting my bitter kola back. “I can help you”, she said as the two dogs barked at a giant man with an equally giant luggage

distracting her. I like you but since you don’t like yourself, I am seizing the bitter kola or you may wait for longer to convince me why you should come with something prohibited to my country”. The friendliness disappeared and her beauty immediately gave way to ugliness. I looked back and discovered that all the other Nigerians had moved on leaving me arguing for yeye bitter kola. I shot a glance at her and told her that I was heading to Nelspruit where the Eagles were waiting to peck their opponents to pieces in the African cup of nations.

When I staggered off remembering the labour of my Mallam in going to buy the bunch of bitter kola from Agege, I became bitter. I rolled my luggage filled with nonsense without my precious bitter power. The heavy barking from the dogs made to look back to see if they were after me. She signaled me to stop. This time, my heart was almost jumping out from my big chaste.

“You may have your bitter kola. But know that they are prohibited. And lastly, it is too much for you. It is an energizer”, she said handing me over the bunch. I starred at her with admiration and respect. The dog barked repeatedly as she handed it over to me and she said that the dogs were protesting her gesture.

Searching Eagles

I

for

t took six hours before the giant Arik Aircraft landed at the Johannesburg airport.

Alighting, the cold weather welcomed you with warning.

Women opened their bags to cover their children. A taxi man who got a share of his own cake of their nation hosting the Nations cup had the upper bargain in ferrying me to Nelspruit to look and to cover my dear Eagles, the now rebranded big bird that has caused so many heart aches to followers of the round leather. Four good hours of none stop driving in a smooth road that could be compared to the tarmac at the airport.

Road signs showing Nelspruit and Mbombela pacified me that we were heading to the right direction. When I finally arrived, I asked why bring Eagles to this place. The accreditation officials were not friendly and I avoided them to look for the camp of the Eagles. The remoteness of

30 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

F - L - I - C - K- S Timi’s Pork offer

H

unger and sleep do not go together. I stayed awake thinking of what my next step would be when Timi Ebikagboro came with big Pork meat offer. He had been tortured by hunger and could only see pork meat. He bought it in excess. Perhaps, it was cheap. The sight of the meat that was cut in very big chunks drove away my appetite.

Manage this till morning so that we can move round to find better place to eat and sleep”, Timi said acting a good Nigerian. Pork. No, thanks. My stomach churned, the cold bite harder with dangerous snoring hitting me from left right and centre.

Ikebe go put you for trouble

S

this area showed when I was told there were no taxis. At the conference, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi walked in bringing his charisma to touch on all the journalists both foreign and local. From exchanging banters, he parted you, calling you by name and switching to speak his flawless French. The Eagles followed suit after Ben Alaiya asked the journalists to leave one area for the ambassadors of Nigeria. First question, one journalist asked; What did you people do that CAF brought you to this place? Silence.

Keshi smiled. Why? Don’t like this place? It is a cool area. We couldn’t have gotten a better place. There is total concentration. We love it here”, Keshi said. At least I was vindicated.

Bundu Lodge!

W

here can one get a descent accommodation in Mbombela in Nelspruit? We have a very nice place at Stay Easy Hotel”, I was told. A look at the architectural beauty of the hotel told me I do not belong to stay in that hotel. It was a masterpiece. I thought that the charges would also be a masterpiece. I was right. $400 per night. That will ruin me and my coverage here. I remembered my Editor, Mideno Bayagbon and smiled. I went downtown and got myself in one Bundu Lodge. I hate the word Lodge

because of when I was growing up. Lodge was used for those who belonged to secret socities. Time was running out and I was disheveled without food, bath and roughened by my bitter kola experience at the airport and the torturing long hours of drive to Nelspruit. $100 for a night! Ah! This place is too remote. Besides, is it a zoo?

There were all manner of animals with signs warning you to beware of Tiger etc.

God forbid! How can I leave Nigeria to be eaten by wild beast in an expensive Lodge.

Once my people hear that I stayed in a Lodge, they would not allow my spirit to rest in peace. I recalled my growing up days. I was running against time. This place is not like Johannesburg. Keshi and his players have gone to the comfort of their rooms. The weather was turning from bad to worse. God will make a way where there is none”, I remembered my favourite Bible quotation. Not in South Africa, another doubting mind said. And truly, God made a way when I met with Wale Ajayi of AIT who took my luggage to his room and allowed me to rest my tired bones. I was thinking of how the night would be when Onochie Anibeze phoned me to ask for stories. I told him that the network was bad and that he was breaking. And off my phone went.

unny Nneji’s debut album remains evergreen if you truly want to work in South Africa and come back in one piece to your family and your work place. There is no emphasizing the fact that South African women are endowed with heavy backsides. The backsides come in sizes. Even the slimmer ones(very rare) are gifted behind. And they strut around with it amazingly.

Temptingly, too. To compound issues is the fact that they are very friendly to men. Very polite. I understand that they don’t take No for an answer.

Nigerian journalists would sing Nneji’s song of ‘this Ikebe go put you for trouble’ once they come calling. One

needs prayers and the grace of God to resist these tempting offers. And if not for fear, sinning would be enjoyable here.

P Square for Nations Cup

P

eter and Paul, P Square are household names here in South Africa. The Mbombela stadium erupted in cheers and women danced freely when the speakers came alive with E no Easy eee. They sang the lyrics freely and danced gracefully. The Dj was moved that he repeated the track and applause followed. Either for him for his generosity or for P Square for releasing the hit track that saw them smiling to the Banks.

Two free things in South Africa

I

t was in Sierra Leone that I first heard that nothing is free in Freetown. I also heard that free things have no value.

But South Africa has proved those sayings wrong. Out here in Mandela’s country, it is needless to bore you with the beauty of the land or that of infrastructures or the alertness and rapid response of their Police Force despite the high crime rate. I have since come to realize that South Africans have leaders while we have rulers in Nigeria. Imagine providing things free in Nigeria. Water is free in South Africa. Their leaders care enough for their people that they treated all tap water.

Both high and low can drink from their homes. There is water at the taps. They are clean. Bottled water by all manner of names don’t trip anybody here. I understand that their leaders drink from the common water. Water has no enemy, Fela proclaimed in his visionary music. Not in Nigeria. HIV and AIDS are rampant in South Africa, but their leaders care enough for their citizen that condoms are provided free at strategic places. In schools, hotels, at bars and other social places.

If it were to be in Nigeria, would the leaders be that humane to care for their people not to die? I love being a Nigerian but is it a curse that we cant get some things right for the people. If there are no people would there be leaders or rulers? The most annoying aspect of the insensitivity of our rulers is that they have travelled to all corners of the earth and did not come back with one good lesson for the benefit of their people. Instead, they buy homes in foreign lands and go for treatment abroad for even the commonest ailment – headache. Why not? All expenses on tax payers money. Their children go to schools abroad and abandon our school system to rot. I get livid anytime I have an opportunity to countries that ordinarily should not look Nigeria in the face in terms of development. God save them that God would never give power to the poor.

AFCON 2013: Guinness galvanize support for Eagles ...unveils largest jersey

BY SOLOMON NWOKE

I

N its bid to galvanize support for the Super Eagles in their campaign for glory in the African Cup of Nations ( AFCON) 2013 which started last weekend in South Africa, Guinness Nigeria Plc has unveiled the World’s largest jersey in the history in support of the Super Eagles.

The largest football jersey in the world in the colours of the Nigeria national team, the Super Eagles was unveiled Monday on the astro turf of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere to admiration of the teeming excited football fans.

The supporters and fans of the Eagles are expected to append their signatures on the World’s largest jersey measuring 275.5 by 249.9 sq metres in support of the national team.

The jersey according to the company would be sent to the Nigerian representatives digitally when asked how the jersey will get to the Super Eagles players.

In his speech, the Marketing and Innovation Director, Austin Ufomba, said, “We are extremely glad to be at the centre of this remarkable feat, putting Nigeria on the global map and rallying the support of millions of Nigerian fans for our dear national team. We are passionate about the Super Eagles and our greatest desire is to see them excel at AFCON 2013, that is why we have decided to galvanize the support of millions of Nigerian fans in this most unique way. We believe that with this level of encouragement and support, the team will go a long way” Ufomba explained.

Ufomba further said “ we know Nigerians share a common passion for the Super Eagles and we believe that creating a platform such as this will help further encourage them to fly the nation’s flag high at the tournament and make all of us proud”.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 —31

Why growth of ICT industry is threatened, by ATCON, ALTON way, which according to ed that all enabling laws showing.

Continues from Page 23 multiple regulation; artificial constraints from government agencies and personnel, vandalization, inadequate power supply; inefficient legal framework and inability of government to prioritise telecom infrastructure.

Engr. Adebayo , said that the telecom industry had achieved much in the last 10 years for Nigeria to compete well in the global market and as such must go the broadband

him, would help in addressing some of the issues arising from poor quality of service.

He however, recommended that all relevant Acts relating to the industry be aligned with modern trends; that government should stop viewing the sector as a super rich by ensuring transparency as to the contribution of the sector to the federation account and also declare telecommunications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure.

He further recommend-

be amended to address all myriads of challenges confronting the industry, this he said would not only enable the operators improve on service delivery but equally compete positively at the global stage.

He called for caution and warned that if active steps were not taken, Nigeria will continue to rank low in every index with regard to ease of doing business, adding that uncertainty constitutes one of the major reasons for the country ’s abysmal

‘‘Every facet of the economy is affected when business are constrained to operate under adverse conditions. Nigeria is beset by every serious infrastructure defects. The telecommunications sector is relatively successful because private industry provides the requisite infrastructure and drives operations. Government should support the sector by engendering the environment that will allow greater investment,’’ he said, and belief that When this is done, other

sectors that require significant government support to attract requisite investment will be wary of committing resources to the country.

Speaking on the topic ‘‘Industry Development Perspective and Imperative of media awareness’’, the National Chairman of the Association of Telecommunications companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Engr. Lanre Ajayi represented by the CEO of Phase 3 Telecom, Mr. Olusola Teniola, said who bemoaned the harsh operating environment for the operators said the sector will continue to witness further growth as new telcos were already on the way to join the fray.

He lamented the lost of Nigerian telecommunications Limited, NITEL as a sole backbone infrastructure provider, which

he said had created a huge gap in the basic provision of the infrastructure. ‘‘New Telcos are expected to join the fray and I am confident that the poor quality of service currently besetting the sector would be addressed with broadband.

For us to have a better understanding of the industry, I think that journalists need to be conversant with the environmental challenges, which is not peculiar with Nigeria. The lost of NITEL in the market is regrettable because this has created a huge gap for operators to access backbone infrastructure provision,’’ he said.

On poor quality of service, the Engr. Ajayi said it is not peculiar to Nigerian but assured that the situation would be over when the ongoing Broadband expansion plans is finally implemented but stressed the need for journalist to inform the people with the adequate information relating to the sector.

The ATCON President who corroborated with Engr. Adebayo on the need for adequate awareness creation and creation of enabling environment for operators in the industry to thrive, however, underscored the need for government to alleviate all forms of multiple taxation orchestrated by inefficient laws.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Engr.

Eugene Juwah represented by the Director, Public Affairs, in the commission, Mr. Tony Ojobo said the long awaited Number Portability in the telecom sector is currently undergoing a pilot test and will come on stream before the end of the first quarter of this year.

The EVC said that the project was part of other major activities already pencilled down to be executed by NCC in the new year. Other project he listed include: conclusion of the SIM Card Registration programme, Broadband Expansion Initiatives, the Digital Awareness programmes, DAP and the Advanced Digital Awareness for Tertiary Institutions among others.

His words: ‘‘We have already mentioned that this year will witness a lot of activities in the industry. We are expecting the Number Portability to come on stream as well as the concluding aspect of the SIM CARD Registration programme, the ongoing Broadband initiatives, Digital Awareness Programme, the Advanced Digital Awareness for Tertiary Institutions among others. ’’

32—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

From left: Chairman, Industrial & General Insurance Plc, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; Acting Managing Director, Mr. Rotimi Fashola and Executive Director,‘Finance, Mr. Yinka Obalade, during the 20th Annual General Meeting of the company, in Lagos.

Insurance consumers call for premium financing concept STORIES BY ROSEMARY ONUOHA

I

NSURANCE consumers under the auspices of the Insurance Consumers Association of Nigeria, INSCAN, have called on insurance practitioners to establish a premium financing concept if they want the ‘no premium no cover ’ directive to work.

It will be recalled that the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, mandated underwriters to commence enforcement of the ‘ no premium no cover ’ directive from January 1st of this year.

Accordingly, INSCAN said that it is in total support of the enforcement of no premium no cover of section 50 (1) and

(2) of the Insurance Act 2003 as the provisions relate to the insured, the underwriting companies and the insurance brokers.

INSCAN said that the premium financing concept as a line of business in the manner it obtains in other jurisdictions will solve the problem of outstanding premium.

After an emergency meeting of the National Executive, the State Chairmen and Coordinators of INSCAN in Lagos, the Association also resolved that an insurance company will be justified to repudiate any claim as from the aforementioned date on which no premium has been paid except as provided in Sec 69 of the Insurance Act 2003 regarding third party liability

claims and that an insured person need not pay the total annum premium debited at the inception of cover but the insurance company will be justified to pro-rate its cover to the extent to which the deposit premium is able to carry the risk.

The Association also charged insurance companies to recognise the fact that the effective date of the enforcement is 1st January 2013 and that it expects fairness, equity and good business relationship to prevail on all covers binded up to 31st December 2012 and thereafter.

“Unless the “No premium no cover ” provision was endorsed on any policy document being the evidence of the contract relating to a

claim before 1st January 2013 or any other endorsement to that effect, our Association will presume non – disclosure of a material fact on the part of any underwriter wishing to repudiate any legitimate claims on basis of this provision and we shall explore all legitimate means to pursue our members claims to logical conclusions. We hereby enjoin all insurance brokers in Nigeria to comply strictly with the provisions of sec. 41 (1) of the Insurance Act 2003 as regards remittance of premiums so that the interest of the Insurance Consumers will not be prejudiced before the underwriters,” INSCAN said.

INSCAN also enjoined the insurance companies in Nigeria to comply with sec. 70 (1) of the Insurance Act 2003 on payment of claims saying that it in full support of all the recent reforms and initiatives of the NAICOM in pursuit of its main duty of protecting the interest of the insurance consumers in Nigeria.

INSCAN is a nongovernmental, non – profit organisation of the insurance consumers registered with the main objectives of protecting the general interest of the insurance consumers in Nigeria, fostering unity and progress between the insurance industry and the general public, creating awareness in the country as to the importance of insurance and standing in the middle between the insurance companies and the insured whenever there is dispute for amicable resolution visa– avis compensation.

NICON gets recognition for quality N

ICON Insurance Limited has bagged the maiden Nigerian Consumer Award (NiCA) for quality service, organised by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).

In discharging its statutory responsibilities, the Council instituted the Nigeria Consumer Awards (NiCA), to bestow awards and honours on those who contribute to enhance consumer welfare, thereby improving the regime of consumer protection in Nigeria.

Speaking during the award night in Abuja last week, the Director General of the Council, Mrs. Ify Umenyi stated that the awards are meant for corporate organisations that meet the highest standards of quality,

durability, safety, service excellence, and continued commitment to good ethical behaviors.

According to her, the Award is to encourage operators in the market-place to perform better.

“Rightly, we decided that an award that would be driven entirely by consumer votes would not only encourage brands or organisations, so chosen as winners to maintain their quality delivery and possibly increase it, but would also lead to a healthy competition within the country’s market-place,” she said.

In projecting the Award, Daar Communications (Ray Power and AIT) and Daily Trust, were chosen as media partners, to conduct the

inaugural edition, the DG added.

“We picked selected areas of the product and service categories and we also developed verifiable processes for the emergence of the winners of the various categories of the Awards,” she said, stressing that the questionnaire was professionally administered on consumers in Abuja, Lagos and all the six geopolitical zones of the country.

According to her, voters also chose their preferred brands electronically through a portal on the Council’s website and short message service (sms).

“A team of reputable, unbiased and active stakeholders was also put together as award verification

panel she said, adding that a panel was drawn from such organisations as the Nigeria Labour Congress; media; organised private sector; National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS); the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON); Nigeria C o m m u n i c a t i o n Commission (NCC) All the winners would be entitled to flaunt the honours in all their communications, marketing and promotional activities for one year but warned that the CPC has the right to withdraw the honour from any of the winners in the face of a criminal infringement of the Nigerian Constitution or Law.

BRIEF

Leadway Assurance staff bags fellowship

L

EADWAY Assurance Company Limited has announced the elevation of Mr. Kingsley Miller to the status of Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, USA. Miller is an executive within the Actuarial Services Department of Leadway Assurance and was awarded the Fellowship in December 2012, after gaining the Associate status in 2011.

He is the first Nigerian to have so qualified without having to leave the country for such studies abroad, despite the challenging environment.

In a statement, the company said that Miller , a Jos native, is one of the brightest young Nigerians under 40 years of age. He holds a first degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Lagos, as well as the Associateship of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria. He started his career in the risk management department of the former Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank) and joined the Actuarial Services department of Leadway Assurance in 2009.

Managing Consultant of HR Nigeria Limited, Mr. Rotimi Okpaise, one of the very few actuaries in Nigeria and a Fellow himself, applauded Mr. Miller on joining the league of Fellows, describing him as a home-grown professional that could stand up to the challenge anywhere in the world, adding “It is a painstaking process, but it’s the right way.”

The actuarial profession is a highly specialised field with only a handful of professionals worldwide. There are just about six qualified actuaries practicing in Nigeria, and of these, only four are of Nigerian descent. This reiterates the need for more trained actuaries in the country as they are useful in complex investment structuring and insurance making them integral to the development of any nation.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—33

Lagos State rewards Coca-Cola for 100% tax compliance T

HE Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has awarded Coca-Cola Nigeria one of the most tax compliant corporate bodies for achieving 100 percent tax compliance at the 6th edition of the Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders Conference held at The Haven, Ikeja, during the week.

The award was presented by the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, to Adeola Adetunji, Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria.

Adetunji, in his remarks, said: “Coca-Cola recorded 100 percent tax compliance, a feat that had been acknowledged by the state for the past 5 years. This speaks eloquently to accountability and integrity, two core values that are at the heart of our corporate existence. We are convinced that with responsible global citizenship comes the ethical responsibility of prompt remittances of tax, which enables the government provide basic services to the citizenry”.

In his address, Governor Fashola observed that an efficient taxation system is necessary for rapid economic development. “Countries with the highest tax compliance are

countries with the highest standard of living,” he said. “Taxes are meant to help bridge the gap between the rich and the poor and address the problem of inequality in society.” He stated also that the growth rate of Lagos State is 6%, as opposed to the national growth rate of 3%, implying that more ameni-

ties would be needed by citizens of the state resulting in an increased need for conscientious payment of taxes by all citizens of the state.

Speaking on behalf of representatives of tax-payment groups, including the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), the La-

gos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), the Lagos State Lands Bureau, and the Lagos Water Corporation, Fashola urged all to cooperate with these various groups stressing the fact that a lot of structures were still being put in place to efficiently utilize tax-payers’ money.

From right: Ajay Banga, MasterCard Worldwide President and CEO; Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi during the visit of MasterCard CEO to Abuja.

Guinness unveils largest jersey STORIES BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

G

UINNESS Nigeria Plc, brewers of Guinness extra stout has unveiled the largest jersey in the history of brand Activation in support of the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the on going 21st African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.

The jersey measuring 2.75.5 by 2.49.9 sq metres was laid bar on the main bowl of the Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos where supporters are expected to append their signatures in support of the Super Eagles of Nigeria campaign in the ongoing AFCON soccer competition.

The jersey according to the company will be sent to the Nigerian representatives digitally when asked how the jersey will get to the Super Eagles players.

Speaking, Marketing and Innovation Director, Austin Ufomba, said that the company will be exploring all the available means to deliver the jersey to the Nigerian National team with the help of technologies at the disposal of the company presently, “apparently we are going to use the internet, photographs, the online medium, the television and other available medium to deliver the jersey to the Eagles.”

Asked why the company was undertaking the Jersey Activa-

tion, Ufomba said, “We are here because of a brand called Guinness, we are here to make history and support the Eagles, we have been doing this (support Eagles) for the past 20 years even in the face of failure on the pat of the Eagles.

We are one brand that has stood with the Eagles and will continue to give support to the Eagles until theu bring back the trophy.”

Continuing, he said that in November 2012, Guinness unveiled the ‘Fly With Eagles

Campaign’ first of the campaign that will give opportunity to consumers who participate via a crown cook based promotion where 200 consumers will travel to South Africa, the venue of the competition at the expense of the company.

We are committed to creating jobs — Ammasco Chairman

T

he Chairman/Chief Exec utive Officer of Ammasco International Limited, Alhaji Ado Mohammed said its company is committed to playing a leading role in creating employment opportunities for Nigerians and beyond. Ammasco is a lubricant manufacturer company.

The Chairman/CEO of the company disclosed at a recent Customer’s Forum organised by the company in Abuja.

Mohammed, who is also the Vice-Chairman, Lubricant Producers Association of Nigeria (LUPAN), said the company, apart from investing heavily in state-of-the-art facilities as well as in research & development, is a high employer of labour both within Nigeria and the West-African sub-region.

The Chairman/CEO said Ammasco have so far employed more than 500 youth directly, adding that most of the graduates are employed into trade-related system, welder work, plumber work and a host

of other jobs available for Nigerian youth.

Explaining further on the role Ammasco is playing to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country, Alhaji Mohammed said, in order to reverse the current trend in Nigeria whereby university graduates are trained to be governmentreliant Ammasco is training them to be self-reliant.

“They can work for ten years and decide to be on their own. As they are working, we are training them for the future to be self employed”, he affirmed.

Ammasco International Limited, is a manufacturer of high quality lubricants and specialises on business of general blending and marketing of lubricants and other petroleum and allied products.

The company, which has an ultra-modern lubricant blending plant located in Kano, is one of the fastest growing independent lubricants market-

ing company in Nigeria. The plant, which produces all brands of lubricants and allied products ranging from, Automotive Lubricants, Industrial Lubricants, Marine Lubricants, Grease and Allied Products, has an installed blending capacity of over 30,000 metric tonnes (MT).

Ammasco also have a well equipped and state-of-the-art laboratory that ensures that these products are manufactured in strict compliance to specifications by SAE, API and ACEA. The company further stated that, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it has offered free training of over 500 automobile technicians using foreign resource persons on proper and adequate use of oil lubricants.

The landmark achievements of Ammasco in the manufacture and distribution of lubricants has led to its recognition and receipt of several awards from different corporate organisations, as well as government.

Euro Global adds Julius Tonic to drink line

E

URO Global Foods and Distilleries Limited, makers of Sabrina Gin has has complete line of drinks with the introduction of Julius Tonic Wine into the market.. The product, which was unveiled to distributors at the company Partner’s Forum is now available across the country.

Speaking on the product, Mr. Felix Aighobahi, Sales Director, Euro Global Foods and Distilleries Limited, said, “Julius Tonic Wine is guaranteed to be an instant success because of its unique composition. Its rich red colour, nice aroma and great taste give that good feeling that can only come from a premium product.”

Julius Tonic Wine contains 18 percent alcohol and natural ingredients that include herbs, meads and tonic which are known to promote an energetic feeling and an active lifestyle.

“We believe that the quality of our brand along with a strong sustained marketing and promotional campaign will help Julius Tonic Wine perform as well as most of our products are performing today. We will be following the current size up with smaller pack sizes that will ensure that product is available for all classes of consumers.”

Fidson institutes ‘ACE’ to reward staff

idson Healthcare Plc has has instituted a reward sysF tem to ignite the passion for ex-

cellence among its employees with Acknowledge and Celebrate Excellence’, (ACE), is a newly instituted staff award.

The Award first in the series which started January 11, 2013 derived its name from the acronym of its rationale, is designed to Acknowledge and Celebrate Excellence among the staff of the company.

The maiden edition witnessed a constellation of the company’s Staff members, who trouped out in hundreds from all the regions of the country; all appearing in dark-coloured suits and black ties for the glamorous event under a colourful ambience.

The Managing Director, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Dr Fidelis Ayebae opened the evening with a remark and congratulated all staff members for their efforts and commitment in 2012, especially the six recipients of the ACE who displayed exceptional performance in the course of the year.

“We are here today to acknowledge and celebrate the very best among the best - our teammates who have shown exceptional capabilities in the course of a very challenging financial year in 2012. You nominated them for this award. You have shown exceptional team spirit by nominating them. They are being celebrated today because you not only played with them, but you played for them.

You have lighted their candles.

They sparkle today because of the light you shone on them.

You are all worthy men and women of excellence”, he said.

34—Vanguard, WEDNESD AY, JANUARY 23, 2013 WEDNESDA

Build up your natural immunity with herbs

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

C

ERTAIN medicinal herbs are known to stimulate immunity, giving the immune system a stronger ability to fight off various infections.

These herbs and their constituents have ability to directly inhibit influenza as well as stimulate the body's own immune system in order to counteract the flu virus.

Two such herbs, Fructus forsythiae, Golden Bell, (also called Forsythia or Lian Qiao), and Lonicera japonica (also called Suikazura, Jinyinhua and Japanese Honeysuckle) are known to inhibit viruses, These two herbs, and 50 of their constituents – phytochemicals isolated from them – significantly inhibit replication of viruses.

The ability of these herbs and their phytochemicals to stimulate the body's own immunity, allowing the body to be able to more effectively fight off the infection; The independent constituents within the herbal medicine shuts off a virus' ability to replicate, even in a sterile environment outside the body.

Overall data suggest that the

medicinal herbs function by indirectly suppressing the virus proliferation via regulating the immune systems in hosts, and also, by directly inhibiting virus proliferation through targeting viral proteins essential for the viral life cycle.

Clinical research has sup-

tients treated only with Oseltamivir. The marginally shortest flu duration was among those patients given both the Maoto and Oseltamivir, at 31 hours.

The Japanese Maoto combination is composed of Ma Huang (Ephedra), Apricot Ker-

ported these findings. In a clinical study from Japan's Ohmura Hospital in Chiba, 150 patients with influenza A completed a study whereby the Japanese medicinal combination called Maoto was found to significantly reduce symptoms and influenza duration as compared to patients taking Oseltamivir or Zanamivir or patients not receiving any treatment.

The research found that those patients given the Maoto had an average duration of 33 hours, versus 70 hours in the patients given no treatment, and 61 hours among those pa-

nel, Cinnamon Bark and Licorice – also called Glycyrrhiza Root. Each of these herbs have been clinically utilised in different combinations by Traditional Chinese Medical doctors for stimulating immunity and inhibiting viruses.

Another plant, Polygonum nepalense (also called Napal smartweed) is also known for effectively treating influenza.

Six polyphenols within the herbs – kaempferol, glucopyranoside, quercetin, pyrogallol, gallic acid and epipinoresinol – all effectively reduced infective inflammation.

• These herbs, Forsythia (top) and Japanese Honeysuckle (bottom) are natural virus inhibitors and immunity boosters.

Smoking cessasion reduces risk of bacterial pneumonia in persons with HIV

B

ACTERIAL pneumonia is one of the commonest and most serious infections occurring in people infected with HIV. A cohort and case control studies published in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Medicine finds that current smokers with HIV were at

double the risk of bacterial pneumonia than non-smoking counterparts, but that when people stopped smoking their risk was reduced.

Data of several thousand participants with HIV, from 14 studies based in USA, Europe and South Africa, showed, overall that current smoking was associated with a 70-100 percent increase in risk of bacterial pneumonia, compared to non-smokers, but that stopping smoking decreased this by about a third.

Prof Paul Aveyard, from Uni-

St. Ives offers 50% subsidy on IVF

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

A

HEAD of the 2013 Mother’s Day,March 10, St. Ives Special ist Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos, has announced a 50 per cent subsidy on In Vitro Fertility treatment for fertility-challenged couples.

The Managing Director, Dr. Tunde Okewale in a statement in explained that the hospital management decided that the subsidised treatment would include registration, consultation, investigations and treatment for IVF and Intrauterine Insermination, IUI. He urged fertility-challenged couples to take advantage of the opportunity.

The promo is only at the hospital’s Ikoyi branch. The fertility clinic has manyIVF babies to its credit including the oldest IVF mother in Nigeria at 57 years old.

versity of Oxford who led the study explained that, “Antiretroviral treatment means that people with HIV can have a normal life expectancy. However they still have substan-

tially increased health risks compared to the general population, including risk of pneumonia. Our results show smokers with HIV have twice the risk of bacterial pneumonia, but

stopping smoking can reduce this risk. To prevent this potentially risk, smoking cessation programmes should be promoted as part of HIV treatment.”

Katsina State Govt launches free mobile ambulance scheme

BY EMEKA MAMAH

K

ATSINA State government has launched a free moble ambulance scheme for Almajirai (beggars) in the state. Governor Ibrahim Shema launched the free mobile ambulance scheme for three local governments of the state including Katsina, Daura and Funtua.

Speaking on the occasion, Shema said his administration had evolved strategies to improve on the well being of the people. He said the 70 pilot Almajirai schools were selected as part of efforts to enhance and cater for the pupils and their instructors, including free feeding, clothing and trade acquisition skills, adding that a senior special assistant on Almajirai was appointed to

serve as a link between government and the relevant stakeholders.

Further, he said 50 new medical doctors were being recruited from Egypt, while 300 medical students from the state were being paid allowances, in the efforts to address dearth of medical personnel.

Shema said talks were on between the state government and Egypt, India and South Africa for possible engagement of one of the countries in running the 250- bed Orthopedic Hospitalsoon to be commissioned.

Shema urged medical personnel to handle the new Almajirai free ambulance scheme with the fear of God. The Commissioner of Health Alhaji Hussaini ‘Yam- mama, said that the ambulances in the

three local governments were fully stocked with drugs and other medicaments for the programme which was the first of its kind in the country to succeed. Shema said the scheme was launched because of his administration's concern for the plight of the downtrodden in the society.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ahmad Qabasiyyu then advised instructors of the Allo schools to report sick pupils without sticking to the routines of the ambulances or the monthly work plans.

Mobile ambulances treated 490,000 rural patients including 40,000 pregnant women last year just as another set of 500,000 rural women were sensitized and 100 child deliveries were recorded.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—35

Imo politics: Leave Okorocha alone —Prince Mbata

By TONY UBANI

Chime: How not to toy with facts

BY UCHENNA NWODO

I

MUST clarify from the onset that I am a lawyer, not a journalist. So, I do not have any background in the journalism profession. But it is one which fascinates me because of the services and sacrifices made by its professionals. Again, I must also confess that I respect newspaper columnists because of the courage of some of them and their analyses. Those of them who investigate before they write make delightful reading because they spice their analyses with hard, verifiable facts.

I am told that in journalism, they say that “comments are free, facts are sacred.” That freedom to express their views is lost when some columnists turn facts upside down. Such articles or canvassed views immediately lose their souls because they are founded on falsehood, deliberate or accidental. As the conscience of their channels, it is, therefore, incumbent on such opinion writers to write with certain decorum and not toy with facts like opposition politicians out to discredit their electoral conquerors. People who write these columns are, therefore, challenged to write

transmitted a letter to the House of Assembly that his deputy would assume the duty of Acting Governor in his absence.

That did not happen in the case of Yar’Adua. But of all the columns that I have read on the Chime matter, none came close to one I read last week.

The author, a refined gentleman sounded like a broken tongue. This is no attempt whatsoever to discredit him because he Governor Chime of Enugu State is also one of the best hands in the land. What one Save Enugu Group gave a twofound quite curious was that he week ultimatum to the Acting seemed to have accepted the Governor to tell the people the falsehood that an officer of whereabouts of Governor Chime government in Enugu State or they would occupy Enugu was inhibiting the performance city. of the Acting Governor, Sunday The threat came at a time that Onyebuchi who hails from my the organized labour, traders, own part of the state.

Conference of Nigerian Political Having worked as a Parties (CNPP) Enugu State commissioner not too long ago, chapter, the clergy and the the columnist knows the powers entire masses were all of an Acting Governor. expressing their support for the Besides, those who peddle such government and the governor. cheap rumours must show the That ultimatum had since Acting Governor some respect elapsed and they are yet to which he richly deserves. From occupy Enugu! Today, they have my interactions with those in taken their campaign of calumny the system and from what I to the pages of newspapers, observed during my yuletide writing articles with pen names holidays in Enugu, he is so well and all that. respected and feared that no officer can stand on his way. Absentee

,

The House of Assembly, at least on the basis of constitutionalism, has no justification to begin any impeachment move as some opposition politicians have been clamouring for

with some level of authority on the strength of the facts, not fallacies which are available to them and which they so disseminate.

I have read few columnists pass their verdict on the absence of the governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime.

To be fair, some wrote out of their personal convictions; others did not hide their emotions. But as a lawyer, I am more interested in constitutionalism, not emotions or morality. For every worthwhile lawyer, the questions to ask are simple.

Did Governor Chime act within the confines of the Nigerian constitution by transmitting a letter to the House of Assembly that his deputy would act in his absence? Is his deputy acting?

Did the constitution stipulate for how long a president or governor must be on vacation?

Did Chime breach any section of the law?

Some have even called for the Doctrine of Necessity and it only shows their ignorance or mischief on what led to it during the days of late President Umaru Yar ’Adua. Chime

governor

,

Not the least the concerned officer whose duty, till today, has been to convey approvals by the Governor and in this instance, the Acting Governor.

For our brother columnist who writes with so much insight to now call on the latter to sack an imaginary foe is making an extreme incitement.

Extreme incitement I do not work for the Enugu State Government neither do I intend to work there but from my investigation, the State Executive Council is intact. The House of Assembly, at least on the basis of constitutionalism, has no justification to begin any impeachment move as some opposition politicians have been clamouring for.

The other day, Igbonekwu Ogazimorah and Ray Nnaji, two former key officers in the administration of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani teamed up with others and issued a statement as Save Enugu Group, patterned after the Save Nigeria Group but lacking in the latter’s ideals and drive.

Recently, newspapers have been awash with stories on what they have now termed absentee governors, referring to the governors of Enugu, Cross River and Taraba states. Of course, none of us, the readers, has any say on what the papers choose to publish on a daily basis. We owe them patronage but they, in turn, owe us dissemination of factual information. The Nigerian media have done well, right from the days of colonialism to the ugly days of the military. A lot of the journalists paid the supreme price for the democracy that we all enjoy today. Therefore, the above is not an indictment in any way. It is just a call to duty, a call for eternal vigilance so that we, the vulnerable readers are better armed to appreciate issues the way they are.

For a fact, Enugu State has been hugely transformed by Governor Chime, a fact that even his sworn enemies have not failed to acknowledge. He may not be media savvy as some people may wish but it was a choice he made from the onset to be silent about his accomplishments. The only encouragement we can give to such silent achievers is not to toy with facts about them in a mischievous manner.

•Uchenna Nwodo, a lawyer wrote from Lagos.

W

HEN Owelle Rochas Okorocha came to power some two years back after a hard fought political battle, he declared that he was on a mission to rescue Imo State. Today, to some Imo indigenes, not much has been achieved in the much talked about rescue mission agenda of the ‘smooth talking governor’.

But one man that believes that the governor’s rescue mission is on course, is Lagos-based businessman, Prince Alex Mbata, who hails from Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State.

Mbata, just back from Imo State where he enjoyed the Christmas and new year holidays, told the media in Lagos that he took time off to go round the state, ostensibly to see things for himself and make a personal assessment of the present administration in the state. He said from what he saw, there is no disputing the fact that Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his men are doing well, even as he charged the governor’s political opponents to leave him alone in the interest of the state.

He said: “Let me start by saying that I am not a politician.

I have no political leaning, but as an Imolite, I am interested in what is happening in the state. I am a stakeholder when it comes to the state and my desire just like that of any other Imo son or daughter is to see the state make progress on all fronts. I was at home in Imo last December and took time off to see what the government of the day is doing.

“To be honest, I think the level of development going on is something every Imo man should be proud of. From Owerri to Orlu down to Okigwe the story is the same. As we speak the state is getting massive infrastructural face lift. Roads are being constructed both in the rural and urban areas, bridges are being built alongside schools, hospitals name it and the students are enjoying free education from primary to university level. Nothing could have been better. Imo has never had it so good,except in the days of Dee Sam Onunaka Mbakwe of blessed memory. It is only a blind man that can claim not to see the projects I am talking about.

Dividends of democracy “Against the backdrop of what I have seen, my appeal to the governor’s political opponents is for them to sheath their swords in the interest of the state.

I am making this appeal in the interest of the poor people of the state who the present government wants to better their lot. Imo people should be allowed to enjoy the dividend of democracy. There will be no progress if politicians in the state keep fighting themselves. If the governor is distracted, he will lose focus and Imo people will be the ones to suffer. Those that want to take over should wait till 2015 when Imo people will have another opportunity to decide who rules them. Those in the opposition should concentrate on coming up with a blueprint of what they want to do for Imo people. For now, they should allow the government of the day to work.”

Mbata whose corporate outfit is building what could pass as the biggest industry in the state said the ultra modern factory located at Naze on the outskirts of Owerri will become operational before the end of the first quarter of this year. He said he decided to invest in Imo to ease the high rate of unemployment in the state, noting: “The rate of unemployment in the state is high and this is why I have decided to invest in the state. We must all strive to make Imo a better place. My mission is to give Imo youths job and God willing the industry I am building in the state will start production in two months.”

Mbata who concluded by quoting from the scriptures said when the righteous rule, the people rejoice and when the wicked is on the throne the people mourn. To him Imo people are rejoicing today because the state is truly in the hands of Prince Mbata God.

36—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

Umunna blames massive corruption on Nigerians' docility Bishop Leonard Umunna, a retired civil servant at the level of director-general and a public affairs analyst, is the general overseer of Bible Life Church, Ajegunle, Lagos. In this interview with SAM EYOBOKA, the cleric said there was nothing wrong with creation of more states if the focus is to achieve development. He also spoke on other issues. Excerpts:

,

When we had 12 states Nigeria was more united. But today, we have 36 and all people talk about is their tribes tribes. So, the more the states we create the more selfish we become. The question is however is: How far have the states we have today been able to sustain themselves? All of them go to Abuja every month to share the national cake.

Those who want to be in leadership positions are the ones clamouring for more states. Those things do not avail; if you do not have a good system that will checkmate their excesses and make them viable. To me, the 12 states will be better for Nigeria.

N

ot too long ago, chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde said big thieves in the country are using their ill-gotten wealth to evade prosecution. What does that portend for the war against corruption?

Some say Nigeria is a place where nothing works, but I am one of those who believe that Nigeria is a place where everything happens. People have been looting our treasury and using such funds to defend themselves. God has made provision on how they will be wasted. It is left for the government to devise means of how to prevent such things instead of always chasing shadows, instituting probes and repeating things that are not working. Look at how Ghana and some other nations have put in place preventive measures and how they have

prosecuted and imprisoned those found guilty. Don’t give them chance to make plea bargain. By the time they are disgraced and jailed others will learn a lesson. Nigeria is about the 6th oil producing nation in the world; but look at other oil producing nations.

While others are using their proceeds to develop their nations, ours end up in private pockets. This is because of our mismanagement. Most of our leaders know they are incompetent; they also know that we are docile and cannot confront them; but if as a people we put measures in place to deal with corruption by exposing those found guilty through appropriate sanctions the nation will make progess.

B

esides high level corruption, we are yet to find a solution to the problem of insecurity in some parts of the country. What’s your advice on the issue?

Nigerians should not panic.

The Lord Jesus said we should expect these things, especially at this end time. First, there should be no malice. Pray for those who persecute you and despitefully use you. If you have the opportunity do good,

,

What is your reaction to current agitations for more states in the country?

While others are using their proceeds to develop their nations, ours end up in private pockets

extend a hand of fellowship to them. God is allowing some of these things to grow the Church. The blood of martyrs will increase the Church.

Nigerian believers should react like Christians in the old Communist Russia. In the midst of serious persecution, they were praying. We must always listen to the leading of the Spirit of God. Government is expected to do its best in protecting lives and property.

No place is safe anymore. If you go to the East they will tell you of one big problem or the other, if you go to the West they will tell you of another big problem. You go to the North another big problem. Men’s hearts are failing them for fear.

Once you react like a true believer, God will direct you on what to do. In the military, the first line of action you are told after your enlistment and training is that whatever happens, don’t panic. What more, the Holy Ghost will tell you to fear not that person who can kill the body but only fear the one who can kill both the body and soul. Believe God that these things are temporary and do whatever the Holy Ghost directs you.

R

eports from the North East region suggests that Christians are being systematically annihilated and this has created intense fear in them and they are afraid to be seen with the Holy Bible talk less of assembling to fellowship. What are the implications of this to the country?

The implications are not so bad. You are seeing a lot of things going on in other countries. The state of the world is

* Bishop Leonard Umunna terrible. Men’s hearts are failing them for fear. My advice to Christians is to realise that when it happened in Jerusalem in those days, the leaders were strong, they didn’t run anyhow or any-where. The ones that were scattered used the opportunity to spread the gospel further wherever they went. Whatever they do, they should not forget that the gospel is the prime task that must be done. Boko Haram or any other thing---it could be flood that God may allow to test our faith, it is to make us wiser and stronger and better. They should not react like the heathen or put their faith in government or man. There is no best solution than what the Holy Ghost will tell you to do at that hour as He said that when you are brought before judges or whatever, you should

not think of what to answer, that what ever the Holy Ghost tells you to do that hour, you should do. Any believer without in-filling of the Holy Ghost is in problem. It is the Holy Ghost that can give direction on what to do. He is a person not an influence or an item. He is the third person in the Trinity. Talk to him; this is his dispensation. The Apostles used it to spread the gospel and plant churches.

The government of the church or the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) should see current happenings as an opportunity to lengthen the gospel location; devise other means and ways to ensure that things work out well. Things that are happening in Nigeria are not peculiar. If you go to other countries, similar things are happening.

Retiring Adebiyi inaugurates Ojo-Alaba archdeaconry...reveals successor

By OLAYINKA LATONA

A

NOTHER history was made on Sunday when outgoing Bishop of the Lagos West Diocese of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev. Peter Adebiyi inaugurated the OjoAlaba Archdeaconry.

The inaugural service which took place at the auditorium of the St. Peters Anglican Church, Alaba, Lagos, was witnessed by a huge crowd of faithful and non-members of the church as the congregation sang and danced heartily in appreciation of the goodness and mercy of God on the church.

Describing the church as one of the biggest churches in the diocese, Adebiyi extolled the virtues of the Ojo-Alaba Archdeaconry from its inception, noting that the church has always been in the vanguard of propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The bishop of Lagos West also declared St. Peters Anglican Church, Alaba, Lagos as the headquarters of the archdeaconry while Ven. Rev. Reginald Okpala was declared as the archdeacon of the new archdeaconry.

In his words: “Today history is being made as we inaugurate Ojo-Alaba Archdeaconry as

one of the archdeaconries in the diocese of Lagos West. I therefore appreciate and congratulate the clergy, workers and the entire people of this archdeaconry.

I also commend St. Peters Anglican Church, Alaba for their support to the diocese in the area of aggressive evangelism, church planting and development. I am aware of the spiritual and physical developments which have taken place since the founding of the church.’’

The man of God further urged the new archdeaconry not to relent in the work of evangelism, adding that they

must brace up for the enormous task that is ahead of them.

Adebiyi who is retiring in April, also used the occasion to introduce his successor and urged the new archdeaconry and indeed, every member of the diocese to co-operate with the new bishop just as they had supported him through the years.

The bishop-elect who will be consecrated on February 24 at St. Jude's Anglican Church, Ebute Metta in Lagos is Venerable James Olushola Adedeji.

In his reaction, the archdeacon of Ojo -Alaba, Ven. Rev.

Okpala disclosed that the creation of the archdeaconry is for the enlargement of God’s kingdom and a call to work harder, promising that the church will by God’s grace continue to do more in the area of evangelism and other ministerial assignments. ‘’This archdeaconry focuses purely on missionary with large area of land mass and great population to reach; therefore those who are called should please come out enmass and serve the Lord. Let us serve to be approved by God and not by men and our labour will not be in vain,’’ he said.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—37

I would like my ex to be the dad

He is my dead friend’s husband Dear Bunmi, I lost one of my friends some years ago though we were not really close. I’d always liked her husband and was a friend.

After the wife died, we started dating and became lovers.

Now he says he can’t really put his mind into our relationship, that it’s too soon after his wife’s death and he still misses her. We still flirt and are fond of each other, but no love making.

How long should you mourn

a dead spouse for goodness sake? I love him and he’s grieved for four years. Surely, he should be ready to move on?

Hannah, By e-mail

Dear Hannah, We all have our time-table to cope with loss. Some people recover quickly, others take years. Maybe your man could have fallen for you more easily if you’d been a

stranger he just met. As you are a long-time friend, someone he’d seen with his wife in the past, he may be reminded of her when he’s with you.

He might not feel sexually for you because of this reason.

Why don’t you cool things a bit for a while? He might change his mind with time, but you can’t force him to care for you. And you shouldn’t try - out of love for him and respect for your dead friend.

His mum agrees I’m better off without him Dear Bunmi, THIS man I met late last year has a very violent temper. He starts an argument over nothing, then blames it on me. I try to make him happy, but he throws it all back in my face.

I know it’s not just me, I’m one of a long list of women he has treated badly over the

years. Even love making comes with a bit of violence as he constantly wants to know if he is better than my past boyfriends. I’m sure it is down to his upbringing. His parents separated and he spent his time being shuttled between the two of them.

Even his mum has advised me to leave him as she was

’

However much you love him, you must listen to his mother; she knows him better than anyone and she’s telling you to walk away; so, do it, it may break your heart, but it will save your sanity

’

fed up with all the violence.

But I love him so much and would like to make a difference in his life. What do you think I should do?

Georgina, By e-mail

Dear Georgina, Your current man is a very bad bet. He’s never had a good relationship with women and if he does not treat you well now when you’re supposed to be in the early ‘in love’ stage of your relationship, he’s not going to suddenly see the light and treat you differently.

You can’t change him if he doesn’t want to, in spite of all the counselling in the past.

However much you love him, you must listen to his mother. She knows him better than anyone and she’s telling you to walk away. So, do it, it may break your heart, but it will save your sanity.

Hubby's friend is so hot!

Dear Bunmi, I’VE been in a sexual relationship with my best friend’s husband for years. I know it is wrong but we’ve not been found out because both our partners sometimes work away. Mine is a geologist and my lover's wife is a lawyer. I don’t love this man, neither do I like him, but he’s simply amazing in bed. He’s always doing something different and he takes time to study different ways of making it a joy.

My husband just does the same thng in bed, then rolls over to sleep till the next time.

Now my friend tells me

they’ll soon be moving away because of postings from his office. He hasn’t told me yet, and I don’t know if I should believe her, but I do know that I couldn’t live without what I get from him.

Ellen, By e-mail

Dear Ellen, You might have to live without it because there is no way your lover’s going to disrupt his life for you. And, if love making was ruled out, would you want to leave your marriage for him?

The bad news is you have no control whatsoever over

him leaving. Fortunately for you, you could have what you had with him with your husband if you explain to him that you’d like a better love life.

You must have learnt a lot about the technique of quality love making from your lover over the years you’d been sneaking behind your husband’s back to meet him.

Now’s the time to share it! If your husband goes through the same boring routine, then you must take charge. For all you know, he might be longing for something more adventurous. Now’s your chance to teach him!

Dear Bunmi, MY problem is I’m seven months pregnant and I’m not sure who the father of my baby is. I don’t know if it’s my last boyfriend or the one before. The thing is, I’m still in love with the one before and I want his baby. We lived together but split up about the time I got pregnant. I’m now back with my mum.

When I broke the news of my pregnancy to him, he said I should let him know when the baby was born, but that he would want definite proof that he was the father and not my new boyfriend. I really want him back and think about him all the time. Do you think there is a chance he’ll come back to me if it is proved that the baby is his?

Jenny, By e-mail

Dear Jenny, I hope so, for your sake and the baby’s, but don’t be too optimistic. When your baby arrives, ask the doctors to arrange a blood test because, then, it may be possible to show quite simply that one or the other of the men is not the father. You’d have to ask both to provide blood samples and your new boyfriend might not like this. You could narrow this down to only your ex.

Seriously though, why did you split up? Would the new baby suddenly make things better? And where does your new man feature? It is you and your baby’s future that’s at stake here and you want to do a serious heart search.

Unfortunately, you alone can decide what you want, especially when you realize the child is not your ex’s.

Can I get her pregnant?

Dear Bunmi, My organ is four inches at its most erect and I’m married to a very loving and supportive wife but love making is really frustrating, the slightest movement causes my organ to slip out of her during lovemaking. We have been married for four years now and would love to try for a baby.

Because of my small organ, I haven’t really been that hot in the love making department.

Will I be able to get my wife pregnant and do you have any pointers as to how to enjoy love making with her?

Foreplay is no problem.

Saheed, By e-mail

Dear Saheed, Try choosing positions in which your wife holds her thighs tightly together and only you move during lovemaking. Curling up in bed or bending over should do the trick. If this method fails to get her pregnant, then seek help in one of these modern fertility clinics the country now boasts of. A clinic can help in depositing your sperm where it needs to be in your wife’s organ. You wouldn’t be the first man to need a little medical assistance to father children and neither this nor the size of your organ make you in anyway less masculine or virile. Good luck with the baby-making efforts.

His request is weird!

Dear Bunmi, MY boyfriend is a student and we have a very active love life. Recently, he confessed to me that he has this very strange desire to put his organ between my breasts.

We’ve tried a few of his ‘experiments’ before and some of them were fun. But this new suggestion takes the cake!

Is he going to turn out to be some sort of pervert or am I the naive one? He’s given me great pleasure and I would like to make him happy too.

But am I likely to enjoy doing this?

Chichi, By e-mail

Dear Chichi, What your boyfriend is suggesting you both try is intermammary intercourse, in other words, as you rightly said, his organ between your breasts.

It is not as weird as you think. You’re expected to lie down flat while he kneels astride you. Then either he or you hold your breasts together round the shaft of his organ, while he thrusts away as usual.

Unless your breasts are very sensitive, you probably won’t feel much yourself, but your boyfriend can make up for this by stimulating you the way you like it.

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos. or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

38 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 CANCER; Here is a day when things are meant to go according to your plans and record success. Yong-at-heart may be in for a romantic day. You just have to take the initiative.

LEO; This is your day; although there will be some challenges within your base of operation, eventual success will be yours. Be more family minded.

VIRGO; Even if friends have failed to live up to expectation in the recent days you will need to leave the past behind you and forge ahead. Lovers are fairly favoured.

LIBRA; Recent challenges notwithstanding pleasant surprises are possible. The more financially ambitious you are today the better for your cause.

SCORPIO; Better opportunities indicated for those of you willing to be as self assertive as possible, and it could turn out to be a happy day to be remembered by real lovers.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

W

HEN the crafty devil wants to deceive Eve, he confused her by telling her what she wants to hear. The holy writ says, the devil told Eve ‘if you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will be like God. But did she actually look like God

Are you on drugs? after tasting the forbidden fruit.

This is the same way drug addicts feel. They believe when they take drugs it makes them high. It gives them bold-

TERROR MUDA

ness. Yes, they are bold: But what kind of boldness? Animal boldness?

Some say, it leads to high performance. But, at what expense? Examples abound of very

in “Never say goodbye”

skillful talents who got themselves destroyed through drugs.

Stop being hooked on drugs. Drugs destroy your life, destroy your family, destroy your health and destroy your destiny.

Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

SAGITTARIUS; Although you will need to keep your secrets for the next few days that is not to say you should not pursue your financial interest. Take care of your health.

CAPRICORN; Don’t wait till tomorrow before you make an important move because good luck and success are closer to you today than you image. Be hopeful.

AQUARIUS; Tomorrow will prove more rewarding financially but you will have good opportunity to do things rightly within your working arena. Be loving.

PISCES; Some of you who are travelling purposely for love are in for rewarding day. All of you will need to take your social life more seriously.

ARIES; Professional advice may be needed over your finances but if you are sure of what you are doing you can go ahead. Be more family minded; TAURUS; Unusual co-operation may come your way today but if you are carried away by this the whole thing may change tomorrow. Respect your spouse.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

GEMINI; Better than yesterday. Happenings within your working arena will not give you cause to worry but situation may change tomorrow. Your finance are favoured.

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

What’s m thda myy bir birthda thdayy ruler?

According to the date I was born I should be a Libran by my star but most of the time when I read horoscopes written by both yourself and foreign Astrologers Scorpio always applicable to me, why?

Kindly tell me how the planets lined up when I was born and the day of the week I was born but don’t publish my date of birth.

Olayemi, Lagos.

Dear Olayemi, You were born on a Sunday meaning that mighty Sun rules your birthday. You were wrong to have taken Libra as your Sun sign because the Sun was placed in early degree of Scorpio together with many other heavenly bodies. Then with the Moon in Libra when you were born will equally be influential in your characteristics build up but, you are mainly a Scorpio born person.

You are both an intelligent and emotional person. And as there was no planet at home when you were born, too many ideas will always struggle for prominent place in your mind, thus decision making is difficult but most times, your intelligence comes to the rescue.

Certainly, you appear to other as a gentle person who can be mistaken for soft fellow but your inner-self is the personality with a steel like will power.

You are the consistent type who may find it difficult to change once you have made up your mind as indicated by distribution of the planets as written out in paragraph two of this exercise.

One major challenge you have been battling for a very long time is constant worries, some times, necessarily and the other time, uncalled for, as indicated by conjunction Mercury and Saturn formed when you were born.

Placement of your natal Sun (basic self head) and Moon (your sub-conscious self) in Scorpio and Libra respectively are indications of your being mainly Scorpio born person and partly in Libran. And that is to say basic characteristics of both Scorpio and Libra are highly pronounced in you.

Then, you are spiritually gifted; if you don’t develop it is another thing.

C M Y K

VIRGINIA

Commen3

dadadekola@yahoo.com

by Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 —39

Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, Oyo State Governor's wife (right) presenting the 'Best Performing Access to Basic Care (ABC) Foundation Clinic award' to Mrs. Atiyeye Deborah, the Head Nurse, Ibadan SouthWest ABC Clinic, during a caremony, at Aleshinloye, Ibadan. Photo: Dare Fasube

From left: Police Superintendent Taiwo Wemimo, 2ic Area Command 'C', Surulere; Mr. Ikem, CSR/SM Nigerian Breweries Plc; Nseobong Akpabio, Sector Commander FRSC, Lagos; Miss Ifedayo Adegbenro, NB Mgt Trainee and Lanre Onigbogi, Country Manager,International Centre for Alcohol Policy, during the launch of Annual Don't, Drink Drive Campaign, at Yaba Motorpark

From left: Mrs. Omolara F. Erogbogbo, Lagos State Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education; Prof. Olu Akeusola, Provost, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCOPED); Senator Oluremi Tinubu (OON) and Senator 'Gbenga Ashafa, with other members of staff of the college, during the presentation of the 2012 TETFund Special Intervention approval letter to the college, at Noforija Epe

Prof. Amos Utuama, Delta State Deputy Governor, SAN (middle); Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, Secretary to the State Government (right) and Mr. Kingsley Emu, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, during the Service of Songs in honour of mother of the Commissioner, late Deaconess Bernice Emu, at Owa- Eki

From left: Miss Ngozi Coker, Brand Communications Manager, Procter and Gamble; Mrs. Titi Adetunji, Brand Operations Interaction Manager; Mr. Sidney Esiri, Dr. SID and Mrs. Mokutima Ajileye, Brand Operations Integration Leader, at the Oral-B mobile Dental Clinic by Procter and Gamble, at the Mega Plaza Mall, Lagos. Photo Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Alaafin of Oyo (left), welcoming Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State Governor to his palace, during the Governor's sympathy visit to the monarch on the recent fire incident that engulfed his palace, in Oyo, Oyo State

From left: Mr. Femi Kumayon, (Asst. Roll Back Malaria Manager, Badagry Local Govt.), JCI Eko;‘ one of the recipients of the bednet; Jide Adeyemi (2013 President, JCI Eko) and High Chief J. A. Ajiko (Agbasagan Ayipe II of Ajido kingdom), at the donation of treated bednets to the residents of Ajido and its environ by JCI Eko

From Left: Mr. Mayo Okunola, General Manager, DStv; Mr. Akinola Salu, General Manager, Trade and Distribution, MultiChoice Nigeria; Most Rev. Charles Obafemi Oderinde, winner of a Renault Duster SUV, in the DStv Mega Promo, during the prize presentation, at the MultiChoice Head Office, Tiamiyu Savage, Victoria Island, Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

From Left: Mr. Abdulhamit Bilici, General Manager, Cihan News Agency, Turkey; Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, Editor, Online, The Nation Newspaper and Mr. Oguzhan Dirican, President, UFUK Dialogue Foundation, during the media panel on'Reportism in Conflict and Role of Media in Conflict Resolution,' organised by UFUK Dialogue Foundation, and Turkish Nile University, at LASU satellite campus, Olufemi Street, Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

40—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, JANUARY 23, 2013

Katsina to commission Ring Road project, March

BY VICTORIA EDEMA

K

A TSINA—THE Katsina State Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Mustapha Maikudi, yesterday, said the multi-million Naira Katsina Ring Road, Phase 10 project, would be completed by the end of March this year.

Maikudi disclosed this when Governor Ibrahim Shema inspected the project.

The Commissioner, however, complained that a high tension cable which crossed the ring road posed danger to the lives of motorists, pedestrians and other road users, following which Governor Shema directed the immediate relocation of the cable.

At the Batsari end of the road, Maikudi told Shema that, surface dressing has been completed while a major part of the job had been conmpleted.

The Project Manager, Mr. Chee, also assured on the completion of the project according to the contractual agreement.

AG dismisses private varsities’ agitation for TETFUND

BY DAYO ADESULU

L

AGOS—ACCOUNT ANT-General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla, has dismissed agitations from private universities which want to benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND. He said that private universities are profit making ventures that do not need injection of public funds.

Delivering a lecture on “The impact of quality education on national development: where is funding situated” Otunla said: “As private ventures or enterprises, private universities depend on income generated through a variety of sources.

“These include tuition fees, contributions from a variety of sources and income from investments. A number of Nigerian private universities, because they are still at the developmental stage with challenges of funds to expand their infrastructure.”

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State (middle), Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku (right) and others, during the Good Governance Tour team’s visit to the state.

AWARD: Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, SAN, presenting the award for Tax Integrity and Compliance to the Principal of the oldest Girl’s School in Nigeria, Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos; Mrs. Olusheye Awobiyi in Lagos.

JTF averts bloodbath in Delta Motor-park

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—MEN of the Joint Military Task Force, JTF, yesterday, averted what would have been a serious bloodbath at central motor park, Ughelli, Delta State.

Otor-Iwhreko youths and National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the area have been on war path for about one year over who controls the motor park.

As at the time of this report armed soldiers had barricaded the motor park thereby scaring

the warring parties away.

While the NURTW was of the view that the control of motor parks was within their purview, the Otor-Iwhreko community was of the view that they should be allowed to control the motor park in their area. They argued that Otovwodo, Afiesere and Ekiugbo people were in charge of the motor parks in their areas.

According to a dependable source, Chairman of the NURTW in the motor park, Mr. Emonena Akpodiete and his vice, Mr. Felix Olokpa have been embroiled in leadership crisis. The source who

pleaded anonymity said all attempts to resolve the crisis failed.

When contacted, Mr. Felix Olokpa alleged that the community youths had destroyed his property after chasing his wife from the house. Mr. Emonena Akpodiete on his part said the property of Mr. Felix Olokpa were not destroyed and his wife was not also chased away by the youths, describing the allegation as false.

Akpodiete said in line with the decision reached in their last peace meeting, “I told my Vice that he should bring 50 per cent

Bauchi NBA chair faults Govs on scrapping of LGs

B

BY SUZAN EDEH

AU C H I— B AU C H I State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mohammed Alhassan, has decried calls by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, for the scrapping of local government councils from the Nigerian Constitution, saying that such a development would in-

crease the level of poverty in the country.

Alhassan spoke against the backdrop of calls by the governors on the National Assembly not to grant autonomy to the councils while amending the 1999 Constitution.

However, the NBA Chairman, yesterday, in Bauchi, faulted the position of the NGF, insisting that

the 774 councils in the country should be granted autonomy to ensure grassroots development.

He said: “The state governors are kicking against the autonomy of the local government councils in their respective states because they are serving their interests.

If the local government councils in the country are scrapped, what would now be left would be the governors and the central power, which is the Federal Government.”

AKISCOM assures on cooperation with Lagos govt

L

AGOS—THE Akwa Ibom State Community, AKISCOM, Lagos, has reiterated its commitment to protect the interests of the state and its indigenes in the state.

President AKISCOM, Lagos chapter, Prince Elijah Ifot, said this at a briefing to unfold the administration’s plans and aspirations in the year ahead.

According to him, the community had empowered and mandated its Welfare and Human Rights Committee to go into the nooks and crannies of Lagos to see how Akwa Ibom indigenes in the state were fairing and report back to the house for proper action.

Ifot said his administration was challenged and encouraged by the of Governor Godswill

Akpabio’s efforts in maintaining peace among the people of the state and the country in general, stressing that the development

of the state as a whole was a collective responsibility of all indigenes.

Flood: Uba pledges support for Omambala people ernment areas at Aguleri, Uba said he

A

WKA—SENATOR Andy UbahaspledgedsustainedassistanceandfullsupporttoOmambalapeople as they recover from the flood disaster which ravaged many communities in Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum and Oyi Local Government areas, respectively, last year.

Senator Uba, who represents Anambra South in the Senate, made the pledge, when he visited Aguleri.

Speaking to key members of Omambala Progressive Movement, drawnfromdifferentpoliticalpartiesand 52 political wards in the four local gov-

was optimistic that Anambra will continuetogrowandexperiencebetterleadership as it entered another crucial period of its history.

He recalled that he was among the public spirited individuals, who responded to the distress call of the people at the peak of the flood disaster and personally donated to the flood victims, relief materials worth millions of naira.

Ubasaidthatthemajorchallengenow was how to fully rehabilitate and resettle the people that were affected by the flood, thanking those who responded positively to the cry of the victims.

of the workforce while I bring 50 per cent but he refused.”

Medical council to visit Abia for accredition of health institutions

U

BY ANAYO OKOLI

MUAHIA—THE Nigerian Medical Council will soon visit Abia State Diagnosis Centre and Amachara Specialist Hospital to inspect the facilities for accreditation to enable medical students do their housemanship in both institutions.

Governor Theodore Orji, who disclosed this, said the health institutions were being properly equipped to scale the conditions of the council.

Orji said his administration was not leaving any stone unturned to give the people of the state the best health facilities they could get anywhere around.

Ajatiton community inaugurates exco

T

HE Omokorugbo Youth As sociation of Ajatiton Community in Edo State, recently conducted an election to choose their executive and those who won had been sworn into office under the chairmanship of Prince Ola Joseph.

In his address,the newlyelected chairman, Mr. Joseph expressed gratitude to the youths in the community for the trust they had in him and assured them that he would foster peace and stability so as to create an enabling environment for the development of the community.

Other members of the executive are Tonwe Abel (Vice-Chairman) and Okome Joseph (General Secretary).

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—41

I'm alive, 'll be back soon — Chime Continues from page 5 none of them is a medical practitioner,” he argued.

The SEG had in its letter to the speaker dated January 21, 2013, demanded an explanation regarding the letter purportedly sent to the lawmakers notifying them of his intention to embark on leave in September last year, stressing that the said letter, if any, ought to have been made

public since it was not meant for the speaker ’s private perusal.

“We demand to know from you if the said letter was tabled and read at an open session of the House? If so, may we be obliged with or referred to a copy of the Hansard where this is reflected.

We are also interested to know the ground on which the Governor was departing. Was it for a ‘vacation’ or the second arm which is ‘for inabil-

ity to discharge the functions of his office’? It cannot be for both we humbly submit, as we believe that the ‘or ’ makes the clause disjunctive and with different consequences.

“We would wish to inquire from you, if you did write formally to the Deputy Governor intimating him of the said letter and attaching a copy of the letter to enable him immediately begin to function as Act-

ing Governor? This would be the prescribed procedure since we have been advised by constitutional lawyers that a swearing in is not mandatory in this particular circumstance.

“Mr. Speaker Sir, our worry here is that there is more to it than meets the eye in the ‘acting governorship’ of Mr. Onyebuchi. We believe that without a formal communication from your office to him, no one in his shoes can take over

a state administration on mere hearsay,” the SEG stated in the letter to the speaker signed by its Convener, Okwu.

How the controversies started On September 19, 2012, exactly 135 days ago, Governor Chime travelled out of the country after transmitting a letter to the House of Assembly that he was proceeding on leave and handing over the reins of authority to his

deputy, Onyebuchi.

The governor ’s failure to return to office after six weeks sparked controversy, leading to speculations of ill-health and varied allegations of incapacity. Enugu Commissioner for Information Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, however, repeatedly asserted that due process was followed by the governor in proceeding on what he described as “accumulated vacation.”

Emir of Kano Attack:

Presidency lampoons Buhari, CPC, NLC

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA— THE Presidency, yesterday, tonguelashed former Head of State and 2011 Presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, over his comments on the attack on Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

While warning against politicizing the attack on the most respected Emir and his family, the Presidency described Buhari and his party ’s comments as reckless, irresponsible and opportunistic.

The Presidency, however, disclosed that the Police and other security agencies were working round the clock to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on the Emir of Kano and members of his family were arrested and brought to book.

Reacting to their statements, yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said that Buhari had condemned the attack on the Emir of Kano, stating that “the portent of this latest security challenge is that the Nigerian state is not just under an ominous cloud of insecurity but all the citizens are also victims”.

Okupe said, the statement by General Muhammadu Buhari, his party the CPC is unfortunate, reckless and opportunistic.

42—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

EDO CABINET:

Waiting for Oshiomhole GOVERNOR Oshiomhole has received praises from far and wide for being a man of action whether on labour issues or service delivery in Edo State. The governor, however, has shown not much action in forming his next cabinet. Why?

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

T

HE issue of the spectacular milestones recorded by Governor Adams Oshiomhole in delivering democracy dividends to the people of Edo State is certainly not in doubt.

In achieving the milestones the governor was aided by several lieutenants in the guise of commissioners, special advisers, personal assistants and several others.

However, Oshiomhole was the central figure in the achievement of the projects that have received commendation from far and wide.

This fact has been buttressed by the fact that a substantial proportion of the aides who worked with the governor in his first term were carried over from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP regime led by Chief Lucky Igbinendion which has generally been flayed for very THERE are obviously no indications that Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso or his proxies were involved in last week’s assault on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

However, the governor ’s dangerous assault on the collective psyche of the nation could suggest, if not otherwise, a desperate aspiration for kingship.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja last weekend, the governor made a rabid assault on the concept and institutions of democracy when he railed against the idea of autonomy for the legislative houses in the country.

Besides, he also sought to rubbish the still contentious issue of autonomy for the local government councils.

In an unabashed manner, the Kano governor was quoted in one of the news reports as saying: “You see, what we have in the National Assembly is what they want to transfer to the 36 state houses of assembly and that is not correct.” “So, what they want is to transfer this sort of thing to the 36 state assemblies. That means I will sit here as a C M Y K

poor performance.

However, more than two months after his second term inauguration, and six months after his decisive re-election, the action governor is yet to make action in appointing a cabinet.

Given the pace of work and the famed tightness of the comrade governor in sharing the people’s patrimony among political office holders, it would be shocking that the issue of who makes the Oshiomhole cabinet remains an issue in the state capital, Benin City.

Remarkably, a number of commissioners, especially those who came in from high paying jobs were reported to have complained about the alleged downturn in their personal finances in the course of the tour of duty in the state.

Two of them left the cabinet midstream, though after making significant imprints to the Oshiomhole agenda.

“My Commissioners and Advisers were the least paid in

*Oshiomhole: Still alone the country because we tried to save money and they did not

POLITICAL METABOLISM with

EMMANUEL AZIKEN detritetradetoxifiedpolitics@gmail.com SMS 08052201189

Now who can stop King Kwankwanso? governor, members of the state assembly will have independence, they will give themselves salaries and allowances which they think should be due to them.”

What the governor said is what many Nigerians have come to accept, albeit regretfully, as the bastardisation of the principle of democracy.

It is this distortion of democracy and the principle of separation of power that has enthroned the culture where the president and the governor in Kwankwanso’s Peoples Democratic Party, PDP automatically become leaders of the party at the federal and state levels. It is a concept that has enthroned mediocrity and

abuse of office across all tiers of government simply because political office leaders have been transformed into tin gods.

Even when many Nigerians have reluctantly accepted this culture as the norm, not even the worst examples of democracy in the land could have uttered the words ascribed to the Kano governor.

It is a complete shock that not only has the governor not recanted the views ascribed to him, but that Kwankwanso was one time the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

The principle of separation of powers is one of the bedrocks of democracy that has flowed from Roman periods, even through the middle ages to the present.

get full salary for the month of November when they were relieved of their The French philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu was correct in his assertion that the three arms of government should be separate from one another but should depend on one another to the extent that no one or two should together be able to influence any of the other arms.

This has been an acceptable maxim in democracy. Governor Kwankwanso’s desperation to alter it is shocking and simply unacceptable.

The bare fact that the nation’s legislative houses have been unable to fathom their rights, or in many cases been compromised, is not a sufficient reason for them to be swallowed up in the way and manner suggested by the Kano governor. After all, if one were to mark iniquity certainly the legislators would come out as angels compared to many in the executive arm of government.

This is a wake up call to the National Assembly and the 36 state Houses of Assembly to safeguard themselves against the erosion of the institution they represent.

It is the failure of the legislative houses to assert

appointments,” Oshiomhole himself confessed during a thank you dinner for the former commissioners earlier this month.

Even with the alleged dryness, many of those who served in the previous cabinet are still looking up to the Comrade Governor for a second term. Observers have pointed to the fact that virtually all those who served in the previous cabinet are still desirous for service. Like ministerial hopefuls in Britain who hang around the telephone immediately after a general election waiting for the customary telephone call from the victorious Prime Minister, nearly all of the former commissioners are still hanging around in Benin-City waiting for a call from the comradegovernor!

But what is delaying the comrade governor?

Given his performance during the first tenure of his administration, there were expectations that shortly after his landslide victory in the July 2012 governorship election; he would have set up a transition committee to look into the constitution of a new cabinet among others to sustain the process.

Although Governor Oshiomhole in his usual characteristic way has since

Continues on page 43 themselves that has mainly led the country to this morass where incompetence and vainglory have become the main credentials for public office in the executive and legislative arms of government.

Legislators at all levels must recover lost ground, assert themselves and push for the enthronement of accountability and transparency in government. But alas they cannot do this unless, they first purge themselves of the cankerworm that has for long inhibited that great institution of democracy.

They should also come to the help of the local governments.

The untenable claim that the local governments are not federating units is not sufficient reason for them to become the foot mat of the governors. This correspondent believes that the failure to get it right at the local government is one of the basic fault lines of our democracy.

When a failed local government chairman is promoted upwards to state or federal office, he or she inevitably carries that failure along. And that exactly is what is happening!

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 —43

ANAMBRA 2014:

There was no consensus on zoning — Etiaba MR. EMEKA Etiaba sought, albeit unsuccessfully to contest the 2010 governorship election in Anambra State. A lawyer and son of a former governor of the state, Dame Virgy Etiaba, Mr. Etiaba in an interview said among other things that there was never a time a consensus was reached that Governor Peter Obi’s successor would come from Anambra North Senatorial zone. Exerpts:

BY CHARLES KUMOLU OU have been at the background since the last governorship election in the state, which you participated in as an aspirant.

Why the silence?

Basically much could not have been heard from me because politics is not a full time job. I am a practicing lawyer. So if a lawyer contests an election and it does not go well, he will go back to his practice and that is what I have done. And I am enjoying what I am doing. So I couldn’t have been out there shouting and crying for political or other reasons. The problem we have in Nigeria is that most people, who do not have any known vocation, who found themselves in politics always hang around the corridors of power.

They do that in order to earn a living because they don't have a vocation, but when you have a vocation, you go back to it when it is necessary. The Next Level Campaign Organisation which I founded is alive and well. And it is an organisation that goes beyond elections and electioneering campaign.

would produce his successor?

I don’t think it is right to blame the governor for making the promise that the next governor will be from the northern part of the state. That is his wish, but that is not the wish of Ndi Anambra. Anambra people are very distinct from the governor. The governor may have made the promise then because of his re-election.

And if he wants to live up to it, that it very good but that is as it relates to him. Anambra state is different from the governor.

Zoning formula

Y

*Etiaba Anambra State will be answered. But whether my campaign organisation is going to participate is a forgone conclusion. My campaign organisation is very interested in the well-being of Anambra people, so we will always ensure that the best goes to the people. That is why I am

assuring you that we will be involved in the next elections, but I am not telling the role we are going to play now. The answer to that will be made known to you very soon.

What is your position on the promise by the incumbent Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, that the Northern Senatorial zone

The people of Anambra state have not agreed on any zoning formula and when they agree, it will be respected. You can not elevate the governor’s position above the people of Anambra.

I make bold to say that there is no where a consensus was reached that the North will produce the next governor. It is a free for all fight and I have always encouraged every part, even the North to bring out their best candidate.

Do you think that current efforts by some opposition parties to merge would yield results in view of past failed attempts?

Unfortunately it will not not work because in Nigeria people tend to kick against the person in power and not the system. It is the right step in the right direction if you want to have a credible opposition but in Nigeria people kick against the person in power instead of the status quo because they want to be in power. A situation where the people who are in opposition see themselves as

the only solution to the nation’s problem, they will always have difficulties coming together. If you look at the major parties you have mentioned in these merger talks, their leaders are not those, who will take the back seat while others selflessly wrestle power from the ruling party. They will always want to remain at the centre at the expense of what they ought to have achieved as a strong and virile opposition. So, I know that they will make efforts as they are making currently, but I doubt if it would yield results.

In 2011, it happened between ACN CPC, ANPP and others, but because the vision is not to solve the problem of one party state in the country, it failed. It happened like that because they all want to be people who call the shots. So in any endeavour in life, vision determines the success.

So there are two things, it is either they are driven by the vision to take over power from the PDP and offer a credible leadership or the vision to just grab power for individual or sectional interests.

Nigerians behave like warlords and the opposition act like that also. Every political party has a war lord, the question now to ask is if the various warlords in these parties are willing to give way for the emergence of the best among all the parties? It is very difficult because some people would insist that they would produce or emerge the candidate for the party at the presidential elections. Much I know is that there is need for a virile opposition the prospects of the merger producing good result is difficult because of the

What do you think are the needs of the state at this time?

EDO CABINET:Waiting for Oshiomhole

It is about the well-being of the people of the state. It is also about identifying the needs of the state and trying to make sure that they are brought to the purview, so that even if we did not win elections to govern the state, we will be in a position to let the people in power know that a couple of things are not going on well in the state. So we are alive and present in all the local government areas in the state.

Are you contesting the 2014 governorship elections in your state?

Every Anambarian is interested in participating. You can participate by contesting or by making sure that a credible candidate occupies the governorship seat in Awka.

What I will assure you is that very shortly the answer to the question of whether Emeka Etiaba will contest the 2014 governorship election in

embarked on the monitoring of projects across the state, the opinion of many people is that the governor is not settled in office until a cabinet list is submitted to and approved by the State House of Assembly.

Why appointment of commissioners is delayed Several reasons have been adduced for the delay, chief among which is the petition filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last gubernatorial election, MajGeneral Charles Airhiavbere against the re-election of the governor. Some political observers saw the petition as a distraction to the governor who may have adopted the wait and see attitude before constituting his cabinet.

Another reason given is the prolonged holiday of the State House of Assembly. The comrade governor gave an inclination to that fact during the thank you dinner for members of the former cabinet when he disclosed that the list of commissioners would be submitted to the assembly once the legislators resume next Monday.

Continues from page 42

However, Mr. Austine Osakue, the chief executive officer of Foundation for Good Governance and Critical Action, while also citing the holiday of the lawmakers also cited the endorsement of the elders of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and godfathers in the selection of the would-be commissioners may have contributed to the delay

Delay not hindering governance – state govt But the Special Adviser to the governor on Media Affairs, Prince Kassim Afegbua said the delay in constituting the State Executive Council had not in any way hindered the performance of the Oshiomhole administration.

His words: “There is no delay.

Government is a process and until the processes are concluded, you don’t get to the final conclusions of issues. First, as a party based on democracy, expectations are that you allow your party structure and institution of the party and platform to commence the process of choosing those to represent

the various local governments that would serve as commissioners in the cabinet.

Once the party finishes, they present their positions through the party chairman to the governor, then, the governor will now present the list to the Assembly and the Assembly will invite those persons for interview and screening to see whether they are worthy to be so appointed into office”.

“So as we speak, the party has just concluded its own position and it is the governor who will now communicate to the House and the House is on recess until 28th January’ 2013 when they will resume and receive the list and commence the process of screening those candidates. From there, the appointment of those persons would be made. So, give or take by the first week of February we hope that there will be a constituted state executive council”.

Afegbua who insisted that the absence of Commissioners does not stop governmental functions, explained that there were ministries in place headed by Permanent Secretaries, and that some critical functionaries of government including the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) were already in place

44—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, JANUARY 23, 2013

Jobless pay for federal jobs IN the face of the Federal Character Commission,FCC, stipulation that all fresh recruitments into the Public Service nationwide comply with theCommission’s guidelines and formulae on equitable distribution of posts, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government,MDAs, seem to have done nothing in this regard. This development has remained appalling in a country, where the National Bureau of Statistics says about 67 million youths are unemployed. CHARLES KUMOLU reports

D

ATELINE was November 2012 and the setting was Lagos. The following conversation ensued between this reporter and a friend, Mr. Mathias Anefiok ( not real names), an officer of the Nigeria Prisons Service,NPS. It was a telephone conversation. ‘’Charles’o are you still interested in the Civil Defence job? if you are ready I have the connections.

Bring two hundred and fifty thousand for one star,’’ Anefoik stated.

This reporter responded thus:’’Are you sure the arrangement is genuine because that amount is scary and Icant even imagine myself paying such an amount for a job, besides you know that the person, who I want to assist does not have a Kobo.”

That brought the conversation to an abrupt end because according to the NPS officer, this reporter was not serious.

Emerging facts reveal that the

practice of extorting money from prospective employees of MDAs of the federal government, predated the conversation, this reporter dismissed its authenticity, despite his encounter with Anefiok.

But following the recent sack of the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service,NIS,Mrs. Rose Uzoma over allegations of bribery and corruption in the employment processes in the NIS and the subsequent revelations that the practice is becoming a norm in MDAs, this reporter swung into action.

A reporter’s encounter Hence, he called the NPS officer on Saturday, January 19, 2013, informing him that he was still interested in getting the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps,NSCDC job for his cousin.

‘’I will call my contacts tomorrow and inform him, but remember that the amount is two hundred and fifty thousand for one star. Let’s talk tomorrow so that I will give you feedback or you stop at my place when you close from work tomorrow?,’’ Anefiok said.

However, when this reporter called at 3: 44 pm on Sunday, January 20, 2013, this was the NPS officer response: ‘’My brother, I have called the guy and he said he would call his sister to know how we can reach them.’’

Asked who the contact’s sister was, Anefiok said, ‘’the contact is our(NPS) officer but his sister is an NCDC officer based in Headquarters in Abuja. She is the one who facilitates it, but the brother brings people to her.’’

Probed further on who the NSCDC officer involved in these illegalities in Abuja was, Anefiok, said: “I don’t know her rank but I was assured that with that amount,

she can secure the appointment for anyone. But for now I can’t say if it is genuine, but we will keep the money until we are sure that the process is real, then we will release the money to them.’’

While this gave this writer an insight into the bribe-for-job saga in Nigeria, a married couple,Mr and Mrs Augustine Chukwu, was also saved by this reporter from falling prey to another job syndicate.

Chukwu, a Lagos based importer, who resides in Satellite Town, had called his wife in December last year, informing her about a federal government agency. He told his wife, a Political Science graduate from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka that four hundred thousand naira was needed to secure her employment.

The wife, however sought the views of this writer on the authenticity of the alleged

,

I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E

appointment letters through bribing some officers.

But the syndicate met their waterloo after collecting the sum of N7.5 million from some applicants. Following the detection of the fake employees, the syndicate were consequently arrested, while their collaborators in the NCS were dismissed.

A statement by the Public Relations Department of the NCS to that effect, dissociated itself from the scandal.

“An internal audit set up by the Comptroller-General of Customs to re-screen the recently recruited cadets and men on training have discovered 44 candidates who got their appointment letters through bribery by conniving with some corrupt officers of the Service,’ the statement noted.

It stated further:‘“A syndicate that specialises in extorting various sums of money has been busted. Already, five of such serving officers have been arrested. They include Muktar Ismail Mustapha of Kano/ Jigawa Area Command, Uche Umesiete and Bala N. Y of the systems audit department.

Recruitment exercise Others are Dogo Yakubu Soja and Suleiman T. K both in the Establishment department.”

On its heels was the the 2012 recruitment exercise, which was reportedly carried out without any form of advertisement, as stipulated by the Prisons, Immigration Civil Defence Management Board.

Investigations also showed that the recruitment which involved school certificate holders, incurred the wrath of many officials of the NSCDC, who were rattled by the style of recruitment.

It was gathered that during the recruitment which started in June last year, special

Can you see that the government is the cause of youth unemployment, there is a strong nexus between corruption and job denial?

vacancy. He dissuaded her from paying any money to the so-called middlemen.

While the above instances of highlited the activities of syndicates, that extort money from unemployed Nigerians, under the guise of securing jobs for them in MADs, Nigerians are presently angry over this frightening level of corruption.

The Customs & NSCDC syndicate: In the 2012 recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Customs Service,NCS,for instance, the existence of a job syndicate in the Service was uncoverd. No fewer than 44 candidates got their

,

preference was given to those who tendered letters from members of the National Assembly, ministers, special advisers and other government officials.

NSCDC admits taking bribe: Defending the exercise following the public outrage that trailed it, the NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Okey, said it was meant to replace retired and dead personnel, as well as those who had left the corps.

He said the NSCDC had the mandate to recruit junior officers Continues on page 45

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, JANUARY 23, 2013— 45

Jobless pay for federal jobs Continues on page 44 between level 1 and 7 without recourse to the Prisons, Immigration Civil Defence Management Board, which is in charge of recruitment in all paramilitary agencies in the country. “We are not recruiting new personnel; what we are doing is replacing retired and dead officers with our volunteers. It is an internal exercise and we have the mandate to do so,”Okey added.

Furtherchecksalso revealed that the NSCDC through proxies, collected money from prospective employees before they were employed. This however, had existed as allegations until a member of the Corps recently admittedtaking bribesbeforeoffering employment to applicants.

The subtle admittance followed a question thrown to the agencies by Senator Uche Chukwumerije during a session involving the Senate committee, Federal Character Commission (FCC) as well as MDAs.

Bribe before recruitment Chukwumerije had asked the representatives of the agencies represented at the session to boldly raise up their hands if they knew they weren’t taking bribe before recruiting new employees into their organisations. To the shock of all in the gathering, only the representativeofNSCDCraisedhis hands,whileotherswho hadearlier boasted of observing merit in their recruitment processes could not summon courage to do same.

An encounter by VanguardFeatures,VF, with some unemployed youths, especially graduatesrevealedthatbribe-for-job was not restricted to, NCS,NIS and NSCDC, as other paramilitary agencies were also involved. ‘’Any time these people are recruiting, people will come to you claiming they have links at the headquarters that would guarantee employment, if one pays money.

Though, I tried the last prison recruitment I did not hear of such about Prison Service. What I knew about prison recruitment is that if you are highly connected, you would get the job. But most of these paramilitary agencies, collect money through proxies,’’ an unemployed graduate, who pleaded anonymity, noted.

N22 million bribe for NIS 2008 recruitment: Aside the recent scandals, it will be recalled t h a t a syndicate in the Ministry of Interior, had during the 2008 recruitment into the NIS, collected over N22 million bribe from 140 applicants. This was disclosed by the Spokesperson of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission,ICPC, Mr. Sina Babasola.

He said: ‘“A special syndicate which specialises in demanding

•Uzoma and collecting money from prospective applicants seeking employment into the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) and Nigeria Immigrations Service (NIS) has been smashed by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).’’

While many expected that concerned authorities would have nipped the development in the bud , little or nothing was done, hence it resulted to the hydraheaded crisis it had become today.

Besides the MDAs, the activities of employment agencies across the country, have also constituted a challenge to job seekers, who are usually asked to pay certain amounts of money before being linked with a firm.

Fake agencies: These agencies, which in most cases are fake, are scattered all over country, while their target is extort money from

job seekers. It was learnt that while the big agencies register with the Corporate Affairs Commission CAC, the smaller ones do not bother. They only give their agency names and begin operations.

Their mode of operations is usually through making job seekers pay various sums of money for registration, passport, consultancy, processing fees among others. At the end of the exercise, the job hunters neither get a job or a refund of their money.

VF also gathered that most agencies do not consult for any client,rather they publish vacancies every week from newspapers and ask those seeking for job to go there acting as though they were contracted for the task Tired of complaints from applicants and media reports on the matter, the Senate recently

mandated its Committees on Federal Character and Employment, Labour and Productivity to begin investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption in the employment processes in the NIS as well as MDAs with a view to bringing culprits to book. The committee has eight weeks to conclude its assignment.

Also speaking on the matter, Senate Leader, Victor NdomaEgba, confirmed the existence of the bribe-for-job scandal, as he disclosed that people had approached him demanding as much as N500,000 as payment for employment of his constituents.

Ndoma-Egba said the malaise was symptomatic of abject poverty and a time bomb waiting to explode. Corroborating NdomaEgba’s stance, the Founder and International Coordinator of Journalists Initiative for Youth Employment, Mr. Obinna Chukwuezie told VF that government should be blamed for the situation, adding that had employment opportunities been created, people would not fall prey to such syndicates.

Implementation strategy ‘’Our concern is, will the Senate’s investigation proffer solution to the menace? Nigeria has always been a country of countless committees, with reports and no implementation strategy. We think the government should criminalise breach of constitutional provisions in the recruitment process,’’ he stated.

Can you see that the government is the cause of youth unemployment? There is a strong nexus between corruption and job denial? What do we do youths?”, ’he asked. In addition, Chukwuezie said, ‘’There should be employment standard regulation for government and

recruitment agencies. A situation where a particular agency is responsible for job advertisement, shortlistment interview and selection will always entrench corruption.’’

Explaining further, he added: ‘’There should be protection for whistle blowers like Journalists Initiative for Youth Employment.

We have dedicated a phone line: 07031925898 for the public to report bribe for job experiences.’’

Continuing, he said, ‘’We have also devoted a desk for compliants relating to abuse of recruitment process in our office, we also provide victims with legal support to victims.’’

Over 67 million unemployed A retired CommissionerofPolice, Alhaji Abubakar Tamaji, is also angry about the situation He told VF : ‘’The government must take this issue serious and punish those responsible for this,’’ adding that, ‘’employment should be on merit. I was enlisted into the Police Force on merit, when someone pays money to get employed, the person would steal when he gets the job, in order to recoup.This matter should not end with Senate investigations. It is appalling in a country where over 50 percent of its population are unemployed.’

Tamaji’s anger was also strengthened by the DirectorGeneral, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mallam Abubakar Mohammed, who warned that the trend was dangerous.

Mohammed, represented by the NDE Director of Small Scale Enterprises, Mr. Kunle Obayan, said this at the graduation and resettlement of beneficiaries of Solar Energy Training Scheme, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital in September last year.

Carnival Calabar Queen: Beyond the glitz and glamour

BY ENUMA CHIGBO

H

ER mum slipped away into eternity when she was a little child.

She was raped by her dad at the age of 14, who had since remarried. Her stepmother is hardly in the picture. She sought succour at The Refuge, a shelter founded by Her Excellency Obioma Liyel- Imoke, Wife of the Cross River State Governor.

Through Mother ’s Against Child Abandonment, MACA, another of Imoke’s initiatives, she went back to school under their sponsorship and hopes to be a lecturer in the near future.

She is a 13 year old orphan who thought she was in love with a 20 year old brick layer. She got pregnant and was thrown out by her uncle.. She is being cared for at The Refuge. While she says she’s in love and consented to being in an amorous relationship with this man, the man in question could be charged for statutory rape.

Sometimes in addition to poverty, teenage pregnancies do emanate from cultural issues. Granted, MACA provides succour to some of the young girls affected, but, the real challenge for MACA may be getting society to change their mindsets on certain cultural issues that may encourage this act. In addition to this, they would have the arduous task

slipped into oblivion. Obviously, this harsh judgement had eluded him.

Underneath the glitz and glamour, this what the CCQ queen is saddled with, the unglamorous task of preaching abstinence to young ladies, some of whom already have contrary mindsets.

The ladies have no form of livelihood and sell their bodies for paltry naira notes that are fast depreciating to the US dollar; some of them try and earn a living by hawking fruit and other CCQ 2012-3 Miss Sophia Dijeh flanked by 1st Prin- commodities under harsh weather cess Miss Amarachi and 2nd Princess Miss Queen conditions. They end up being Celestine. lured into the beds of not very affluent and morally decadent men of dealing with occultism and incest, who rob them of their dignity. which are also socio cultural issues.

There still is the issue of how to A case in point is the pathetic story of effectively deal with the babies born Mary Akpan (not her real name), who was under the earlier mentioned housed at The Refuge a while back. She circumstances – rape, incest, statutory would have been stoned perhaps to death rape etc. Almost 100 babies born at The by some irate members of her village as Refuge are being fostered in warm and her pregnancy was considered a taboo. It loving environments. was an affront to a supposed impeccable MACA works closely with the Ministry of image of the village - an outright Social Welfare to ensure that the incessant sacrilege. The man with whom she shared cases of abandoned babies can be reduced her moments of secret passion and to its barest minimum. pleasure, which almost turned lethal, had

46— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

T

HE Aleato family has been thrown into sorrow following the murder of their 26-yearold daughter, Onyinyechukwu, last Saturday by her ex-boyfriend in Lagos.

The deceased, a sales girl at Alaba International market, Ojo, was reportedly trailed by her ex-boyfriend, Osita Amanunwa from her Iba new site abode, to Ajangbadi area of Lagos, where she had gone to visit a friend.

Crime Alert gathered that the late Onyin, as she was fondly called, sat outside her host’s compound, exchanging banters, without the slightest inkling that death lurked at the corner.

Eye witnesses said she turned and suddenly, the smile on her face disappeared. And when her host turned to the direction of her gaze, they discovered that her ex stood opposite them.

Her host who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Crime Alert that: “ She greeted him but he hissed and walked away.

He later came back and beckoned on her to come. She excused herself and left...”.

Singular response He paused at this juncture,quivering with fear.

That singular response happened to be Onyin’s greatest undoing because unknown to her, Osita had a sinister motive up his sleeves.

This was confirmed moments later, following a desperate shout for help from the isolated meeting point at number 4/ 5 Abike Ogunlana Close, at about 9pm. At first, no one suspected it could be Onyin.

But after waiting for a while, her host decided to check on her, only to see Onyin in the pool of her own blood with a knife still thrust in her neck.

From all indication, it was ob-

•Osita and Onyi when the going was good.

•:Late Onyinyechukwu

Man stabs ex-girl friend to death for dumping him

BY DONALD ARJI her midway, owing to much loss of blood. Unable to crawl further, she stopped, clutching firmly to the earth as if rescue would spring out of it. Osita on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

,

My daughter came back home one fateful day with razor marks all over her body and when I asked what happened, she told me that she fell down.

But we were later informed by a friend of hers that her boyfriend, Osita, inflicted the marks on her

,

vious that she tried to put up a struggle in order to free herself from the assailant’s grip.

She was also discovered to have managed to crawl from the isolated spot to an open area. But her strength apparently failed

Cause of break-up

Crime Alert gathered that before the incident, Osita, a trader at Alaba International market, had on several occasions, threatened to leave an in-

delible mark on Onyin for dumping him for another man.

Investigation revealed that the duo had a romantic relationship that lasted for six years, a relationship that was to lead to marriage until Osita allegedly raped Onyin’s younger sister.

Family sources told Crime Alert that Oyin’s younger sister(names withheld) was sent to deliver a parcel to Osita at his 80 Isiaka Street, Iba new site two years ago. However, on reaching his apartment he allegedly raped the teenager who was barely 15 years-old.

It was gathered that the teenager never told anyone about the deed, until she was discovered to be pregnant. She gave birth about a year ago.

Without further warning or advice, Onyinyechukwu, stopped seeing Osita. But her action as gathered, signaled the danger that eventually led to her sudden death, following threat from Osita.

Perhaps, had she listened to

her parents, this tragedy might not have befallen her. It was gathered that right from the onset, Onyin’s parents kicked against her relationship with 36-year-old Osita who hails from Akere village in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra State.

Her devastated father, Mr Aleato, offered an explanation to the family ’s stance: “ My daughter came back home one fateful day with razor marks all over her body and when I asked what happened, she told me that she fell down. But we were later informed by a friend of hers that her boyfriend, Osita, inflicted the marks on her. I warned her severally to abstain from Osita and every other man who would go to the extent of inflicting such injury on her; men who would not respect her as a woman...”

It was also gathered that Osita had on several occasions beat Onyin publicly, for calling off the relationship , only to start off with another man, boasting

that if he could not have her, nobody else would.

Police on the trail of the assailant

Since the tragic incident, Osita’s whereabouts is unknown.

Policemen at Ilemba Hausa were however, said to be on his trail. When Crime Alert visited his apartment at Iba new site, it was discovered that Osita had a wife already. Sources hinted that he rushed home that fateful night and informed some of his friends around the area about what he had done and thereafter, picked some of his clothes before disappearing into thin air. Out of fear, his close friends were also discovered to have fled, apparently to avoid being arrested by the Police.

The case, has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) where operatives at the Homicide section have reportedly began investigation.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013—47

CONFESSION OF A KIDNAPPER:

How 7yr old was kidnapped, strangled and dumped inside septic tank

By UJU MBANUSI

E

MOTION ran high yester day, at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, following a starlling revelation by a suspected kidnapper of how he snuffed life out of his sevenyear-old victim.

The victim identified simply as Ayuba, was reportedly playing with his friends at OkeKube Street in Ikotun area of Lagos, when the kidnapper, Onyeka Patrick,who lives in the same area beckoned him to come.

Report said unsuspecting Ayuba followed Onyeka into his room, located on 16, 3rd Avenue Mumako Estate, only to be kidnapped.

Onyeka, thereafter, wrote a letter to his victim’s parents demanding N5 Million ransom, including a phone number with which he could be reached.

Policemen at Ikotun Division who were contacted, reportedly swung into action and in the process, arrested Onyeka.

•The septic tank

a letter to the father of the vcitim, demanding a ransom of N5 Million before the victim will be released. He also, included a phone number with which he could be reached. He has led operatives to recover the decomposed body of the victim which is now deposited at the Isolo General Hospital mortuary for autopsy”, Braide said.

My brother’s wife exposed me

•The suspect Parading the suspect before journalists yesterday, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said Onyeka was transferred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad, Ikeja, where he confessed to have strangled Ayuba to death.

“He confessed to have kidnapped the seven year-old boy and strangled him to death. He went ahead to conceal his body in a sack and later dumped it inside a septic tank of an uncompleted building in the same neighbourhood, before writing

When approached, 25-yearold Onyeka, an indigene of Anambra state blamed the act on the handiwork of the devil.

He simply stated that his brother’s wife reported him to the police.

Maritime security: IGP calls for information sharing among security agencies •Mohammed A b u b a k a r, (Police boss)

BY EVELYN USMAN

T

HE Inspector-General of Police IGP, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday, spoke on the need for information sharing among security agencies charged with the policing of the nation’s territorial waters, in a bid to stamp out criminality on the nation’s waters.

Abubakar made the call during a visit

by participants of Senior Course 35/12 Department of the Maritime Warfare of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College at the Force headquarters Annex, Lagos.

Represented by his Principal Staff Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Adeyanju Olugbenga, the IGP urged the agencies to eschew selfishness and cooperate with each other in the interest of national security .

He however, noted that there was cordial relationship between the Police and the Nigerian Navy, NN, as a result of joint courses attended by both agencies at the junior and senior levels,where he said ideas were shared and policies which would improve the services and nation formulated.

The Navy he stated, had played supporting roles to the police and other services, particularly in coastal areas. “ The support include Naval sunshine support, movement and deployment of personnel and their equipment using boats and where available, helicopters”, he said.

He however, lamented that funding was the major challenge militating against the effective policing of the waterways . “ You need funds to get gun boats and other platforms needed for patrol. We all know that the Federal government is like a father with so many children and as such, has many needs to attend to.

But this should not deter us from carrying out our constitutional responsibility.”, he added, informing that 20 policemen were recently drafted from the Marine Department to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency NIMASA, in order to compliment efforts of its officials and the NN. On his part, the Director, Department of Maritime Warfare at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, Kaduna, Commodore Kenneth Ati-John, who led the 43 participants, explained that the visit was to compliment the theoretical aspect of the course 35 which had as its theme “Improving Maritime Inter Agency Cooperation for Effective Maritime Security and Economic Development.”

According to him, “ I do not know what came over me.

I know God will not forgive me for this. The first thing that gave me away was my mood.

My brother’s wife noticed I was no longer myself since Ayuba was declared missing and reported to her husband. My brother on his part, went to read the letter I wrote to Ayuba’s parents and discovered it was my hand writing. He then handed me over to Ayuba’s father to say all I knew about his missing son.

That was how I was taken to the police”.

Asked why he killed the boy instead of releasing him alive to his parents, he replied, “ I killed him in order to block every channel that would link me to the deed. I knew that if I released him alive, he would disclose my identity to his parents who would in turn report to the police and I would be arrested.

How I killed Ayuba After inviting him into my room at about 3pm that fateful day, something whispered to me that I could kidnap him and make money out of it. But after detaining him for about two hours, he kept saying he wanted to go to his parents. Not knowing what to do, I gripped him by the neck and strangled him. When he attempted to scream, I held his mouth and pressed harder on his neck. He struggled for a while and became still.

When it was dark, I tucked the body inside a sac and dumped it inside a septic tank of an uncompleted building. And on my way back, I dropped a letter in front of his parents house where I demanded for N5 million ransom. Asked what he intended to do with the ransom, he simply stated that he intended starting a business with it.

Meanwhile, the command’s spokesperson said Onyeka would be charged to court for murder.

48 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 , 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013 — 49

U.S begins transporting French troops, equipment to Mali

T

HE United States has started transporting French soldiers and equipment to Mali as part of its logistical aid to French forces fighting Islamist militants in the north of the country, a U.S. official said yesterday.

Paris has launched a military campaign against Islamist fighters in Mali at the request of the Malian government, amid fears the vast desert country could become a launchpad for international attacks.

“We have started air lifting French army personnel and equipment to Bamako from Istres,” Benjamin Benson, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command, said.

Benson said the U.S. flights had started on Monday, but declined to give details on the number of planes being used.

“We did have two flights

Malian soldiers carry a box of ammunition after searching through debris at a Malian military camp in Diabaly, Mali. today so far. An early morning flight and a later one. We are going to continue the operations for the next couple of days as required to meet the needs of the French to get the material delivered,” he said.

French Armed Forces spokesman Thierry Burkhard said on Monday that Britain, Belgium, CanadaandDenmarkwere

already transporting French material.

Meanwhile, the UK government is to discuss offeringmorehelptoFrench forces fighting Islamist rebels in Mali.

Two military aircraft have already been lent and David Cameron has said there could be further assistance with transport and surveillance.

Israel election: High turnout as Netanyahu eyes victory

I

SRAELIS yesterday voted in large numbers in a general election in which Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to be returned to office. Election officials said turnout was 46.4% as

USAID promises private sector development

By Vera Samuel Anyagafu & Prisca Sam-Duru

A

T an event designed to highlight new opportunities for growth and development in Nigeria private sectors, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, last week played host to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah. Dr Shah’s trip signaled the U.S government’s interest in transforming foreign landscape through engagement of private sectors to achieve key development goals.

The USAID Administrator who disclosed plans for Nigeria

as well as ways that USAID can partner with the Nigeria private sector development stated that, “ We are grateful to Mr. Elumelu for his leadership with the Private Capital Groups for Africa. We started PCGA because we realize that development partners must change the way we work to engage the d y n a m i c entrepreneurship emerging from the developing world. We had the opportunity to meet wonderful Nigeria students and entrepreneurs here, which gives me great optimism.

We hope they will be able to take advantage of our program to help them take off.”

at 16:00 (14:00 GMT), the highest level at that time since 1999.

Before the vote, analysts had said high turnout would help centre-left parties.

Polls suggested Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud-Beitenu alliance will still win, despite having recently lost ground to a new rival party, Habayit Hayehudi.

First results are expected overnight, although the process of forming a government may take several weeks.

Unlike in previous elections, the parties’ campaigns have focused largely on social and economic issues, rather than the prospects for a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians.

There have been unprecedented protests against the rising cost of living and a recent report said nearly one in four Israelis lived in poverty.

Algeria hostage-takers threaten more attacks

T

HE Mulathameen Brigade that claimed the mass hostage-taking in Algeria threatened to carry out more attacks unless Western powers ended what it called an assault on Muslims in neighboring Mali, according to the SITE monitoring service.

In a statement on Monday, the al Qaeda

linked group also said the hostage-takers had offered negotiations on freeing the captives seized at a gas plant deep in the Sahara but the Algerian authorities used military force, SITE reported. The statement was published by the Mauritania-based Nouakchott News Agency, according to SITE, which

tracks statements by militants.

The group said it would attempt further such attacks if there was no halt to Western military involvement in northern Mali, which militant groups call Azawad and where French forces are fighting to end control by Islamist groups.

50 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 2013 — 51

Keshi shifts focus to Zambia H N

IGERIA coach Stephen Keshi has put behind him Monday ’s 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso in their opening Group C game of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Substitute Alain Traore scored with the last kick of the game to peg back Nigeria’s first half lead through Emmanuel Emenike after defender Efe Ambrose had been sent off for a second yellow card.

A draw in itself was not so bad for a country that was returning to the Afcon after missing out on the last edition but the Super Eagles missed a couple of great chances to seal the game, something that would have put them in the driving seat in the group.

They now face a tricky tie against defending champions Zambia on Friday. The Chipolopolo also drew against a tough Ethiopian side that played with ten men.

“I am not going to let anything bring us down.

I’m very proud of the boys, who did everything I wanted of them,” said Keshi after the game.

“This game is gone and the next game against Zambia is very, very important. I’ll pick up the players and motivate them.”

All the teams in Group C have one point apiece.

Nigeria's defender Elderson Echiejile (back) vies with Burkina Faso's Wilfred Sanou. The match ended 1-1. AFP PHOTO

EAD coach Gordon Igesund has called on South African football fans to remain positive ahead of Bafana Bafana’s second Africa Cup of Nations match in Durban on Wednesday night.

The host team played to a goalless draw against Cape Verde in the tournament opener on Saturday, and while they have been criticised for their continued struggle to score goals, Igesund believed they would find the back of the net against Angola.

South Africa, who last won the continental showpiece in 1996, have scored seven goals in their last nine matches.

“The crowd on Saturday was brilliant. They really tried to lift the team in what was very

Ethiopians party all night •As B/Faso dampen Nigeria return

I

T was all night partying for the fans of Ethiopia on Monday as their national team returned to the Africa Cup of Nations in style after a 31-year absence.

The Walya Antelopes, playing with a man less after goalkeeper Jemal Tassew was sent off for a professional foul, drew 11 with defending champions Zambia in front of their fans who outnumbered their

opponents at the Mbombela Stadium.

Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw had said that they were not under any pressure to perform during the competition.

“Ethiopia has already made history by qualifying for Afcon 2013 finals so we don’t have any further targets than gaining experience at this level and enjoying our participation,” he told Cafonline.

Hours after that game, which seemed like a win, Ethiopian fans ran around the city of Nelspruit rejoicing while chanting songs in Amharic. They waved their flags and hugged each other as it dawned on them that they had returned to the biggest football stage on the African continent – with a bang.

However, the reverse was the case for Nigerian fans who had anticipated a big win for their team who came up against Burkina Faso.

The Super Eagles took the early lead via Emmanuel Emenike but were undone by good work from Jonathan Pitroipa who gave a man of the match performance. His pass to substitute Alain Traore unlocked the Nigerian defence as Vincent Enyeama was beaten in goal.

Remain positive — Igesund urges Bafana fans challenging playing conditions,” Igesund said on Monday.

“We now need the public to go to Moses Mabhida Stadium in their numbers and give the boys the support and work as the 12th player.

“The dream of winning this tournament is still very much alive and we believe it is a question of time before we turn the chances into goals.”

•Ingesund

Quotes from the 2013 Afcon “We have to work harder as a team, nothing can bring us down after this result. Victor Moses was not physically fit for this game but he will play the next one if he gets better”.

Stephen Keshi- Super Eagles Coach “As far as the result is concerned, it wasn’t the best start for us. We were supposed to win this game, it is like a lost game to me. Of course we played a good game and we controlled it but that is football for you.

The match against Zambia is going to be like a Cup final because we want to qualify for the next stage”.

Joseph Yobo- Super Eagles Captain “We played a good game and I am proud of my players. The opportunity for us to qualify to the next round is still open”.

Paul Put- Burkina Faso Coach “It was a hard game against Nigeria as we expected but the draw is good for us and we are going to work harder”.

Dagano Moumouni – Burkina Faso Captain “We caused ourselves this loss, we were attacking without cover. We were supposed to put one player in front but we did not and this cost us our victory”.

Sunday Oliseh - Former Nigerian International International “Just like I’ve been saying for weeks now, Nigerians should not hope on this tournament because our players are not fit to carry the cup. Nigeria cannot win this cup but Keshi should use this match in planning for the future”.

Taribo West –Former Nigerian Super Eagles Defender

Mbesuma toasts debut AFCON goal

C

OLLINS Mbesuma says scoring his debut AFCON goal has lifted a huge burden off his chest. Mbesuma scored the opening goal of the game in Zambia’s 1-1 draw against Ethiopia in both sides first Group C match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on

January 21. “You know, it feels really great,” Mbesuma told MTNFootball.com.

“I am at ease now and my mind is focused and it feels like burden has been lifted off me. “I just hope to work even harder now after this wonderful goal I scored.”

Monday’s game was also Mbesuma’s first start and full 90 minutes for Zambia at the tournament under Renard after three campaigns with the Frenchman at the helm.

Mbesuma is a veteran of four Africa Cup’s since making his debut at the 2006 tournament in Egypt.

PARTY TIME: Ethiopian fans cheer before Zambia vs Ethiopia group C football match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. AFP PHOTO

52 —

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 2013

Eagles blast Ahmed Musa, Uche A

HMED Musa and Ikechukwu Uche were rapped by their teammates after Nigeria threw away their lead at the death against Burkna Faso on Monday.

“The players gave both Musa and Uche their piece of mind immediately after the match,” a top official inf o r m e d MTNFootball.com “They blamed them for the draw because they said they should have tried to play for time rather than go for goal with seconds only left on the clock.

“The best thing for the players to have done in stoppage time with Burkina Faso enjoying the momentum was to try to run down the clock.”

Uche, Eagles leading scorer in the qualifying tournament for the 2013 Nations Cup with three

Jonathan’s letter will ginger Eagles, says Yobo

S

POOR RUNS . . . Super Eagles forward Ahmed Musa (L) fails to control the ball as he vies with Burkina Faso’s Florent Rouamba during their AFCON opening Group C match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. Match ended 1-1. Photo: AFP goals, had two good chances to bury the Stallions but his finishing was not clinical.

Some top officials have also blamed the draw

with Burkina Faso to inexperience. Only six players from the final 23-man squad have played at the AFCON before this competition.

They are skipper Joseph Yobo, goalkeepers Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide, Elderson Echiejile, Mikel Obi and Ikechukwu Uche.

UPER Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo, says the team is in high spirit and will do the country proud despite the 1-1 draw it had in its first game against Burkina Faso.

Yobo was reacting to a letter delivered to the team Monday evening

by Sports Minister, Hon Bolaji Abdulahi, in the company of Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa and Presi-

Keshi defends defenders E

AGLES coach, Stephen Keshi stood stoutly against any blame on his back men after a sloppy defence caused Nigeria to relinquish a one goal lead against Burkina Faso few seconds to the end of the game.

“No, no, no. Don’t go there. My defenders were excellent. There is no blame for anybody and if there is anything, they deserve to be praised”, he said as many Nigerian fans agonized the slip that allowed Burkina Faso draw level. “I’ll allow them to sleep and then psyche them up for the match against Zambia. Gentlemen, these boys did well and we cannot condemn them because of the goal”, he said.

The Eagles would go up against defending Champions, Zambia on Friday after Ethiopia spoiled Zambia’s lead to end it on a goal apiece.

“It’s not going to be easy but the way it is, we must go for their jugular. We will do something and come up with a good outing”, he insisted.

He said that Burkina

Faso was a good team that had stayed together for four years while his team was a young team that have only stayed together for 25 years.

“There are no minnows in African football. Burkina Faso have stayed together for four years while my team are together for 25 days. They are

not the same. They are a good side. We all saw what Cape Verde did against South Africa and saw what Ethiopia did against defending cham-

pions Zambia. Football has moved on in Africa. I am proud of my boys holding on after red card to Efe Ambrose”, Keshi emphasized.

Renard

night across town at Mbombela.

Eight players minus Chisamba Lungu who started and finished the match had a separate 40 minute light workout while the rest underwent the full two hour practice session at Ka Nyamazane.

After a thorough review of Eagles match against Burkina Faso, Nigeria’s coach, Stephen Keshi would make changes in tactics and in his selection for the match against Zamibia.

It is a plot that he hopes will win him the match if the players implement even 70 per cent of his strategy.

NFF

the meeting with sealed lips from probing journalists who kept vigil at the hotel lobby.

When Keshi finally came out, the horde of media men swarmed on him but he was his usual self beaming smiles and parting guys without uttering a word. Leader of delegation, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu diplomatically parried questions noting that they crosschecked ideas with the coaches. “It is a normal thing to review matches and ask questions and get answers”, he said. Chief Mike Umeh led Keshi to a waiting bus that ferried the coaches back to their hotel.

•Continued from BP Renard said it was the same thing at the 2010 tournament in Angola when Zambia drew 1-1 against Tunisia in their opening Group D match before qualifying to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1996. “They said the same when I left the first time, you know, that they say you have to change this one, bring this one and you can change everything,” Renard said.

“You want to talk about Nigeria? The press conference was yesterday.”

Group C is tight with all four teams tied on one point each after the Super Eagles also drew 1-1 against Burkina Faso at Mbombela.

Meanwhile, Zambia looked in good spirits at Tuesday’s training like nothing eventful happened on Monday

•Continued from BP to the end of their first match of the Afcon championships here in Mbombela, Nelspruit in South Africa.

Led by President Aminu Maigari and his foot soldiers, the board members concealed their anger but pointed out their observations from the match to the technical crew which also promised to up the ante against Zambia which also played out a 1-1 draw with surprise team Ethiopia. Moments after the meeting, Sylvanus Okpalla, Ike Shorunmu emerged from

Gervinho scores late to deny Togo •Continued from BP rians ahead with a deflected shot from 12 yards and he almost doubled his side’s lead when his fierce drive hit the

post.

Togo fought back to restore parity just before half-time, Jonathan Ayite sweeping in a corner from the right.

But Arsenal forward Gervinho met a free-kick to the far post with the outside of his boot to clinch the win.

dent of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maiagari, who was in company of Executive Committee member of the federation, Chief Emeka Inyama and Director, Technical, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme.

The letter which was personally signed by President Jonathan read in part: “The Africa Cup of Nations has always been an exciting and important sports event for us in Nigeria and other African countries. However, this edition of 2013 even holds a greater significance for us as a nation. Next year 2014, our dear country will be one hundred years old. As we look back and celebrate our achievements as a strong, united nation, we cannot understate the role that sports, especially football played in our national life. Football remains one enduring unifying factor in our country which transcends our diversity. A successful outing at the Africa Cup of Nations will offer a great opportunity to further inspire pride, faith and hope in a re-energised new Nigeria in the course of our centennial celebrations”.

The Eagles skipper who was in the company of all the 23 members of the squad and technical crew said he was moved that despite the busy schedule that the President has, he still found time to watch the Eagles and motivate the team, declaring that the team was now more than inspired to do the nation proud at the championship.

“I will like to, on behalf of my mates assure Mr President, that we will not let him down all we need is for him to continue to say his fatherly prayers for us all and we shall surely deliver”, he said.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 2013 — 53

Djokovic keeps shirt, meets Ferrer in semis N

OVAK Djokovic is really starting to get the hang of how to handle himself at the Australian Open.

An expression often used Down Under – “Keep your shirt on” – is designed to discourage anyone from becoming unnecessarily overexcited.

Djokovic took it literally after his 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win Tuesday night over fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych, advancing to the semi-finals at an 11th consecutive Grand Slam tournament.

The 2-hour, 31-minute victory took exactly half the time of his five-set, fourth-round win two nights previously against Stanislas Wawrinka. In the early hours of Mon-

Williams sisters lose

A

S heavily favored as Serena Williams is to win the women’s singles title at the 2013 Australian Open, she was an even heavier favorite to win with her sister Venus at her side.

The sisters have won 13 women’s Grand Slam doubles titles and another three Olympic gold medals, a haul of 16 that equals Serena’s singles in those categories (15 Grand Slams, one Olympic Gold). But whereas Serena is currently playing her 50th Grand Slam singles draw, she has played Grand Slam doubles just over half as many times, 27, making her conversion percentage on championships far higher.

But despite that efficiency she and Venus flailed out of the doubles draw Tuesday in Melbourne, failing to find their form and falling 36, 7-6(1), 7-5 in the quarterfinals to the topseeded team of Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

The match was full of uncharacteristic lowlights for the pair. First Venus failed to serve out a victory up 5-4 in the second set, then Serena followed suit by failing to serve out the match at 65. The two then quickly went down 0-6 in the second set tiebreak before losing it 1-7.

•Serena C M Y K

day morning, Djokovic ripped his sweatdrenched shirt off and flexed his muscles, mimicking his victory celebration after the 5:53 victory over Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final.

That was acceptable at the time to the Rod Laver Arena crowd, which was still abuzz at 1:40 a.m. following five sets of high-level tennis.

After the Berdych match, however, he realized there was no need to raise the roof. Djokovic calmly pumped his fist once and walked to the net; he later joked about the ice baths he’d taken in between matches on the advice of local hero Lleyton Hewitt.

•Djokovic

Sharapova steamrolls into semis M

ARIA Sharapo va’s biggest challenge to achieving her second Australian Open title, apart from Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams, could actually be between her ears.

Not that anyone has managed to exploit any mental deficiencies in the world number two... yet.

The Russian not only continued her perfect run in Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday by swatting aside Russian compatriot Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-2 to set up a semi-final against Li Na, she also set a record at the grand slam.

With her 66-minute victory, Sharapova has now dropped just nine games in total, the fewest number conceded by a semi-finalist at the tournament.

The world number two, along with defending champion Azarenka and 15-times grand slam winner Williams, have been a class above the rest of the women’s draw at Melbourne Park with few now expecting anyone other than the trio to win the title.

Federer’s serve remains intact

R

•Sharapova

OGER Federer still has not had his serve broken at this year’s Australian Open as he enters his 35th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final the warmest of favourites.

Second seed Federer has been in irresistible touch at Melbourne Park, and takes peak form into his clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday night on Rod Laver Arena. He was clinical in dismantling Milos Raonic in the fourth round, and rivals’ inability to break the Swiss master’s serve is proving telling.

And Federer believes if he can keep up the form he showed against Raonic, he can push deep into the tournament and a possible men’s singles final against world No.1 Novak Djokovic.

54 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 , 2013 — 55

C M Y K

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

Hope dims on Ejide’s return against Zambia

T

HE remaining flicker of hope on the possibility of seeing injured goalkeeper Austin Ejide return against defending Champions Zambia on Friday in the Eagles second game in Afcon

dimmed yesterday.

Technical Officials had confirmed that Ejide had returned and awaits when he would be called upon to man the post for Nigeria. Ejide himself said that much when he told me that his inclusion

Renard under pressure

•As Keshi plots Zambia’s fall H

ERVE Renard is feeling the pressure ahead of Friday ’s crucial clash against Nigeria.

This follows Zambia’s stuttering 1-1 draw against Ethiopia in their opening Group C match on January 21 at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Renard refused to be engaged into discussing the scenario in Group C following Nigeria’s draw against Burkina Faso. At the end of Zambia’s Tuesday morning training session at Ka Nyamazane Stadium, less than 24 hours after his team was outclassed by 10-man Ethiopia.

“You want us to talk, no, we should not talk but we should talk on the pitch,” Renard said.

“People in Zambia talk a lot and one day you will see when we will be out.”

•Continues on Page 52 TODAY'S

Gervinho scores late to deny Togo

was in the hands of the coaches as he had since rejoined his mates in the strenuous trainings that he skipped after injuring himself in a friendly against Cape Verde before the Nations Cup. But Sports Vanguard scooped yesterday that the goaltender may still have to wait as a scan conducted on the injury was not too pleasant to hand him the goalkeeper’s jersey.

A reliable source informed that he was doing well but feared that it would be too early to allow him play so soon.

G

ERVINHO scored a late volley to give Ivory Coast victory in the first Group D game at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Yaya Toure put the Ivo-

•Continues on Page 52

•Renard .... Zambia's Coach

•Ejide

•Keshi.... Nigeria's Coach

NFF demands credible performance from Eagles

T

HE Nigeria Football Federation rose from an emergency meeting with the technical crew of the Super Eagles yesterday at their Stay Rest hotel

PUZZLE

demanding a credible performance from Stephen Keshi and his wards when they play defending Champions Zambia on Friday.

The Eagles allowed YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

Burkina Faso to cancel a 1-0 lead with few seconds •Continues on Page 52 RESULTS

I/Coast Tunisia

Across 3 Disdain (5) 9 Impede (6) 10 Noble (6) 11 Stain (5) 12 Legend (4) 15 Saucy (4) 17 Graceful (7) 20 Owing (3) 21 Sail-boat (5) 23 Finished (4) 25 Yap (4) 26 Soothed (5) 28 Crowd (3) 30 Invented (7) 33 Friend (4) 35 Buddy (4) 36 Danger (5) 38 Recruit (6) 39 Erase (6) 40 Salute (5)

TODAY'S MATCHES

2 vs Togo 1 vs Algeria

1 0

S/Africa vs Morocco vs

Angola — 4pm C/Verde — 7pm

Down 1 Hunt (5) 2 Likeness (5) 3 Fixed (3) 4 Nook (6) 5 Rave (4) 6 Fruit (3) 7 Pondered (5) 8 Condition (5) 13 Pure spirit (7) 14 Concur (5) 16 Wrinkled (7) 18 Domesticated (5) 19 Timid (3) 22 Luke-warm (5) 24 Rodent (3) 27 Determine (6) 28 Wed (5) 29 Blossom (5) 31 Special (5) 32 Postpone (5) 34 Prophet (4) 36 Hog (3) 37 Permit

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS Across: 1, Abrade 5, Larder 9, Enter 10, Loomed 11, Amused 12, Merry 14, Eden 17, Don 18, Mill 20, Pedal 22, Delay 12, Matured 24, Fused 26, Naked 29, Arid 30, Asp 32, Line 33, Ochre 35, Latent 36, Evolve 37, Cease 38, Darted 39, Snared.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

Down:1, Asleep 2, Rioted 3, Deem 4, Ended 5, Learn 6, Army 7, Distil 8, Rudely 13, Roguish 15, Demur 16, Named 18, Medal 19, Laden 21, Lad 22, Den 24, Failed 25, Sister 27, Killer 28, Defend 30, Acted 31, Press 33, Once 34, Even.

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.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-8944295. Advert Dept: 01-7924470; Hotline: 01-8737028; Abuja: 09-2341102, 09-2342704. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.