RIVERS CRISIS: APC asks NASS to block budget, new ministers

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62065

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Economy in danger without CBN autonomy— SANUSI

RIVERS CRISIS:

9

Patients groan under health workers' strike nationwide 8

APC asks NASS to block budget, new ministers •Says FG must first resolve Rivers State crisis •We'll pass the budget without APC Reps — PDP Reps

LASU BOILS

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR, OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

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BUJA — THE country was yesterday headed for a shutdown after the All Progressives Congress, APC, directed its members in the National Assembly, NASS, to block consideration of the 2014 Budget, as well as ministerial and military appointments until the Federal Government halts the escalating violence in Rivers State.

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Mr & Mrs

LASU STUDENTS PROTEST— Security barricade at the Lagos State University, LASU, main gate, Ojo, as students protest around the school premises in Lagos yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez. See story on Page 6.

2015: S-E/S-S professionals insist on new constitution

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POCKET CARTOON

From left: The Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland, Amb. Fidelia Njeze Akuabata, President Goodluck Jonathan with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and wife, at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, yesterday.

RIVERS CRISIS: APC asks NASS to block budget, new ministers Continues from page 1 The party also threatened to direct its members nationwide, especially in Rivers State to resort to self-help to protect themselves if the situation in the state was not immediately brought under control by the Presidency.

The development immediately attracted sharp reactions from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its leaders in the House even as APC stalwarts promised to abide by the party’s directive.

PDP deputy leader in the House, Hon. Leo Ogor flayed the directive and vowed that the House would proceed to pass the budget irrespective of the actions of the APC, saying that it was like cutting the nose to spite the

face. Reactions also came from Rep. Samson Osagie, the deputy whip of the House; former chief whip of the Senate, Senator Roland Owie and other PDP and APC legislators.

The decision to move against the 2014 budget of the Federal Government was disclosed yesterday by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary of the party while addressing newsmen at the end of a six-hour meeting held at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.

Full text of the APC communiqué:

“The APC Interim National Executive Committee held its 8th regular meeting today (yester-

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH Manage your resources wisely, If you buy things you do not need, soon you may have to sell things you need.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

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HE unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!—Henry Ward Beecher A woman was depressed for years and every treatment proved abortive until her doctor decided to try a different approach. He sent a package, in it was a strong magnifying glass. With instructions of what to do. Every day, she should look through the lens at objects in her home and write down her observations.

She began looking through the lens at these objects and was amazed at what she saw. Then she examined the veins in a flower plucked from her garden, the colour dots in an old photograph, and even the texture of her own skin. In days before close-up photography, she’d never seen the likes of it before. She was amazed and astounded at the brand new world opening up before her eyes.

She began to get well because this unusual prescription had aroused within her the most curative of all emotions – gratitude. Gratitude for the gifts all around us. Steve Goodier sums it aptly. “Do you practice gratitude? I think you’ll discover that it is no less than a powerful prescription for inner peace.”

day).

In attendance were General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the Governors of Rivers State Rotimi Amaechi; Lagos, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun; Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi; Nasarawa, Tanko Al-Makura; Yobe, Ibrahim Geidam; Sokoto, Aliyu Wammako; Adamawa, Murtala Nyako; Kwara, Abdulfatah Ahmed; Edo, Adams Oshiomhole; Borno, Kashim Shettima and the Deputy Governors of Oyo, Imo, Kano and Zamfara states and other party leaders.

“The meeting was chaired by the Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and attended by the full complement of the Interim National Executive Committee along with the leadership of the APC in the two chambers of the National Assembly.

“The National Executive Committee of the APC commended the courage, maturity and political sagacity of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State in the face of serial unprovoked and unwarranted assaults on his person, his constitutional rights and those of the Government and People of Rivers State. The conduct of Governor Amaechi represents our party’s maturity and compliance with the rule of law in response to escalating impunity. The APC is very proud of him.

“Any cursory observer of events in Rivers State since February, 2013 will be left in no doubt as to the culture of lawlessness and impunity being promoted and supported by the Presidency, and executed by the State Commissioner of Police Joseph Mbu, who has

become the defacto military Governor of Rivers State and sole administrator of the PDP in the State.

“A few instances of the brazen lawlessness and violations of the Constitution will suffice here – the forceful dispersal of 13,201 newly recruited teachers in the Port Harcourt Stadium using tear gas; blockading the entrance to the Government House in Port Harcourt and forcing the state governor to use another entrance; preventing an aircraft chartered by the state governor from taking off, alleging that the governor was trying to smuggle out a legislator wanted by the Police, no apology was offered to the Governor; the disruption of a peaceful rally during which Senator Magnus Abe was shot with intent to kill; several disruptions of Save Rivers Group rallies, and the unlawful detention of anybody perceived to be a sympathizer of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, while allowing pro-Jonathan and Anti-Amaechi groups to organize rallies unmolested.

“The National Executive Committee of the APC has now resolved that if these acts of impunity and lawlessness continue unabated and the Police persists in being an enforcement arm of the PDP to the detriment of our members, it will have no alternative than to ask our teeming members all over the country and especially in Rivers State to take whatever steps that are necessary to protect their lives and property.

“Following on the forgoing and in view of the joint resolutions of the National Assembly on Rivers State, and other constitutional breaches by the Presidency, the APC hereby directs its members in the National Assembly to block all legislative proposals including the 2014 Budget and confirmation of all nominees to military and civilian positions to public office until the rule of law and constitutionalism is restored in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria in general.”

APC out to destroy democracy — PDP

Reacting to the development, the PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said the APC action was a confirmation of its assertions that the opposition party was determined to destroy the nation’s democracy.

The PDP said “in asking that service chiefs should not be confirmed by the Senate, the APC has revealed its devilish plot to undermine the nation’s security system, create a state of anarchy and pave way to unleash mayhem on the people”.

The ruling party said

“in trying to frustrate the passage of the 2014 budget, the APC has also exposed its plot to cripple the nation’s economy and plunge the people into untold hardship” According to the PDP, "by attempting to cause confusion in the National Assembly, which is the citadel of democracy, it is now clear to all Nigerians that the APC has commenced the implementation of its orchestrated plot to truncate the nation’s democracy, push the country into a state of chaos and achieve its doomsday predictions; a plot which must be stopped.”

Also rebuffing the APC threat, the deputy PDP leader, Hon. Ogor said the House would proceed to pass the budget irrespective of the actions of the APC members as he said the budget did not have any direct bearing with the Rivers State crisis. Besides, he said that the two chambers of the National Assembly were presently dealing with the crisis in Rivers State.

His words: “We will look at the budget holistically and if for any reason that we are at agreement and in tandem with it, we will pass it. We don’t need twothirds to pass a budget, it is passed as a normal bill with simple majority. At worse we will divide the House and we know that we have the majority and we will pass the budget.

“They should try as much as possible to have a national focus. Even if there is a problem in Rivers State, the approach in solving that problem will have little or no impact in passing a national budget which our economy depends on.

“I will advise them to have a rethink and knowing fully well that our national interest is more important than any other political party’s interest.

If they wish to tackle the issue of Rivers State, it should be addressed as a separate matter, they should look at it holistically rather than to stop a national budget, the most important law to be passed by the National Assembly on a yearly basis. I am very, very disappointed."

Senator Rowland Owie in his own reaction said that the directive by the

APC should show Nigerians that they are a group of desperate politicians. The passage of budgets and ministerial clearance do not require two-thirds majority. The budget and ministerial clearance can be done with or without them. In 1979, when I was a member of the House of Representatives (NPN), the Federal Government had 32 percent of of the NASS and budgets were passed without rancour. I expect my colleagues in the NASS to be patriotic and serve the nation instead of engaging in heating up the polity."

However, the APC deputy whip, Rep. Osagie rebuffed him, saying that he and APC members would proceed along with the directives of the party as he flayed the ruling party for several breaches.

Also speaking, Reps yesterday were divided over APC’s statement that its members should not pass the 2014 Appropriation bill until the Crisis rocking Rivers state is resolved.

In his reaction, Deputy Chairman House committee on Ethics and Privileges Rep Toby Okechukwu, PDP, Enugu said “ we will pass the budget without APC as we are in majority in the House. “ “You do not run a country with ultimatum and who says the passing of the budget is dependent upon APC? They do have a right not to participate, they can be excused. We in the majority will fill the vacuum."

Chairman House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Ethics, Rep Abiodun Faleke, APC, Lagos said he supported the decision of his party the APC. He said:”I will abide by my party decision. Why will the governors not be carried along in the preparation of the budget? Remember that our finance committee had asked questions about the economy and up till now no good answers. How much income did the country generate last year?

“Who approved $10.8billion for NNPC for subsidy etc. So there are so many questions to be answered by finance ministry before the budget can be considered. “

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Pastor remanded for killing colleague in church

LASU students on rampage, disrupt exams zOver non-opening of registration portal

zAffected students won't pay tuition fees during re-sit exams —VC

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

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SOGBO — AN Osogbo chief magistrate court, yesterday, ordered a 47-year-old cleric, Pastor Julius Adepoju, to be remanded in Ilesa prison for allegedly killing his fellow pastor inside a church.

The accused allegedly perpetuated the act on January 15, 2014 at about 8:20 pm at The Apostolic Church of Nigeria Mission, LAWNA Territory, Ede District, Gbongan, headquarters of Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun state.

Adepoju allegedly stabbed a co-Pastor, Oguntoye, to death after an argument between them at the church premises.

The police prosecutor, Mr Oladoye Joshua, a sergeant, told the court that the accused allegedly used a jack-knife to stab Oguntoye during an argument.

He told the court that the two Pastors had earlier engaged in a fisticuff over an issue before the accused eventually stabbed him to death.

The prosecution maintained that the accused was allegedly responsible for the untimely death of Pastor Oguntoye, stressing that the offence was against the law of the land.

According to him, the accused person committed an offence punishable under Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol.II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.

However, the plea of the accused person who was represented by Mrs Nnenna Ngwu was not taken due to the nature of the offence he committed.

In his ruling, the presiding magistrate, Adebayo Lasisi, ordered the accused person to be remanded in Ilesa prison.

He subsequently adjourned the case till March 7, 2014.

Scenes of the protest along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Wednesday.

BY IKENNA ASOMBA

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AGOS — STUDENTS of the Lagos State University, LASU, for the second day running, went on the rampage, yesterday, destroying the school's property, burning tyres on the expressway and disrupting the second semester examinations.

The students were disenchanted with the management of the school for closing the registration portal against about 1,292 of its students who had not yet registered for the second semester examinations.

The examinations, which were to begin yesterday, were disrupted by the students who vowed not to carry over their courses to the next semester due to their inability to pay the exorbitant fees charged by the school.

It was gathered that the Vice Chancellor of the school, Prof.

John Obafunwa, had said that only the708 students who were able to register before the portal was shut would sit for the examinations, but the students stood against this defiantly.

It took the intervention of soldiers and policemen to calm the situation on campus yesterday morning.

The placard-carrying protesters, who had inscriptions such as ‘Obafunwa, open the registration or there will be no exams", "Our late registration is no fault of ours, LASU tuition fees is expensive", "Fashola, pity us, our parents are poor," appealed to the governing council and management to have pity and allow them to register their courses, so that they could partake in the second semester examinations scheduled for between January 23 and February 5.

It would be recalled that the portal for registration opened sometime in May 2013, when the second semester resumed and two weeks was given for

students to register. However, the two weeks deadline was extended to sometime in July, when the five-month strike embarked upon

by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, began.

Since then, students who failed to pay before the closure, but later paid could not register their courses. What this means is automatic carry-over in all the unregistered courses, which is an extra year for such students.

Town hall with students

Last Friday, Mr. Femi Augusto, the university’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council alongside members of the management had a town hall meeting with the students in a bid to interact with them, share their burdens and keep them abreast of the successes recorded by the university in recent times.

As the meeting proceeded, agitations for the portal to be reopened for registration rented the university’s main auditorium.

Dousing the tension, Augusto and Obafunwa told the students to calm down that something urgent would be done to address their grievances.

But with the examinations that commenced yesterday, the students' hope seem to have been dashed by an official bulletin dated Thursday, January 23, marked LASU/CIPPR/1435), which reiterated that there was

no room for opening of registration portal.

Registration portal remained shut

Speaking to Vanguard on the development, Prof. Obafunwa affirmed that there was little or nothing the management could do to allow the affected students register, as the council had decided in a meeting, Wednesday, that the registration portal should remain shut.

He said: “In a joint meeting, Wednesday, between the Governing Council and the university management team, it was deliberated extensively on whether the registration portal should be opened for the affected students to register for their 2012/2013 second semester courses or otherwise.

"After the deliberations, it was decided that the portal should remain shut for smooth commencement and effective administration of the scheduled 2012/ 2013 rain semester examination.

“There is little or nothing the management can do at this moment to open the portal, because it is the decision of council and not Obafunwa’s decision.

"Of the over 12,000 students in the university, about 1,292 could not meet the registration deadline. Examination dockets have been printed so there is

no way the portal could be opened again for registration.

"However, the council also decided that those who failed to register before the deadline, but have paid their tuition fees and are not legible to write the examinations would not pay tuition fees again, when they come for re-sit of the courses.”

Speaking further, the don said the management had been lenient enough to extend the two weeks' grace given for registration from May to July, noting that if the students’ appeal is considered that means there is no management in LASU. “This portal cannot be opened at this moment. The examinations starts tomorrow (yesterday). There is no where in the world where it is done. If we allow the portal open, where examination dockets are already printed, students will go and do addition and deduction of courses which will definitely distort the information on their dockets. This will amount to huge complications for the university to handle.

"We have been so lenient with the students. A two-week grace for registration was extended to two months, so we believe that is enough time for students to pay their tuition fees and proceed for registration of courses.”

Trader stabbed to death in Ladipo market fresh crisis

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AGOS — A TRADER has been stabbed to death as fresh crisis erupted at Ladipo auto spareparts market in Mushin, Lagos State.

According to reports, the trader, simply identified as Sunny, was stabbed and he later bled to death during a fight that broke out at the market when some aggrieved traders stormed the market union’s office and chased the executives away.

The traders were calling for the dissolution of Ladipo Auto Central Executive Committee, LACEC, the central body of the union.

The aggrieved traders said the leaders had breached all the agreements they had with the Lagos State government when the market was shut.

They feared that if the executives were allowed to remain, the state government might close the market again to their disad-

vantage.

They listed some of the offences as street trading, parking on roads and collection of illegal tolls, using thugs to harass and intimidate traders and customers.

According to the reports, the protest later resulted in fracas between the two groups which caused the death of Sunday.

The police at Olosan Division later recovered the body of the victim and deposited it at an undisclosed mortuary in Lagos.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 —7

How my son ended up in Kirikiri prison —Woman

BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE

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Stranded Boko Haram sect victims from Alau village waiting for relief materials at the Federal Training Centre, Maiduguri yesterday. Left is village head, Bulama Garba Modu of Ngawa Fate ward, who lost 19 of his subjects. Photo: Inusa Ndahi.

Court frees 3 Boko Haram suspects ...as DSS applies to retain Kogi varsity lecturer in custody

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BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

BUJA — THE Abuja Divi sion of the Federal High Court, yesterday, ordered the immediate release of three suspected members of the Boko Haram sect, who have been in custody of the Department of State Security, DSS, since October 30, 2013.

Trial Justice Gabriel Kolawole freed the suspects, Mustapha Yusuf (aka Habib), Ismaila Abdulazeez and Ibrahim Isa Hayafu, following the inability of the Federal Government to either prefer terrorism charge against them or adduce proof of evidence to warrant their continued detention in DSS custody.

This came as the DSS, yesterday, urged the court to allow it to further detain Dr Mohammed Nazeef Yunus, a lecturer at Kogi State University, Ayingba, and three others it said were among key sponsors of a Boko Haram cell situated at Igalaland in Kogi State.

Whereas Yunus, a lecturer in the Department of Islamic Studies was said to be the spiritual leader of the cell, the others the DSS sought to further keep in its custody yesterday, Umar Musa and Salami Abdullahi, were said to have received training on terrorism and had actively participated in the activities of the sect.

DSS applies to retain Kogi varsity At the resumed sitting, the prosecution counsel, Mr Clifford Osagie, told the court that he had a motion ex-parte dated

January 22, 2014, seeking an order of the court for further extension of the detention period of the three suspects before their arraignment for terrorism-related offences.

However, counsel to Yunus, Mallam Hassan Liman, SAN, objected to the application, contending that the court had on January 13, explicitly directed the Federal Government to file formal charges against the accused persons within seven days or risk having them released for want of evidence.

Liman argued that if there would be any application by way of motion ex-parte for extension of detention of the suspects, the prosecution ought to have served it on the respondents by putting them on notice.

He, therefore, urged the court not to take the application.

Similarly, counsel to the sixth respondent (Salami), Mr James Ocholi, aligned with the argument of the first respondent (Yunus), insisting that the motion ex-parte should not be taken since, by the order of the court at the last adjourned date, “today is meant for the DSS to report whether or not charges have been filed against the accused persons.”

In his response, Osagie told the court that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, had already okayed charges against the accused persons.

“It is no longer in our hands, ours is to file the charge, which we have done. It is left for the Chief Judge to fix a date for their

arraignment but on the issue of the 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents, this court is at liberty to discharge them as no charge has been filed against them”, Osagie stated.

In a short ruling, Justice Kolawole ordered the prosecution to serve the motion ex-parte on the respondents inside the

courtroom.

The court eventually adjourned till January 28 to allow the 2nd respondent in the matter, Musa, to secure a lawyer.

Besides, Justice Kolawole ordered that the three other suspects should remain in DSS custody till the next adjourned date.

8 farmers docked for forcing widow to dance naked in market

BY PETER DURU

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AKURDI — EIGHT farm ers were, yesterday, arraigned before a Makurdi Chief Magistrate Court for allegedly stripping a widow, one Mrs. Ann Adikwu, and parading her at a market square in Orokam, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The accused persons were charged with criminal conspiracy, assault on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty; exhibition of obscene pictures and theft punishable under Sections 97 (1), 269, 203 and 288 of the penal code.

According to the First Information Report, FIR, filed in the court by the prosecutor, Inspector George Nyev, the victim had written a letter of complaint to the Benue State Commissioner of Police on November 18, 2013.

He said: “In the letter, the victim stated that she was in her matrimonial home in the morning of September 18 mourning her late husband, when one Omanche Adikwu led his fam-

ily members and some youths of Orokam village to attack her.

“The group forcefully stripped her naked and went ahead to arrest one Augustine Odoh and forced both of them to dance naked at the market square while photographs of the dance were taken by the accused persons.”

According to her, the group also carted away her clothes and jewellery valued at over N860,500.00 and cash totalling N190,000.

At the commencement of the hearing, the prosecuting officer told the court that the accused persons were arrested during police investigations, adding that the accused confessed to the crime during investigations.

He asked for a date for the commencement of hearing into the matter.

However, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the offence.

In his submission, counsel to the accused persons, Mr. Cletus Ujah, who did not oppose the application for a hearing, however, applied for the bail of his clients.

AGOS — MOTHER of a 200-level student of Lagos City College, charged for robbery before a Lagos High Court in Igbosere, Mrs Olanrewaju Idowu, yesterday, explained how she sent her son on an errand but met him in Kirikiri Prison.

Idowu, who was led in evidence by her son’s lawyer, Mrs F. Jegede, told the court that on September 9, she sent Lekan to Lagos to buy some provisions for her shop.

She said: “At the place where my son (Olalekan) went to buy things, there was a riot and police at Adeniyi Adele raided the place.

“The following day, I checked Lion Building and saw my son. When I asked him what happened, he said the police dragged him inside a danfo on his way to purchase what I sent him.

“I asked my son of the N20,000 I gave him to buy provisions for me, and he said one of the police officers had collected it.

“The following day, they took my son to SARS and then to a magistrate court. From there, he was taken to Kirikiri and has been there since 2008.”

Olalekan, alongside Kabiru Olanrewaju and Tajudeen Busari were said to have on September 9, 2008 at 76, Lewis Street, Lagos Island, while armed with a gun, robbed one Ajibola Ajieigbe of N20,000 and a set of gold jewellery valued at N150,000.

The prosecutor, Mrs Akin Adesomju, informed the court that the offence is contrary to Section 402 (2) (a) of the Criminal Code Law Cap C17 Vol 2, Laws of Lagos State 2003. However, the defendants pleaded not guilty.

After listening to counsel in the matter, the presiding judge, Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, adjourned the case to February 4.

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

S-South CAN hails Jonathan, NASS on anti-gay law

BY SAM EYOBOKA

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HE Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the South South region, yesterday, hailed President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly for defying pressures from the West to pass the Same Sex Prohibition Bill into law, describing homosexuality and lesbianism as unacceptable animalistic practices that must not be traced to sane human beings.

The regional association thanked President Jonathan for the boldness in signing the bill into law, just as it hailed members of the National Assembly who overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bill despite dollars being dangled at them by emissaries from Western governments.

Articulating the position of South South Christians in a telephone interview, Chairman of South South CAN, Archbishop God-Well Avwomakpa said Nigerians are united in their crusade against such deviant acts, urging the nation’s leaders across the board to seek ways of revamping the nation’s economy and call off the bluff and stem the tide of these growing deviant cultures daily being imported into the country.

Avwomakpa also had a word of advice for Western leaders who are currently threatening African leaders to swallow the bitter pill of Sodomy and attract the wrath of God, to demonstrate their commitment to the cause by immediately divorcing their current spouses and marrying people of the same sex.

He also argued that America won the Second World War, not because they had superior weaponry but because their forefathers had secured their future by handing their destinies in the hands of God, but stressed that a generation was rising to undo all that their forefathers had done for them.

He said: “The West brought the gospel to Africa, but they must be told that the gospel they brought was not that of same sex marriage which is fraught with plenty of gun powder.

“If they must force the pill down the throat of African leaders they should first of all divorce their spouses and take on new ones of the same sex.

Some of us will gladly attend such nuptials and pray for them and the world will then know that they are not hypocrites."

Striking health workers paralyse activities in hospitals nationwide

BY FUNMI KOMOLAFE, SOLA OGUNDIPE, CHIOMA OBINNA PETER DURU VINCENT UJUMADU & JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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S the three-day nationwide warning strike called by the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, in league with the Association of Health Professionals ends today, services were paralysed for the second day in most health institutions nationwide.

This was even as the striking members of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, meeeting with the Labour Minister, Chief Emeka Wogu and his counterpart in the Ministry of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, was inconclusive. It was said that both parties could not agree.

The striking unions had earlier vowed not to attend any conciliation meeting that lacks government representation, insisting that this was the only guarantee that decisions taken would be implemented.

In Lagos, the general atmosphere in most hospitals visited showed that the strike was total, and only medical doctors were around to render services, which was a difficult exercise due to inaccessibility of support services from nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, laboratory scientists, etc.

Although the doctors went extra length to care for patients on admission in the wards, intake of new patients remained suspended as they were advised to seek care in private hospitals pending the termination of the strike.

Patients who turned up in the various hospitals were not attended

to. At the Lagos University teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba and Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, virtually all the outpatient clinics were under lock and key. Several patients were hurriedly discharged to cushion the absence of nurses and other health care workers.

A doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity said doctors were not involved in the strike.

He said they were on duty and saw some patients with critical health conditions In Benue State, services were grounded at hospitals within and around Makurdi the state capital. Most of them were deserted except for medical doctors who were seen providing

skeletal clinical services to patients with critical health conditions.

At the Makurdi Federal Medical Centre and the Makurdi General Hospital there was total compliance as no nurse was seen on duty, same for other non medical staff who stayed away from work as directed by JOHESU. When contacted, the Chairman of JOHESU, Federal Medical Centre chapter, Comrade Moses Shausu said there had been full compliance by members of the union.

A visit to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, NAUTH, Nnewi, revealed that the hospital has been reduced to a shadow of itself. Several relatives were seen withdrawing their sick from the hospital.

Branch Chairman, JOHESU,

Comrade Gerald Adinma who spoke with newsmen in Nnewi, warned that the ongoing warning strike may transform to an indefinite strike if the Federal Government fails to change its attitude.

He pointed out the rumoured plan to privatize the laboratory, pharmacy and accounts departments in the teaching hospitals would be met with a stiff resistance because it would be an evil wind that would not do the health sector any good.

Adinma said that if the Federal Government thought that it could save cost through privatization. It should start with the medical doctors who goes home with jumbo salaries outside having their private hospitals.

RETREAT— From left, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega; Director, INEC, Mr Oluwole Osaze Uzzi and National Commissioner, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, at the resident electoral commissioners' retreat in Kaduna, yesterday. Photo: Olu Ajayi.

East-West road requires N113bn for completion — ORUBEBE

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU & JOSEPH ERUNKE

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B U J A — T H E Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, yesterday, said that his ministry needed N113 billion to complete the road while assuring that the project would be completed by December this year.

Orubebe spoke when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SUREP, noting that the project was awarded without detailed designs and drawings.

He said that although the job had reached 66.6 percent completion level, the 42 bridges and 1,040 culverts in the dual carriage road which had been constructed were not captured in the initial project as a result of lack of designs and

drawing when it was awarded According to him, apart from security challenges, the nonavailability of drawings or designs were the main reasons why the project which was awarded in 2006 had not been completion.

He also stated that the design for the project was only completed in 2010 when financial backing was eventually provided for it.

Besides, Orubebe noted that N236 billion had been spent on the N349.8 billion project, pointing out that additional N113 billion would ensure its completion and commissioning.

The Abdul Ningi-led SUREP committee had invited Orubebe to explain how the N51.7 billion SURE-P fund released

to the ministry for the project was utilized.

Orubebe said that the ministry had nothing to do with SURE-P funds except to pass certificates generated to the committee, explaining further that N5 billion was still outstanding from last year’s budget due to the inability of SURE-P committee to process certificates appropriately.

He said that the ministry was not being properly funded from the national budget, adding that the date given for the completion of the East West road depended on availability of funds.

He said: “The desire of this government and particularly the Ministry of Niger Delta is to ensure that this road is delivered to this part of this country barring unforeseen circumstances. But I have to appeal as I said; we still

need N113 billion and we need the intervention of this committee in providing additional fund.

By the grace of God, this road will be delivered to this country

by December 2014."

The Deputy Majority Leader and Senate Committee Chairman on SURE-P, Abdul Ningi had in his remarks said that the East/West road history in the country was a near tragedy, pointing out that the project which was initially awarded at the cost of N197 billion had now increased to N349 billion, yet the work had not been completed.

Ningi noted that going by the cost of the project, it would take N1 billion to get one kilometre of the road done, even as the work so far done was not commensurate with the N236 billion so far paid to the contractors.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—9

Nigeria's economy in danger without CBN autonomy — SANUSI zSays successor's challenge 'll be maintaining independence zRules out further devaluation of Naira

BY MICHAEL EBOH, WITH AGENCY REPORTS OVERNOR of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, yesterday, warned that Nigeria’s economy will be greatly endangered if the independence of the apex bank was undermined.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television Africa, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in

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Davos, Switzerland, Sanusi said maintaining the independence of the bank will be a major challenge that his successor will have to contend with, saying that it is important for a strong individual to be appointed to head the bank, due to the critical role it plays in the development of the country.

He said, “Any undermining of the CBN’s independence may hurt the economy. If anyone tampers with

it, the markets would punish the economy.

“The CBN is a very strong institution that needs a strong leader and I think one of the things we have achieved over the last four or five years is to show that we can have an independent Central Bank in Africa.

“It is extremely important from the fiscal side, it is ex-

WORKSHOP—From left: World Bank Country Director, Francoise Marie-Nelly; DFID statistician, Mr Staurt Martidale; African lead specialist, World Bank, Mr Andrew Dabalen and Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Dr Yemi Kale, at a workshop on review of National Bureau of Statistics strategic implementation plan 2012-2014 in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

S-East, S-South professionals insist on new constitution before 2015 polls

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

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ISTURBED by the do-or-die attitude of politicians towards the 2015 general elections and stunted socio-economic and political development, which they attributed to the 1999 Constitution, South-East and South-South Professionals, SESSP, have called for a new constitution before the next general polls.

Arguing that the country will continue to witness little or no development with the current constitution and warning that the situation will worsen without urgent action, they said they would embark on intense mobilization across the country to get Nigerians to support moves for a people’s constitution.

Speaking in Lagos, the SESSP leaders including Emeka UgwuOju (president), Nuhu Yakubu (vice president), Dagogo KaribiWhyte (secretary general), Han-

nibal Uwaifo (legal adviser), Andy Wabali (financial secretary and Gloria Maduka said in a statement: “We truly believe that at the root of Nigeria’s problems is its faulty political structure, as enshrined in the current 1999 constitution, which inadvertently reward mediocrity, and has therefore led us to become lazy, corrupt, unpatriotic, under-developed, poor, insecure, etc. We believe the right constitution will breed the right socio-political economy.”

Their words: A Federation is a union of constitutions and since Nigeria embraced unitary system upon the collapse of its defining constitutions in 1966, the conference should be at the least two stages in which the federating constitutions are distilled in the first instance and then federated in the second stage.

“On proposed 2015 elections, the National conference is to decide an acceptable constitutional arrangement under the current but

disputed 1999 Constitution and so elections previously advertised under that constitution may need to be deferred such that the next election will be premised upon the outcome of the National Conference (i.e. the constitutional arrangements emanating from the conference).”

Ugwu-Oju said the matter was now a urgent because of the 2015 election. We are seeing a situation where knowingly or unknowingly, wittingly and unwittingly, many politicians have decided that the 2015 election is what we call Mutually Assured Destruction, MAD. We have the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, which have declared themselves winners of the election before it is held. We are already mobilizing other professionals to save the situation.

tremely important from the governance side, that the governor of the Central Bank is able to speak independently of political authority and raise an alarm and concerns, and give constructive criticism and advice.”

In another interview with Reuters Global Markets Forum, Sanusi ruled out further devaluation of the currency, saying that the apex bank would continue to pursue a stable exchange rate policy as long as the foreign reserves can support.

He further expressed concern about Nigeria’s dwindling Excess Crude Account, saying that its ability to successfully protect the naira will be based on the amount in the Excess Crude Account and the Foreign Exchange Reserve.

According to him, a stable currency is absolutely critical for price stability and financial stability in general, adding that it is not in the interest of the country to devalue the naira, because it will not have impact on the country’s current account balance, given the highly inelastic nature of imports and the dominance of oil.

He said the Excess Crude Account, ECA, had now fallen to just $2.5 billion, compared with $11.5 billion a year ago, noting that until it is replenished there would be little room for a reduction in the Monetary Policy Rate, MPR, below the current 12 per cent benchmark.

He said: “We should continue to seek a stable exchange rate for as long as the reserves and monetary conditions can support this."

Sanusi said he has no fears of tightening monetary policy further to keep inflation down and to stabilize the currency, noting that, if needed, the CBN will increase its Monetary Policy Rate from 12 per cent and the Cash Reserve Requirement on public sector funds to 100 per cent.

He added that: “I don’t think we are at the end of possible tightening cycles, but I do think that the scope for further tightening is getting narrower and narrower. We do need to rely more on other instruments."

He said the CBN will maintain inflation within a band of six per cent to nine per cent this year, controlled majorly by monetary conditions.

He said, “Government spending has not been huge, the real challenge has been on the revenue side and on the foreign exchange side. I see no reason why from 2015, Nigeria cannot move to within the range of South Africa’s three percent to six percent, or four percent to seven percent for inflation.”

Nigeria 'll overtake S-Africa in investments — Reuters

BY SEBASTINE OBASI, WITH AGENCY REPORTS

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IGERIA is set to overtake South Africa’s dominance in economic growth on the continent, as it has been estimated that the country would expand the size of its economy by between 20 and 60 percent, Reuters said.

With a current economic output of around $290 billion, Nigeria, whose population is more than three times the size of South Africa’s 51 million already boasts faster growth.

While it has expanded by an average of seven percent annually over the past decade, South Africa has averaged three percent growth, held back by rigid employment laws and recurring labour unrest.

But even if it slips from the top spot, South Africa can still claim the crown of being the more diversified and sophisticated economy. Its financial markets are among the world’s most advanced and while its $350 billion economy is smaller than Mexico and Indonesia, its stock market is larger.

For Nigeria, the aim of the rebasing exercise is to change the base year for calculating output to 2008 from 1990 to reflect sectors of the economy that have since grown in importance, such as telecoms and IT.

PDP 'll shock Nigerians in 2015 — Maku

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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ESPITE the challenges facing the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in the country, the Minister of Information and Supervising Minister of Defence, Labaran Maku, yesterday, vowed that the party would shock Nigerians in the 2015 elections.

Maku spoke when the PDP Project Reloaded, PPR, paid him a courtesy visit.

He said that some members of the party were shying away from echoing the successes being recorded by the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

The minister, however, regretted that the party was currently facing some challenges, pointing out that its harshest critics were those who rode on its back to climb to their present positions.

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

NBA practising fee: Appeal court reserves ruling

Lagos doctors allege harassment by striking health workers

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

LAGOS — THE Lagos division of the Court of Appeal, yesterday, reserved ruling till a later date in a suit challenging increment in the payment of practising fees by lawyers in the country.

The National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, had announced the new rate of practising fees, payable from 2013, which generated ripples among lawyers who condemned the alleged 250 per cent increment compared to the fees paid in past years.

Defendants in the suit are NBA President, Mr. Okey Wali, General Council of the Bar, the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, chairman NBA Lagos Branch, Taiwo Taiwo, among others.

Plaintiffs in the suit are Mr. Seth Amaefule, Miss Amaka Aneke, Mr. Celestine Nwankwo, Mr. Charles Oni, and Mrs. Tayo Arojo.

The appellate court reserved judgement after it heard parties who contended the earlier ruling of a Federal High Court restraining the NBA from collecting the newly introduced practising fee for lawyers.

LASG cautions road users

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AGOS — THE Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, yesterday, urged motorists and other road users to desist from impeding the smooth flow of traffic.

Opeifa made the plea in a statement by the Ministry of Information and Strategies in Lagos.

He said that a road research and survey conducted by his ministry showed that traffic congestion usually resulted from the misuse of road space by motorists and other road users.

According to him, these acts include indiscriminate pick ups at unauthorised places by commercial and private vehicles, hawking of wares by street traders and indiscriminate road crossing by pedestrians, which slow down the traffic.

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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MEETING: Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of New Telegraph, Bolaji Tunji, flanked by Editor, Gabriel Akinadewo (left), and a newspaper agent from Ikeja, Mr. A. Arije, after a meeting of the management of New Telegraph with newspaper agents, in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday.

AGOS — MEDICAL doctors under the employment of Lagos gover nment, yesterday, alleged harassment by striking health workers, urging the state government to provide security for the doctors during the three-day warning strike that ends today.

Speaking on behalf of the medical doctors under the auspices of Medical

Subsidy scam: Witness denies theft of N968.7m

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

A BANKER, Mr. Uchenna Adobaka, yesterday, testified before an Ikeja High Court that an oil marketer, Mr. Rowaye Jubril, answering charges of stealing oil subsidy fund borrowed money from his bank to finance fuel importation into the country.

Adobaka, a Deputy Manager, Energy Group of Spring Bank, who appeared as an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s, EFCC, witness contradicted the evidence presented before the same court, yesterday, wherein it was disclosed that the oil marketer did not import the fuel for which he was paid N963.7 million as subsidy

fund.

Jubril is currently being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside his company, Brila Energy Ltd., for allegedly obtaining the money under pretence to import 13,500 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS. In his evidence before the court, he told Justice Lateefa Okunnu that Jubril approached his bank sometime in 2010 requesting for a loan to enable him import some quantity of petroleum products approved to be imported by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA. He said, a credit facility of $11.9 million was thereafter granted to him to execute the business transaction.

While being cross examined by Jubril’s lawyer, the witness said to enable them monitor the utilisation of the fund, the bank appointed General Marine and Oil Services Ltd. to supervise the importation and discharge of the product on its behalf.

However, he informed the court that the company wrote to Spring Bank admitting that they did not supervised the discharge of the product at Obat Jetty in Lagos, adding that there were some discrepancies in the shipping documents submitted by General Marine Oil Services Ltd. and their corresponding bank, Union Bank UK, on the transaction.

Further hearing was adjourned till April 28, 2014.

Guild, the Chairman, Dr. Biyi Kufo, alleged that already some health workers had gone to some hospitals in the state, on Wednesday, to prevent doctors from working and also stop patients from being treated.

Kufo said some of the health workers had engaged some doctors in verbal and physical altercations and such acts were aimed at paralysing hospitals.

According to him: “ professionals have the right to fight for whatever they deem fit for them. But that does not mean they should stop others from performing their duties.

“Doctors are not on strike.

But some hired functionaries of the striking group are harassing patients and doctors in some centres.

“We wish to appeal to the authorities to provide administrative and security arrangements in hospitals which will enable doctors to carry out their duties without hindrance.”

Meanwhile, Minister of H e a l t h , P r o f e s s o r Onyebuchi Chukwu in Abuja, on We d n e s d a y, pleaded with health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Union to shelve the on-going strike.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—11

Ogun APC crisis: 5 injured as hoodlums attack Senator’s office

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA — A day after the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona held a peace meeting with Governor Ibikunle Amosun and national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Olusegun Osoba, another attack was recorded, yesterday, at Ota, in Ado Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Pandemonium broke out when suspected political thugs vandalised the senatorial office of the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Akin Odunsi, leaving five persons seriously injured.

Vanguard gathered that the hoodlums invaded the Senator’s office at No. 87 Iganmode Road, Ota, Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state about 9:00a.m. and beat Odunsi’s secretary, Kemi Afolabi to a state of coma.

An eye-witness told Vanguard that the thugs were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons and macheted occupants of the office, with Afolabi being the most hit. She was later rushed to hospital for medical attention.

It was gathered that the hoodlums stormed the Senator’s office in an unmarked private car.

The source said that the thugs vandalised a number of office equipment which included: computers, chairs, tables, television sets and other valuables before leaving the scene.

The incident was said to have generated tension in the area as supporters of Senator Odunsi allegedly mobilised for reprisal, but the quick intervention of policemen, led by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ota, Gabriel Idibie, brought the situation under control.

Confirming the incident, yesterday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye,

had already visited the scene.

Adejobi stated that the commissioner had ordered a full investigation into the matter, adding that the perpetrators of the act would be brought to book.

“The CP, Ikemefuna Okoye,

has visited the scene in company of the DCP Operations, Mohammed Abdulkadri, Area Commander, Ota, Titi Kayode, and DPO Ota, Gabriel Idibie, for on the spot assessment and had ordered a full scale investigation

into the matter,” he said.

The PPRO expressed dismay at what he termed ‘assault and malicious damage’ warning residents against taking laws into their hands.

Ogun govt, Daniel disagree over state of power equipment z Its obsolete, says govt; allegation laughable — Daniel

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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CONGRATULATIONS: Ewen James Cameron, Cameron of Dillington, who presided over the All Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food For Development & PCD meeting, where Governor Aregbesola spoke on Osun State experience in the school feeding scheme, O'MEALs, congratulating the governor after his speech, Wednesday evening, at the House of Commons, Westminster, London.

....My story, by Senator Odunsi

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N HIS reaction, Senator Odunsi described the attack as politically motivated, urging the police to unravel the perpetrators of the act.

He said; “This morning, our Constituency office at Otta was attacked by some hoodlums.

They disrupted office activities and injured the Secretary, Ms. Kemi Afolabi.

The Administrative Officer, Mr Olasunkanmi Olayode managed to escape.

“Ms Afolabi is still receiving treatment in a private hospital in Otta. We are inclined to believe that the attack is politically motivated. The spate of violence visited on the National Assembly members of the All Progressives Congress across the State in

recent time attests to the desperation of some elements to intimidate people into undue acquiescence.

“Only yesterday, a band of brigands went to disrupt the Otta Ward 1 meeting of the Party.

They were kept in check by members. It is our desire that common sense will prevail and those inordinately ambitious to lead the people will recant in no distance future. “ We deplore this barbaric descent to violence for political reasons. Ours is a progressive party and the ideology eschews bitterness, violence and criminality. The liberal political space is wide enough to accommodate ideas and free speech to market candidates. We enjoin those whose stock in

trade is do or die to perish the thought of cowing people. In this age of reason, it will not work.

“We hereby implore members of the APC, the good people of Otta and Ogun West to go about their normal duties and maintain calm. We remain resolute that the will of the people shall prevail.

Our people must resist attempt to provoke them into taking laws into their hands. “ We stand by our resolve to make progress in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect for the feelings of our compatriots.The Police and security people have been alerted about this strange development in our peace loving and hospitable community”.

Oyo govt resolves religious tension in schools

BY OLA AJAYI

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BADAN — THE Oyo State government has finally resolved budding religious crisis in Iseyin schools in Oke Ogun area of the state.

Due to tension that mounted in the area over insistence of some Muslims in the town that female Muslim students should start wearing hijab at Iseyin District Grammar School, the government was compelled to postpone resumption of schools for the second term.

The Muslims reportedly threatened that any school rule that disallowed their female students from wearing

hijab would be resisted.

The government had to organise a meeting at the palace of Aseyin of Iseyin, January 4, 2014, to resolve the issue.

The first meeting produced no concrete results.

Bent on maintaining peaceful coexistence among residents in the area, another meeting was summoned on January 9, 2014 at the state Ministry of Education.

At the meeting, it was decided that in Muslim named or faith based public schools, wearing of hijab should be allowed.

BEOKUTA — THE Ogun State government, yesterday, accused the immediate past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel of procuring a 20 year old inefficient power equipment.

But in a reaction, former Governor Gbenga Daniel said the allegation against his government as laughable, describing Amosun as being mischievous.

According to the present government, it had resolved to sell the equipment to interested buyers, explaining that it decided to abandon the multi billion naira power plant equipment purchased by his predecessor after it paid N9 billion shortly after it came into power, following its inefficient and obsolete nature.

The state Commissioner for Finance, Kemi Adeosun stated this at the 2014 budget breakdown organised by the ministry of Budget and Planning at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.

However, speaking through one of his media aides, Steve Oliyide, Daniel said: “Let me state clearly that those equipment are of the best standard, and that this unfortunate decision was in continuation of the mischievous politics of discontinuing all the policies and programmes of the previous administration.

“Is it not laughable and inverted logic that the government of Senator Ibikunle Amosun said it was going to sell the equipment which it claimed are obsolete?"

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

GAY MARRIAGE: Cleric flays US threat to sanction Nigeria

Lawyers protest nonappointment of CJ in Rivers

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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ORT HARCOURT— LAWYERS, yesterday, defied Police order against public procession in Rivers State, as they marched to the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, denouncing the delay in the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge for the state judiciary.

Some of placards carried by the protesting lawyers, read: “Worgu Boms (Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice) resign or follow the law”; “Even in military, there was Chief Judge,”; “NBA suffering and smiling,”; “Attorney General stop misleading,” among others.

Similarly, staff of the Rivers State Traffic Management Agency, TIMARIV, yesterday, protested nonpayment of their four months salaries. Some of the protesters who spoke to newsmen called for overhaul of the agency, saying same would inject life into the place.

The lawyers, who protested under the aegis of Forum of Concerned Lawyers of the Nigeria Bar Association, Port Harcourt branch, urged the National Judicial Council, NJC, to collaborate with judges of the Rivers State High Court to act in line with the doctrine of necessity by appointing the most senior judge of the state High Court as Chief Judge of the state.

Edokpolor passes on

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R. Charles Edok polor of Oghara, Delta State, is dead, aged 58.

Service of songs holds today at 11, Boyo Road, Sapele, followed by interment on Saturday, at his country home, Oghara.

Late Mr. Edokpolor

BY FESTUS AHON GHELLI—PRESIDENT of the Okpe Christian Council of Nigeria, Rt. Rev Diamond Emuobor, has faulted the United States of America’s threat to sanction Nigeria over its stand on same sex marriage, describing President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly as true vanguards of the Nigerian nation.

He urged countries “being threatened by America’s Greek gift to look up to Nigeria for confidence in God and shun all the pretences for help through their donor agencies, which are wrapped in Sodom and Gomorrah’s wisdom.”

Emuobor, in a statement, yesterday, said those criticising the Nigerian government over its stand on same sex marriage should be reminded that Nigeria is not an appendage of their countries.

He said: “When America decided to go to the moon, we did not envy them, and now that they have decided to make themselves a cog in the annals of Godliness by proclaiming a law allowing sodomy to be the norm of America’s wisdom, why would they want Nigeria to die for their corruption?”

PROTEST: Members of Concern Lawyers Forum, protesting the failure of Rivers State Governor to appoint the most senior judge in Rivers State as Chief Judge of the state, at the state High Court in Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

SERAP faults Jonathan over statement on corruption T HE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has faulted President Goodluck Jonathan over his statement on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that “corruption was not the cause of all the problems confronting Africa.”

Jonathan had at the Forum, said: “In terms of security, Boko Haram is the biggest challenge we have at the moment.”

Reacting, SERAP, in a statement, yesterday, by its Executive Director, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, said that “the statement by the president shows clearly that this government has not come to terms with the reality of massive corruption at the highest level of government, and the devastation and suffering it has caused millions of innocent Nigerians.

“The evidence of corruption and underdevelopment is staring this government in the face.

Staying silent or simply wishing the problem away cannot be the way forward. What more will it take to convince the president that corruption is this country’s biggest problem, and that effective action is urgently required to end it, and address impunity of perpetrators?

“Hospitals without drugs, bad roads, poor electricity supply, contaminated water, collapsed educational system alone provide strong evidence of the devastation that missing $400 billion of public funds has done to this country. That this amount is missing has been confirmed by both the United Nations Office on Drugs and

Crimes and House of Representatives reports.

“These indicators of bad governance and mismanagement of the country ’s natural wealth and resources should serve as proof of the need for this government to put the fight against corruption at the very top of its agenda.

“Anyone with a simple knowledge of this country will know that the root cause of insecurity and Boko Haram is the decades of corrup-

tion and impunity of perpetrators, and failure of successive governments to provide quality education to Nigerian children. The damage that corruption has done to this country is nearly impossible to describe.

“What millions of suffering Nigerians need from this government is a clear commitment to recover the over $400 billion missing public funds and to spend this to achieve sustainable development and respect for basic socio-economic rights of Nigerians.”

Group flays APC's criticism of Jonathan

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ARRI—A GROUP, Peoples Democratic Party Transformation Youth Forum for All Nigerians, PDPTYAN, has challenged the criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan's administration by the All Progressives Congress, APC. Coordinator of PDPTYAN in Delta State, Mr. Sunday Tialobi, who addressed newsmen in Warri, expressed the group's disgust with the APC's posture.

He said APC has become petty by throwing repeated tantrums against a president who has performed very well.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—13

17 pro-Amaechi lawmakers sit at Rivers Govt House ...adjourn to Jan 29

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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ORT HARCOURT— SEVENTEEN proGovernor Rotimi Amaechi lawmakers sat, yesterday at Government House, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and considered three bills.

At exactly 11.04, the Speaker of the House, Mr Otelemaba Amachree, walked behind a mace conveyed into the venue of the sitting. After the opening prayer, Deputy Leader of the House, Mr Nname Ewor, moved a motion for commencement of business of the day, which was seconded by the Deputy Whip, Irene Inimgba.

Deputy Leader of the House, Mr Ewor presented the first bill, the Rivers State Waste Management Agency Bill, 201 (HA.2).

And after he finished reading same, the Speaker, said the first reading had been taken. It was the same approach after the second and third bills were read out. The second and third bills are Rivers State Customary Court bill, 2014 and Tax Levies Harmonisation Bill, 2014.

The House later adjourned to Wednesday January 29.

The Speaker, Amachree, who later fielded questions from newsmen, said no constituency in the state was being shut out in the activities of the House, noting that it was not mandatory for every member to attend every sitting of

the House.

Meantime, one of the anti-Amaechi lawmakers, Mr Martin Amewule, described the sitting of the lawmakers as a gathering of friends of the governor at Government House.

According to him, when the House was ready to sit, it would be at the chambers of the state House of Assembly complex.

Lawmaker lauds Jonathan, Uduaghan over projects

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member of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Kennedy Daubry, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan and Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, for the numerous projects sited in his constituency.

Daubry, representing Burutu Constituency II, spoke, yesterday, while inspecting some projects in the area.

He was grateful for the construction of the

Bomadi-OgriagbeneTorugbene Road, provision of 500 KVA generator to Torugbene community, construction of Science quarters at Tuoma and Corpers lodge at Tuoma, all in Burutu constituency II. He noted that the people of Burutu were enjoying the impact of the projects, which are dividends of democracy in their communities.

Daubry assured the president of his peoples’ support in the presidential election in 2015.

$6m: Ugborodo elders disagree with Uduaghan

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ARRI — THE lingering Ugborodo crisis took a twist, yesterday, with the Council of Elders of the community, disagreeing with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, that the $6 million released by Chevron Nigeria Limited

for the development of the New Ugborodo Town Project was safe in an escrow account.

The council, in a statement by its Secretary, Mr. Francis Uwawah, argued that since 2008 when the money

Delta APC warns members against anti-democrats

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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ENIN—THE Delta State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has warned its members not to allow themselves to be used by persons it described as “antidemocrats” out to cause confusion and crisis in the party.

The party, in a statement by its interim chairman, Rev. Jones Erue, in Benin City, Edo State, said that the recent inauguration of the Interim Committee followed due process as all parties were represented in the committee contrary to insinuations “by per-

sons, who wants to be used to destabilise the party in the state.”

The party said: “The former All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, got 9,7 and six slots respectively that comprises the Delta State APC Interim Committee, while Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, got 10 slots. Twenty-six members out of the 32 members of the committee formed the electoral college that conducted the elect ion at the inaugural meeting."

was released, till now, there was enough time for the money to have been used to execute the project for which it was meant.

The elders said: “Between 2008 and 2011 when there was no leadership crisis in Ugborodo, what would have possibly prevented the use of the money for the intended purpose? It thus means that keeping the said money in the said escrow account cannot be for good reasons.

Uwawah said that neither the registered Trustee, nor the Council of Elders, and even the entire community was aware of where the said money was kept.

On the N3.85 billion said to have been spent by the state government on the New Town project, the elders said that they were unaware of any “issue between the said contractor and the community, more so, as the registered trustee, the generality of the community, including the council have never set their eyes on

14—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

2015: North's opposition to Jonathan's 2nd term unfair —JERRY GANA

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH BUJA—A member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees, Professor Jerry Gana, yesterday, described as unfair the mounting opposition from the north against President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid in 2015.

Prof. Gana, who made the claim in an exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja, pointed out that Jonathan had an inalienable right to run again in 2015, as there was no law barring him from the contest.

Gana pleaded with those in the north still opposed

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to Jonathan’s presidential bid in 2015 to give him a chance to complete his tenure as provided for by the Nigerian Constitution.

According to the BoT member, it is wrong for uninformed persons to claim that Jonathan had hit the limit of his tenure after serving out the late President Yar'Ádua’s tenure and contesting for the first time as president in 2011.

The former Information minister, who noted with dismay the claim by some northerners that Jonathan signed an agreement with them to run for a single term of four years, disputed the existence of such a deal and challenged those making the allegation to produce

the document or keep quiet.

Gana said it was in the interest of the north to support Jonathan for a second term since the President had done so well for the region and Nigeria within two years than any sitting President in Nigeria.

He said the achievements of Jonathan in the areas of improved power supply; roads, agriculture, aviation and job creation were unprecedented in recent years.

The BoT member noted that even if Jonathan did not want to run in 2015, the South-South, which has always supported the North to produce the President of Nigeria, should be assisted by the North to contest and win.

APGA, LP trade words over Nnewi and security related matters. in the area. APGA had won LG poll APGA chairman for in Umudim, Uruagu and

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

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WKA—THE All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and the Labour Party, LP, have been trading words over the inconclusive local government election in Nnewi North Local Government Area.

The election had been canceled twice by Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, due to what it described as a mix up in sensitive election materials

Nnewi North, Mr. Dan Nnadi, told reporters yesterday in Nnewi that there had been a lot of propaganda about the conduct of the local government election in the area, adding that its main opponent in the poll, LP, had erroneously been claiming that it was winning the election before ANSIEC canceled it.

Nnadi said: “Before the cancellation, APGA was coasting to victory, having won eight of the ten wards

Nnewi Ichi and was expecting favourable result in Otolo.

“At the appropriate time, we may consider releasing the result to put the records straight. The talk of ANSIEC being compromised is totally false.

“As an unbiased umpire, we concluded that since anything worth doing is worth doing well, the election must be conducted in a levelplaying atmosphere and with all the materials available.”

Bank Manager arraigned over alleged attempted kidnapping punishable under section threat to life life/ to the Commissioner of 125 (a) of the criminal code

B

ENIN CITY—ONE Victor O. Ayemere, a manager in one of the new generation banks in Benin City, has been arraigned before the Magistrate's Court in Benin City, for alleged threat to life/ attempted kidnapping.

Mr. Ayamere was arrested by the Police in Edo State following a petition by one Mr. Emekeme Joseph who alleged that the Bank Manager had in October, 2013, gave false information to the police, portraying the petitioner as a kidnapper and in effect threatened his life.

However, the Bank Manager was arraigned yesterday by the Police Prosecutor before Magistrate P.E.Asemota and he pleaded not guilty.

The charge read, “that you Victor O. Ayemere on 2nd day of October, 2013 in Benin City at the Oredo Magistrate’s district reported a case of threat to

Police, Edo state Command through a written petition dated 2/10/ 2013, against Emekeme Joseph, knowing same to be false and thereby committed an offence

cap 48 Vol.laws of defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976 as applicable in Edo state of Nigeria”.

Theaccusedpleadednotguilty and the matter was adjourned till 17 of February, 2014.

Flag officer seeks improved civil, military relations

BY ESTHER

ONYEGBULA

L

AGOS—THE Nigerian Navy yesterday called for a robust civil-military relations, saying such was needed to combat threats to the nation’s territorial integrity.

Flag Officer Commanding Naval Training Command Rear Admiral Goddy Anyankpele, who made the call during a seminar at the naval training command, Apapa, Lagos, also solicited the cooperation of the civilian

populace which he said would go a long way in ensuring the success of military operations.

The seminar, he explained, was aimed at educating military personnel on the strategies for strengthening civilmilitary relations, noting that such cooperation was also necessary to minimize friction and foster peaceful co-existence.

He said: “As profound and skilful as our military intelligence is, it could be greatly impaired if the civilian populace does not cooperate with it.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 — 15

Senate pushes for proper regulation, supervision of AMCON

BY JOHNBOSCO

AGBAKWURU&JOSEPH ERUNKE

A

BUJA—APPARENTLY disturbed over alleged misuse of N5.6 trillion injected into the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Senate has begun moves aimed at ensuring proper regulation and supervision of the agency.

Already, a bill seeking to amend the existing law of AMCON passed second reading on the floor of the Senate yesterday, after exhaustive deliberation on the matter.

During the debate on the bill tagged: “A Bill for an Act to amend AMCON Act, 2010,” those who contributed, regretted that the N5.6 trillion which was meant to enable AMCON carry out its statutory functions, was misappropriated by those tasked with responsibility of its management.

They lamented AMCON had failed to live up to its objective of recovering toxic debts owed some commercial banks.

The bill seeks to among others, establish a corporate entity with a well constituted Board of Trustees, BoT, drawn from CBN, eligible financial institutions, National Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC and Ministry of Finance to make regulations for the supervision and management of the agency.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Bassey Otu, PDP, Cross River South, who sponsored the bill, in his lead debate, explained that it also sought to prohibit any board member or an employee of AMCON from being directly or indirectly involved in the purchase of assets acquired by the corporation.

Otu further explained that the bill was aimed at enhancing the work of AMCON to acquire assets that were already subject of litigation if there was no valid court order restraining it from carrying out such function.

Meanwhile, the committee had been mandated to find out the exact amount so far released to AMCON by the CBN; how the corporation made use of it and how much it really recovered.

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FG to launch new trust fund for Niger Delta

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

A

BUJA—THE Federal Government has concluded plans to launch the MultiStakeholder Trust Fund, MSTF, to fast-track the development of the Niger Delta.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, who disclosed this at the Women Civic-Orientation & Empowerment Summit yesterday in Abuja, explained that the MSTF was designed to address the enormous challenges of the region.

The summit was organised by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for women in the Niger Delta to sensitize them towards their unique roles of sustaining peace at the home-front and at institutional levels.

Orubebe noted that “as you are aware, the challenges in the Niger Delta are quite enormous and required huge resources which the government alone can not provide.”

first tranche of funding to address desired multiplier effect for the region.

Creation of the Trust Fund

Orubebe declared that the Niger Delta Action Plan had, in this regard, proposed the creation of Multi-Stakeholder Trust Fund to be launched this year to ensure that the desired multiplier effects were achieved in the best interest of the region.

Elder Orubebe, who was represented by the Minister of State, Arch. Darius Ishaku, announced that the ministry, through its activities as well as of other government agencies,

had been able to win the confidence of major stakeholders in the region, adding that this greatly reduced militancy and youth restiveness which had subsequently led to interrupted oil production, thereby increasing the nation’s revenue.

Orubebe said: “The creation of a ministry to handle the development of the Niger Delta in particular, is a deliberate attempt by government to focus on the myriad of problems ranging from environmental degradation and poverty which are especially faced by women in the region.”

Women summit

On the women summit organised by the ministry, Orubebe said: “As you are aware, sustainable peace is essential ingredient in any society for meaningful development to take place.

“Accordingly, this summit will further explore the means of sustaining peace in the Niger Delta through you the mothers of the area so that the potentials of our women could be meaningfully harnessed in various spheres which will result in positive impact on the lives of people.”

Endorsement

It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had in April last year endorsed the establishment of the MultiStakeholder Trust Fund, MSTF, which is expected to solve the decades of funding problems faced in the process of developing the region.

The programme, contained in Niger Delta Action Plan developed by the Ministry of Niger Delta, is expected to mobilise an additional $200 million (about N3.2billion) as the

PROTEST: Ohafia/Egbema youth protesting the relocation of some departments of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwu, Ohaji to Orlu by the state government, at the school premises, yesterday.

HOUSE LEADERSHIP: PDP lawmaker slams APC

A

BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

BUJA—PRESIDENT of African Parliament and member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Bethel Amadi, has described as unfortunate action of the Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila and other members of All Progressives Congress, APC, over the leadership tussle on the floor of the House last Tuesday.

Amadi in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, accused the minority leader of playing to the gallery.

Amadi, who represents Mbaitoli/Ikeduru federal constituency of Imo State, said what was necessary for his colleague to do was to officially move a motion calling for a change in the leadership structure of the House since he (Gbaja) believed that his party was the majority party.

He said: “What happened yesterday was very unfortunate because our learned friend, the

minority leader of the House of Reps whom I have a lot of respect for was trying to bring in through the back door an issue which he could have brought up officially through a motion. He knows what the process is.

“He could have moved the motion on the floor to say my party now has the majority, we want to take over the majority

leader’s position in the House and then we deal with it through the due process and nothing would have stopped him from moving that motion and then speaker would have ruled and probably called for the decision and then we would have done the needful.

“So, why would he introduce it in the middle of

a motion that has no relationship with the issue?

So, you can see that it is just an attempt to play to the gallery. I would think that as a Parliament, we have reached a stage where people need to begin to follow due process and respect law and order.

And that way we can build a better society.”

Nissan to role out 1st made in Nigeria cars in April

A

BY BEN AGANDE

BUJA—THE first set of Made in Nigeria 4x4 SUVs will be rolled out by Nissan Motors in April this year.

Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motors, Carlos Ghosn, disclosed this to President Goodluck Jonathan on the sideline of ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Ghosn, who said the vehicles would be rolled out of the old

Volkswagen Assembly plant in Lagos, noted it was possible to produce two to three million cars in Nigeria annually.

According to him, this will lead to creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the country.

He also told President Jonathan that Nissan intended to increase its investment in Nigeria and establish its own production plant in the country.

“We are interested in producing popular cars , totally

adapted to the needs of Nigerians,” Ghosn told the President, adding that the company also planned to bring its global suppliers to make vehicle components in the country.

In his remarks, President Jonathan reiterated that the diligent implementation of the country ’s new national automotive policy would rapidly develop Nigeria’s automobile industry.

16 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 —17

L

AST week, I commented on a political rally that resulted in a major clash between the police and supporters of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Senator Magnus Abe, a staunch Amaechi loyalist who happens to come from my area (Ogoni), was said to have been seriously injured during the fracas.

I criticised the police for being heavy-handed and chided Abe for attending a rally that had not been sanctioned by the law enforcement authorities. I expressed the view that Abe, a legislator and lawyer, should have known better.

I took a dim view of Abe’s involvement for two reasons: a. A member of the Amaechi/ Abe camp had told me that he and his colleagues had defiantly gone ahead with the Port Harcourt rally, even though their application for a police permit had not been approved, b. A member of the antiAmaechi camp had told me that his faction always applied for police permits before it

Anti Amaechi protesters on Aba road, Port Harcourt...when will the city witness peace and development again?

Police permits you displayed a gross misunderstanding of the laws guiding the legality or otherwise of the actions of the police and/or rally organisers.

The law is that no person or group of persons need a police permit to assemble…it is their unqualified right to hold that rally without even informing the police. Abe had a right to organize/address that rally; and I daresay that he exercised his discretion wisely

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As far as I’m concerned, a true friend is one who harasses you to ditch your weaknesses, maximize your strengths, put your mistakes behind you and fulfill your potential

hosted large public gatherings…and had obediently complied when permission had been withheld in the past Several Vanguard readers have subsequently contacted me to say that police permits are not compulsory within this context. Two examples:From: John Aikpokpo-martins Esq <omisessy@yahoo.com > I have always admired your fearless exposition of the truth in your articles, even when many are scared to express their real opinions about burning issues…. However, C M Y K

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by being there, as there was no reason not to have been… +2348055008472 Anonymous Dear Donu, no permit is required for any person or group to hold a rally in Nigeria, according to section 40 of the 1999 constitution, which was reaffirmed in a Supreme Court judgment.

So can you please tell me where the Nigerian police force is deriving its power from?

I then received a call from Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, my former boss who used to be CEO of Daily Times. He told me that

I had “misfired” on the permit issue.

Confused, I got back to the anti-Amaechi guy (who also happens to be a lawyer), to query his insistence that anyone who wants to hold a rally must get a permit before hand. He said that the police are entitled to forbid or postpone any event they regard as potentially detrimental to the maintenance of law and order.

Whatever the truth may be on a purely legal or wider level, I and most of the Rivers indigenes I know are furious about the ongoing tension and praying that warring elements eventually settle their differences and allow us to have peace.

Another complaint Eddy Ibrahim Mark (markieddy@yahoo.com ), a former secretary general of the Nigerian Bar Association who comes from the same part of Rivers State as Amaechi, objected to some of the comments I made in last week’s

column.

I don’t agree that the Police used excessive force because from Police accounts the senator dared them with suspected political thugs surging towards them and the only alternative was to disperse the advancing thugs with tear gas. I also don’t agree that the President has anything to do to stem the tide of descent into lawlessness. He has been wrongly accused of being responsible for the political upheaval in Rivers State.

Political gladiators At any available fora, Rotimi Amaechi has used it to thoroughly abuse the office and person of the President. The political gladiators are well known and the constant attempt to drag the President into the theatre of war is nonsensical and out of place. The despicable show of shame by a distinguished senator should be condemned.

Daft attackers!

I have made many positive remarks about Dr Goodluck Jonathan on this page since he became Vice President in 2007. Even when I grumble about his leadership style, my criticisms are constructive and I make it clear that I regard him as a Big Brother and want him to do well.

So I really don’t understand why some folks insist on accusing me of being an irredeemably hostile antiJonathan element! As far as I’m concerned, a true friend is one who harasses you to ditch your weaknesses, maximize your strengths, put your mistakes behind you and fulfill your potential.

As far as I’m concerned, the last thing Jonathan needs is sycophantic praise-singers who tell him that he is always right, even though it is obvious to anyone with half a brain that he sometimes (like all human beings) gets it very wrong!

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 OR 0811 675 9752 (texts only). PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED, WITH YOUR NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED.

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 THE Child Rights Act 2003, CRA, witnessed the affront. After its passage, many States laid out different ploys to avoid its implementation.

It was the first time under our federal constitution that States rejected a federal law, claiming that their Assemblies would domesticate the law. The Freedom of Information Act 2010, FoIA, is undergoing the same rigmarole. Incidentally, they are the only two laws State Assemblies insist on domesticating. These laws are fundamental to Nigeria’s future.

The National Assembly makes laws for the entire federation. State Assemblies make laws for their States. According to Section 4 (5), of the constitution,“If any law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly’shall prevail, and that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void”.

States do not have to make laws on child rights and the freedom of information. If, however, they do, the constitution does not allow such laws to go beneath the standards set by federal law that covers the same field as the state law.

National Assembly's Laxity On Illegalities It is surprising also that the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice has not stood up against this desecration of the Constitution.

Domestication of laws, according to Section 12 (1) of the Constitution, applies to treaties between Nigeria and other countries. The States have appropriated domestication to desecrate the Constitution.

Child’s rights are so important; we expected States would be enthusiastic about implementing them. The FoIA expands on the liberties the Constitution awards the public.

Section 22 of the Constitution which states, “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives

contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people,” is stronger than the FoIA. The National Assembly watches as State Assemblies desecrate its constitutional roles under the dubious claim of domesticating laws the National Assembly validly made. How do they get away with such illegalities that breach the Constitution? What provisions in the Constitution give them the powers to re-make and un-make federal laws to their satisfaction?

The States during public hearings made inputs into the same laws.

Domestication of national laws is an excuse for breaking the law. States can contest the laws in court, not break wantonly as they are doing.

Attempts by different States to weaken the laws by throwing out aspects they consider unpleasant are unacceptable, illegal and should stop. The National Assembly has a major responsibility to protect the Constitution from the fragrant abuses of state legislatures that are assuming the place of the National Assembly. The Attorney-General of the Federation must support the National Assembly to do so.

OPINION

BY DAN OWEGIE

T

HE gale of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, to the All Progressive Congress, APC has been received by many commentators with mixed feelings.

While some brazenly wave the defectors aside with uncouth commentaries, others have seen it as the desired light at the end of the tunnel for Nigeria's chequered history. The PDP has suffered very serious depletion lately and the gale has not ended. Many more are warming up to dump the party that has prided itself for too long as the largest political party in Africa. Some of its members had boasted to citizens that the party will rule Nigeria for sixty unbroken years.

The nation's political landscape is daily becoming interesting with increasing dumping of the PDP by its erstwhile loyalists.

In the PDP of today, there is apathy, distrust, hatred, oppression, favouritism, impunity, and several other negative attributes.

But events of the last six months have seen the PDP already jittery as we approach the 2015 general election where the APC hopes to take over the leadership of the nation.

From the letter of former President / PDP BoT Chairman, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan and the reply of the letter by Mr. President , and all the letters that followed thereafter indicate a PDP House of Commotion with several cracks. To stave off the obvious catastrophe of the dipping party, President Jonathan plans to change his cabinet any moment from now. Last week, he had to sack his

PDP defections:Pointer to APC take over in 2015 entire service chiefs and the Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur whose tenure was largely characterised by unlimited crises of various shapes and sizes was also pushed away. All who had defected from the party had insisted on the ouster of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur but a defiant Jonathan had insisted on keeping him on as his core ally whom he believes will give him the much sort after second term. But the rest today is history.

Before President Jonathan could spell Jack Robinson, the party under his watch had broke into two factions- One led by Bamanga Tukur and a splinter group led by Alhaji Abubakar Baraje. From one litigation to another and from one funny court verdict to another, the new PDP moved en masse into the APC. Five Governors of Kwara, Rivers, Sokoto, Kano, and Adamawa and their loyalists soon after defected to the APC. This shook the PDP to its foundations. Two other Governors of Niger and Jigawa who were part of the G7 Governors offered to tarry awhile.

Only recently, 49 members of the House of Representatives formally dumped the PDP and joined the APC which has altered the equation in the House. Today APC stands majority! A similar scenario is playing out in the Senate where more than 22 senators had gone to court to challenge the plot to declare their seats vacant should they defect to the APC. The consequence of bad

leadership and greed in the PDP is now faceto-face with all card carrying members of the party, including those who had boasted of it being the alpha and omega of the nation.

The reasons for what has brought the PDP to this sorry path are not farfetched. Leaders of a party in power ought to have listening ears , this seems to be lacking in the crisisridden party.

Those who left the PDP had told Nigerians that "In gross violation of the PDP constitution, which stipulates that the NEC meeting must hold at least once in a quarter, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and a few people had ran the party like a personal fiefdom without recourse to that important decision-making organ of the party." Another issue is that the PDP leaders have no regard for the party's constitution. Several incidences abound where national officers were removed by a state chapter with the support of the National secretariat and the presidency.

Again, the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike has been accused by the defectors of riding on the back of the President to unleash mayhem in Rivers State.

The Presidency have continued to deny involvement in the madness in Rivers State where, even the Nigeria Police Force, Rivers State Command appear to be the official head office of the PDP! What a shame!

But assuredly, the APC is set to take over the affairs of this country as it is gaining popularity by the day. More and more

Nigerians are pouring into the party as its nationwide membership registration gets under way. The APC is already showing to Nigerians that it has the x-factor to take over the governance of the country from the PDP. More importantly, the APC will throw up candidates with experience in governance, candidates with energy, candour and spirit to surmount the nation's myriad socioeconomic and political problems.

Unarguably, the APC is already providing the right alternatives in the states it is currently in control of. In Edo, ably led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, there are ample evidence of good governance and accountable leadership. Lagos is being properly transformed by Babatunde Fasola, Imo is being remodeled by Chief Rochas Okorocha and so on. Clearly, APC's emergence is for all Nigerians to get away from unfulfilled promises of the PDP, a clean break away from abject poverty, disease and squalour and return of confidence to citizens. The APC is committed to putting the nation back on the track of development to catch up with the rest of the world in infrastructure, science and technology, democracy and governance as well as social order in a globalised world.

*Mr. Owegie, is a chieftain of the APC in Edo State.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014— —19

I

N Igbo land, we say that it is irresponsible for the goat to give birth under the tether, when there is an elder at home or around. Elders are expected to know the right thing to do under any circumstance, and to see that it is done, be it in the family, the village, community or town. The wisdom of the elders is the wisdom of the gods of the land.

The wisdom of the elders must not be underrated, because what an elder sees while sitting down, a boy cannot see even if he climbs an iroko tree. But when one considers the situation in Nigeria, the question of what went wrong becomes inescapable. Is it that the young ones have failed to learn from the elders, or that the elders have failed to pass those customs that made our society peaceful and progressive to the younger generations, or is it that the youth developed a big-snouth attitude of “let no one speak to me”? How did we sink to this level where cultism and violence has become part of our political culture ? Is it that the elders failed to fight the evils of corruption, to the extent that now, we have thriving corruption in almost every facet of life in Nigeria. Can the youth be blamed? The answer is in the

negative, because our people say that a child that is not properly brought up, could pick up the millipede thinking it is the cricket.

Who started cultism in our universities, how did it spread and develop to this level, where you have cultists in leadership positions , and at all levels in our country today, and as a result,political brigandage has become the profession of many in Nigeria today. There is violence among the natives from Plateau to Benue, Ebonyi to Imo state, and from Maiduguri to Adamawa States.

Minor ethnic clashes and skirmishes are exploited for selfish political, and religious reasons and escalated to monsters,and theatres where the lands continue to be soaked with the blood of the innocent. What started off as volence against Igbos, and Christians a few years back in the North West of Nigeria, has managed to grow into a full blown terrorist movement, that has become a source of challenge to our security agencies. When a case of clear breach of the peace comes up, we manage to handle it in such a way as to let it grow into something bigger over time.

Arguments are adduced for and against the pepertrator, such that an unfocused leadership will simply look away, for the evil to

We are like children left at home, whose elders have gone to hunt rats in the bush, when the village is ablaze from a simple fire carried by the gentle wind! We are writing letters and counter letters, while the Ship of State continues to drift

,

continue to fester. This is why no one hears of the result of the enquiry into the killing of police officers and other security personnel by the Eggon cult group in Nassarawa State last year. Those officers died from causes that could have been avoided, and today, the Cult leaders are moving around free, and perhaps boasting of what they can do, given another chance.

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ill you blame them if they boasted ? Afterall, when one kills the policeman and gets away with it, who can he not kill under any circumstance? If we

Re: Obasanjo's missive

BY PETER LOTOBI

T

HE news media has been awash in recent times with high profile letters from the nation's top citizens . As Nigerians were just grappling with the leaked letter of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria to the President over an alleged unremmited money generated from crude oil sales, which letter was yet to be digested, another letter written by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President, and addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan, got leaked again to the press.

President Goodluck Jonathan has equally replied to the said letter in his letter dated December 2, 2013.

Naturally, reactions from Nigerians have trailed these letters. This brings to focus the kind of interest our political leaders project in this country. Most often than not our selfish interest overrides national interest Our prejudices, quarrels, vituperations only protect the individual's stomach, fat bank account to the detriment of the suffering masses. I must salute Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) for his patriotic comment and reaction to the letters exchanged between Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan over national matters. Professor Sagay was very objective in his comment.

A true and patritic Nigerian should divest himself of sectional, selfish or devisive tendency and promote those virtues that unite, irrespective of tribe, religion, or political lining.

Let us pause a while and critically examine the spirit and intendment of Obasanjo’s letter to Mr. President.

Obasanjo and other former Presidents and Head of State belong to the privileged class of number one citizens who ruled this country at various times who are now the fathers of the nation. Their experience and knowledge in the act of governance should be an asset to this country. These former Presidents and Heads of States are

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unique citizens who should always consult among themselves and collectively give honest advice to a sitting President on national issues as a guide to the President for the good of the country.

Again, our former Presidents and Head of State have the privilege of obtaining and verifying any information from the government. The handling or management of such information from government circle should conform to the prescribed official standard.

As a former President, Obasanjo has all the means of accessing the sitting President and render discreet and honest advice.

However, Obasanjo’s letter goes to vilify the President.The tone of the letter suggest the motive behind it. The height of it all is that a former President could raise a high level accusation against a sitting President that bothers on the security of lives of citizens of this country. Such accusation is capable of increasing the political tension in the country. Worst still, the said accusation was not back with facts and figures. It is a settled principle of law that he who alleges must prove. Somebody at his level should not make an allegation for just the fun of it because unsubstantiated allegation can jeopardize our already challenged national security further.

From the tone of Obasanjo’s letter, it does appear he is dissatisfied with President Jonathan’s failure to run the country at his whims and caprices. It would appear that the Nigeria project has become the personal estate of Obasanjo wherein the sitting President has become the caretaker of his estate. No little wonder Senator Iyabo Obasanjo's letter to her father was a let off. “Dear Daddy, you don’t own Nigeria,” she told her father.That is an honest advice from daughter to her father, but such advice should equally go to some of our so-called leaders who are in Obasanjo’s shoes. The

,

BY CLEMENT UDEGBE

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When the elders go for rat hunting

do not care for our Police, who then do we really care for, the journalist, student, or the worker?

The value of life seems to mean very little to our political leaders these days.

If it does not touch one of theirs then all is well. What started in Rivers State, last year, is gradually snow balling into a major national security issue, while we seat around discussing, arguing, and condemning it in strongest terms but do just nothing to stop it. The embattled Governor ends up in thanks giving service to God for being able to present the State's appropriation bill to the State House. Just yesterday, someone asked how many Speakers are in the Rivers State House of Assembly, and no one could really say because it depends on what side of the political divide in the State the one answering the question is. As it is now, anything can happen any time in Rivers State, every issue is tied down to politics and 2015, while the state is flung into the hardest traffic gridlock on all most all major roads in the State. In such a fluid situation, criminals enjoy their field day, while we speak grammar about the situation.

When the poor is hit, they suffer in our local hospitals, and if the rich is hit, they are flown overseas, but no one asks why States as rich as Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Lagos still fly their sick rich ones overseas, for simple medical conditions.

Why can we not set up similar hospitals for the rich in Nigeria ?

It is quite appalling that Obasanjo would lose sleep over Mr. President’s undeclared intention to contest 2015 presidential election

,

way these leaders behave suggest that this country is their personal estate, or rather major shareholders as in a limited liability company.

People who are enmeshed and soaked in the pool of corruption. They sew and wear apparel of corruption, cultivate and dine in corruption. Corruption has become an aged long disease in Nigeria which cannot be ascribed particularly to this administration. The society has prepared a fertile soil for corruption to grow for a long time now. The society allowed corruption to thrive as they praise-sing corrupt individuals. Effort made at curbing corruption has always been thwarted. Until we all fall back to the biblical saying in the book of Romans which says: “We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” we should stop pointing accusing fingers but let us blame ourselves individually and resolve to change the status quo for normalcy and sanity to prevail in our country. The panacea to the insurgency that has plagued this country, the carrot and stick approach, falls short of expectation. It is very clear that the Odi experience in Bayelsa state did not solve the problem.

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e must continue to appreciate and eulogize our former President, late Alhaji Musa Yar ’Adua, for his magnanimity and maturity in handling the Niger Delta militants which culminated to the granting of amnesty to the militants. In similar vein, the insurgency in the North Eastern Nigeria

If according to Prof. Chinua Achebe in his book, titled “There was a country” , Biafra could refine its own crude oil within two and a half years of existence, how come 43 years after the war, Nigeria still imports fuel and cannot refine enough fuel for her consumption? Why are most of the industries leaving Nigeria to neighbouring countries because of incessant power outages?

People are refining crude in the creeks of Niger Delta region, and we cry oil theft. We allocate figures to oil theft, and complain, but why can’t we begin by tapping into the strength and knowledge of the local crude refiners, and make it our starting point? If God has in His infinite wisdom put abundant oil in the bowel of Nigeria, why can’t Nigerians be best crude oil refiners in this world?

The answer is perhaps because those who should know the road, and lead the way, are not interested in taking us there. It is more rewarding for them to garner every power, political, religious, financial for themselves. 2015, is all that matters to them, hence it has denominated everything they think and do.We are like children left at home, whose elders have gone to hunt rats in the bush, when the village is ablaze from a simple fire carried by the gentle wind! We are writing letters and counter letters, while the Ship of State continues to drift.

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

is not an exception and the President is doing all within his power to solve the problem. It is unfortunate that certain persons in the society who are suppose leaders, could be luring and influencing the innocent and ignorant youths to resort to violence to advance their interest.

It is quite appalling that Obasanjo would lose sleep over Mr. President’s undeclared intention to contest 2015 presidential election. Suffice it to state that it is a settled fact that Mr. President is quite competent to contest the 2015 Presidential election. That will be the second time he will be standing for a presidential election which the constitution guarantees. Mr. President does not need to take permission from Obasanjo for him to contest for that seat again. It is the Nigerian people who will give him the mandate and no one else. We cannot forget in a hurry that Obasanjo served two terms as President, and also made drastic move to influence the amendment of the constitution to create a lee way for him to go for the third term in office, but Nigerians said no to that ambition.

With this, Obasanjo lacks the moral right to pick hole over President Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the 2015 election.

While Obasanjo was making move to run for the third term in office he forgot that his predecessor-in-office, General Abdulsalaami Abubakar, Rtd. sacrificed personal interest by staying few months in office just to put the electoral processes in place and midwifed a transition that gave birth to the fourth Republic. Thereafter, General Abdulsalaami Abubakar retired to his home to a quiet and peaceful life, as he only continued to play the genuine role of a statesman. General Abubakar remains a true patriot and father at all times. He had the opportunity to elongate his stay in office but resisted the temptation and allowed the national interest to over ride personal interest at that critical moment. General Abubakar is a role our model.

*Mr. Lotobi, a legal practitioner, is President, Young Citizens of Nigeria and wrote from Asaba, Delta State.

20 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

JANUARY 24 , 2014

•Governor Fashola being registered.

Echoes of pain as Lagos residents’ registration enters 4th month F

OUR months after the registration of Lagos residents was flagged off by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, echoes of anguish have continued to trail the exercise which according to the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency, LASRRA Bill, is meant to create a reliable database of all residents in the State. The bill which was signed into law

by Governor Fashola on June 27, 2011 further seeks to “establish relevant infrastructure for the creation of a residents information database, produce guidelines for data to be contained in the registration form and advice the government on mode of collecting data from the public”.

The actual registration commenced in September last year after elaborate campaigns by the Agency. LASRRA had in the campaigns, enjoined Lagos residents to register in designated centres after which they would be issued with residency cards.

The Agency also went the extra mile by creating a website for online registration. Bill boards were also erected in

strategic locations to create awareness about the exercise.

But four months into the exercise, some residents of the “Centre of Excellence,” have complained of the inefficiency of LASRRA personnel while others who view the registration as ploy to further increase their suffering by taxing them more, have vowed not to be part of it.

Vanguard Metro, VM which went round different parts of the city to monitor the progress of the exercise, found out that many Lagos residents are yet to be registered due to the clumsy nature of the registration process.

Online registration The online registration which is supposed to bring some succour, has failed to do so. A few forms are available online even as there is an instruction that the registration should be completed at various registration centres.

At Agbado-Ijaye, Idimu and Akowonjo, VM observed a low turn out of people. Some of those who spoke to VM alleged that the exercise is an avenue

to impose taxes on them. The poor turnout was also witnessed in highbrow Lekki and the government reserved areas, GRAs. At Agege, Ejigbo, Ipaja-Ayobo and Agbado-OkeOdo, VM observed a large turn out of people but with few officials on ground to register them. A different picture was obtained at Bariga and Anthony where a good percentage of the people including children, have been registered.

Vanguard Metro observed that the registration centres are far-flung from most of the people living in the outskirts. Some of them who ventured to register, had to trek long distances to the nearest registration points. VM learnt that some had to leave their homes as early as 5am in a bid to get registered only to be frustrated at the end of the day. Some of those who spoke to VM alleged that local politicians have hijacked the exercise. According to them, some people who come later, get registered while those who came in the wee hours of the day and picked numbers, are shoved aside.

VM visited Igbogbo-Bayeku in Ikorodu at three different occasions. On each of these vis-

its, VM saw a long queue of those intending to register but many of them ended without doing so. An official of LASRRA claimed they can only register 100 people daily.

Madam Gloria Emede, 55, said she arrived the centre as early as 5am and was given number 96. “At about 2pm, some politicians arrived in a private bus and mandated the officials to register about 20 people who were not in the queue. That affected me and

This is my fourth visit to the centre; this exercise is nothing but a punishment. I patiently waited, because of my position as a teacher, if not, I would have called it off

,

By BOSE ADELAJA

fied himself as Funso Akinrinmade said he managed to register after four attempts. “This is my fourth visit to the centre; this exercise is nothing but a punishment. I patiently waited, because of my position as a teacher, if not, I would have called it off,” he said.

A septuagenarian, Madam Folusho Babatunde who arrived the centre around 6.15am said she was given number 95.

She alleged that the officials did not arrive until 10am. “In spite of my early arrival at the centre, some of us were turned back around 12 noon. Some

some others who were already lined up for registration. We had to go home disappointed, “ she alleged.

Also at Ikorodu Central, a female official informed those who were already in the queue to come the next day. “We can no longer continue with the exercise today, kindly come tomorrow. We can only register 60 people today, the rest should come back tomorrow,” she explained.

A school teacher who identi-

,

people arrived there as early as 2am and the officials said they will only register about 80 people. I decided to leave the centre and will never return there. This is my second attempt in two weeks,’’ she lamented.

Effort to contact LASRRA General Manager, MS Yinka Fashola, did not yield fruits.

The Public Relations Officer told VM that his boss travelled out of the state.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 — 21

LAPO Microfinance to disburse N92.7bn to SMEs

By PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

L

APO Microfinance Bank Limited said it has budgeted N92.7 billion for disbursement to Small Medium Enterprises, SMEs, in this fiscal year.

The bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe, disclosed this while chatting with journalists on the activities of the bank this year.

He said the amount voted this year is higher than the N62.2 billion it disbursed in 2013 to customers of the bank, who sought the interventionist approach of the bank to deliver affordable housing to indigent WORKSHOP: From left: Mr. Gregory Jobome, Chief Risk Officer, Access Bank; Mr. Douglas Kativu, Head of Focal Nigerians.

Point, South Africa and Ms Ini Onuk, Lead Consultant/CEO, Thistle Praxis Consulting, at the just concluded G4 SustainabilHe stated that LAPO’s ity Reporting Guideline Training Workshop at the bank’s head office, Lagos. interest in embracing the affordable housing microfinance (HMF) concept was borne out of its social and environmental mandate of lifting its customers out of poverty and improving lives.

Ehigiamusoe said that the specific objectives of affordable housing is to meet the need of through the third reading

By OLASUNKANMI conjunction with the relevant within 30 days from the date potential and existing LAPO states the objectives of the AKONI & EBUN SESSOU government agencies. of the order, provided that an clients, evolve a repayment agency to include the right to “The agency will publish appeal filed out of time may system that would not have be informed about the qualfrom time to time the list of be entertained if the court is negatives effects on its clients AGOS State House of ity, quantity, potency, purity, products, the consumption satisfied there is sufficient cash flow and living standardAssembly has passed a standard and price of goods and sale of which have been cause for filling out of time. competitive pricing. He further bill for a law to establish the and services as the case may banned, withdrawn, restricted Convicted traders liable to listed the objectives of its Consumer Protection Agency be so as to protect consumers or not approved by the compensate consumers for housing scheme to ensure a and to provide for the against unfair trade practices. appropriate Federal loss, that is if a trader is sustainable and quality loan protection of the interest of On the functions of the Government Agencies” . convicted of an offence under portfolio for the scheme, while consumers into law. agency, the bill stipulates that According to section 29 of the new law, the agency may, Ehigiamusoe also assured of The bill, which is Private the agency will ensure the the bill which states the on behalf of an aggrieved strong relationship with social Member Bill sponsored by the replacement of hazardous enforcement of the agency, consumer who consents to investors and partners that Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, products with safe products any person aggrieved by an the application, apply to the support the LAPO scheme. had since been sent to the and seek ways and means of order made by the agency courts for an order or governor for his assent. eliminating hazardous may prefer an appeal against damage.

The bill, which scaled products from the market in such order to the High Court

Lagos Assembly passes Consumer Protection Bill L

Negative perception responsible for low investment inflow in Africa — Dangote

By PETER EGWUATU

P

resident and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, at the on-going World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, decried the negative perception of socio-political situation in African countries, saying it is responsible for the low level of investment inflow into the continent.

Speaking during a live telecast of a business platform “Africa’s Next Billion” alongside other leaders including Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan and Ghana’s John Mahama, Dangote stated that the wrong perception of the security and political situation in Africa had

made investors especially from the West lost sight of the potentials in the continent.

According to him, the African countries have also done little or nothing to remedy the ugly situation.

Explaining that the situation in Africa was not as bad as being painted, the business mogul said corporate investors don’t check what Africa is truly about, but base their judgment and perception on what they read in newspaper, which is not always positive.

“For instance foreign investors wait for election to be concluded, after then, they try to check the stability of government of the day for at least two years but then, its more difficult

to take any decision because the tenure of the government is coming to end and by so doing, foreign investors are scared of incoming or incumbent and the cycle keeps going on.

“But then I don’t think there is anything to be afraid of because no government is against business, every government is pro-business. Most business risk is perceived not actual risk”, he stated.

Dangote lamented that Africa isn’t good at telling its’ our own stories, people often rely on stories they heard from others to make their decision, most times those stories are not true.

People always underestimate Africa.”

114.75

-1.45

2,708.00

+29.00

15.03

-0.19

108.00 +1.27 96.66 CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.74 253.8355 209.2394 169.1517 1.4785 0.3015 236.535 25.5726 41.2585 28.1233 237.2938

+1.69 SELLING

155.24 155.74 254.6557 255.4759 209.9155 210.5916 169.6983 170.2449 1.4833 1.4881 0.3115 0.3215 237.2993 238.0636 25.6557 25.7387 41.3918 41.5251 28.2142 28.305 238.0605 238.8273

CBN Exchange rate as at 23/01/2014

22 Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

NSE to hire external advisers for demutualisation exercise

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM, with Agency report

C

HIEF Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, has said that arrangement is underway to hire external advisers that will champion the demutualisation of the stock exchange.

He made the remark in an interview at the ongoing World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos,Switzerland.

Meanwhile, demutualisation is a process where stock exchanges transform into a Public Limited Liability Company (PLC) and by implication a profit making organisation listed on itself and any other Exchange around the world.

With demutualisation, investing public will have the opportunity to trade on the shares of the Exchange just like any other quoted company. Where it is implemented, the exercise usually results into members of the public holding 51 per cent of the demutualised company’s equity capital.

At the moment, the NSE is a private company established by an Act of Parliaments and owned by members comprising stock brokers and ordinary members.

Attempt at demutualising the

NSE was first made in 2008, but was later put on hold the following year due to disagreement among the current members.

Onyema had fortnight ago at a world press conference to review the market activities in 2013, said that the committee constituted by the Exchange has submitted plans for the de-

mutualistion, but the management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange was yet to review it and take decision on it.. speaking at the WEF, he noted that detailed plans for sale of the NSE would soon be submitted to the Securities and Exchange, SEC, for approval so long as there are no legislative issues.

Speaking further, he said that the uopcoming general election in 2015 would probably cause unease for investors in the capital markets as the Federal Reserve continues with tapering its quantitative easing program.

“The uncertainty around the election presents challenges for us. International portfolio

MEETING: Minister for Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga (middle); Group

Managing Director/CEO, Diamond Bank Plc, Dr. Alex Otti (left) and Executive Director, Retail Banking, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Uzoma Dozie, at a meeting between the minister and the bank’s executives, in Lagos.

Under-capitalisation bane of insurance sector -— Aig-Imoukhuede

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

C

HAIRMAN of Wapic In surance Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, has attributed under-performance in insurance sector to undercapitalisation, deficiencies in technical capacity and poor compensation structure among others.

Speaking when he visited the management of the National insurance Commission, NAICOM, in the company of the management team, AigImoukhuede said that Wapic is repositioning itself to support the regulator ’s goal to address the weaknesses.

According to him, the insurance industry ought to serve as a source of long term financing and compliment other domestic financial services to enhance infrastructure development and sustainable economic growth.

He added that insurance is a critical contributor to the growth of the economy, especially emerging markets such as Nigeria, adding that the sector provides risk protection solutions which create stability for businesses to operate

with a lower propensity for volatility or failure.

He assured that Wapic is fully committed to implementing best practice standards in corporate governance, even as he added that government and regulatory compliance are central to the company’s gover-

nance practices.

In his remark, the acting Managing Director Mr. Ashish Desai, said that “The Nigerian insurance industry presents an opportunity for the emergence of operators, who will dominate the African continent. In NAICOM, we see a

proactive regulator who understands this potential and is positioning to steer the industry to transformative growth that will unlock the country’s opportunities. As a company, Wapic is well positioned to support NAICOM to achieve its objectives.”

IHS shareholders back delisting from NSE

BY WILLIAM JIMOH

S

HAREHOLDERS of IHS Nigeria Plc, a telecom infrastructure service provider company, have supported the decision of the company to exit from the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, daily official list.

This was following agreement reached with the investors and company that each shareholder would receives N4.35 while embarking on a corporate restructuring.

Speaking on behalf of other investors at the company ’s Court Order Meeting held in Lagos, Mr. Williams Adebayo, President, Greenwich Shareholders Association, noted that the shareholders accepted the proposal considering the rea-

sons by the chairman to allow for an optimal future expansion plan and capital requirement.

According to Adebayo, “Prior to this meeting, the shareholders have said that the amount to be given which is N3.70 per share is ridiculously low and after serious bargaining with the company’s Board of Directors, we reached a conclusion that N4.35 per share is an ideal price and that gave the company a chance to delist and move forward as a going concern with vibrant funds needed to do business.”

Earlier in his speech, the company’s chairman, Mallam Bashir El-Rufai, stated that it became imperative for the company to delist from the NSE daily official list following the

limited number of shareholders and extremely low level of liquidity in the company ’s stock which has impacted significantly the feasibility of raising the required capital on the NSE. As a result of this, “The Board of Directors has had extensive discussion around the optimal corporate structure for the company in light of the shift in strategic focus, future expansion plans and capital requirement.

“Pursuant to these discussions, the Board of Directors received a proposal from IHS Holding to continue to support the company’s growth and expansion, the restructuring of the company from a public listed entity to a private unlisted entity.”

Expert lists conditions to boost capital market operations

BY PETER EGWUATU

A

N analyst has suggest ed some policies and measures that will act as checks and balance and help protect investors and further sanitise the Nigerian capital market.

Mr. Jude Fejokwu, Principal Analyst, Thaddeus Investment Advisors & Research Ltd, said that payment days for dividends must be within seven calendar days of the stocks’ ex-dividend date.

This, according to him, will prevent the scenario of interest being generated on approved dividend payments during the time lag between approval and payment.

He further stated that the regulators should not allow owner and/or chief executive of a listed company to be on the the Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE. Continuing, he said “No brokerage company should be allowed to control more than 15 percent of the annual value of trades on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on an annual basis. No shareholder (in excess of five percent) of any investment bank or brokerage firm should be allowed to be on the board of any listed company.”

Other policies that are needed in the market, according to him include that “All mutual fund companies and brokerage firms must state how many shares they hold in proprietary form and for discretionary accounts (accounts in which they decide the portfolio composition) of the top 50 most capitalised companies in Nigeria on a monthly basis.”

Fejokwu, further advocated that the NSE needs to allow the ‘shorting’ of stocks. This, he stated, will lead to a more balanced market as can then begin to profit from negative news and performances of companies.

According to him “This is largely why in Nigeria of today, market participants are highly sensitive to the release of negative news on companies and/or their management, because they cannot make money from it and thereof deem the information unnecessary and not useful.

People will be more interested in the truth (when negative) when they realise they can profit from it by taking position instead of just avoiding potential losses as is the case today. Money can and should be allowed to be made from the good and bad fortunes of companies."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 — 23

Farm machinery, sustainable agriculture must evolve together — FAO F

ARM machines have revolutionized agriculture and reduced drudgery for millions of farm families and workers, but the machinery of tomorrow will have to do more than that – it will also have to contribute to agriculture that is environmentally sustainable.

A new FAO book, Mechanization for rural development, a review of patterns and progress from around the world, explores the inexorable rise of the use of machinery in farmers’ fields, drawing lessons for policymakers and economists from some of the big winners and also the regions lagging behind.

For example, Bangladesh went from using human muscle and ox power in the early 1970s to being one of the most mechanized agricultural economies in South Asia, with 300 000 low-power 2-wheel tractors, a million diesel powered irrigation pumps and widespread mechanized crop threshing.

On the other hand, Africa, which has comparatively the most abundant land resources, has less than 10 percent of mechanization services provided by engine power. About 25 percent of farm power is provided by draught animals and over 60 percent by people’s muscles, mostly from women, the elderly and children.

Mechanization for rural development draws lessons from these trends, with indepth studies of mechanization in countries and regions in Africa, Asia, the Near East, South America and Eastern Europe, as well as chapters on themes such as development needs, manufacturing and information exchange.

“The book delves into many aspects of farm mechanization, not only how machines will contribute to an environmentally sustainable future, but also what policies will put machines at the service of family farms so that they too can profit,” said Ren Wang, Assistant Director-General of FAO’s Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department.

Future of agriculture

The book also looks to the future, arguing that the design of agricultural machinery must evolve in parallel with the roll out of C M Y K

Sustainable Crop Production Intensification (SCPI). That means fewer chemicals, more efficient use of water, and more efficient use of machines.

Farm machinery needs to be intelligent, lean, precise and efficient in order to minimize the impact on the soil and the landscape. Two of the farming activities that have the greatest impact on the environment are soil tillage, because it can severely damage soil ecology, and pesticide application.

Conservation agriculture is an approach that reduces or eliminates soil tillage and pesticide use. To control weeds, conserve soil

moisture and avoid soil disturbance, a mulch layer of crop residue is retained on the unploughed field.

Special machinery is needed to plant seeds and apply fertilizer through the mulch at the correct depth without disturbing the crop residues. An added advantage to this type of mechanization is that, without the need for highdraught tillage, lower powered and therefore cheaper tractors can be used. These lighter machines have the added advantage of not compacting and therefore damaging the soil like a heavy tractor would.

The use of agrochemicals

for the management of insect pests, disease and weeds can have a significant impact on the environment. Besides reducing pesticide use overall through integrated pest management including biological control, when chemicals are necessary they can be used with greater precision since it is estimated that about 50 percent of all pesticides applied do not reach their intended target. Many technological innovations exist to improve this situation, for example, low drift nozzles and spray shields.

In irrigation, technologies such as micro sprinklers or

Mrs. Grace Adesina (left); Dr. Akinwumi Adesina; Dr. Baraka Sani and Mohammad Bello (Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kano State) at the dinner party organised by the farmers, agro-dealers and government of Kano State, for the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, in Abuja.

drip irrigation that save water and consume less power are the environmentally friendly way of the future, according to the book.

Defeating poverty

Mechanization for Rural Development argues that government policies should encourage the agricultural machinery sector to develop markets for agricultural mechanization, especially for conservation agriculture, and to establish the required infrastructures.

“Such support, especially to the smallholder sector, can have a dramatic impact in moving farm families out of poverty into a more profitable, commercially oriented agriculture,” said the book’s lead editor Josef Kienzle.

“The global agricultural machinery industry should provide more support to smallholder farmers with equipment designs and models that better suit the needs of smallholder farmers and service providers,” he said.

“Without this change in the machinery sector, the needs of developing countries for food security, poverty alleviation, economic growth and environmental protection cannot be achieved.”

From left: Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina; Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and Kano State Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr. Baraka Sani.

14 SCPZs to boost economy with N1.4trn —FG

BY GABREIL EWEPU

T

HE Federal government said it has set up 14 Staple Crop Processing Zones, SCPZs, to boost the nation’s economy with N1.4 trillion as it officially launched the pilot project at Allape SCPZ in Kogi State.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who stated this in an address at the launch of the pilot project at Allape SCPZ in Kogi State, explained that Staple Crop Processing Zones become necessary to curb post-harvest food losses experienced by farmers across the country.

While noting that the projects will be purely driven by the private sector, he said

“Two years ago, President Goodluck Jonathan launched the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

“The goal was clear: turn away from a development programme into a business that will help ensure food security, reduce dependency on food imports and create wealth and jobs.

“However, despite the gains being made, food losses are high in the food system, especially post-harvest and handling losses. Farmers face difficulty in finding markets for their produce.

“Our goal is for Nigeria to become a global powerhouse in food and agricultural products. We are determined to transform all our crops, fisheries and livestock

products into high-value commodities and products for which there is high demand in markets.

“Major challenges facing private sector agribusinesses include poor infrastructure, power supply and security of access to raw materials. To address all these challenges in an integrated manner, we are embarking on development of Staple Crop Processing Zones, SCPZs. “The SCPZs are zones of high production of agricultural produce, to which we will attract private sector food processing and agroallied companies, to process and add value to our agricultural products. The SCPZs will ease the cost of doing business by the private

sector and provide an integrated infrastructure and fiscal incentives to the private sector to move into rural areas.

“Working in partnership with state and local governments and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, development master plans for the SCPZs have been prepared and will; be presented to stakeholders in six priority states with potential SCPZ sites, which are Kogi, Lagos, Kano, Anambra/Enugu and Nigerover the next several months.

“Ultimately 14 SCPZs will be set up across Nigeria, for rice, sorghum and other grains, cassava, fisheries, horticulture and livestock.”

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Nigeria tourism sector in 2013 :

The good, bad and ugly

By CALEB AYANSINA

A

BUJA - Undoubtedly, the Nigerian Tourism Sector in 2013 had its fair share of the bad, the good and the ugly.

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation made some remarkable strides to prove to Nigerians that the country is full of tourism potentials, and it was ready to diversify the country’s economy.

The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, under the leadership of the former Director General, Olusegun Runsewe no doubt had proved point to Nigerians that the country could survive without oil and gas.

In May 2013, the long crisis of power tussle that had been the order of the tourism sector since the inception the current minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke finally claimed the Runsewe-led administration.

In June 2013, the newly appointed DG, assumed office, with a promise to focus on developing the local content of the tourism industry, among other priorities.

Mbanefo, an artist and painter, explained that the development of the domestic tourism would also lead to job creation, poverty alleviation and revenue generation, among other things.

On July 4, to be precised, the federal government launched a new tourism brand identity called Fascinating Nigeria.

According to the minister, the brand identity expresses Nigerians’ creative industry, and indicates that Nigeria was the most fascinating country in the world in terms of weather, beautiful landscape, literature, music, dance, festivals, resilient and fun-loving people.

Duke explained that Nigeria’s lack of brand identity had been a missing link in the nation’s tourism development drive, noting that, countries such as India that has ‘Incredible India’, South Africa’s ‘It Is Possible’ and Malaysia’s Truly Asia.

His words, “In summary, it means that it is time for Nigerian tourism, especially the creative sector, to have a brand identity and that is Fascinating Nigeria. It is uniquely Nigerian and we have spent the better part of last year trying to design it”.

Continuing, he noted, “Our brand identity is Fascinating Nigeria because there is nowhere else in the world that this appellation best suits, whether it is in business, nature’s endowment, investment climate, agriculture, whatever, but tourism is the first letter of recommendation and our culture is major collateral for this to activate.

“Since I became minister, something has always been at the top of my mind. It is my belief that Nigeria deserves to have a distinctive tourism brand identity.

the detriment of operations of hotel businesses and the tourism industry.

The much awaiting court case between the two bodies came to a logical conclusion in July, 2013, when the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared that only States House of Assembly could enact laws on tourism or the licensing and grading of hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets and other hospitality establishments.

T

The Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) Mrs. Sally Mbanefo at the Marina Club Slave boat in Akwa Ibom State recently

•Agbokim water falls, Cross River state “In several fora where the issue of the master plan has been discussed, some of the stakeholders had raised the fact that we have not done enough in refreshing the Nigeria tourism brand.”

However, the launching was not done without people raising dust, as a group known as Association of Concerned Nigerian Professionals (ACNP) described the ‘Fascinating Nigeria Project’ as a wasteful spending of the nation’s meager resources.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Ben Odey, maintained that the project was just a ploy by the minister to waste public funds on a failed project based on past experience on similar projects.

According to him, “ we are deeply concerned over the just launched ‘Fascinating Nigeria project’ by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke right inside the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja on Thursday night, 4th, July, 2013, which he claimed was to re brand Nigeria and that it would not cost the Federal Government or its agencies a kobo.

“Based on our independent findings and with available facts at our disposal as concerned Nigerians and supporters of the Transformation Agenda of the Mr President, we wish to declare that the project will cost the nation several billions of naira which we consider as a wasteful spending which should not be encouraged

by the President and the National Assembly, considering the fact that similar projects launched in the past did not yield the set objectives but rather, the billions of naira put on them went down the drain.”

he apex court held that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria only empowers the National Assembly to regulate tourist traffic, a term which does not extend to hotel registration or licensing.

The court declared null and void contentious sections of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) Act. With the ruling in favour of the Lagos state government, the apex court has paved the way for state governments to take full charge of tourism regulation and development within their jurisdictions.

Last year did not roll by without the cry of the Hotel Owners Forum Abuja (HOFA) over the multiplicity of taxes and levies, as one factor too many that depletes the steady growth and development of the hospitality industry in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This scenario, however, did not peculiar to FCT alone, as other owners from other states like Lagos were battling with the same factor.

This is couple with the poor provision of social infrastructure in the most populous black nation. The forum maintained that any attempt by any of its members to provide these infrastructures plunged them into debts.

The President of HOFA, Engr.

Onofiok Ekong, in a chat with Vanguard alleged some government agencies of forcefully extorting money from them to increase their internally generated revenue.

According to him, “The challenges that impedes on the growth of the hospitality industry in Abuja are too numerous to mention at this forum but I would quickly draw the attention of this realities that the hotels are erroneously targeted as source of extra budgetary income for most government agencies. ”We are currently faced with multiplicity of taxes and levies which are forcefully collected by the use of Mobile Courts.

“We need to be shielded from illegal levies as currently being practiced by some agencies. The rate at which various agencies are jumping at the illegality as a strategy to shore up their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), compels us to ask for urgent steps to stem this growing menace within the industry before it becomes a national epidemic.”

Consequently, the new NTDC boss Sally Mbanefo said she would galvanize potentials at the local levels to develop and promote grass-root tourism in the country.

The NTDC Boss believed that the programme when full completed would create over 500, 000 jobs, with projection of about $12b revenue base in the next 10 years.

She highlighted issues of financing and growing of tourism value chain to revamp Nigeria’s tourism industry, as part of her threepoint agenda.

“Our desire is to re-fertilizer, to revamp and to rebuild the NTDC and growing the tourism value chain for revenue generation and Job creation,” she said.

T

he Lagos Sate Government and the Nigerian Government had been embroiled in controversy over the question of proper authority to license and grade hospitality establishments.

This had resulted in the NTDC and the State Government, since 2007, setting up parallel registration and regulation structures, to

•Obudu Cattle ranch swimming pool

1860 Travels unveils World Cup package

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

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or Nigerians planing to be part of the cheerlead ers for the Super Eagles of Nigeria during the forthcoming World Cup in Brazil, a notable travel agency, 1860 Travels, has promised an unforgetable experience with its package. Brazil, a country known for its renowned world class, natural tourism potentials with rich cultural heritage will make this World Cup tournament perfect for family holiday and adventures as well. Unveiling its hospitality package, the company stated that “1860 Travels has carefully inspected accommodations, transportation and championship locations in Brazil to develop a travel package for varying needs, budgets and desires that will be uniquely available to aspiring tourists.

For visa assistance, we will be making several information and protocol services available to World Cup

tourist, who requires visa to enter into Brazil as we are ready to provide all the components needed for a thrilling mundial experience”.

The Travel packages for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil are classified by the quality and location of the hotel and the amenities that are included in the package. The accommodations in these categories will meet a myriad of budgets and needs.

Transportation is an integral part any travel packages to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the company has stated that the arrival and departure would be eased by its experienced staff who will guide tourists on their journey to and from Brazil.

Ground transportation to and from the venues will also be included in the package. The company has also concluded arrangements with a number of airlines to get tourists the best possible options for air travel at a discounted fare.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—25

INSIDE THE WORLD OF A VIDEO VIXEN

You have to be sexy to be a video vixen – Cinci Ezekiels C

inci Ezekiels is a video model, those beautiful and sexy girls that add luscious picture to the sound produced by the musicians. They don’t sing they only interpret the songs and beats in dances that deliver the music to us more like a movie. Cinci is A-list and one of the best in a trade fast becoming top notch. She has worked with the likes of Brandy, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, D’Banj, Psquare, Tuface Idibia, you name it. She knows her onion and makes sure we are let into her ‘dancing world in this chat. Excerpts:

W

HO’S Cinci; where is she coming from and where is she going?

I am Cynthia Cinci Ezekiels, a professional dancer/ choreographer and a video vixen. In my early 20s, an Ijaw from Bayelsa state. I am the last child of my parents. I started dancing from a very tender age, and professionally since 2004. I have worked with all the Nigerian celebrity artistes and still working with them. I have also worked with top directors and international artistes like Brandy, Mario, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Fat Joe, Usher and many others . I believe in dreams and I don’t let words bring me down. I see my self working with top celebrities abroad more.

At home, I have done videos with top Nigerian celebrity artistes like Tuface Idibia, D’banj, P-square, J. Martins, Iyanya, Timaya, Terry G ,VIP of Ghana, Omawumi, May D, Samklef, Burna Boy, Olamide and so C M Y K

many others.

What made you chose dancing as a career instead of acting or even singing?

Dancing is an act too. What we do is interpret the song with dancing, pass a sort of message with our dancing, so,it is an act of its own .

Whenever I am dancing I imagine myself in another world, a world of peace and bliss. I have so much passion for it that it brings me joy whenever I am doing it. I can’t see myself doing any other thing. This is my dream and I have followed my heart to my dream.

But don’t you think you would be more popular and maybe richer as an actress, model or singer?

I choose dancing because I am blessed with it. I didn’t learn how to dance, it is a talent God blessed me with, and I don’t intend to let it go. Dancing is my passion, I followed my dream and I believe it would have been a sin not to explore and put to test my God-given talent.

Possibly, I might look into other aspects of

,

By AYO ONIKOYI

This job is like a never-ending competition so you must always be on top of your game. It is a job where you pay attention to every little detail of your life and you can’t afford slipping for a minute

entertainment later in life but for now I am having a ball with my dancing career.

What does it take to make it to be a top video vixen?

To make it as a professional

I N S I DE: Top rated musical video vixens

,

dancer you have to carve out your own style; be different and evolve your own uniqueness that sets you aside from others. This job is like a never-ending competition so you must always be on top of your game. It is a job where you pay attention to every little detail of your life and you

Iyabo Ojo to drop husband’s name ‘Ojo’

can’t afford slipping for a minute; either in the way you look or how you package yourself. Yes, you must be beautiful, have the right attitude. If you are not fine and you don’t have the face you can’t be a vixen. To be a vixen you must be sexy and know how to move.

Sometimes when we go for auditioning, regardless of the fact that you have been overworked or stressed out only three girls out of over thirty could be chosen for a job. That is how challenging this job is. And sometimes the costumes brought by the stylist might not fit the lead girl and whoever the

Continues on page 26

LG targets simplicity in next line of smar smartt T Vs

Continues from page 25

costume fits among the major girls will take the role of the lead girl.

In the course of doing your job haven’t you come up against sexual harassment?

Yes I have but most times it comes from the fans and I know how to handle that with care. But most importantly, how you carry yourself matters a lot. You must have air about you that convey seriousness about what you want. It is always strictly business for me, no familiarity. When I am on set, I do my business and leave as soon as I am done But the way you girls expose vital parts of the body can be tempting Yes it is, but it is for the cameras, not our own doing, it is what the director wants and we must deliver.

You have ttoo be sexy to be a video vixen Terry G, Faze, Banky W, Davido and some others Why are you called video vixen and what is the difference with being a choreographer?

Vixen is a video model who can move sexy and can make use of her body when she sees the camera (camera friendly) and it doesn’t matter the size of the model; fat or tin, and must play any role given to her by the director. But Choreographer can be define as a person or an individual who merges two or more movements to make a dance routine or a choreographer can also be defined as one who is skilled and has the ability to create and arrange movements within a large number of individuals. I am called a vixen because I know the job, my job as a video model (vixen), I am hot, sexy, camera friendly with cute face and hot body, and then, I can move Do you have to be sexy to be a successful video vixen?

Yes of course, to be a vixen you have to be extremely hot and sexy

You have worked with many popular artistes, which one of them has been particularly memorable?

D’ Banj, MI, Tuface idibia,

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

26— Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Top Cynthia Cinci Ezekiels:

She is our star girl and has done videos with virtually all the top artistes both locally and internationally. She has worked with Brandy, Mario, Chris Brown, Mary J Blige, Fat Joe, usher Tuface Idibia, D’banj, P-square, J. martins, Iyanya, Timaya, Terry G ,VIP of Ghana, Omawumi, May D, Samklef, Burna Boy, Olamide and so many others. She was the luscious face in Tuface Idibia’s ‘Iheneme’.

What are your selling points?

My face, first of all, then my complexion and my figure. My backside is not too big so I can control it according to the song or the beat .

People know me particularly well for ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○the ○ ○way ○ ○ I○ use ○ ○ ○my ○ ○backside ○ ○ ○ ○ ○to ○ dance. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Adokiye goes to Nollywood

I Go Dye explains UN aw ar d awar ard

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udding singer and United Nations Peace Ambassador, Adokiye Khiran has confirmed to WG that one of her top priorities in the new year will be to make her debut in the movie industry. The sexy singer revealed she is currently on the set of a yetto-be released and titled movie. When asked whether it will be a one-off thing or a career, she replied she is in Nollywood to stay.

opular comedian, Francis Agoda, known as I Go Dye has explained the nature of his United Nations award, saying the award was bestowed on him by the Global Educators Initiative, an agency of United Nations in Africa. He said people should not be confused, thinking he is a direct ambassador of the United Nations.

Tosi Mimi Ubini:

This is a top rated video vixen who has done everything from modelling to acting. She now owns her blog ‘Mimi Ubini Blog’ which is fast becoming a reference point in entertainment blogging.

Beautiful, with a forgetme-not eyes, she featured in Brymo’s Ara and ‘Playboy’ by Playboy

She is classy known locally intern will re encha in ‘Fe video featur

Vanguard,FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 — 27

28 —Vanguard, FRIDAY,

C M Y K

JANUARY 24, 2014

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 29

C M Y K

30 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com 08050498513

LG targets simplicity in next line of smart TVs L

G believes that humans are complex machines.

Hence technology must be more complex to suit human needs. It however, noted that more complexity also means more consumer confusion. As a leader in Smart TVs, the device maker said that it is uniquely positioned to deliver to consumers the advanced user experience without the complexity. The gauntlet is set – create a simplified, intuitive system that does away with the overly complicated, sometimes awkward Smart TV platforms that have frustrated many users in the past. Below are some factors that LG will look to introduce with its next Smart TV OS.

Simple and Scalable:

The new platform’s single biggest advantage will be the ability to simplify the Smart TV experience. Better ease-of-use will make

content searching and viewing, connecting with other devices, and make even the initial setup process smoother and more accessible.

Intuitive Access and Easy Content Control:

The introduction of a new intuitive UX will also make the most of pre-existing ‘natural’ control mechanism already present in Smart TV. By combining with more ‘human’ user interfaces such as gesture and voice control already present in the ‘Magic Remote’, scrollable menus may open additional doors for users, allowing viewers to simultaneously watch a show, play a game or browse the internet while searching for or downloading other content.

Simplified Content Discovery:

Consumers may also benefit from one-stop content

Gloo.ng in market expansion with customer fulfillment centre O

ne of Nigeria’s online supermarket’s, Gloo.ng, last week expanded the ecommerce ecosystem with a massive investment in a new 20,000 square feet Customer Fulfillment Center, CFC. The online platform says the investment would help it tremendously in improving market visibility and growth.

CFC is the ecommerce term for a place where online retail products are stored to allow for proper processing and delivery of customers’ orders.

Formerly known as BuyCommonThings.com, the rebranded Gloo.ng was located in a 5,000 square feet centre, from where it made this expansion.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, of the platform, Dr.

Olumide Olusanya, said that the expansion to a larger CFC became necessary because of the growth the firm witnessed since it was commercially launched just a little over a year ago.

He also added that besides consolidating on that growth, it was also imperative that his firm makes necessary inroads into securing stronger growth pace in year2014. He said that these were the reasons he believed that Gloo.ng needed to acquire more space for operations to guaranty sustenance of the legendary service the brand has become known and trusted for.

He explained that the expansion was financed by well-meaning Nigerian who he regarded as angel investors that have bought into the vision of building Nigeria’s biggest supermarket with the backing of technology.

recommendation services, suggesting popular TV shows, catch-up TV and movies, allowing for more

exciting viewing options via a simplified user interface.

MyTaste reaches 36 million visitors

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ood recipes and blogs are exploding on the Internet. MyTaste, one of the world’s leading food web sites, reached a total of 36 million visitors in December, breaking its own record and target. The popular web site has increased its traffic by nearly 180 per

cent since January 2013, making it the one of the world’s fastest growing food web sites. 700,000 new members were added in December. With 36 million visitors in December, MyTaste beat the traffic target set at 30 million visitors per month by a considerable margin. MyTaste is a global food web site that has been established in 39 markets around the world. Virtually all of these markets beat their individual records in number of visitors and number of page views, as well as number of new members, in December. In total, more than 700,000 new members registered in December, which means that MyTaste currently has more than 2.5 million registered members. There are close to one million recipes at MyTaste.com,

which is owned by the Sweden-based digital publishing group 203 Web Group. MyTaste also has links to the most popular food blogs in the USA and the rest of the world. ”We are incredibly pleased to have exceeded our traffic targets for December by such a big margin. We are aware that the target we set for ourselves was high, so it feels especially good to finish 2013 on such a high note,” said 203 Web Group CEO, Christoffer Johansson. ”The focus for 2014 will be to maintain a strong growth in traffic, but also to work hard with product development in order to make MyTaste the best and most visited food website for food lovers. MyTaste is presently the second largest food web site in the world and we aim to become number one.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 — 31 Stories by Ayo Onikoyi

rated musical video vixens V

ixens are meant to be females foxes, bad-tempered women or beautiful women but this collection of girls who make robust living dancing for video shoots are anything but female foxes. They are rich, beautiful, sexy, chic and probably with a little attitude to bring to us sound in whimsical and captivating sights that could only make our day. Here are a list of some of the hottest, the richest and the most popular who have done top videos with the top artistes.

n PPedr edr o: edro:

s sassy and y. She is a welln video vixen y and nationlly. One emember her anting presence el Alright’ a

by Ice Prince ring Davido

Beverly Osu:

The Big Brother Africa Housemate girl has been a video vixen long before she tried her hand in the Big Brother Africa. Liberated and free-spirited, we have all seen what Beverly can do.

She was the vixen in Ice Prince’s ‘Oleku’.

Veezee Baybey:

Her name is Venita Akpofure aka Veezee Baybey. She brought her beauty and style to bare in Skales’ Mukulu video, IceBerg Slim’s ‘Too Much money’, Hakeen da Dream’s ‘Scoobi Doo ‘

Mercy Isop:

Lovette Shade Awode:

Lovette is beautiful, chic and sophisticated. One of her prominent videos include Wande Coal’s ‘Bumber to Bumber’, and Duncan Mighty’s ‘Obianuju and Adanma’ videos...

Mercy Isop is a pretty face that has brought her knockout effect on many videos. She is a face that could simply lure any man to watch a video. She was the face of love in Olamide’s ‘Stupid Love’

Sobola Anthonia:

Sexy and endowed Anthonia has done a number of videos. One of her most prominent ones are Artquake’s ‘Oti ganpa’ Voke Petrab : Voke is a high class babe who has featured in top class videos. She appeared in Sauce Kid’s ‘Carolina’ video, Wizkid’s ‘Pakurumo’ and ‘Holla at your Boy; videos and DPrince’s ‘Give it to me’ and many more

Carphee Azeez:

Carphee has a beauty that oozes sexiness that could get a priest in a twist. Lively and luxuriantly effervescent, Carphee dazzled in Durella’s ‘Club Rock’

Iyabo Ojo to dr op husband’s drop name ‘Ojo’ B

eautiful Yoruba actress, Iyabo Ojo, alerted her fans and friends on Wednesday that she will not be using Iyabo Ojo films Production as her movie production name.

She said the name will now be Fespris Production and added “‘ I will be dropping the name ‘Ojo’ soon”. Bringing to mind the lgal tussle between Saheed Balogun and Fathia Balogun, leading to the latter dropping ‘Balogun’ and using her maiden name ‘Williams’.

Yvonne Okoro reveals origin of her big boobs

S

exy Ghanaian actress known for her gift of beautiful bubbly mammary has revealed the origin of her big, shapely boobs. The actress in an interview with an online outfit said she inherited her big boobs from her mum.

N

ollywood superstar Omotola Jalade Ekehinde has given her music career another boost by releasing a new single ‘Barren Land’ . Barren Land is from Omosexy’s yet to be released second album – Me, Myself and Eyes. The song is being used by Amnesty International for their campaigns.

Omotola releases single from upcoming album

32 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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or the majority, fast food is food bought from a fast food restaurant. it smells good, it looks good and it’s overpriced. In addition, it’s always hot, sizzling and presented in a clean, nice, and bubbly and air conditioned environment.

No wonder fast food has become popular, not only in Nigeria, but all over the world. In fact, it has come to stay as an acceptable way of feeding.

It’s not just a Western thing.

According to Pinakiranjan Mishra, partner and national leader for retail and consumer products at Ernst & Young India, People are acquiring new tastes rather than changing their tastes in India today, because it takes a whole generation to actually change tastes. “As more and more people acquire money, there are a lot of new consumers who are experimental in nature.”

In China, growth rates are even higher. In South Africa, according to the Franchising Association of SA (Fasa), the fast-food franchise industry remains one of the fastest growing and most successful segments of the retail sector.

Food demand is rising in tandem with the global population. Increasing urbanization and a general exodus from rural areas to urban areas is causing a change in lifestyle trends, particularly surround eating habits. With increasing numbers of people working in office environments and growing family households with two parents in the workforce, time to prepare food at home is limited.

Consumers under time constraints are opting to eat outside in cafés and restaurants, with priceconscious consumers often turning to fast-food options.

The trend is not all bad.

With most of the world economy comatose or growing at a painfully slow pace, the growing fast food sector not only provides jobs for millions across the world every year, but allows women with children and students to focus on their jobs and studies.

Chances are, though, that we get carried away. one of the most feared backlash of the fast food culture is increasing levels of obesity, which More and more, even the food we cook at home is beginning to look and taste like fast food. At some point, noodles and stir fries have shown up even our home cuisine. Potato chips now come out of supermarket

Fast food revisited

plastic bags. Bleached vegetable oils have replaced palm oil for cooking and even veggies come out of the supermarket these days.

Often, designer food no longer includes some of the old herbs and additions, but just the basics. Even pounded yam and ‘wheat’ now comes out of plastic bags.

In our particular environment, it gets more complicated because there are no real regulations controlling how, where or when our food is grown, and so food that looks fresh or actually is fresh might actually be laden with

chemicals, additives and residues. It has become a priority to ensure your family and you eat only healthy, wholesome food.

Here are tips:It has become almost a necessity to have your own garden at home to grow basic vegetables or raise your own chicken/fish. You do not need much space to do this either.

Purchase only 100% natural oils whose sources you can verify. 100% groundnut oil, melon oil, soya oil, coconut oil and palm oil can be found in the local market.

Find good sources for fresh food and stick to it, whether at the local market, poultry or farm market. Stick to your sources as much as possible.

Avoid imported fruits, poultry and fish. Also avoid smoked meat, fish and poultry unless you know the source of the smoking. Buy fresh beef, goat, poultry and fresh fish by the day.

Inculcate food shopping time into your lifestyle. Take time to properly wash every product before cooking.

Research better ways of storing and cooking your food continually. Eating well is living well!

STATISTICS $2.5billion According to a study done by analysts at Technopak, a management consulting firm in Gurgaon, the Indian market for chain restaurants was an estimated $2.5 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow to $8 billion in 2020, driven by the growth of what is known as quick-service, or fast food, restaurants.

10.8% According to David Lewis, CEO of Retail Capital, which has advanced more than R200m in funding to franchise restaurants, income in the South African food and beverage industry increased by 10.8%, according to Statistics SA’s latest food and beverage industry survey.

This increase was driven by restaurants, coffee shops and take-out and fast-food outlets, despite a slowdown in consumer spending.

586billion The world foodservice industry is expected to reach almost $992 billion in 2014, according to Datamonitor, with a volume of over 586 billion transactions. This represents more than 18% growth in five years.

50% Cafés and restaurants represent the leading market segment at over 50% of overall industry value. Regionally, Asia-Pacific holds almost 43% of the world foodservice industry market share.

WOMAN ON THE MOVE:

Patricia Etteh back-to-school F

Patricia Etteh

ORMER Madame Speaker of the national house of assembly has shown herself to be a shiny example to all political office holders that have been in the doghouse at one time or the other, male or female. Despite her inglorious past she has not gone around looking for national pardons or supreme court rescinding but is genuinely trying to improve on her life. Hairdresser Patricia Etteh, who had risen to infamy in the 4th republic when she resigned after weeks of pressure after an inquiry found her guilty of breaking house rules in awarding contracts worth $5m to refurbish houses and buy cars.

But she had repeatedly refused to step aside and allow a temporary speaker step in and parliamentary business, including a debate on Nigeria’s budget, was held up for weeks as a result of the affair, which had become a major embarrassment for President Umaru Yar ’Adua who

promised zero tolerance on corruption on the inception of his administration.

Mrs Etteh was accused of irregularities in spending $5m of government money to buy 12 cars and renovate two official residences - her own and that of a deputy.

She had consistently denied any wrongdoing but opponents argued forcibly that she should step aside temporarily.

The row had became so heated that a brawl broke out in parliament during which one pro-Etteh MP collapsed and died.

Though she had remained a lawmaker, Patricia Etteh became a laughing stock, until she took public criticism seriously and decided to dust up her books and go for a degree.

Her colleague at England’s Buckingham university wrote of her: The days we don’t have classes, I get to the library at 10am. I will meet Madam

Speaker who lives 10minutes away in a one bedroom apartment of University accommodation and she will be the last to leave the library. Mrs. Etteh would trek or join school bus to class, library and tutorials.

She spent most of her time studying than many of us. She doesn’t own a car neither does she dress flamboyantly.

She is in good company.

Political female high fliers elsewhere have taken studies during their career including first female British Prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who went back to study law after her initial qualifications as a chemist. There was US secretary of state under the Clinton administration Madeleine Albright who spent forever on her doctorate degree while raising her childrenamongst others.

Patricia Etteh’s might be rather late, but at least there won’t be any certificate scandals around her when she decides to return to active politics.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY24, 2014

A

fortnight ago, we looked at the dresses Nigerian celebs should have given to charity or deliberately forgotten at the dry cleaners rather than wear anywhere, let alone the red carpet. We promised to bring you the dresses that stunned us, projected us and absolutely inspired us in 2013. Well, here they are!

This week we save the best for last, with the dresses that made the red carpet rock the hardest this year as we bid 2013 goodbye and usher in the brand new 2014 Oluchi Orlandi at the Launch Party for “Africa’s Next Top Model” Face of Africa winner and former Gap model Oluchi is no doubt a stunner any day, but not usually on account of her outfit. The orange number she wore to the Africa’s Next Top Model event was as non-casual as she could get, but it did the job.

The colour was perfect; the cut sophisticated and proof it doesn’t have to be all fancy and busy to be chic.

Michelle Dede at “Music Meets Runway” Popular compere and tv personality Michelle Dede has to be the fastest rising style icon on the scene, not to mention of her generation. Blessed with a rare figure, the average dress would look good on her but does she do average?

Best dresses of 2013 The answer is no- all of the time.

Her dress at the 2013 music-meetsrunway event was certainly not average. The long, art deco sheath with soft pastel flowers on a lilac background was just the perfect dress on the perfect figure for the perfect event.

Linda Ejiofor “AMAA Awards” Though this year ’s AMAA awards ceremonies were distinctly dull many of the Nollywood kin turned out more fabulously than usual, and most distinct was Tinsel actress Linda Ejiofor, whose dress was just glorious. It’s champagne; it’s French lace with taffeta, but it mould’s the curves with so much class. And then that slit…

Nkiru Anumudu, “Butterscotch Evenings” The Nigerian designer goddess Nkiru Anumudu has been such a blessing to both the Butterscotch evenings events, not to mention the various continental European designers who have imbibed her custom. And not once has she been more of a blessing than the second edition of the hyper charged event, where she breathed Gucci. Described as a floral beauty that night, she appeared on the red carpet looking like a butterfly in a royal garden wearing an azalea pink print dress from Gucci‘s Spring 2013 collection.

It’s a very clever dress for a clever lady, which features bold dramatic ruffles on the shoulder and a key hole cut-out on the bodice.

Nkiru should perhaps not have taken the more demure approach; choosing to wear a white camisole instead of going bare with the décolletage. The gold stud earrings, diamond cocktail ring, pearl bracelets, Judith Leiber “Carousel” clutch and pink Gucci shoes, smokey eyes, pink lipstick and her signature fringe locks totally nailed the look.

This is what a million dollars must look like.

Genevieve Nnaji at the “GTBank Lagos Fashion and Design Week” GTBank Lagos Fashion and Design Week in October was so much fun. It was an assembly of fashion lovers and it was refreshing to be around so much fashion inspiration. One of the most inspiring by far was legendary actress Genevieve Nnaji, who has been style challenged in recent times.

Ms Nnaji was a delight in a flattering, yellow high-low pleated dress that not only stole the show but also gave the illusions of curves that do not exist in reality.

Okay, she shouldn’t have worn yellow court shoes, which put her at great risk of turning out like Big Bird. Well, that certainly did not happen.

•Michelle Dede

•Genevieve Nnaji

•Linda Ejiofor

•Oluchi Orlandi

•Nkiru Anumudu

— 33

34— VANGUARD,

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

BY DISU KAMOR

T

Muhammad (s.a.w.) the messenger to all people

The lessons of World Hijab Day necessary to replace her Nigerian passport any service on the basis that she had to expose her ears. Even when the victim informed the attendant that she was wearing the hijab for religious purpose and as such could not expose her ears, an immigration attaché at the embassy intervened and insisted that the victim had to “because it is the law of Nigeria that ears must show”.

Interestingly, the way and manner the victim donned her hijab at the Nigerian embassy in Washington was the exact way she looks every day - commonsense would have made it the best form of identifying her in her hijab whenever she carries the passport. This disturbing example fits into a pattern that is replicated at almost every immigration centre and other government agencies in the country.

Thousands of Muslim applicants of Nigerian passport, the drivers license applicants and other forms of ID cards are being harassed to “show your ears” or to totally remove their hijab by

state officials claiming to be enforcing the “law of the land”.

Officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Nigeria and their counterparts in several other government agencies remain obstinate and maintain that

...posterity will surely remember this period as a strange time when a state forbids education to a child unless the child violates the tenet of her faith

they are enforcing a “law of the land” none of them has been able to produce for verification. Perhaps some of them assume there is such a law since no one above them has deemed it fit to clarify the official policy and create a better understanding of the Nigerian law as it pertains to the work they do. On-going request to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Interior to clarify policies regarding the use of hijab in passport taken for ID purpose have met with complete silence.

Sadly, heads of the affected government agencies had ignored earlier requests sent directly to them, in a show of lack of sensitivity or sense of responsibility. Of course, official Imam Saeed Salmon (guest speaker), Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh clarification and Akinola Ibrahim; Shiek T.O. Gbaja; Alhaji Daud Miqdas during a special pronouncements have lecture on Jesus second coming held at Lagos Central Mosque, Tinubu, would Lagos .

Members of Muslim Association of Nigeria, MAN, Lagos branch, during a rally to mark Maolud Nabbiyy.

stopped the needless miseries that many Muslim women continue to go through.

The total abandon of responsibility on the part of the senior officials at these services on this issue is clearly responsible for the

,

HOUSANDS of people across the world who would either be nonMuslims or Muslims who ordinarily do not wear the hijab will be decked in it on the 1st of February, 2014 in solidarity with the “hijabis” world-over. This annual solidarity event tagged the World Hijab Day (WHD) seeks to create better understanding and awareness of the Muslim head cover at a time when the hijab has seen great assault, and when modesty of covering up is being ridiculed or associated with oppression and backwardness. The event will also highlight the fact that the hijab is religiously mandated, and that millions of Muslim women are making the free choice to follow God’s legislation.

Many Nigerian Muslim women will mark the occasion of the WHD to reflect on the prevailing situation; the unwarranted hostility and discrimination they and their daughters have to suffer for making the free choice to put a piece of cloth on their heads. The hostility and discrimination that manifest in various places, at workplace, in schools and sadly in the official quarters. Many Nigerian Muslim women endure untold hardship as a price to meet their religious needs concerning the head cover. On October 28, 2013, the Nigerian embassy in Washington DC denied a Muslim sister in hijab (head cover) who had gone for a biometrics appointment

,

continued misbehaviour of the officials who are let loose on the hapless Muslim women.

If they are employing world-class standards and best practices to run the services, it will be easier and better to find unambiguous guidelines published on the websites of these services.

The equivalent of our own immigration service in the UK, in the United States and in Australia (all secular democracies) have userfriendly and clear guidelines which show that hijab (with ears covered) is allowed for passport and visa application.

More importantly, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards which the Nigerian machine readable passport complies to specifically spell out that head covering for religious purpose is acceptable.

As more people step into the shoes of the “hijabis” on the 1 st of February, they will see how securing freedom of religious expression serves compelling national

The Administrative Secretary,Muslim Association of Nigeria, Lagos branch, MAN, Abdulateef Yakub (middle) flanked by other members of MAN during a visit to the Old People’s Home, Onike, Lagos.

interests. The goodwill and flexibility in meeting both the religious needs of the Muslim women and the legitimate needs of those service providers cannot be mutually exclusive. One wonders if Catholic nuns are asked to remove their habit or show their ears when taking pictures for ID purpose at the immigration centres, at the Nigerian Identity Management Commission, the driver licence issuing centres (FRSCN), etc - or is this just a “Muslim thing?”.

The testimonies of many past participants of the World Hijab Day will help us to better understand that it takes more than lectures and reading to share the experience and real commitment of those wearing the shoes in any situation. Female staff and pupils at Pleckgate High School, Blackburn UK decided to step into the shoe and wore the headscarf last year. A participating teacher of the school had this to say: “A lot of the girls at the school already wear a hijab, and we have one as part of the school uniform. I asked the head if we could ask all the girls to take part and around a third did. We also had a number of staff take part. I think World Hijab Day helps us to understand how Muslim women feel about their beliefs and faith. “A lot of the girls were excited about taking part and many saw it as a fashionable thing and quite light hearted, while still getting the message across.”

Pleckgate High School is a public funded school, and prides itself on the value it attaches to diversity.

It will be nice to get our public officials into the same mindset and make our public schools establish and promote a policy that would make every child priceless and valued equally - where every child feels truly included. As it stands, existing policy in Lagos State for instance effectively bars any Muslim female student wearing the hijab. Of course, the policy of discrimination sends a strong message of exclusion to all Muslims and non-Muslims of conscience, posterity will surely remember this period as a strange time when a state forbids education to a child unless the child violates the tenet of her faith.

Sadly, Muslim students in public schools of similar ages as those depicted in the Pleckgate High School story above will finish their education in Lagos State with memories of bias, exclusion and discrimination. Perhaps the greatest lesson we all can take from event like this is that we actually do not know enough until we take the courage to step into other people’s shoes. As the organizers of the event stated on the need for a day like this: It will be a day for everyone willing to experience what it’s like to step inside the shoes of a Hijabi. Our hopes are no less than that.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—35

Islam believes Jesus will come again — Saheed Salmon BYADERONKEADEYERI

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HE Imam of Federal College of Technology, Yaba Mosque, Imam Saeed Salmon has said that Islam also believes in the second coming of Jesus Christ, emphasising that any Muslim who does not believe in it is not a true follower of Prophet Muhammed.

Salmon who made this known at a special lecture held at the Lagos Central Mosque, Tinubu, said, Jesus is a messenger of God and would still return to a mosque in Damascus. “The second coming of Jesus Christ is a doctrine that every Muslim must believe. The teachings of

prophet Muhammed talks extensively about this. The Qua’ ran Chapter 4:157-159 teaches this but the teachings of Islam does not support that Jesus was killed or resurrected, rather, he was raised by Almighty Allah to his majesty."

"Jesus is coming again to refute the claim of the Jews that he was crucified and to correct the doctrine of the Christians that he is the son of God. Again, the second coming of Jesus is to establish that there is a close relationship between Prophet Muhammed and Jesus himself.”

The Chief host and organiser

of the lecture, Amir Ajala Kamardeen noted that he is under the obligation as a true Muslim to educate the public and to correct any misconception about Islam.

“Jesus is a prophet and messenger of Allah and as a true Muslim, we are bound to believe all prophets of Allah.

The holy book ,Qur’an points to the fact that the second coming of Jesus Christ is a sign of end time but there are some group of Muslims in Harvard University and in Cairo known as the fatimists and also Ahmadists who are saying otherwise, so, I have put it upon myself to correct them.”

Members of exco and Elders Council, NASFAT Igbogbo presenting gift to Imam Tirimizhi Hamed, out-going Missioner, at a send forth prayer for him.

Women Wing of NASFAT, Igbogbo at the send forth prayer held for Imam Tirimizhi Hamed.

MAN tasks Muslims on charity T

HE Muslim Association of Nigeria, MAN, has enjoined Nigerians to uphold the legacies of Prophet Muhammed by showing mercy to the poor.

Administrative Secretary of the group, Abdulateef Yakub stated this during a public rally and presentation of gift to Orphanages and old Peoples home as part of activities marking the Maolud Nabbiy- the birth of Prophet Muhammed (saw) He said Nigerians should emulate the lifestyle of Prophet Mohammed by giving on to ‘the poor.

“The prophet mandated it that we should show mercy to those that are below us so that Allah will show mercy on us too. There are people who don’t have the opportunity to take care of themselves, so we need to encourage them by showing love to them. One of the ways to show love is to visit the less privileged in the society.

The MAN team led by the National Vice President Alhaji Tajudeen Ojikutu donated foodstuffs, clothes, detergents and drinks to four institution in Lagos state, Old People’s Home Onike, Randle General Hospital

Surulere and Modupe Cole Orphanage, Ikeja.

The 3.5 kilometer rally which took off from the MAN centre at Amosu Street, Off Bide Thomas saw participants passing through Babs

Animashaun Street, femi Ayantuga Street, Adelabu Road, Ogunlana Drive Akerele Extension, Adeniran Ogunsanya street before terminating the rally at its National Headquarters.

...holds seminar on healthy life styles

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medical expert Dr Abdulateef Akegbeyale has charged Nigerians to take High Blood Pressure and Diabetes test regularly as a way of checking incessant sudden deaths.

He spoke at a health seminar organized by the Women Wing of the Muslim Association of Nigerians Agege, Alimosho and Ikeja Branch which took place at Shasha.

Akegbeyale attributed obesity as one of the causes of Diabetics. Other causes according to him include excessive sugar, old age hereditary factor and poor pancreas.

He listed some of the symptoms as weight loss dispute adequate appetite, boil, excessive urinating at night, dry tongue and dry mouth.

He said the two ailment are

common with people of the middle age and the elderly which carry the risk of severe complication such as heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, loss of sight and death The medical practitioner said high blood pressure is associated with those who exhibit cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, infrequent exercise and excessive salt consumption.

Various health test carried out on the participant who were also councel to live a moderate lifestyle The chairperson of the Women Wing Alhaja Sherifat Ajagbe said the seminar was borne out of the need to educate members on how to live a healthy life She hinted that the association next project would be breast cancer screening which is billed for April.

Saudi moves to make Madinah capital of Islamic culture M

ADINAH Governor, Prince Faisal bin Salman recently announced 13 initiatives aimed at making Madinah the eternal capital of Islamic culture.

He said the initiatives have won the support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

The announcement comes at the conclusion of activities marking the selection of Madinah as the Islamic Cultural Capital.

Initiatives include the establishment of an oasis for

Quranic learning to make Madinah an Islamic cultural center. The oasis will have halls for Quranic recitation, discussions and scientific research.

The Quba Cultural Center is another important project, which includes museums, libraries and parks, in addition to a center to welcome pilgrims and visitors. The King Abdul Aziz Library and the Haram Library will also be developed as part of the new initiatives.

A permanent exhibition will be established for the life and teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Another exhibition center will be established to showcase the Prophet’s battles.

There will be a center for Madinah’s written heritage, the governor said, adding that an old Madinah district would be created inside the King Fahd Park. There will also be a center for Islamic architecture in Madinah, the expansion of Hejaz Railway Museum among others.

Members of Prayer Warrior, Mushin, at the send forth prayer for Imam Tirimizhi Hamed.

Hajia B. Imran (Islamic singer) presenting a gift to Imam Tirimizhi Hamed at the occasion.

A cross section of birthday mates after a joint special prayer held for them at NASFAT Igbogbo branch.

36—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Group urges Itsekiri youths to resist sit-tight leaders

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

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HE Iwere Renaissance Group, IRG, has called on Itsekiri youths to resist any attempt by the current leadership of Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, to perpetuate itself in office, saying that most members of the INYC executive were no longer youths.

The group in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Orighoye Fregene, dismissed the recent vote of confidence passed on the INYC leadership, describing same as an attempt to elongate the life span of the executive, which has been in charge of the association since the Warri crisis.

IRG said, “we find it quite laughable that David Tonwe, want to perpetuate himself in power, that he has now resorted to assembling stakeholders for illegal stay in office."

PDP chieftain hails Delta SSG

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Peoples Democratic Party, PDP chieftain, Mr Ayodele Lijoka has commended the leadership style of Mr Ovuzourie Macaulay, Secretary to the Delta State Government Lijoka said that Macaulay, as the hub of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration has impacted positively on the lives of Deltans by showing exceptional leadership style which should be emulated.

He described Macaulay as a politician, who is service oriented with the intention of making life better for the people and to leave the place better than he met it .

2015: Uduaghan sues for peace over power shift tussle

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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SABA——DELTA State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has waded into the rumpus generated by a publication, quoting the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr Ovuozourie Macaulay, as saying that he (Macaulay) was not aware of any agreement between the Anioma and other parts of the state for a

power shift.

Vanguard gathered that following the dust raised by the comment, the governor spoke with the embattled SSG, who was reported to have told the governor that the views he expressed were supposed to be “off camera” at his residence after a formal briefing.

The governor, who had been cautioning against overheating

the polity, was also said to have reached out to some notable party leaders in the state, including the state Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Chief Nwaoboshi, asking for a ceasefire on the issue to avoid it denerating.

Meantime, a pressure group, PDP Delta Mandate comprising of members of PDP from the three senatorial districts of the state has

also called for cease fire, cautioning against using inflammatory statements as 2015 draws nearer.

Addressing newsmen in Asaba, yesterday, the National President of the group, Chief Isaac Anwuzia, said “I want to appeal to members of PDP that that statement quoted to have been said by the SSG is not what PDP stands for."

FUPRE should be supervised by Petroleum ministry — Urhobo group

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—NATIONAL Chairman of the Urhobo Political Movement, UPM, Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi, has called on the Federal Government to

move the supervision of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, FUPRE, Delta State from the Federal Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

Obiuwevbi, while fielding questions from newsmen at the

Gov Akpabio tasks CAC on reform

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OVERNOR Godswill Akpa bio of Akwa Ibom State, has called on the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, to reduce its bureaucratic bottleneck and create avenue for the speedy registration of businesses.

The governor made the call when the Board and Management of the commission paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Uyo. Represented by his deputy, Lady Valerie Ebe, Akpabio stressed the need for the people of the state to have access to get their businesses registered rather than patronise illegal practitioners for such businesses.

He said the government had provided a conducive environment with requisite infrastructure to boost industrialisation.

He congratulated the Board

Chairman, Otunba Funsho Lawal, for the various innovations and reforms brought into the commission and thanked him for choosing Uyo as venue for its retreat.

Earlier, Otunba Lawal lauded the infrastructural transformation witnessed in the state, saying that the commission chose Akwa Ibom for its retreat because they considered it a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.

He said that the retreat was to sensitise the business community on the several innovations and services in the commission, maintaining that one can get his business registered within 24 hours. He also announced the existence of a counseling unit in the commission for the revival of failed businesses.

group’s thank you visit to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing council of FUPRE, Senator Nimi-Brigha Amange on the appointment of an Urhobo descent as Vice Chancellor of the institution, said the call was in line with international principles guiding the supervision of universities of petroleum resources.

He said: “as this will help the university to meet its primary aim, which is to train senior cadre manpower for the develop-

21st century mart promises value

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1stCenturyMart, Powered by 21st Century Technologies, Nigeria’s ICT hub has gone live and has promised to satisfy Nigerians electronics, home appliances and latest gadgets needs.

The latest online one-stopshop aggregates everything a Nigerian needs to make successful online transactions, including ease, convenience and security.

Being Nigeria’s e-commerce store for electronic products, 21stCenturyMart said it aims to provide a hassle free and enjoyable shopping experience for shoppers across the country with the widest range of brands and products on its portal.

“At 21stCentury Mart, we promise only what we can deliver,” said Wale Ajisebutu, vice chairman and CEO, 21st Century Technologies.

“This entire business is built on an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. We have taken online shopping to a new level. No long story, we deliver on our promises, we are engaging online shoppers with custom, in-the-moment experiences.”

The brand is making a conscious effort to bring the power of electronic products and latest gadgets to shoppers with an array of the latest and trendiest products and brands available in the country.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

ment of the core petroleum sector that is capable of reducing capital flight.”

He noted that Amange had “brought to fruition and fulfillment, our long time agitation through the media, representation to relevant agencies, political leaders and Federal Government, demanding that an Urhobo person be appointed to the position of the Vice Chancellor of FURE, as it is in other federal universities across the country."

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

US threats on passage of anti-gay law in Nigeria

IF the Ambassador of the United States is not a hypocrite, why does he not recommend gay population in Nigeria for free Visa to the US, which is the home of gays.

All this interference is simply because Nigeria seeks financial aid from the US. Mr. Humble Zayon- Businessman.

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HREATENING a sovereign state with sanction of any kind for signing a law passed by its National Assembly and overwhelmingly backed by a huge majority of its people to conform to its culture and traditions is the epitome of diplomatic disgrace. Mr. Chibuzor Ogbonna- Officer.

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NOUGH is enough.

Why doesn't US dictate to China. They are afraid of China and cannot try such. Nigeria, we maintain our ground. If same sex nonsense is good, why is it only 17 out of the 50 states of the US that signed it. Mr. Onyekwuo Sunday- Student.

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HE truth remains that gay marriage is not part of our culture in Nigeria, just that people easily copy evil. Whoever thinks that gay marriage is good should show me the good homosexuality has produced, we may re consider it. Mr. Ayo Irikefe- Worker.

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HIS is so unbelievable, how can US be telling a nation that is 54 years old what to do? Well I don’t blame them. It is because we do not have good leaders in this country. God has blessed this country with large resources that can last us for a life time. Mr. ChiefRocker Olisa- Student.

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HIS is the time Nigeria should examine herself because an unexamined life is not worth living. I believe Nigeria is grown enough to take decisions. I am looking forward to seeing Nigeria stand her ground, by putting in place all that she needs to be a sovereign state. Ms. Osondu Benedicta- Worker.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—37

Oshiomhole urged to appoint Agbebaku substantive VC of AAU

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM ENIN—FOUNDATION students of the Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, have called on the Edo State Government to appoint Prof. Cordelia Agbebaku as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the university.

This came as the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, raised alarm over alleged attempt by some persons to cause crisis at the state university due to what it described as their “selfish interest.”

They warned that students are tired of crisis in the university system, therefore, would not fail to deal decisively with those who intend to destabilise the institution.

Meanwhile, the foundation students, in a statement by the National Secretary of the group, Mr. Sunny Ebekine, noted that the acting Vice-Chancellor was eminently qualified to be confirmed as the substantive VC and urged Governor Adams Oshiomhole to hasten the process, so that the university will have a substantive VC.

NDLM refutes media statement about Mutu

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B

Rotary Club of Isolo honours two

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OTARY Club of Isolo has honoured two members of staff of Totaltelecoms Limited as part of its Rotary Vocational Service Award programme.

The two members of staff Mr. Elias Isiaka and Mr. Kabiru Salami, who were recommended by the management of the company, were honoured for their exemplary performance within the company. The two men were presented with plaques from the club at the award ceremony held in the premises of the company.

The president of the club, Mr. Godfrey Iweka, in his presentation, stated that the names were forwarded by the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Sunday Gbenjo. He, therefore, urged the two honourees to sustain the performance that made them examples to other members of staff.

C M Y K

PRESENTATION: Director of Protocol, Government House Uyo, Mr. Aniekpeno Nkpanang (left), presenting video recording of the 2013 AKS Christmas Carol Night to Governor Godswill Akpabio, at the Governor's Lodge, Uyo.

Mu’azu’s emergence, shock to opposition —Orbih, Olaosebikan

BY GBENGA OKE

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HE emergence of Alhaji Adamu Mu‘azu as the new National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is sending shivers down the spine of the opposition in the country, Chief Dan Orbih, chairman of Edo State chapter of the party, has said.

Similarly, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan, a PDP chieftain, has applauded Mu‘azu's emergence, noting that the party was destined for a new era under a stable leadership.

Olaosebikan, the immediate past Chairman of Oluyole Local Government Area and former Chief Press Secretary to late Governor

Lam Adesina of Oyo State, said the Mu'azu's leadership of the party would usher PDP into a new era that would eventually transform the political landscape of Nigeria.

Commending the choice of Mu‘azu as the new party chairman, Orbih said: ”He is a young man, dynamic, sociable, accessible, a bridge-builder and we see him as one who can relate with governors, former governors and even future governors.

“He is grounded in the politics of our party and I believe with his rich knowledge of the politics of the party and the country, he will be able to galvanise the structure of the par-

ty and win back estranged members and position the party to cruise to victory, come 2015.”

Olaosebikan, on his part, said: ‘’As a politician with close reach to both the municipal and grassroots, I can say with emphasis that this is what Nigerians had been waiting for. Many well meaning people have not been given sufficient concern to the politics of Nigeria because of the quality of people at the top. With a modern man possessing all the qualities of an outstanding person, things have started looking up in our quest for good and responsible leadership at all levels.

....As A-Ibom guber aspirant hails Mu'azu's emergence

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PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Robert Umoette, has said that the emergence of Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu as the new National Chairman of the party was a driving force to unite and build the political framework for the party to remain stronger in 2015.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos, Umoette, who is one of the top

contenders for the governorship position in Akwa Ibom State, charged Mu'azu to be focused in mapping out new strategies to reposition the party for the task ahead, adding that the erstwhile Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, tried to instill discipline and entrench party supremacy, but his reign regrettably was marred by rejection, espe-

cially from his North East region.

He called on Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State to tow the path of peace by being law abiding rather than heating up the polity.

He urged all parties in the Rivers State crisis to dialogue and desist from any act capable of derailing the country’s fledgling democracy.

Ugborodo Community leader lauds Uduaghan on position of $6m Chevron fund

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ARRI—VICE-Chairman of Ugborodo Community Trust, Mr. Isaac Botosan, has commended Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for revealing the true position about the alleged missing $6 million Chevron fund.

He also applauded the governor for appointing another Ugborodo trusted son, Mr. Austin Oborogbeyi, a lawyer as Chairman of the committee to interface

with NNPC and other major stakeholders in the $16 billion EPZ project at Ogidigben, in Warri South-West council area of Delta State.

Mr. Botosan, who in Warri yesterday, stated that with the governor's revealation on the actual position of Chevron New Ugborodo Town fund, all those accusing the Chief Thomas Ereyitomi-led

executive of having embezzled the development fund should openly recant, after peddling false rumour to tarnish the hard earned image and in tegrity of the executive.Governor Uduaghan has revealed recently that nobody can access the said account without the approval of Chevron Nigeria Limited.

IGER Delta Liberty Movement, NDLM, has denied a media report credited to the acting President, Phase Two ex-militant group, Mr. John Court, accusing House of Representatives member, Mr. Nicholas Mutu, of not fulfilling his campaign promises to the people.

NDLM, in a statement by Mr. Stow Ebiyekefe and Ogobiri Godwin, faulted the report, describing same as a calculated attempt by Mutu’s political foes to dent his image, noting that they have closely monitored Mutu’s political antecedents from I997 till date, as he has distinguished himself by matching his words with action.

Group flays APC's criticism of Jonathan

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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ARRI—A GROUP, Peoples Democratic Party Transformation Youth Forum for All Nigerians, PDPTYAN, has challenged the profuse criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan's administration by the All Progressives Congress, APC. Coordinator of PDPTYAN in Delta State, Mr. Sunday Ogheneruna Tialobi, expressed the group's disgust with the APC's posture while addressing newsmen in Warri.

He said APC has become petty by throwing repeated tantrums against a president who has performed very well.

Group lauds Membere on youth empowerment

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ROUP Executive Di rector, Exploration and Production, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Abiye Membere, has been commended for empowering youths and contributing toward sustainable peace in the Niger Delta.

The commendation was made by the Niger Delta Oil Communities Agenda, NIDOCA, in a statement by its National President, Mr. Chris Eriyamremu and Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Akpokona.

38—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Labour threatens Julius Berger over workers' welfare

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

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AGOS—NATIONAL Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers, NUCECFWW, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Julius Berger Plc and other construction companies in the country to end alleged protracted negotiation on improved welfare for workers and other working conditions.

According to the union, the entire construction industry will be shut down next week should the companies fail to do the needful.

The union, in a letter to the employers’ body, under the umbrella of the Federation of Construction Industry, FOCI, dated January 20, 2014, accused the employers of impoverishing the workers through deliberate frustration of the 2013 National Joint Industrial Company, NJIC, negotiation.

Leaders of the union threatened that at the expiration of the ultimatum Monday, if the employers did not positively address their demands, the industry would embark on a two-day of warning strike, after which there would be an indefinite strike .

NIMC opens enrolment centres in varsities

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

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BUJA—THE National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, has established Enrolment Centres for the National Identity Number, NIN, in Nigerian universities.

The Director General of the Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam, who disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday, said the focus was to ensure that more Nigerians got enrolled into the national identity database.

According to him, the siting of the centres in tertiary institutions is to facilitate enrolment of members of the community, who are largely young adults and others residents in the university communities.

This he said will help the commission meet the December 31, 2014 deadline President Goodluck Jonathan gave the commission to register all eligible Nigerians.

Police nab killers of ex-LG boss, suspected kidnappers in Imo

BY CHIDINKWOPARA

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WERRI—IMO State Police Command has apprehended four suspects in connection with the gruesome murder of former chairman of Ikeduru local government area, Chief Brendan Oguine.

Parading the suspects in Owerri, the Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Mohammed Musa Katsina, said two of the suspects were from Umueze Atta, Ikeduru, while the other two were natives of Ezealaegbu, Ogada Atta.

He gave the names of the suspects as Iheoma Okereke (50), Iheanyichukwu Okereke (47), Akawoni Linus (50) and Amarachi Nwachukwu (20).

The CP said: “The above named suspects were arrested on January 19, 2014, at about 5.03am in connection with the murder of one Brendan Oguine of Ezealaegbu, Ogada Atta, Ikeduru local government area, in his house.”

According to the Imo police boss, “the suspects shot the victim dead and dumped his

corpse in a nearby bush close to his house and they have all confessed to the crime.”

Similarly, the CP disclosed that the Command arrested eight others for kidnapping, child stealing and murder.

“Ojinnaka Igbokwe (24) of Okponkume, Ahiazu Mbaise, Okechukwu Uchenna (23) from Umudim, Ahiazu Mbaise, Ebuka Onyegbula (19) from Okirika Nkwerre, Ahiazu Mbaise and Nwahirine Inabehen (20) from Okirika

Nweke, Ahiazu Mbaise were apprehended for child stealing and murder” the CP said.

Mr. Katsina said the suspects were involved in stealing threeyear-old Onyebuchi Anayamelechi and a year and seven months old Chinedu Anyalemechi.

AWARD: Divisional Manager, East, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr. Olugbenga Olayemi (left), receiving the ACE for Leadership Excellence from Managing Director, Quest Limited, Dr. Ahmed Hassan, during the ACE award ceremony.

Relocation of poly campus triggers protest in Imo BYCHIDINKWOPARA WERRI—ACADEMIC activities in Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, Ohaji, came to an abrupt end yesterday, following protest by youths of Ohaji/Egbema against an alleged relocation to Orlu of some department in the school

by Rochas Okorocha’s administration.

Speaking to Vanguard at the scene of the protest, some of the youth leaders accused the governor of working in concert with the institution’s Rector, Rev. Fr. Wence Madu, to relocate some prominent departments to

O

Communal crisis: Factional leader appeals for calm

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

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NITSHA—WORRIED by the lingering communal crises at Osumenyi, Anambra State, which has claimed lives and property of the natives since 2006, one of the factional leaders, Mr. Celestine Obi-Oguatu, yesterday appealed to his fellow indigenes and opponents to abide by the solution proffered

by Catholic and Anglican bishops in the area.

The Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Hilary Paul Odili Okeke, and his Amichi Anglican Diocese counterpart, Rt. Rev. Ephraim Ikeakor, had waded into the crisis and came out with an 11-point recommendations to put the crises at bay.

Orlu area.

Prince Rawlings Ohagwam expressed angst that Governor Rochas Okorocha lied to them when they had a demonstration of this nature, recalling that the governor invited the youths to Government House and

declared before them and members of his executive council, lawmakers, security personnel that he had no plan to relocate any department from Umuagwo to another place.

“What we are seeing today is that they are relating almost all

the courses run in the school to Orlu, Mbano and Ikeduru.

“We have more than 500 hectares of land and not up to 10 percent of it has been developed and ironically, government is moving into an area where they do not have up to two hectares of land,” Ohagwam said.

2 arraigned over alleged N8m fraud

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BY CHINYEREABIAZIEM

AGOS—TWO men, Aderibigbe Adeniyi and Anthony Ofudje, aged 38 and 37 respectively, were brought before an Apapa magisterial court for allegedly defrauding an unsuspecting victim of about N8million.

The victim, Emmanuel Ekhator, was said to have given the defendants the amount for supply of diesel and clearance

of diesel vessel.

Reading the charge, the prosecutor, Mr Soji Ojaokomo, said: “That you Aderibigbe Adeniyi ‘M’ and Anthony Ofudje ‘M’ sometimes in the month of August, 2013 at about 1100am at Kirikiri-Jetty in the Apapa magisterial district did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; obtaining money under false pretence and stealing and thereby

ALGON gets interim mgt c'ttee

BY CHRISOCHAYI

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BUJA—A new interim management Committee has been appointed to run the affairs of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, following the exit of its immediate past President, Nwabueze Okafo whose tenure ended after he ceased to be chairman of Enugu South Local Government Council, in Enugu State.

The new management Committee is headed by Danjuma who is the current Chairman of Kagarko Local Government Council of Kaduna State. Over 67 local council chairmen attended the

inauguration ceremony.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of ALGON, Mr. Umar Kassim Ibrahim explained, that the appointment of the new management committee was in line with Section 17.2 of constitution of ALGON which stipulated that only serving local government council chairman could lead ALGON. While dissolving the Committee constituted on May 7, 2012, Ibrahim said the erstwhile President, Nwabueze Okafor, had since January 4, 2014 ceased to be the chairman of Enugu South local government council and its representative from Enugu State.

committed an offence punishable under section 409 of the criminal laws of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2011.”

Madam Grace Agbiogwu for burial

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ADAM GRACE Akunna Oyoyo Benjamin Agbiogwu, nee Njoku of Umuoma Ogbe, Ahiazu Mbaise, Imo State is dead. She will be buried on Friday, January 31, at Pa Joseph Nwachukwu Emele’s compound, Umunakwe, Umuekeugo, OgboUruru, Aboh Mbaise.

Service of songs holds on Saturday, January 25, at 4, Surulere Street, Ejigbo, Lagos.

She is survived by siblings, including Rev. Samuel Nwachukwu.

Late Grace Agbiogwu

Vanguard,FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—39

VISIT: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (middle); Mr. Terry Tamminen, leader, R 20 team (left); Special Adviser to former California Governor, Schwarzenegger, Mr. Christopher Nuttall, R 20 team Executive Director, during a courtesy visit by members of the Green Economy Experts to Governor Uduaghan, in Asaba, yesterday.

VISIT: First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan (right), acknowledging members of the Lady Mechanics; the Initiator, Mrs. Sandra Aguebor-Ekperuoh, and wife of the Vice President, Hajia Amina Sambo (3rd right), and others, during the visit to the First Lady by a delegation of Lady Mechanics, at the State House, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida

MEETING: From left, First Vice President, National Institute of Management, NIMN, Mr. Rotimi Olaniyan; PrinceYemisi Syllon, Mr. Ganiyu Koledoye, NIMN President; Dr. Rotimi Oladele, 2nd Vice President; Dr. Daniel Ayozie, Chief Ulu Mba, Chief Sylva Emoekpere, and Rev. ‘Deji Olokesusi, Registrar/CEO, during the inaugural meeting of NIM's past presidents, at Protea Hotel, Lagos.

SESSION: Mrs. Wande Muoyo, Budget and Planning Commissioner (middle), addressing the audience on the 2014 budget; Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Finance Commissioner (left) and Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, Information Commissioner, during the breakdown session at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, yesterday. Photo: Wumi Akinola

LAUNCH: Head of Marketing, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Norden Thurston, flanked by Airtel Nigeria’s Mr. Victor BannermanChedid, GM, Value Added Services (left), and Wale Abu, GM, Mass Market, making a point, during the launch of 'Everybody is a Winner' promo by Pepsi and Airtel Nigeria, in Lagos, on Wednesday.

FLAG-OFF: Commissioner for Water Resources, Barr.

Hadiza Onotu; Chairman, Adavi Local Government, Mr. Salihu Adaviruku; Executive Governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada; the Speaker, Kogi House of Assembly, Hon. Momoh Lawal, and the Commissioner for Rural Development, Barrister Umar Mohammed, during the flag-off of 500 motorised and water-pump borehole systems, on executive intervention to fasttrack the provision of water to rural communities, at Adavi LG, Kogi State.

LAUNCH: From left, Director, Consumer Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Oluwole Rawa; Faces of Etisalat Easyflex, Genevieve Nnaji &Mr. Hakeem Kazim, and Acting CEO, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthes Willshere, during the ... Etisalat Easyflex New Bundles for High Value Segment, at Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau

SESSION: From Kelechi Anyanwu, Columbia Business School, CBS, MBA student; Success Nmerife, Head, Marketing Communications, Computer Warehouse Group, CWG, and Kristin McKee, also CBS MBA student, during the CBS MBA information session, in Lagos.

WORKSHOP: From left, Mr. Toyin Munis, Consulting Partner, Baileycole; Mr. Olujimi Ige, Director, Financial Intelligence and Research, representing Lagos State Accountant General, and Mr. Ola Tubi, Managing Partner, Baileycole Consulting, during a three-day workshop on basic excel for finance and accounting professionals in the state, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Fresh cholera outbreak kills 4 in Bauchi

2015: Agitation for Christian governor in Lagos undemocratic — CSO

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI—NO fewer than four persons have reportedly died following a fresh outbreak of cholera at Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

It was gathered that out of the 20 persons that were hospitalized at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, nine were said to have contracted the disease while the remaining 11 were still under investigation.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sani Malami told newsmen, yesterday, in Bauchi that the state government had risen to occasion by establishing three primary health centres at Bakaro, Kofar Dumi and Kofar Ram in the local government.

According to Malami,”the state government has dispatched a group of medical personnel to chlorinate sources of drinking water such as wells and reservoirs."

Yauri Emir Charges Journalist To Be Objective

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IRNIN KEBBI—— The Emir of Yauri, in Kebbi State, Dr. Zayyanu Abdullahi has asked journalists to always be objective and accurate in their reports as the people depend on them for information.

The monarch spoke, yesterday, at his palace while receiving members of the Nigerian Union of Journalist, Kebbi State chapter who paid him a courtesy visit.

Abdullahi said that journalists as the watchdog of the society should not be used by politicians to cripple the nation and tear the country apart. ‘’We the society depend on your daily reports as our weapon to know what is happening in the country. Without you, we shall not know what is happening, therefore, we expect you people to bring peace and unity to the society through your reports,” he said.

BY STARRYS OBAZEI

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INAUGURATION— Former Zamfara State Governor and Chairman of NACOJSP, Alhj.

Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi chatting with Director General of NACOJSP, Hon. Umoren Frederick and National Patron Youth Wing of NACOJSP , Dr Benjamin Onoriode during Inauguration of the Youth Wing of National Coalition for Jonathan/Sambo Presidency (NACOJSP) and Public Presentation of Book held in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Bauchi residents lament poor electricity supply

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI—RESIDENTS of Bauchi State are now groaning over poor electricity supply in Bauchi, the state capital and the environs.

Some of the residents who spoke to Vanguard over the situation lamented that they had expected the situation to improve with the privatisation of the PHCN, but regretted that the supply of electricity has continued to be epileptic within the state.

The residents said that although they had been experiencing power outage, the situation had worsened since the privatization of PHCN. Areas mostly affected include Wunit Dada, Bakin Kura, Kofar Duste, Federal Low Cost, Railway, Gwalameji and Yelwa, among others.

Those who spoke to Vanguard in Bauchi complained of erratic power supply adding that the situation had deteriorated in the last three months.

A business man, Mr. Dennis Ayilara who lives in Yelwa, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis said that inadequate power supply had crippled his businesses as he had lost many customers of his customers.

“The business I operate is a lucrative one, but inefficient power supply has made me to lose a lot of customers. Some of the customers cannot afford the cost of using a generator, so they just leave when I charge them extra because of fuelling of the

generator.

According to him, even when the restore electricity, it would go off before one hour.

Also, Mrs Vivian Barnabas who operates restaurant along the Wunti Market complained bitterly that her business had been going down within the last few weeks due to poor power supply. She urged the Federal Government to urgently address the situation.

“I was very happy when I heard that the Federal Government has privatized the power sector, but for three

months now, the situation has not changed. It is even becoming worse.

“Most of the food items I usually keep in my refrigerator normally get bad because of inadequate power supply and when they get spoilt, I am the one that loses. Spending on fuel to power my generator has drained me financially and I am not making profit,” she added.

Vanguard gathered that the Buachi metropolis had been witnessing irregular power supply since November last year.

AGOS—CHRIS TIAN Association of Nigeria, CAN’s call for the emergence of a Christian governor in Lagos, was yesterday, termed “a dangerous trend” by Civil Society Organisations comprising Concerned Human Rights, Centre for Rights Advocacy in Africa and Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, at a press briefing addressed by Messrs Decian Ihekaire, Ismail Olawale and Ibuchukwu Ezike.

In a statement, the oganisations said the call for a Christian governor in Lagos, may likely threaten democracy, undermine good governance and human rights.

The Coalition said that while CAN has the right to agitate for anything, they should remember that Nigeria has a constitution which stipulates how political office seekers should qualify for election through party primaries.

Expressing worries over the volatile issue of religion, the Coalition said: “We see the demand by a section of CAN as undemocratic and an attempt that may cause religious crisis in Lagos, if not nipped in the bud now.

“We urge anybody seeking political position to join political parties, undergo genuine and open primaries and shun any approach to politics that may cause chaos, confusion and crisis."

Kaduna spends N1.2bn on drilling of 754 bore holes

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ADUNA—THE Kaduna State Government, yesterday said it spent more than N1.2 billion in 2013 on the drilling of 754 bore holes across the state.

The Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Ado Audu, said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Kaduna that the project was part of intervention measures to address water scarcity in various communities.

He said 680 hand pumps were provided across the 34 local government areas of the

state at the cost of more than N837.1 million under the government’s constituency projects intervention programme.

Audu said each of the local councils were provided with 20 bore holes, adding that the projects were 82.9 per cent complete.

According to him, the administration is also constructing 46 solar powered bore holes at the cost of N373. 39 million of which work has reached 73.7 per cent completion stage.

“The state government in collaboration with the MDGs

has also constructed 16 hand pump bore holes and one solar powered bore hole, three ventilated improved pit latrines at the cost of over N21 million and N5.2 million respectively.

“The government has in the course of the year paid N322.53 million being current and outstanding liabilities under the MDGs arrangement to various contractors.”

On urban water supply, Audu said more than N489.3 million was spent last year to enhance water supply for residents of Kaduna, Kafanchan, Zaria, Kagoro, Zonkwa and Saminaka.

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44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

BY SUZAN EDEH

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OVERNOR Isa Yuguda and his predecessor in office, Adamu Mu’azu parted ways in 2006, when Yuguda made known his intention to contest the gubernatorial election under the platform of PDP. It was said that Mu’azu at that time preferred the then Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Umar Nadada who was, however, trounced by Yuguda who contested on the platform of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP. Even worse for Mu‘azu was that his bid to go to the Senate was also stopped by Yuguda’s one time special assistant, Bala Mohammed, a former journalist who contested on the platform of the ANPP. Following Yuguda’s inauguration as governor in 2007, he apparently set out on what some described as a revenge mission when he established a commission of inquiry to investigate and probe the affairs of the Mu‘azu administration. Even before that inquiry was over in 2008, the former governor was accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC of embezzling and mismanaging N19.8 billion during his tenure as governor of the state.

When the EFCC demanded that Mu’azu should report to the headquarters for interrogation in July 2008, he relocated to Dubai, the United Arab Emirate on self exile.

•Yuguda, Mu`azu: Once intimate friends, turned foes and friends again

Mu'azu and Yuguda: Friends again THEY were once very good friends, but the struggle for power in the run up to the 2007 election separated them . But time and the reported intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan has reunited the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Mu‘azu and Governor Isa Yuguda. How they proceed from now will prove whether they have really overcome the past developments in the political environment. The former president, Alhaji Umar

,

Mu‘azu has promised that he would not go the way of past PDP chairmen in interfering in the affairs of the state chapters of the PDP where the chairmen came from

The following year, the commission of inquiry came up with a white paper that indicted Muazu for allegedly embezzling N2 billion, amongst other indictments.

He was also banned from contesting for public office for 10 years.

Mu‘azu was quick to put up judicial opposition to the probe as he through his counsel Akintola Adeniyi SAN, pointed out that the state government had no right to ban him from contesting for any political office.

The case with suit no BA/ 295m/2009 was first mentioned on 25th February 2010 and adjourned to 23rd June 2010 for ruling.

Meanwhile, while the case was proceeding, there were

,

Yar‘Adua was taken out of the country and died in May 2010, enthroning a king that was beholden to Mu‘azu for some past favours.

Mu‘azu as governor had provided succour for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, then the deputy governor of Bayelsa State in 2005, during the edgy period when the then governor, Dipereye Alamieyeseigha was under siege of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Following the impeachment, Mu‘azu was said to have provided security that returned Dr. Jonathan to Bayelsa.

So with Dr. Jonathan now president, sources claimed that a political solution was

brought to bear on Governor Yuguda to soften on his campaign against Mu‘azu.

So, the case which suffered several setbacks since 2009 when it was first initiated, finally ended in April 2013, when Mu‘azu was cleared of the alleged N2billion naira indictment by the commission of enquiry.

Justice Zango declared that the state government white paper on the inquiry and th gazetted on 12 November, 2009 cannot stand because it lacked legal effect.

Conspicuous presence Thus, he ordered that the white paper and any other legal action taken against the defendants against the plaintiff be also set aside.

Remarkably, the state government did not appeal the judgment when it came.

Mu‘azu, meanwhile, also began to show his presence in the state and attend state functions. He was a conspicuous presence when Governor Yuguda lost his sister last year and given their

past close friendship, was almost like a chief mourner receiving visitors on behalf of the governor.

Governor Yuguda has also to his credit not opposed choice appointments given Mu‘azu by the Jonathan administration.

First as chairman of the board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and only recently, as chairman of the National Pension Commission.

Mu‘azu has promised that he would not go the way of past PDP chairmen in interfering in the affairs of the state chapters of the PDP where the chairmen came from. Those who know him say it is a promise that he will surely keep and which will bring new life to the PDP. Restr ucturing the PDP: Reacting to the Muazu’s appointment as the national chairman of PDP, APC National auditor, Captain Bala Mohammed Jibrin said the emergence of Muazu as the national chairman cannot really make any difference within the PDP now because

he came when things within the party have deteriorated.

According to him,”the new chairman just have one year before 2015 election to perform and if he does not deliver, it will be very unfortunate for the PDP, but from political calculations, he is already a failure and there is no magic that he can do.”

Resolving the party's problems The Bauchi State chapter of the PDP hailed Mu‘azu’s emergence as the new national chairman, saying that his appointment will help resolve the problems bedeviling the party.

The State secretary of the party, Alhaji Samaila Burga told Vanguard in that although the PDP has been going through very turbulent crisis lately, the appointment of the former governor of the state will help in wooing back all the members of the party that left because of one grievance or the other.

He also dismissed speculations that Governor Yuguda was not disposed to the choice citing the rapport between both men in the days leading to the appointment.

The governor as reflective of the détente between both men nominated Mu‘azu at the eventful meeting of the National Executive Committee, last Monday.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014—45

BY LUKA BINNIYAT

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HILE many residents of Kaduna, the Kaduna State capital took the opportunity of the last yuletide break to hang around family and friends, it was not so for Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero. On Christmas eve, the governor with his aides in tow, and escorted by heavily armed soldiers and police went about 150 kilometers south from the capital to Kafanchan to celebrate Christmas with the predominantly Christian population of Kaduna South.

Though a Muslim, the governor apparently did not have any option, not if he still had 2015 in view.

Days before his trip to Southern Kaduna, about 1,200 influential members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP mostly from the northern part of the state defected to the All Progressive Alliance (APC). The masterminds of the defection in the APC, working with dissatisfied stakeholders within the PDP, apparently had the intention of doing worse in Southern Kaduna.

That would have been a masterstroke that would have inevitably opened up the underbelly of the PDP in Kaduna. Though Yero would have been the immediate casualty as everyone knows, the greater impact would further diminish the political legacy of his boss and political godfather, Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

Already diminished in Northern Kaduna with the APC gaining the ascendancy in many political positions, the Southern Christian population had become the base of the PDP. The politically astute former governor of the state, Senator Ahmed Markafi had won the people of the area to the party through his open hearted dispensation of projects and positions while he was in power. However, Sambo seemed to have made a reverse for the

From Yakowa to Yero: many storms to cross The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, the late Ibrahim Yakowa and his successor, Mukthar Yero may have operated on the same political platform, but expectations and experience of the two are different on ground. Why? brief period he was governor of the state. However, with his elevation to Abuja and a son of the soil, Ibrahim Yokowa as governor, the people of Southern Kaduna could breath some measure of fairness in the administration. However, Yokowa’s death and the elevation of Yero to office seemed to have returned them to what some allege as the dark days of Sambo.

Gen. Zamani Lekwot (rtd), Chairman Southern Kaduna Elders Consultative Forum, had visited Sambo and President Goodluck Jonathan respectively in 2012 and 2013 to complain about the injustice they were suffering. Out of the 37 federal appointees from Kaduna State, only three were from Southern Kaduna, despite the fact that that was the part of the state giving the votes to the PDP. Sambo, under whom Yero worked as an accountant in his (Nalado Nigerian Enterpise) private firm, was blamed for the imbalance, considering his past actions on Southern Kaduna.

So given the perception that they were not wanted it was not difficult for Yero, even belatedly, to know that his political enemies within the PDP and in the APC were about to feast on a rich harvest in Southern Kaduna, and hence his Christmas vacation in Kafanchan, the dominant city in the area.

The vacation was, however, not entirely happy for the holiday maker and his hosts. For example, Zonkwa residents in Zangon Kataf LGA and environs, are still unhappy that the governor ’s convoy almost crushed a throng going on a yearly procession, tagged,

•Yero: Back from Christmas break in Southern Kaduna “Celebrate Jesus” on Christmas Day, as he set about visiting local chiefs from the area.

While, Yero was received by high ranking traditional rulers of the area with deserving respect, same as he did Christian clerics when they went to see him at the Kafanchan Governor’s lodge on his invitation, the same could not be said of some respectable opinion leaders of the place, including the politicians and their followers who where supposed to be his major targets.

Many were put off by the disorganised, unruly looking atmosphere at the lodge made

worse by unfriendly armed soldiers and police men, who roughened up visitors, including journalists.

The most aggrieved, though, were the PDP foot soldiers of Southern Kaduna, many mused over the handouts they got from the governor. Some political leaders also complained of being neglected and that Yero did not heed to good advice, surrounding himself with sycophants with little political capital. As if to buttress that point, three days after he departed from Kafanchan, an influential member of the PDP from

Our plans to revive Edo PDP — Agbonkina

government by roofing them, you have not built new schools, and then you have not achieved anything. You must provide adequate infrastructural development that will create employment and business for the people. All these are missing and so, I rate him below twenty-five percent because the roads alone, street lights and towing of vehicles will not develop Edo state. No single industry has been established by the government either in partnership with the private sector or by inviting investors and even the redundant industries were not rehabilitated.

But the governor has come out to explain that the debt profile of Edo Line is so high that you cannot put anything there unless you have to pay the loans taken by previous administration to the lending banks….

Very good but where the alternative is and what has been the alternative? The alternative

DR. Greg Agbonkina is a top chieftain of the Edo state PDP. A former governorship aspirant of the party and the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the aborted Third Republic but had to step down for former Governor John Odigie - Oyegun, he said in this interview that Edo State must vote for the PDP as the state cannot afford t remain in political opposition to the federal government. He also spoke on the defection of five PDP Governors to the APC, insisting that the defection will not affect the fortunes of the party in next year’s elections. Excerpts

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

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•Agbonkina

HE Oshiomhole administration last November celebrated its five years in office. What is your assessment of the administration?

The Oshiomhole administration in Edo State having come as a result of the voters against the PDP, one had expected that the developmental strides for which Edo State had been known for would be sustained. But it is sad

to say that what the propaganda of the government had been able to achieve here is to deceive the people as if we were progressing.

It is true that some street lights are in the Ring Road, Sapele Road, Akpakpava and Airport Road in Benin, but those are just three roads in Benin. Benin-City has more than fifty roads; all the other ones are impassable and there is no development as far as agencies that can employ our people are concerned. For instance, the Edo Line which is the oldest State run transportation company in the country is closed with over 5,000 people made redundant; the Bendel Brewery, a neighbor of Guinness Nigeria Limited is closed. The Bendel Feeds and Flour Mill in Ewu are closed, so, our people are not employed. If you renovate schools built by the late Prof. Alli’s

Southern Kaduna, Barrister Jacob Mark - former National Legal Adviser of the PDP – gave a damning assessment of the rot within Kaduna PDP following the defections in the north and the danger waiting in the South.

“In the face of unfolding political events in Kaduna State, it is indeed worrisome that once again, persons shouldered with the responsibility of guiding the PDP boat through troubled times do not seem to care that the boat is threatened by critical weather conditions. They are still enmeshed in the euphoria, size and magnitude of the offices they occupy. Otherwise how does one explain the rascal docility, loud silence and inaction of these major players in the PDP to the serious events that occurred in the last 10 days . . . Available data garnered from on the spot analysis reveal that the PDP is at its lowest rating since 1999 and unless things change, there will be a political disaster if we go into any election now”, said Jacob.

Alhaji Umar Gana, former Director-General, North-West of the Obasanjo/Atiku Organisation during the 1999 general election and also Kaduna state Coordinator for Jonthan/Sambo Presidential campaign of 2011 elections has also expressed similar sentiments.

In advertorials in some major national dailies, lampooning Yero and Sambo, he accused the two of neglecting the PDP in the state.

He threatened to leave the PDP to APC with his loyalists if things stayed the same, saying that the PDP was fast sinking in the state.

It was upon these that Sambo and Yero swung into action.

itself is that the state government has borrowed so much money in the name of the development of Edo state to the extent that in its budget for this year, it has earmark N20bilion for debt servicing charges. In other words, if you take the state bonds loans at the rate of ten percent, it means that N20billion would be ten percent of the debt that we currently owed and this put the debt of the state government at about N200billion and this our great grand children cannot even pay.

Meanwhile, the debts are not tied to reactivating the moribund industries in the state such as Bendel Brewery, Edo Line and others that can pay back the loans. The fact that Edo Lines or any of the industries are indebted does not mean that they cannot be reactivated; you only need to re-negotiate the terms of payment of the debts… and people will be employed.

46 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

The usual viscious triangle A

S last week was closing with the news of the sorrowful departure of the Peoples‘ Democratic Party‘s (PDP) Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, the new week has brought the pleasing news of a new Chairman, Adamu M‘uazu, a former Governor of Bauchi State. This is a credit to PDP Party for saving Nigerians the horror of witnessing a long drawn battle with the dire consequences of a fractured political party.After digesting the economic blueprint of President Jonathan as enunciated by that brilliant, confident and outspoken Minister of Finance and Economic Coordination, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala in the reply to the Honorable Members of House of Representatives, it could be concluded that Nigeria is on the sure step towards economic development (judging by the arrays of statistical figures).

It only remains to be verified by media tours of those beautiful roads constructed and under construction and those fast moving modern railway coaches from Lagos to Kano.

It is clear that a rejuvenated railway system would relieve greatly movement of goods and people on the present and poorly maintained roads.It could be assumed that the Transformation Agenda of the present government had worked wonders in the country as to make life more abundant.

If this is so, then President Goodluck Jonathan should have no “Enemies” as being suggested in certain enlightened quarters. I don`t believe that there are “Enemies” lurking somewhere to pounce on our amiable President, but I must admit the existence of political Opponents, powerful, organized and co-ordinated.

In my view, the party named All Progressives Congress (APC) is a collection of colorful politicians who see in Dr. Jonathan, a leader, visionless and effete.

Economic orientation Members of the APC, to some Nigerians, are not different in political philosophy and economic orientation from their counterparts in the PDP – their leaders harbor no known welfare instincts but look like preying birds with peaks dyed in red (colour of oppression). Their acquisitive instincts for power, prestige and money are prodigious and frightening.

If it is agreed for the purpose of argument that the President‘s political opponents are not his “Enemies” as such, but there is the real danger represented by that curious but Vicious Triangle. It has an economic undertone. The greater part of the year 2013 witnessed the intensification of the economic reform programme of the present government of the Federation. The reforms are anchored on the familiar cliché of “Economic Stability and Poverty Alleviation” There is no doubt that these reforms are necessary for the political stability and prosperity of Nigeria.

It is surprising, if not painful, that many attempts by previous governments – whether military or civilian – have not yielded many dividends. The goal of economic stability in the real sense has be-

come elusive and ever receding.

What are the factors that have militated against the previous attempts and beclouding the present efforts? Some sharp financial minds decidedly point to the “Vicious Triangle” of Bank Lending Rate, Foreign Exchange Rate and Rate of Inflation. Instability in the bank lending rate, unstable foreign exchange situation and restless domestic price level are enough potent forces that could undermine any policy, even if it is economically sound.

The main problem of the previous governments, including the present one, is the inability to reconcile the policy of cheap lending (cheap money), with those of rising prices (inflation) and falling value of the national currency (depreciation).

The conflicts in major policies have resulted in distortions and instability within the economy. The results have been assumed economic stability, but with rising unemployment.

There is little doubt that a policy of low lending rate by the banks would tend to encourage domestic production which needs faster domestic demand to sustain it. A lively domestic demand relies on higher purchasing power of consumers in form of higher wages for workers and enhanced pensions for retirees.

In the past, increase in the quantity of money had led to uncontrolled rises in price because supply could not meet demand for goods. Unless inflation could be controlled, the advantages of cheap money policy would be lost.

The foreign exchange mechanism is an intriguing one for the Nigerian economy which relies on foreign inputs (raw materials, equipment, spare parts and food) for survival. A depreciated currency leads to increasing cost of locally produced goods and rising cost of those goods in both the domestic and foreign markets. A strong Naira could encourage flood of imports which could affect the balance of trade and later, the balance of payments, as many would assume.

What then is the solution? It is suggested that a policy of cheap lending should be reconciled with those of controlling the quantity of money and the prices of domestic products.

It does not mean that the wages and prices would not rise, but such rise should not be more than the rise in productivity and adequate supply of goods.

The Foreign Exchange policy should be designed to encourage domestic production and steady growth rate. Such a ‘multiple rates‘ system should be designed to ensure cheap necessary inputs for domestic industry and to penalize luxuries, while also favoring the export of agricultural products.

It is advisable for President Jonathan not to be frightened by perceived enemies but should concentrate more on taming the forces of inflation, high exchange rate and growing unemployment which tend to threaten the security of the nation.

The happy news of the week is that the end of Boko Haram insurgency may be around the corner, according to the new Chief of Defense Staff.

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Senate sets next week for debate on 2014 budget •Tasks senators to prepare for a robust debate •Refers screening of service chiefs to committees on Defence, Army, Navy, Air Force

By OMOH GABRIEL, JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU & JOSEPH ERUNKE, with Agency report

A

BUJA—THE Senate, yes terday, said it would expedite action on the passage of the 2014 Budget by devoting the whole of next week for it. Specifically, the debate on the N4.6 trillion budget would begin on Tuesday and end on Thursday.

This is even as hope is rising for the 2014 budget as crude oil has hit $107 on global growth prospects.

Yesterday, Brent oil rose above $107 a barrel as outlook reports indicated global oil demand will rise more quickly this year due to economic growth in industrialised countries. This has made the prospect of the 2014 budget which was based on $76.9 a barrel much brighter. If the trend in the crude oil market persists through out the year, Nigeria will be in a strong position to finance the budget and improve considerably its fortune on the excess crude account.

However, the Senate President, David Mark, announced the early passage of the budget shortly before the commencement of the day’s plenary, following a letter to that effect from the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, (PDP, Cross River Central).

He urged senators to prepare for an exhaustive debate that would lead to its quick p a s s a g e .

This was even as the Senate referred the screening of service chiefs to its committees on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force, asking them to submit the report within one week.

Similarly, the Senate referred the request by President Goodluck Jonathan for confirmation of Col. Umaru Faruk Ahmed, rtd, from Katsina State for appointment as a member of the governing board of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission to its Committee on Works. The committee is also to submit its report within seven days.

On the budget, a register was opened for senators willing to contribute during the three-day debate to write their n a m e s .

President Goodluck Jonathan had, through the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, presented a budget estimate of N4.6 trillion to the National Assembly, for the 2014 fiscal year, shortly before the Chist-

mas and New Year break.

Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency, IEA, has said that the emerging economic growth in developed economies will absorb more supply even as U.S. shale oil output reaches record highs.

The US shale oil production has given oil exporting countries such as Nigeria some sleepless nights as US crude oil import slowed.

This came as the International Monetary Fund, IMF, Monday, raised its global growth forecast for the first time in nearly two years, saying advanced nations could pick up growth from emerging markets. In response to the brighter economic predictions Brent crude added 58 cents to $107.30 a barrel. On Tuesday, oil hit a nearly two-week high of $108.00 and ended 38 cents up. U.S. oil was up 68 cents to $95.65 a barrel to touch its highest in more than two weeks.

Senator Gaya fails to get Senate reject Service Chiefs During the sitting, Senator Kabiru Gaya, APC-Kano Central, made unsuccessful attempts for the Senate to reject the appointment of the service chiefs. Gaya, who raised a point of order under Order 53 of the Senate Standing Rule, had argued that Jonathan violated the law by appointing and giving portfolios to the service chiefs before submitting their names for confirmation, saying the President ought to have nominated and submitted their names to the Senate for approval before assigning offices to them.

He sought to know what would happen to the service chiefs if they were not cleared at the end of the screening. But the Senate President, David Mark, who presided over the plenary over ruled him, saying that assigning portfolios to the service chiefs did not mean they had been confirmed.

According to Mark, it was because of this that the new service chiefs have not been decorated with their uniforms.

In another development,the Senate received report of the Senator Paulinus Nwagu’s led Committee on Police Affairs on “Investigation into Cruelty to Infants”. The investigation involved the case of alleged rape of a two-year old girl by a police corporal, named Anthony Onoja, at Mararaba area of Nasarawa State in October 2013.

UN aid chief urges ceasefire in Syria T HE UN humanitarian chief has urged the Syrian delegations to remember their people and try to reach local ceasefires to allow vital food and medicines to reach millions of civilians in dire needs.

Valerie Amos said yesterday that t UN envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, would press the government and opposition on these humanitarian issues at meetings due to start later in the day.

“Remember your people.

Remember that you are all Syrians. You can be talking about your child, your mother, your father of your all family that could be facing this horror. Put the people first,” she said.

“I have discussed this with Mr Brahimi and he’ll continue to push this.

The UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi (left) with UN Secretary General at the Geneva peace talk.

Because political negotiations can take a very long time. And as we saw yesterday, there are big differences between the parties.”

The UN aid chief said it was crucial to gain access to about 250,000 people trapped in besieged communities, many of them in Aleppo, Homs and near Damascus, who have been out

of reach for many months.

Another 2.5 million people are in “hard-to-reach” areas, having received UN relief supplies just once or so, Amos said.

The UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Syria’s regime and opposition, who are meeting for the first time, to finally work together at the table.

U.S. denies plan to stop HIV/AIDS funds in Nigeria

T

HE U.S. said yesterday that it had no intention to withdraw an estimated 500 million dollar new funding for HIV and AIDS programme in Nigeria following the law criminalising same_sex relationships in the country.

Mr James Entwistle, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, gave the indication in Abuja during the public viewing of a new drama series entitled “Shuga”, which depicts HIV issues in Nigeria.

Entwistle described as untrue earlier media reports credited to him that U.S. would halt funding on HIV and AIDS in Nigeria because

of the harsh law on homosexual relationships. “Some of the report said I said on Monday that because of the bill, United States was going to cut back or eliminate its support for HIV and AIDS programming in this country.

“This is not the case, we have neither the desire nor the intent to do that.

“Let me be clear, our commitment, our pledge to supporting the HIV and AIDS fight in this country is unwavering.

“What I did say was that we and I imagine all HIV/AIDS donors will watch carefully to see how the bill is implemented and enforced with an eye towards its potential effect on HIV programmes here.

“I wanted to make it absolutely clear that our commitment on HIV

and AIDS in this country, United States isn’t going anywhere.”

Entwistle said that in the last 10 years the U.S. had spent more than 3.4 billion dollars on HIV and AIDS in Nigeria adding that in 2014 the Obama administration would contribute over 500 billion dollars to HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.

“Over the past 10 years, U.S. has committed and spent over 3.4 billion U.S dollars on HIV and AIDs programmes here in Nigeria, this year we will spend close to half a billion U.S. dollars.”

He advised Nigeria government not to relent in its commitment to reduce the prevalence of HIV cases in the country.

S/Sudan’s warring factions sign ceasefire

S

OUTH Sudan’s government and rebels loyal to sacked vice president Riek Machar have signed a ceasefire after over a month of fighting that has divided Africa’s newest nation and brought it to the brink of civil war.

The leader of President Salva Kiir’s delegation to talks that have lasted weeks, Nhial Deng Nhial, and the leader of Machar ’s delegation, Taban Deng Gai, signed the pact in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Fighting between troops loyal to Kiir and those backing Machar, who was fired in July, erupted in midDecember.

The conflict quickly deteriorated into all-out war

between the regular army, who are being backed by Ugandan troops, and defectors and ethnic militia, with the violence also

pitting members of Kiir’s Dinka tribe against some from Machar’s Nuer group.

BRIEFS

Uhuru Kenyatta trial: ICC postpones trial

K

ENYAN President Uhuru Kenyatta’s trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been postponed.

It was to have started on 5 February but the prosecution had asked for a three-month delay after a witness withdrew and another admitted giving false evidence. Mr Kenyatta is charged with being behind the ethnic violence surrounding the presidential election in 2007.

Abbas seeks $1-billion Gaza deal with Russia

P

ALESTINIAN leader Mahmud Abbas, yesterday sought to secure a billion-dollar Gaza energy deal during talks with Russian leaders aimed at restoring warmer ties between the two Soviet-era allies. Abbas and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were due to sign an intergovernmental agreement that reports said included a $1.0-billion (730-million-euro) natural gas project in the Gaza section of the Mediterranean Sea.

50 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014— 51

52 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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PDP stakeholders move against Saraki's grip on Kwara

By CALEB AYANSINA

S

TAKEHOLDERS of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kwara State, have commenced moves to fill the vacuum left by the departure of Senator Bukola Saraki and his associates from the party.

At the stakeholders’ meeting convened in Abuja, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the state chapter of the party, Solomon Edojah told party dignitaries and elected office holders that though difficult, it was possible to dislodge Senator Saraki’s grip on the state. He, however, lamented the unwillingness of some including the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi to join the campaign.

Edojah said the caretaker committee would soon hold a rally for the purpose of identifying all those with the party and those still identifying with Senator Saraki, adding, “We need to whittle down Saraki’s power, though they are making serious overture to come back. I told the party leadership that it is better to work with people in our hands than to rely on the same structure that has played game with us.”

He noted that in the process of restoring the party in the state, nobody would be left out of the ongoing consultation by the committee, in spite of lackadaisical attitude by some stakeholders. He said, “I met with the minister who is supposed to be doing the work I am doing now, but he told me that he is not a politician and he does not want to get himself involved in what we are doing. We are not going to leave any structure unturned. We will consult widely and would not look down on anybody. It has been 40 years of their dynasty, but now it is liberation movement in Kwara.

We are going to call all to our rally, for us to see those that are going and to know who are with us; because I know some are sitting on the fence.”

Edojah disagreed with the opinion that there was a mass defection in the state from PDP to All Progressive Congress (APC), explaining that while some left in body, their spirits remained in the PDP. Also speaking, Senator Simeon Ajibola, representing Kwara South urged other party loyalists to play down their individual ambitions, and pursue genuine restoration of the party.

54 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

O

N the streets of Cape Town, last Monday, a South African fan, Bozo Mbongisi, stopped our Jacob Ajom and sought to know what Nigeria was doing that South Africans were not doing that makes their football inferior to Nigeria’s.

It was just about 24 hours after Nigeria bashed Bafana Bafana 3-1 in their last group match, a victory that sent South Africa out of the Africa Nations Championship, CHAN, which they are hosting.

The South African sounded frustrated. He saw their team as a hopeless one. He was emotional and expressed despair over their failures in football, especially against Nigeria.

Summarily, Ajom told him that Nigeria had the talents they lacked.

Ajom was right. Nigeria’s superiority over South Africa in football has nothing to do with organization, planning or preparation. It is simply that we are more endowed in football than they are. Every country has its area of specialty. South Africans were once world champions in Rugby. They are endowed in that sport.

They are fairly good in track and field and great in rowing, swimming, tennis, cricket, boxing and some other sports.

Kevin Andersen, a South African, just got to the 4th round of Australian Open, one of the four biggest tennis events in the world being a Grand Slam. They are among the best in the world in Rugby, Cricket, Tennis and Swimming. The point here is that they are doing well in the sports that they are endowed. Can same be said of Nigeria? I don’t think so. And that’s why we should cry more than Jacob Ajom’s friend.

Fikile Mbalula, South Africa’s Sports minister, used harsh words to condemn their team. We should lament more than the man. Are we doing well in the sports that we are endowed?

With all our talents in football, we have never got close to being world champions. I mean the real World Cup. The best we have achieved in World Cup were two second round outings – in USA ’94 and in France 1998. I may also mention the 1996 soccer Olympic gold medal but I wouldn’t beat my chest over it as the Olympic soccer is a youth competition meant for players who are under 23 years although countries are allowed to field three senior players. Youth competitions are development programmes and Fifa never uses them to rate any country’s football. Football countries also see youth competitions as development programmes. They provide the platform to develop

08053068728

Why we should lament more than South Africans players and not approach them with the win-at-all costs attitude that Nigeria has carried on all these years. That’s why we have won the U-17 event for a record four times but are today ranked 41 in the world and no where among the best football countries in the world. That’s a sport that we have great potential to

But South Africans rank high in the sports that they are endowed and even get to be world champions; so, we should cry more than Bozo

,

,

be at least among the top 10 in the world. And because of inconsistencies in the declaration of the ages of our youth team, many just Nigerians refuse to celebrate youth victories. The last one in UAE was slightly better.

We have the talents but we lack the organisation to reach our potential in football. South Africa have the organisation but lack the talents to rank high in football.

These are the challenges for both countries. But South Africans rank high in the sports that they are endowed and even get to be world champions. So, we should cry more than Bozo.

Imagine the organisation of the South African league, a league that Nigerian players crave for to

Nigerians in Cape Town mobilise support for Eagles W

HEN the Super Eagles take on the Atlas Lions of Morocco in the quarter final match of the ongoing African Nations Championship tomorrow, they won’t lack support from the stands.

The leadership of the Nigerian Union in Cape Town has purchased hundreds of match tickets to be distributed free to its members resident in the city and its environs.

A Nigerian community leader here in the South African city, Chief Obinna Evans told Sports Vanguard that arrangements have been concluded to ensure we achieve maximum support for the Eagles on Saturday. ’’Apart from what the union is doing, I am personally buying 50 tickets to be given out to members to go to the stadium and cheer these boys who have been able to restore our hope in them,’’ Evans who introduced himself as the Eze ndi Igbo (head of

Igbos) in Cape Town said.

He said that the elimination of the Bafana Bafana from the tournament would surely affect the turn out of fans as the locals will stay away.

Maigari rejoins Eagles in Cape Town

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RESIDENT of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari departed the shores of Nigeria on Thursday night to rejoin the Eagles B squad in Cape Town ahead of Saturday’s potentiallyexplosive African Nations Championship quarter final duel with Morocco’s Atlas Lions.

“I have total confidence in the Eagles to overcome the Moroccans on Saturday and go ahead to lift the trophy on the first day of February,” Maigari said as he left Abuja for Lagos, en route South Africa, on Thursday afternoon.

Victory for the Eagles on Saturday will take the Aminu Maigari administration closer to its 11th trophy in 41 months in charge of Nigeria football.

Trophies that have been won include the FIFA U17 World Cup (November 2013), Africa Cup of Nations (February 2013), African Women Championship (December 2010), African Youth Championship (May 2011), Conquistador (high-profile friendly with Argentina, June 2011), Catalunya Cup (high-profile friendly with Catalonia, January 2013), Mandela Challenge (high-profile

friendly with South Africa, August 2013) and all three editions of the COPA Lagos International Beach Soccer Tournament since 2011.

earn well and live better lives and not for quality and competitive football. Their remuneration, facilities and general professionalism cannot be compared with the th 15 century football we run here. It is just that we have the talents. If we get close to the organisation the South African footballers enjoy, Nigeria will be among the best in the world. A player with the kind of potential Sunday Mba has would not end up in a lower division club in France with a contract that fetches him not more than $4,000 monthly and with a clause that says he will not earn a pay if injured. If our league had the organisation that South African players are enjoying in their league, Mba would not rush into a somewhat enslavement contract in France. He will earn good pay here and fans will jam the stadia to watch him and other stars and would not be fighting over Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, wearing their colours and forming fan bases for clubs which do not know that they exist. Funny!

There are many things that should make us lament more than South Africans in sports.

We have the talent in tennis to rank among the best in the world. But we lack the organisation to help our players reach their potential. We once had Nduka Odizor, Tony Momoh, Sadiq Abdullahi, David Imonitie, Yakubu Suleiman, etc. What happened when they left the stage? We died. Why? No organization!

When South Africa was under ban for Apartheid policies, Nigeria was the number one tennis country in Africa. Where are we today? Not among the top 20.

Shame!

In track and field, we have the potential to be among the best in the world. Berth Cameroun, Jamaica’s 1983 world champion said in the 2012 sports summit in Asaba that when he was competing, Nigeria had the potential to challenge USA in athletics and Jamaica was scared by top Nigerian athletes. “With your resources and population”, Cameroun said, “Jamaica should be learning from you and not the other way round”.

What happened to Nigerian track and field? We have always lacked the organisation and funding to reach our potential in the sport. It is same with boxing, weightlifting, wrestling, table tennis and judo.

It is against these facts that I cry more than the South African, who opened up to Jacob Ajom in Cape Town.

What can we do to reach our potential in the sports that we are endowed but lack the organisation to reach our potential? I will appreciate your contributions.

Barcelona President resigns over Neymar

T

HE president of Barcelona has decided to step aside amid a court case to investigate the signing of Neymar.

Sandro Rosell has decided that the pressure is too great on his position after a court in Madrid confirmed that they would be launching a formal investigation into the full cost of the transfer and that there may be differing versions of the contract in existence, according to ESPN. The now former club president called an emergency meeting with

CHAN 2014: Babayaro confident Eagles will soar above Lions

A

N Olympian, E m m a n u e l Babayaro, on Thursday said that he was confident that Super Eagles would overcome Morocco’s Atlas Lions in a quarter-final match of the African Nations’ Championship (CHAN).

Babayaro told the News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN) in Lagos that, after a poor start, the Eagles had become a force to reckon with in the tournament.

NAN reports that the Eagles lost their opening Group A match 1-2 to Mali before they bounced back to defeat Mozambique 4-2 and host, South Africa, 3-1.

“Nigerians are dogged

*Rosell members of the board of directors earlier today, before bringing all of the directors and board members together this afternoon at around 6pm (Spanish time) to present his resignation, and held a press conference with the media immediately afterwards.

He told the assembled journalists that ‘my time at Barca has come to an end’ and that ‘it’s been a privilege to be president of Barcelona’.

Vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu (above) will take over until 2016, however Jordi Cases, the Barcelona member who first took this case to court, has stated that he also believes Bartomeu is involved, and he may have a case to answer as well.

We have a feeling this one is going to run and run…

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 — 55

CHAN 2014 winner to pocket N120m T

HE Confederation of African Football (Caf) has revealed the winners of this year ’s African Nations Championship will collect US$750,000.

Caf made the prize money known ahead of this weekend’s quarterfinals of the tournament for home-based players.

The money would be a major boost for any of the last-eight teams in South Africa, with even African champions Nigeria struggling financially.

A total of $3.2m will be shared among the 16 participants.

Nigeria’s cash problems have been well documented, with players repeatedly threatening to strike over cuts in their bonus payments.

And Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi went seven months without being paid last year.

Nigeria face Morocco in Cape Town in Saturday’s first quarterfinal, with Mali and Zimbabwe facing off in the later kick off.

On Sunday, Gabon take on Libya in Polokwane before Ghana meet DR Congo in Mangaung.

NFF Continues from BP Championship in South Africa.

First Vice Chairman of the federation, Chief Mike Umeh told Sports Vanguard in Cape Town that the team have done well so far and even if it crashes out at this stage of the tournament the board will not do anything rash. ’’I want to assure you that heavens will not fall, even if the team lose to Morocco on Saturday. Football is a sporting event. If we lose, we will take it in good faith. Look at the fact that even the hosts are out. In football, like every other game, you win some and you lose some,’’ Umeh said, but quickly added, ‘’well, so far, the boys have been playing well after their C M Y K

Bright predicts doom for Morocco

S

UPER Eagles defender, Eseme Bright has predicted the fall of Morocco in tomorrow’s quarter final match of the African Nations Championship.

Bright who has featured in all the matches the team played in the tournament so far said after overcoming the group stage, there will be no stopping them anymore. ‘’I am predicting qualification for us. Morocco can’t stop

us on Saturday.

God has already given us victory, what we need do is to play for one another as a team and victory will be ours.’’

Bright who can play on both sides of the defence praised the standard of the CHAN tournament, saying,’’it is good for young players who play at home as it will serve as a stepping stone to career breakthrough for a lot of us playing in the domestic league.’’

Pillars

defender Isaac Hele, who has returned from Sunshine Stars, as well as several recent signings like Abdul Haruna, Ezekiel Henry, Henry Mba, Adamu Hassan, Eneji Otekpa and Kingsley Udoh.

Pillars will play their opening Super 4 game against Warri Wolves at 4pm on Friday.

Enyimba and Bayelsa United are the other clubs in this pre-season tournament.

CELEBRATION.... Coach Stephen Keshi celebrates his 52nd birthday yesterday with his players in Cape Town, South Africa.

Lagos International Scrabble Classics kicks off

M

OLADE OkoyaThomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium will come alive on today as the Lagos International Scrabble Classics kicks off.

All the top players from United States, England, Scotland, Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya will be in action today in the masters//international category for the star prize of N1.2m ($8,000).

According to the defeat to Mali so I don’t expect they lose.’’

The former chairman of Rangers International football club of Enugu recalled that South Africa had been a ‘’fertile ground’’ for Nigerian teams in the past and Saturday ’s match won’t be an exception. ‘’We have been playing well in South Africa, we have a pedigree. Remember only last year our senior team was here to pick the Afcon. We are going to get past Morocco whom we respect very well, anyway,’’ Umeh said. ’’We know the North Africans play fast and tactically sound but we have a technical bench that can outwit them.

Keshi and his team know what to do. We should expect a good game.’’

organisers, nine of the 28 games will be concluded on the first day while 19 games will be played at the weekend.

The players will compete in three categories – masters/ international, Intermediate and opens in their bid to be part of the N4.8m prize money.

All the participants concluded their accreditation on Thursday with all the matches kicking off today (Friday).

Winners in the intermediate and opens categories will get N.5m

and N1m respectively, while the top 10 players will get cash reward.

According to the Chairman, Lagos State Scrabble Association, Dayo Alao, the tournament would also help the local players as they are expected to compete with their foreign counterparts.

Among the top players expected at the competition include Nigeria-born United States’ Sammy Okosagah, a two-time winner of the Akpabio tournament as well as Nigeria-born Scotland Lukmon Owolabi.

Sports Minister Continues from BP in South Africa, if they beat the Atlas Lions of Morocco in the quarter finals pairing, which will take place on Saturday.

The Nigerian team qualified for the Quarterfinal after beating host South Africa by 3-1 and Mozambique 4-2 to be the second team to qualify from Group A. The Honourable Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi disclosed yesterday that the incentive was to motivate the Nigerian team to give their very best and to triumph over

the Moroccans.

“This is a special fund meant to encourage the players to give their all.

It is besides their normal allowance and bonus.

“I am very impressed with their performance so far. As we all can see, the team has been improving with each match, and it is our desire that they continue to do very well and reach the final.

“This incentive will hopefully further boost the morale of both the players and coaches and help the team to triumph over Morocco,” Abdullahi stated.

Continues from BP Gambo has not fully recovered from injury.

“He has returned to training, but he has not fully recovered and so will not feature in the Super 4,” he informed.

The Pillars 25-man squad will be led to Abuja by goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai.

They have also included Cameroonian

Maigari Continues from BP coaching and leadership credentials by winning the ongoing African Nations Tourney (CHAN), in South Africa. “On our part in the NFF, I can assure you that support will not be lacking despite the huge challenge of funding football. We congratulate you on the occasion of your birthday and while wishing you many happy returns we pray that you continue to bring Nigeria joy through excellent coaching of the national team with the immediate task being victory at the ongoing CHAN tourney”, he said.

Keshi himself said he was overwhelmed by the message of Maigari and other well meaning Nigerians and promised not to let the nation

down. “As a matter of fact we have suspended any form of celebration till we achieve what we came here to do in South Africa”, he said.

The management of Green Court Hotel, will however steal a time during lunch hour to celebrate the coach, as the staff pulled out birthday balloons and cakes for the former Anderletch of Belgium and Strasbourg of France skipper. The players also sang the happy birthday song for Keshi, who was a bit taken aback by the spontaneity of the event.

“All these for me, I’m surprised but very grateful”, he said as he admired the birthday balloons in the dinning hall.

The team continues preparation yesterday at the Green Point training ground in Cape Town in preparation for Saturday’s quarter final duel against the Atlas Lions of Morocco.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Maigari salutes Keshi @ 52

*Tips team for CHAN trophy *Hotel, players celebrate

N

Heavens won’t fall if Eagles lose — NFF T

IGERIA Football Federation President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, took his fatherly role a step higher when he was one of the first to wish Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, a happy 52 nd birthday in Cape Town through a phone call

early Thursday.

After him was the Chairman of the NFF Technical SubCommittee, Barr Christopher Green. In his message, Maigari said Keshi’s birthday is another opportunity for him to demonstrate his

Continues on Page 55

Super 4: Pillars tackle Wolves without Gambo *Enyimba Vs Bayelsa Utd

HE Nigeria F o o t b a l l Federation has expressed satisfaction with the performance of Super Eagles Team B, campaigning at the ongoing African Nations

C

HAMPIONS Kano Pillars will be without strikers Gambo Mohammed and Manir Ubale at the Super 4, officials have disclosed.

Gambo has not recovered fully from injury, which cost him a

Continues on Page 55

Sports Minister dangles N16m to Eagles to beat Morocco

place on Nigeria’s squad to the 2014 CHAN, while Ubale is not fully match-fit after he was granted compassionate leave to get married.

Pillars spokesman Idris Malikawa told MTNFootball.com, Continues on Page 55

T

HE National S p o r t s Commission (NSC) has announced an incentive of $100,000USD for the Super Eagles team participating in the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN)

Continues on Page 55

Tomorrow’s matches *Stanislas Wawrinka qualifies for Australian Open final.

Nigeria Mali

v v

Morocco Zimbabwe

4 pm 7 pm

CHAN 2014 winner to pocket N120m — Pg 55 QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

Across 2 Bring (5) 7 Mirth (4) 8 Unspoken (6) 9 Delete (5) 11 Vehicle (3) 13 Free (3) 15 Sign (4) 16 Large (3) 18 Sport (4) 19 Agreed (7) 20 Jetty (4) 22 Heap (4) 23 Turned (7) 25 Price (4) 27 Youth (3) 28 Lake (4) 30 Fasten (3) 31 Father (3) 33 Beleaguer (5) 36 Strict (6) 37 Group (4) 38 Coach (5)

Down 1 Glimmer (5) 2 Charge (3) 3 Beverage (3) 4 Colour (3) 5 Enquire (3) 6 Shin-bone (5) 10 Dirty (4) 11 Dense (7) 12 Back (7) 13 Diminished (7) 14 Oozed (7) 16 Trite (5) 17 Stuck (5) 18 Marry (3) 21 Decay (3) 24 Domesticated (4) 26 Lubricated (5) 29 Wild (5) 32 Damp (3) 33 Wager (3) 34 Ocean (3) 35 Cask (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS Across: 4, Essay 7, Recoil 9, Cap 10, Tic 12, Salon 13, Tail 15, Doped 17, Become 19, Erne 20, Clear 22, Ply 24, Deleted 27, Wit 28, Lodge 31, Mess 33, Feeler 35, Trend 37, Read 38, Canoe 39, Tar 41, Rap 42, Madman 43, Revel.

Down: 1, Critic 2, Scribe 3, Lit 4, Ease 5, Spade 6, Adorning 8, Lido 11, Competent 14, Lead 16, Pelt 18, Crew 21, Leverage 23, Yell 25, Life 26, Doer 29, Dreamt 30, Ending 32, Store 34, Edam 36, Real 40, Raw.

How to Play Sudoku

P

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

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

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

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