Power Minister, Barth Nnaji loses job

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61698

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

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•P.6

Power Minister, Barth Nnaji loses job

BY CLARA NWCHUKWU & VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

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•President accepts resignation with immediate effect

•Why Nnaji fell: The Jonathan, SGF connection

AGOS—MINISTER of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji was, yesterday, relieved of his job following the acceptance of his resignation, with immediate effect, by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

In a two-paragraph

statement from Presidential media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president thanked “Prof.

Nnaji for his services to the nation under the present administration and wishes him well in his future endeavours.”

This is the first time a minister would be resigning under controversial circumstances since the inception of President Jonathan’s administration. But the Minister did not pick calls to his line or re-

Continues on page 5

ROTIMI FASAN •P.19

HAKEEM BABA-AHMED •P.17

DEAR BUNMI •P.42

Mr & Mrs

CALISTHENICS —Participants of Osun Schools Calisthenics Programme during its Inauguration, yesterday, in Osogbo.

DISCOURSE: CONFERENCE HALL: Even with local refineries, N5,000 note as red herring subsidy will persist Pg.33 Pgs.36&37

15 die in Ogun, Bauchi auto crashes •P.10

2— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

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4— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

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Vanguard, WEDNESD AY, A UGUST 29, 2012—5 WEDNESDA AUGUST

POCKET CARTOON

Power Minister, Barth Nnaji loses job Continues from Page 1 spond to a text message sent to him to clarify some of the issues leading to his exit.

Although no reason was given for Nnaji’s resignation or the prompt acceptance by Mr President, but it was widely believed to be connected with the role he played in the privatisation of the successor companies unbundled from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, currently undergoing technical evaluations by prospective bidders.

Acceptance of bids re-evaluation Ironically, earlier in the day, the Power Minister had succumbed to the decision by the National Council on Privatisation, NCP, to reevaluate the technical bids submitted for two of the companies slated for privatisation: Afam Generation Company and Enugu Distribution Company (Enugu DISCO).

This might not be unconnected with moves, not only to save his job,

but also to clear some of the controversies surrounding the bids, in which he was linked to the consortia that submitted bids for Afam and Enugu DISCO. Nnaji was said to have admitted that some members of the bidding consortia had links to a company he owns (Ababased, Geometric Power), adding that the NCP’s decision to reevaluate the bids submitted for the two companies was necessary so that justice should not only be done but also seen to have been done by all and sundry.

He described recent accusations that he indirectly sought to acquire the PHCN successor companies through firms that have links to him as part of a grand design to dent the credibility of the privatisation process. He maintained that the development was a ploy by different interest groups in the sector to destabilise the ongoing power sector reform and privatisation process.

In a statement from his media aide, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, the minister said that a media report on Monday, alleging his participation in the pri-

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

B

E ready to start from somewhere, begin afresh, start something new, keep at it, make it grow, from the acorn seed a great oak is born. A journey of a thousand kilometers starts with only one step; a step in the right direction is a step towards destiny. Start small and grow big, it is only the grave diggers that start from the top. Most great men in life started small.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

An individual must speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love —Miguel Ruiz

A

CCORDING to Ruiz, “don’t take anything per sonally. Nothing others do is because of you.

What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. ”Don’t make assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.

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

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

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

vatisation process, was part of a strategy of such interest groups, adding that he was never asked

by Vice President Namadi Sambo to walk out of the NCP meeting last Friday.

Rather, he maintained that he had opted to excuse himself from the meeting on the basis of his discovery that the firm in which he had placed his shares in a blind trust was part of the consortium bidding for Afam Power Station, in Rivers State.

I knew they will fight back — Nnaji According to him: “The Federal Ministry of Power has always known that the beneficiaries of the old and decadent order in the electric power sector would not accept the new, farreaching changes in the power sector without a fight.

“With power supply at an all-time high across the nation in the last few weeks and with the privatisation of PHCN assets at an advanced stage to the delight of the Nigerian people, those who have been feeding fat on the misery of our citizens have been fighting back with unimaginable ferocity.”

The minister further accused some sections of the media of colluding with his detractors, saying, “they have not left anything to chance in the determination to scuttle the electric power reform, including spirited attempts to recruit some members of the mass media.”

The case against Nnaji Nnaji had before the consideration of the report of the evaluation for the six generation companies, brought to the attention of NCP that O & M Solutions of Pakistan, a member of one of the consortia bidding for Afam, had worked as a contractor for Geometric Power.

He also informed the NCP that Geometric Power has a minority stake in Eastern Electric Nigeria Limited, which had submitted technical and financial bids for Enugu Disco on July 31,

and excused himself from the consideration of the report of the technical bids.

His sojourn in govt Nnaji was first appointed in 2010, as the Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power. His impressive performance as a presidential aide led to his appointment as the Minister of Power.

Although right from his time of appointment, he has had a running battle with the electricity workers unions, notably, the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, who constantly accused him of not honouring agreements reached with workers on the power reforms.

In spite of the numerous criticisms against him, power generation had increased tremendously under his watch, reaching an all time high of 4,477.7 mega watts, MW earlier in the month, in partial fulfillment of the expectations from the Electricity Power Sector Roadmap launched in Lagos on August 26, 2010.

The unprecedented domestic and international investor confidence in the Nigerian power sector is directly traceable to the personal and professional integrity of the process drivers like Professor Nnaji.

His style of adminis-

tration was said to have led to the high interest by foreign investors in Nigeria’s power sector, leading to the signing of numerous agreements with global players such as America’s General Electric, and Germany’s Siemens, each worth about $10billion in addition to many others.

Unionists react Reacting to the sack of the Minister, General Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSSAEAC, Comrade Abiodun Ogunsegha, told Vanguard on phone that the entire workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, were extremely happy.

He said: “God has eventually answered our prayers and made the government to listen to us. It is obvious that the government has noted his several misdeeds. We are all very happy. In fact, we thank God for answering our prayers.

We hope the govern-

ment will appoint a right person that will carry all stakeholders along, especially the union to give Nigeria a stable power supply”.

In his own reaction, General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Comrade Joe Ajaero said, though the reason adduced for his resignation, was unclear, the union had, for some time now, been calling for his resignation based on strong allegation of corruption.

According to him: ‘The reason for his resignation was very unclear.

We would have been happier if the reasons were made known. However, we have been calling on him to resign. We still stand on the demand because of the strong evidence we have. You are aware that in recent time, the issue of his conflict of interest has been in the front burner. We do not want to talk much, until the reasons for his resignation or sack are made known.”

Why ex-minister, Nnaji fell

BY SONI DANIEL

M

EANWHILE, it was gathered that the former Power Minister, Prof. Barth Nnaji, was summoned

by President Jonathan, yesterday, over allegation that he (Nnaji) was fronting for him in the Privatisation exercise in the energy sector.

The rattled minister, sources said, was surprised by the president’s question and reportedly denied the charge. The president, the source went on, delivered the final blow when he queried the former minister’s interest in one of the firms involved in the privatisation process.

Prof. Nnaji told the president that he had

disclosed to the National Council on Privatisation, that he used to have interest in one of the firms bidding to buy the Afam Power plant in Enugu. An outraged President Jonathan, the source said, told the minister that he ought to have known that there would be conflict of interest in the exercise.

After venting his anger at the minister, Nnaji threw in the towel by offering to step down as minister. The president, still seething, accepted it immediately.

The former minister had been locked in a dispute with PHCN workers over a myriad of issues.

One source told our correspondent that as a

prelude to sending N n a j i packing, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, had openly tended to side with the workers against the embattled minister, when he declared at the meeting that the Federal Government team, headed by the minister had not done enough in the power sector reforms.

“At that point in time, Nnaji felt really humiliated and stood up from his seat and left Anyim to continue the meeting with the PHCN staff,who booed him based on the SGF’s remark, which most of them saw as a confirmation of their allegations against the former minister.

6—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Corruption: Buhari dares IBB zExpose me if you can—Buhari zI regret not fixing power—Obasanjo

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DAPO AKINREFON, MICHAEL EBOH & GBENGA OKE

F

ORMER Head of State and Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in the 2011 general elections, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), yesterday dared former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), to expose him if he had facts and insisted that IBB and other leaders played crucial roles in destroying Nigeria’s oil industry.

IBB had on Monday threatened to expose Buhari’s shady deals in the oil sector when he functioned as Petroleum Minister and later chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, if Buhari did not shut his mouth.

Speaking through his spokesman, Mr. Kassim Afegbua, the former Military President was responding to Buhari’s comments blaming President Goodluck Jonathan, IBB, Obasanjo for killing the nation’s oil i n d u s t r y .

On IBB specifically, Buhari, who was hosting leaders and members of the CPC, led by the House of Representatives member from Funtua/Dandume Federal Constituency of Katsina State, Dr. Mansur Abdulkadir, on Monday, said the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida was responsible for the high level of corruption and destruction in the petroleum industry.

He added that the corrupt practices in the oil sector during the eras of Babangida, Obasanjo and Jonathan had led to the enslaving of the masses.

Countering, IBB had reportedly said: “We are conversant with General Buahri’s so-called holierthan-thou attitude. He was a one-time Minister of Petroleum and we have good records of his tenure as minister. Secondly, he presided over the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, which records we also have. We challenge him to come out with clean hands in those two portfolios. Those, who live in glass houses, do not throw stones. General

Buhari should be properly guided.”

However, Buhari insisted on his comments and dared IBB to carry out the threat of exposing him.

Decadent state of petroleum industry Speaking through Engr.

Rotimi Fashakin, the CPC spokesman, Buhari insisted he spoke the truth.

He said: “The truth of the matter is that General Buhari has just stated the obvious and it is what everybody knows about the decadent state of the Nigerian Petroleum Industry. Nigerians know which regime contributed immensely to that sector. So we still insist that what General Buhari stated is the truth and if General Babangida says he has facts about General Buhari over the issue, let him bring them out.

“At least Prof Tam David West worked closely with both General Buhari and General Babangida, so Tam David West should be able to tell Nigerians who among both men actually contributed to the decadence state of the oil industry.”

“I cannot attribute it to any particular person but this thing started in earnest since 1999 that was during the Obasanjo administration; that was when the thing really blossomed.

In the past, one suspected that a few military leaders were the ones, who had access to the money, but since we returned to civilian rule, thousands of people now got into the act: from the local to state and federal government levels. And it has been growing since then. Corruption has grown very fast since 1999.”

At a time other leaders were exonerating themselves from the decay

that had been inflicted on the citizenry, Obasanjo said yesterday that his regret after eight years in power as a civilian president was that he was unable to fix the epileptic power situation of the country.

President Jonathan had on Monday dissociated his administration from the rot, saying there was no how his regime, under two years, could have destroyed all amenities and infrastructure, if his predecessors provided them after many years in power.

Obasanjo, who was speaking at the Nigeria Leadership Initiative, NLI, as Guest Speaker Forum in Lagos, said, however, that

his inability to fix the power problem was as a result of lack of funds in the initial period of his administration, owing to the low price of crude oil in the international market, Nigeria’s depleted foreign reserves and huge debt b u r d e n .

He also blamed oil companies operating in the country for their nonchalant contribution towards addressing the nation’s power problem.

Some oil companies abandoned Nigeria—Obasanjo According to Obasanjo, oil companies in Nigeria refused to contribute towards addressing the power problem, except for only one of them, Agip.

He said: “During my time as a military president, my major aim was forging a united country and a selfreliant economy. I later realised that we can only achieve that with a constitution. When I came back to power 20 years after, I also pursued the agenda

of uniting Nigeria and building a self-reliant economy. I can say we achieved all that. ”However, my regret is that we did not address the power issue in the country before we left. This is mainly because of the absence of funds at that time. If the country had money at the early stage of my presidency, we would have fixed the power.

“The country’s earning was low when we came to power; crude oil was selling at about $18 - $20 per barrel. When our earning started improving, we then started the Independent Power Projects, IPP. "The oil companies abandoned Nigeria in our drive towards addressing the power problem. They did not do what they were supposed to do in that regard. Only one oil company, Agip, supported the country".

Asked to rate Nigeria’s current leadership, Obasanjo said, “I will not want to comment publicly on Nigeria’s leadership at the moment.”

Corruption blossom under Obasanjo —Falae Reacting to the exchanges, yesterday, onetime Minister of Finance and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, told Vanguard on phone that corruption reached an alarming height during Obasanjo’s administration in 1999.

His words: “The people are former heads of state and to the extent that corruption had been going on for quite sometime in the country, maybe that is why he (Buhari) is holding them accountable. But I don’t know the statistics or information to either agree or disagree with him (Buhari).

"But there is corruption in the whole country; the country is awash with corruption and nobody can really know where it started from though some government functionaries can. Corruption is the biggest problem we have.

MINISTERIAL BRIEFING—Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson (middle); Perm Sec, Ministry of Communication Technology, Dr Ibrahim Dauda (left) and Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati during a briefing on the ministry's 2013 budget in Abuja, yesterday.

$620,000 subsidy bribe: Farouk returns from Saudi-Arabia, reports to police

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

A

B U J A — ERSTWHILE chairman of the fuel subsidy probe panel of the House of Representatives who had been on an elongated visit to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, on Monday reported to the Police headquarters in Abuja to announce his return to the country and readiness to face the

charges that would be preferred against him when the case comes up in court.

Farouk Lawan who was accused of collecting $620,000 as bribe from oil magnate, Mr. Femi Otedola was granted permission to travel for his religious obligation and given a specific time frame to return to the country.

Recall that Police

authorities investigating bribery allegations against Lawan have since (four weeks ago) completed their investigations and sent the report of the investigation which sources said overwhelmingly indicted Lawan, to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation for legal advice. The AGF’s office is, however, yet to take

action on the report.

Police sources said the former chairman, House Committee on Education, later signed the police register that he has reported in accordance with one of the conditions of his bail.

Police sources told Vanguard that Farouk and the secretary to the committee, Boniface Emenalo may soon appear before the court.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—7

FG appoints Orji MD of SWF zWith take-off grant of $1bn

BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

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BUJA—NIGERIA yesterday joined most oil exporting countries to set up a wealth fund to direct oil revenues into longerterm investment by appointing a top management team for fund.

Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced that the fund would start with a cash hoard of around $1 billion. Alhaji Mahey Rasheed, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, now a member of the board of First Bank, was chosen as the chairman of the fund with UBS executive and former JP Morgan head, Uche Orji chosen as the managing director and chief executive officer.

Uche Orji, 36, is currently the Managing Director and Senior Investment analyst at UBS Securities LLC New York. Prior to UBS, Uche had been at JP Morgan, London also as Managing Director between 2001 and early 2006 in the same capacity, but focused mainly on the European markets, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Sweden etc and companies such as Siemens, Thomson E l e c t r o n i c s , STMicroelectronics etc.

He was before at Goldman Sachs as an Investment Manager and Executive Director where he was responsible for co-

managing a £1.2bn panEuropean funds. Whilst in Nigeria, he was Financial Controller at Diamond Bank Limited, 1993-1996 and was a trainee accountant at Arthur Andersen & Co, 1991-1993.

He is a Chemical Engineering graduate of University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria, 1990 and Harvard Business School MBA, graduate 1998.

Mr. Orji, a global investment banker with the UBS and a former Managing Director at JP Morgan will work with Mrs. Stella OjekweOnyejeli as Chief Risk Officer. The candidate for the position of Chief Investment Officer was dropped, after due diligence, Dr. Oknjo-Iweala told newsmen at a briefing in Abuja.

The MD will resume on October 2, 2012 and has a five-year term of office.

Other members of the board, include: Mr. Arnold Ekpe, Mr. Jide Zeitlin, Mrs. Bili Awosika, Bisi Soyebo, SAN, and Alhaji Hassan Usman, the Managing Director of the Aso Savings and Loans.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala described the establishment of the SWF as “a victory for Nigerians and a credit to the president who assented to the Bill in May last year,” adding that it also indicated the determination of the current administration to improve the lives of Nigerians through far sighted policies and initiatives.

NBA CONFAB—From left: Mr. Peter Igho, DG, National Lottery Regulatory Commission; Mrs Yetunde Akiloye, Media Specialist, Nigeria Communications Commission and Wale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria at the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Annual General Conference sponsored

by MTN in Abuja, yesterday.

Nigeria loses $400bn to oil thieves — Ezekwesili zSays 20% of budget ends in private pockets

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA—ERSTWHILE Vice President of the World Bank for Africa, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, yesterday, said Nigeria has lost more than $400 billion to oil thieves since she attained independence in 1960.

Ezekwesili, who further regretted that as much as 20 percent of the entire budget for capital expenditure in Nigeria ended in private pockets annually, noted that whereas oil accounts for

Export expansion grant not under threat — Aganga

M

INISTER of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, has said the Export Expansion Grant, EEG, is not under threat of being stopped by the Federal Government.

He said the Federal Government was committed to strengthening the processes and procedures involved in the implementation of the EEG to make it more beneficial to exporters, as well as government.

The minister spoke during a-two day facility visit and assessment of industries in Kano. He was accompanied by the National President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Chief Kola Jamodu; National President, Nigerian Association of Small Scale

Industrialists, Chief Chuku Wachuku; heads of parastatals under the Ministry of Trade and Investment; top officials of the Kano State government and key stakeholders in the manufacturing sector.

The Export Expansion Grant is an initiative of the Federal Government, aimed at encouraging exporters of non-oil products, including agrocommodities as part of efforts to cushion the effects of infrastructural deficiencies, reduce overall unit cost of production and increase the competitiveness of Nigerian products in the international market.

The grant usually ranges from 10 per cent to 30 per cent of the Freight On

Board value of the products being exported and confirmation that the export proceeds have been r e p a t r i a t e d .

Aganga noted that the Ministry of Trade and Investment was putting structures in place to ensure that the EEG was insulated from being abused in the future.

He said, “The EEG is not under any threat. The Federal Government has no intention of terminating the EEG. Instead, what we are trying to do is to strengthen the processes and procedures involved in the implementation of the EEG to ensure that it becomes most beneficial to both the exporters and the government".

about 90 percent of the value of Nigeria’s exports, over 80 percent of the fund ends up in the hands of one percent of the country’s population.

The former Minister of Education who made these startling revelations in a paper she presented at the ongoing 52nd Annual General Meeting, AGM, of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Abuja, stressed that “poor governance of public resources and assets in Nigeria is worsening at every level of government.”

Part of her speech entitled “Corruption, National Development, The Bar and The Judiciary,” reads, “the negative effects of corruption is starkly demonstrated by the fact that based on current track record, Nigeria will miss the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, target set in 2000 despite the richness of its natural and human resource endowments.

"There is no doubt that at the heart of any progress towards meeting these goals is the quality of governance at all levels of government and yet the general perception since validated by the revealed large scale corruption in the petroleum sector especially but not limited to the management of the subsidy scheme by relevant agencies of government is that there is poor governance of public resources and assets in Nigeria at every level of

government.

“Poor governance of public resources and assets in Nigeria is worsening at every level of government, across our institutions of state. The other and perhaps more significant way corruption hurts is its impact on the government bottom line and those teacher-less, desk-less schools only hint at the extent of the problem in Nigeria. An estimated $400 billion of the country’s oil revenue has been stolen or misspent since the country’s independence in 1960.”

According to her, “in one study by my former institution the World Bank, a data modeling revealed that annual worldwide losses due to corruption amount to between one to four thousand US Dollars or two percent of the world’s gross economic output. The Global Financial Integrity estimated that between 1970 and 2008 Africa lost more than $854 billion in illicit financial outflows, an amount which is far in excess of official development inflows.

“Another report of the Transparency International, TI, put the amount of bribes companies paid politicians and other public officials in developing and transiting economies annually at $ 40 billion in 2009 and consider that Africa would constitute major part of".

Nevertheless, Ezekwesili, noted that civil society organizations and umbrella bodies like the NBA, the

judiciary, could play a significant role towards making public budgeting more transparent and accountable by engaging in the various stages of the budget process with a view to strengthening the oversight process and accountability in the use of public resources.

She said: “An independent Judiciary and the Bar is important for preserving the rule of law and is, therefore, most important facet of good governance. The judicial system has an important role to play ultimately in ensuring better public governance. There is no area where the judgment of the Supreme Court has not played a significant role in the good governance of any nation whether in environment, human rights, gender justice, education, minorities, and police reforms, among other.

“Nigerians are at once disappointed and worried for your profession and the entire justice system, the rule of law one of the most s i g n i f i c a n t characteristics of good governance prevails because India has an independent judiciary that has been sustained because of the support and assistance from an independent Bar which has been fearless in advocating the cause of the underprivileged, the deprived".

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8—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Obama declares Nigeria world's next economic giant W

From left, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Mr. Mike Omeri, Director-General, National Orientation Agency, NOA, and Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, Secretary to the State Government, and others when the agency conferred Citizen's Responssibility Award to Gov. Fashola, at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja.

Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

ASHINGTON— PRESIDENT of the United States of America, Senator Barrack Obama, has declared Nigeria as the world’s next economic success story.

He said the discovery was one of the major reasons why his government was committed to helping the country build strong democratic institutions and as well remove constraints to trade and investment through the African Growth and Opportunity, AGOA. Making this declaration at the ongoing US-Nigeria Trade and Investment Forum, organised by

Drastic measures needed to tackle corruption,

by Lamorde

BY INNOCENT ANABA

A

BUJA—CHAIRMAN of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, argued, yesterday, that drastic measures were needed to check corruption in the country.

Speaking at the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Abuja, Lamorde said that corruption had eaten deep into the society’s fabric.

He pointed out that existing laws were adequate to deal with corruption, but what was needed was effective enforcement of the law in existence.

He spoke at the Section on Legal Practice, with the

theme: “Investor-Confidence: The role of Effective Administration of Anti-Corruption Legislation.”

Lamode noted that the anti-graft laws were not needed as existing ones may only be reviewed to strengthen them.

He said: “Everybody agrees that the existing legislation is adequate.

There may be one or two amendments needed. If the existing legislation is effectively enforced, we will be able to address issues of corruption. ''The success we have recorded in EFCC so far is because of the collaboration we have had with the NBA. We are in agreement that corruption has eaten deep into the fabric

Cement: Import substitution saves Nigeria N270bn

BY FRANKLIN ALLI

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BEOKUTA—THE Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, yesterday, said the amount it costs the country to import cement yearly has dropped from N300 billion to N30 billion between 2010 and 2011, thus saving the economy N270 billion.

SON's Director-General, Mr. Joseph Odumodu, while fielding questions from newsmen, at the Ibese Cement Plant of Dangote Group Plc, said: “Federal Government’s import substitution policy for the cement industry is working! In

2010, N300 billion was spent in buying imported cement; last year, N30 billion was spent in importing cement, and in 2012, government has not issue ldicence to import cement. ''That tells me that clearly, we are actually going through a major transformation in the cement sector of the economy.”

“Truly, we have enough made in Nigerian cement with a combined production capacity of about 28 million metric tons per annum while 95 per cent of the raw materials are available locally. So, we are happy that the import substitution policy is working.''

of the Nigerian nation and there is need for drastic measures to address it.

So, going forward, you are going to see a more efficient prosecution of cases.”

He noted that sometimes, state executives and other serving government officials “dip their hands into the treasury to pay lawyers with state funds,” noting that because of the huge money involved in such fees, lawyers accept to defend such corruption cases, at times using every means to frustrate trial.

On the way out, he charged the Bar to come up with a regulation on payment of legal fees that will not aid the obstruction of justice in any form.

He called for more reform of the criminal justice system, as well as adequate funding of anticorruption agencies.

Mr. Kevin Nwosu, a former Director of Academics, Nigerian Law School, who spoke on “Attainment of Fast-Track Justice in Trials,” said there was no reason why Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR, cannot be adopted in resolving certain criminal cases to ensure speedier justice delivery.

“Let me say with all certainty that the use of ADR in resolution of criminal cases is workable, if only we understand what ADR is, how it works and why it works. ADR is more than what lawyers refer to it. It’s a set of tools for problem solving, including criminal cases.

“ADR can be used to avert a crime and prevent

self-help which can result to criminal assault or murder. If we mainstream ADR fully, we reduce the crime load. The potentials are high.”

the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDOA, in Washington DC, President Obama, who was represented by Ambassador Eunice Reddick, a top official of the US Department, said his country expanded opportunities for Nigeria to effectively access its neighbour’s market, and diversify its economy beyond a narrow reliance on natural resources as a result of the discovery that Nigeria will emerge as the world’s next economic giant.

President Obama said: “As we support these efforts, the Diaspora can play an important role in contributing to a strong, vibrant, and economically-prosperous Nigeria.”

He explained that his country invests in Nigeria’s success because it recognises Nigeria as a strategic centre of gravity, stressing that the country’s success will as well be Africa’s success

if the US can help Nigeria chart a secured, prosperous, and democratic course.

The US leader also assured that his government will encourage Nigeria in the area of private investment in the power sector as well as other sectors to help seal the promise of growth and opportunity for all Nigerians.

According to him, the US government will also work to strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural sector, which employs nearly 70 per cent of the country’s population, by encouraging improvements to infrastructure that would facilitate agricultural growth.

On the US-Nigeria BiNational agreement, Obama said that the joint Commission had grown into a forum for frank, high-level concersations, in which both nations have seen substantial reforms and mutually reinforcing initiatives implemented in Nigeria.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—9

Pastor held with human skull in Abeokuta

Briefly

Tinubu now LAUTECH Chancellor

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

A

I

BADAN—THE govern ments of Oyo and Osun states, yesterday, appointed former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.

LAUTECH, jointly owned by the two state governments, was established by the old Oyo State in 1988.

A statement in Ibadan,

by Dr. Festus Adedayo, Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Media, said the choice of Tinubu, a financial expert, accountant and administrator, was arrived at after extensive deliberations between the governments of the two ownerstates.

He said Tinubu is expected to bring his administrative ingenuity and vast experience in public management to bear on the running of the institution and reposition it to meet the standard of its peers all over the world.

Gabriel Eze for burial

L

AGOS—OFFICERS and men of the Nigerian Customs Service have been thrown into deep mourning in Lagos following the untimely demise of Assistant Superintendent of Customs, Gabriel Ugochukwu Eze, at the age of 50, after a brief illness.

The burial rites begins on Friday, August 31, with a Vigil Mass at his hometown, Nkpologu, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, while interment follows on Saturday, September 1, at his compound in Umuobira, Nkpologu.

He is survived by a widow, children, mother, brothers and sisters.

The late Mr. Gabriel Eze

From left, Mr. Ozemoya Okordion of Mobil Producing Nigeria; Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo, lecturer, Pan-African University; Mr. John Ehiguese, CEO, Mediacraft Associates and Mr. Nigel Cookey-Gam, Manager, Media and Communications, Mobil Producing Nigeria at the ExxonMobil-sponsored Online Media Training for journalists, in Lagos.

Worker nabbed for posing as assassin to kill Korean boss z Demanded N2m to shelve plot

BY EVELYN USMAN

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AGOS—POLICE MEN attached to the Festac Police Division in Lagos have arrested a 20year-old man, who posed as a hired assassin in a bid to swindle his employer of N2 million.

It was gathered that the suspect informed his employer, one Kelvin Cheng, a Korean, last Thursday, that he had been paid to eliminate him.

He was said to have told his boss that he would spare his life only if he could pay him the money.

He further warned the fear-stricken boss not to disclose the conversation to the police or any other person, threatening to kill him if he did.

Suspect's demands The suspect also reportedly wrote a letter to his boss reinstating his claim.

The letter, on a halfpage torn sheet read; “Dear, Mr. Man, listen and listen very well, I know you too well. You have a company. I have been following you around and I know all your movements. I have been hired to kill you. But, it is of no use. All I want is N2 million only or your life will be cut short. ''Even inside your company, you are not safe. I kill whoever I want to kill anywhere. So, read my lips very well; number 1.

No police or I will surely kill you. 2. I will call you and tell you where to bring the money. 3.

Don’t, I repeat, call any-

body!. Remember, I know your call and movement.

That is all for now.”

A date, as gathered was agreed on when and where his boss would drop the amount.

But, during the conversation, the boss never envisaged his employer was behind the whole thing.

How suspect was nabbed On the fixed date, about 2.30 p.m, last Friday, the employer reportedly went to Amuwo-Odofin Industrial Layout with a cellophane presumed to contain the requested amount and dropped it where he was instructed to and left.

Immediately, Amaechi reportedly came out from nowhere to pick the bag.

But, unknown to him, the boss had hinted policemen from Festac, where the Divisional Police Officer, Mr Mohammed Muazu, drafted some policemen to the point of collection and Amaechi was arrested.

Although the suspect expressed regret over his action, but to the amazement of all, he declared that he was ready to die for the offence, saying his boss did not deserve what he did to him.

My boss was nice to me —Suspect “My boss is nice. I am one of his favourite employees. I have been working for him for a while and I am paid N15,000 monthly. I am also among those he gave accommodation on the

company’s premises. I regret my action. I have been trying to call him and beg for forgiveness. ''All I want is for him to tell me he has forgiven me, then I will be at rest to face the legal consequences of my offence.

Honestly, this is the handiwork of the devil because I really did not know what I would have done with the money had I succeeded.”

BEOKUTA—A middle-aged man, identified as Pastor Michael Oyewole, was paraded, yesterday, alongside his alleged accomplice, Mr. Matthew Akiode, for being in possesion of a human skull allegedly exhumed in a grave at Sabo in the Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, yesterday.

Oyewole, 32, who claimed to be a pastor at Ona-Ara mimo Cherubim and Seraphim Church at Olomore, few kilometres to the crime scene in Abeokuta, was acussed of inducing Akiode of committing the crime.

Speaking with newsmen, Akiode, who confessed to the crime, attributed his action to the economic situation in the country.

He said: ” I used to work on his (pastor) site, but he said I will make more money if I can get him a human skull. So, I felt it was an easy way of making money that was why I did it.

“I am surprised he is denying this when he was the person who taught me how to go about it.“ When the pastor was asked about his involve-

ment in the crime, he denied he ever sent Akiode to perpetrate the act.

He said: “I am a man of God and pastor at Irewole Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Car-Wash area.

“I heal people with God’s name and not with human skull; he is just telling lies and I don’t know what I have done to him. Only God can save me now. “ At the parade of the suspects at the Police Command Headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta, yesterday, the Police Commissioner, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, said the accused persons committed the offence about 12 a.m. while digging the foundation of a building.

According to Okoye, ''At about 12 a.m, we got information about someone who was digging a grave and we swung into action.

“He never knew that eagle-eyed men were watching him while removing the corpse.

“We apprehended him immediately he severed the head from the body and told us that it was one Pastor Oyewole that sent him. “ Okoye said the pastor was arrested after his alleged partner-in-crime named him for encouraging him to commit the crime.

10— Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

BY DAUD OLATUNJI & SUZAN EDEH

A

B E O K U TA — N O fewer than 10 people believed to be students of yet-to-be-identified schools lost their lives in a midnight fatal accident at Obada-Oko on the Abeokuta- Lagos Expressway, yesterday.

An eye-witness told Vanguard that the commercial bus with numberplate LAGOS CZ 269 MUS had a head-on collision with an articulate vehicle with numberplate LAGOS 208 XB. The Itori Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr. Fatai Bakare, described the incident as unfortunate, adding that 11 people were involved in the accident.

Bakare said the Lagosbound articulated vehicle drove against traffic, prompting the head-on collision at Obada-OkoAdigbe Junction.

He said: “All the deceased had been deposited at Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Abeokuta, and Ifo General Hospital; the only survivor is critically injured and receiv-

15 die in Ogun, Bauchi auto-crashes ing treatment at FMC. “Again, we have to say that it is very important for motorists to keep to their lane while on the highway to forestall a recurrence of this type of situation.”

Meantime, no fewer than five persons were confirmed dead while seven others sustained serious injuries in a fatal auto-crash in Turum Village, on Bauchi/ Maiduguri Road.

Vanguard gathered that the accident which occurred on Monday about 7.30 pm, involved a 14seater Mitsubishi bus with number-plate, XA 657 GW and tanker with number-plate XG 810 JJA. The accident, it was learnt, happened when the driver of the Mitsubishi bus, who was alleged to be on top speed, rammed into the tanker parked on the roadside.

Bauchi State Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr. Olatunji Sunday, said: “Among the 14 pas-

sengers that were involved in the accident, five persons were confirmed dead, which included two females, two males and a child. The seven other persons that were injured included two females and five males while two other persons were unhurt. Af-

ter we got information about the accident, we sent our rescue team to the crash site and evacuated all the affected victims to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Hospital and the police took possession of the victim’s property to avoid being stolen by

hoodlums.”

The Sector Commander blamed the accident on over speeding and cautioned tanker drivers against parking indiscriminately on the roadside without adequate warning signs.

From right, Mr. Mideno Bayagbon, Editor, Vanguard; Mr. Olufunmilade Ayantuga, PRO, and Mr. Adeniyi Lawal, when members of Lagoon State Movement, Lagos, visited the Corporate Head Office of Vanguard Newspapers, Kirikiri Canal, Lagos, yesterday. Photo Shola Oyelese

Briefly

Why I'm silent on national issues —Bankole

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

A

B E O K U TA — BARELY 14 months after the former Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, left office, he has explained the reason why he kept mum on national issues, saying he preferred to remain silent so as to ‘live long’.

Bankole, who paid a visit to the Matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief H.I.D Awolowo, in her Ikenne home, yesterday, met secretly with her for 30 minutes.

He, however, declined comments when he was approached by newsmen who got the hint of his visit to Awolowo.

The former Speaker, who was clad in white Kaftan, white cap and black sandals, drove himself to Awolowo’s residence at 1. 18 p.m.

Ondo ACN, PDP to INEC: Name party in alleged illegal voter-registration

A

KURE—THE Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and its Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, counterpart have called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, to name the party involved in the alleged illegal voter-registration in the state.

A statement by the Akeredolu Campaign Organization, ACO’s Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, said: ''Indeed, the INEC Chairman had raised an alarm during a strategic retreat to prepare the commission’s senior officials for 2015 general elections, that there is an ongoing illegal voter-registration in Ondo State.

“It would be recalled that ACN had said that Mimiko government was engaging on illegal voterregistration on the pretence of bio-metric registration of civil servants.

“While we commend the INEC boss for raising this issue, we want him to go a step further by naming the party or parties involved in the illegal exercise.

“For us in ACO, we want to state the fact that all the

C M Y K

political parties including the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, have the official registration of voters in Ondo State as given out earlier by the commission.

“Anything outside this official one will not be accepted by ACN for the election in Ondo State, especially now that the INEC Chairman has confirmed that the commission is not involved in any form of registration.

“We also call on the security agents to heed the call of the INEC boss by arresting and prosecuting the individuals involved

in this criminal act across the state.”

Also, PDP, yesterday, called on Jega to name the political party carrying out alleged illegal registration of voters and ask the Inspector-General of Police and the Director of State Security Service, SSS, to move very decisively in arresting the brains behind this act.

Its Director of Publicity, Mr. Ayo Fadak, said in Akure, that all the data already collected should be recovered so as to stop them from making any attempt to incorporate it with the register.

MAPOLY warns students on fees

A

B E O K U TA — M O S H O O D Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Abeokuta, has given Friday, August 31, as deadline to students who were yet to complete payment of their school fees.

A statement by itsPublic Relations Officer, Mr. Sulaimon Adebiyi, said: “Any student who fails to effect the payment of the balance, would have forfeited his/her studentship

from the polytechnic, since such student will be prevented from taking part in the forthcoming second Semester 2011/ 2012 examination. ''Affected students are, therefore, warned to comply with this directive as Management will not entertain any postponement of the stated date and will not accommodate any penalty payment, having extended the deadline

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—11

No fuel shortage in Rivers Mkpe, said in Port —IPMAN Harcourt, yesterday, that

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

P

ORT HARCOURT— AS another episode of fuel scarcity sweeps across the country over dispute between the Federal Government and importers, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, in Rivers State, has assured of steady supply of products in the state.

Chairman of Rivers IPMAN, Comrade Sunny

the reassurance had become necessary to discourage emerging queues and echoes of above-pump-price dispensing of products in filling stations in the state which he blamed on panic buying.

Briefing the press at Eleme, Port Harcourt, Comrade Mkpe said there was no scarcity in Rivers State and that the union would not take kindly to marketers and filling stations indulging in hoarding.

Arik Air begins Lagos-Douala flight operations tomorrow DELTA 2012 YADAH: From right: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, his Deputy, Prof.

Amos Utuama and Sen. James Manager, during the Delta 2012 YADAH to mark the 21st anniversary of the creation of the state in Asaba, Monday.

BY KENNETH EHIGIATOR

A-Ibom, LG helmsmen on war path A over joint account

BY TONY NYONG

U

YO—AKWA Ibom State Government and the 31 local councils in the state are at daggers drawn over deductions in federation account allocations to the latter by the former.

It was learnt that disagreement over the state/ local government joint account between both parties boiled over last Friday as the 31 local government chairmen stormed out of a meeting where they were to be given their July allocations from the federation account by the state government.

Consequently, the council chairmen, who assumed office only two

months ago, have set up a committee to formally register their position to the state governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, in the hope that he will do something about the situation.

A source at the meeting attended by the state’s Accountant-General, Mr. Udo Isobara, told Vanguard that the council chairmen who grudgingly accepted June allocations, vowed never to have anything to do with last month’s allocations unless all the deductions were restored.

Isobara has, however, absolved himself of any blame, saying he was acting on orders of the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Bassey

Akpan.

State Chairman of National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Felix Okon, said on the issue: "I cannot speak of any deductions because I am not a member of the Joint Account which is a legislation by law, and by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I am not aware of any money deducted from the councils. The Chairmen were voted in office, and they should speak for themselves.

“The only deduction I know of is the salary for teachers, and deductions for pensions and gratuities. As the Chairman of NULGE, workers are not

Ewherido, Ochei, Macaulay, others mourn Igbrude ing lawmaker, a great

BY EMMA AMAIZE & AUSTIN OGWUDA

W

ARRI—VICECHAIRMAN, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Pius Ewherido, Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, and Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr. Ovuozorie Macaulay, have described the death of former Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Young Daniel Igbrude, Monday, in Asaba, Delta State, as a rude shock Igbrude reportedly col-

lapsed and died at Saint Luke’s Hospital, Asaba, where he had gone for medical check-up.

Ewherido, a former Deputy Speaker and Acting Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, described Igbrude as a “sound legal mind and versed presiding officer.

“His contributions both as commissioner and legislator in Delta State are immeasurable. It is painful that he passed on this soon. God knows best."

On his part, Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, described Igbrude as “an outstand-

politician and an elder statesman who contributed positively to the development of the state through healthy debates at the hallowed chambers and passage of bills that impacted positively on the lives of the people of Delta state”.

Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, said Igbrude’s death was a great loss to the state and the nation, while Political Adviser to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chief Ighoyota Amori, described the deceased as a political colossus.

owed, we contribute 7.5 per cent as pension and gratuity, and government pays its share of 7.5 per cent. So if there are deductions other than this, it is not known to me."

RIK Air will tomor row commence flight operations between Lagos and Douala, Cameroun’s commercial capital.

This brings to 32 the number of local, regional and international routes operated by the airline, including New York, Lon-

don and Johannesburg.

The airline said in a statement in Lagos, yesterday, that it would operate three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

It said the route would be served with a Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft, configured in two class compartment, comprising 12 Business Class seats and 112 Economy Class.

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Delta ACN, PDP trade words over 2015

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

A

MEETING: From left: Minister of State for Works, Amb. Bashir Yuguda; Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed; Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, and Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, during a meeting on the future of infrastructure development in Nigeria at the Federal Ministry of Works headquarters, Abuja.

SABA—LEADER SHIP of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has assured members and the public that the party was re-positioning itself towards achieving enhanced electoral victory in future elections, especially with the local government polls around the corner.

The party also raised an alarm over plans by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to destabilise it ahead of the 2015 elections.

Rising from a meeting in Asaba, Chairman of ACN,

Army nabs fake Lieutenant in Delta

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

Fresh oil spill hits Atlantic coastline B in A-Ibom

BY TONY NYONG

U

YO—TEN days af ter the oil spill at Qua Iboe fields operated

by Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, MPN, more spills have been sighted on the Atlantic coastline at Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State.

Fishermen and residents of coastal communities at Ibeno and Esit Eket Local Government Areas of the state, who noticed oil spills on the shoreline, reported the development to the oil spill agency.

An official of National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, said the agency got the report of fresh oil spill on the shores.

He said: “As soon as we got the report we deployed personnel to the site, though we are still investigating the earlier

incident of August 13. I understand they saw tar balls at the coast.

"As we speak, our men are still in the field and their findings will help us to know the nature and extent of the deposits. It cannot be business as usual.”

Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, MPN, has maintained a studied silence over its claimed investigation into the

source of the oil spill found within its operational area on August 13.

When contacted for comments on the development, the company’s spokesman, Nigel Cookey-Gam, said he was not aware of the fresh spill.

Chief Okon Owon, a community leader in Mkpanak community in Ibeno, berated the oil firm for alleged poor han-

FG urged to build modular refineries

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

P

ORT HARCOURT— THE Federal Government has been told to set up modular refineries in all states to end the incessant scarcity of petroleum products in the country.

Speaking ahead of the first international confer-

ence and technical exhibition on petroleum refining and petrochemicals which opens in Port Harcourt today, Director, Institute of Petroleum Studies, IPS, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Godwin Igwe, said modular refineries would create more value for the nation’s crude.

Professor Igwe said the

AIG decries conflicting reports on Oyerinde

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—ASSIST ANT Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Police Zone 5, Benin, Alhaji Hashimu Argungun, has described as unfortunate a situation where two security agencies of government gave conflicting reports on one issue.

He was referring to the handling of the investigations of the alleged sus-

dling of oil spill matters.

He said: “For over one week, Mobil officials claimed they were investigating the source of the spill and till this moment, they have continued in their culture of negligence and silence.

"Why will it take such a long time to conduct the test and match the samples found in the beach? They have taken us for granted for too long."

pects involved in the murder of the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, by the Directorate of State Security Service (DSSS) and the Nigeria Police.

The AIG, who was answering questions from newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, during a courtesy visit to members of the union in Benin, yesterday, said: “It is unfortunate that two agencies of government

are giving conflicting statements on one issue.

I call it unfortunate because Criminal Justice System, is a system that works together.

“It is just like the human system because if one part of the human system is rotten, it may likely affect the whole body. So, I am speaking metaphorically in the sense that every organization, when it comes to security aspect, should work hand in hand so that they can achieve common objective and common

international conference was being organised by the Centre for Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals, in collaboration with the Petroleum Technology development Fund, PTDF. According to him, the conference will come up with solutions to some of the challenges in the oil and gas sector of the economy.

He said the nation could only overcome challenges of scarcity of petroleum products when government raised the number of refineries in the country.

He said: “There is hardly any refinery producing at 60 per cent capacity in the country. If at 100 per cent functional state of the refineries in the country, they were only able to service about thirty per cent of the nation’s demand for petroleum products, then imagine the situation now that our refineries are not producing up to one hundred percent capacity.”

Chief Adolo Okotie-Eboh, dismissed speculation that there was crisis in the party, saying “let me assure you that in spite of the current perfidious activities of the PDP undercover agents in the ACN, planted to destabilize the party, there is absolutely no truth in the insinuation that there is crisis in Delta State ACN." But one of the founding members of PDP in the State, and, currently, Political Adviser to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chief Ighoyota Amori, described the accusation from ACN as “absolute rubbish.”

ENIN—THE Au thorities of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin, yesterday, paraded a fake Army Lieutenant, one Mr Goodluck Furupagha, who has obtained over one million naira from members of the public under the guise of recruiting them into the Nigerian Army.

Parading the suspect in Benin City, Army Public Relations Officer, Roselyn Managbe, said the suspect was arrested in Asaba after an officer who presented himself as a prospective applicant approached the fake Lieutenant.

She said when the officer who disguised as a prospective applicant met the fake army officer, “he demanded for the sum of two hundred thousand naira for him to be recruited into the Army. He then pleaded with the fake officer to collect N100,000. While this was going on, troops who were alerted came and arrested the fake Army Lieutenant, Mr Furupagha, at Ibusa Road Asaba.

She said that during the course of investigation, the fake Army Officer admitted that he had duped several persons on the pretext of helping them to be recruited into the Nigerian Army.

Sister Okareme dies @ 74

S

ISTER Margaret Okareme, (nee Achakobe) of God’s Kingdom Society, (GKS), Ozoro branch, is dead, aged 74.

A princess of Ozoro K i n g d o m , a n d philantropist, she is survived by eight children grandchildren and other relations among whom are Kome Okareme, an educationist, Moses Okareme, secretary GKS Ozoro branch and Prince Eviano Achakobe, a retired diplomat.

Late Sister Okareme

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012 —13

No plan to lead Jonathan's campaign in 2015 —MASSOB

BY ENYIMENYIM

O

NITSHA—THE Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, yesterday denied a newspaper report that it would lead President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign in 2015.

Leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, who spoke to newsmen in Onitsha, described the publication as false and baseless.

He said he had never met President Jonathan to disWORKSHOP: From left: Chairman, Centre for Corporate Citizenship, Austria, Martin Neureiter; Lead Consultant/CEO, ThistlePraxis Consulting, Ini Onuk, and CSR/Internal Communications Manager, Etisalat, Ismail Omamegbe, at the opening of National Workshop on the Nigerian Adoption Process of ISO 26000 Guidance Standard on Social Responsibility in Abuja.

Anambra LGs get c'ttee on good governance

BY VINCENTUJUMADU

Enugu govt denies resolving oil A wells' dispute with Orient Petroleum E

NUGU—ENUGU State Government has refuted claims by the Management of Orient Petroleum Plc, OPR, that the lingering dispute between it and the company over some oil wells located in the state, has b e e n resolved.

The Managing Director of the company, Mr Emeka Nwawka, was recently reported in the media as saying that the issues relating to the operations of the oil wells in Ojjor, Iggah and A s a b a communities, all in the Uzo-Uwani Local Gov-

ernment Area of Enugu State were resolved at a meeting between officials of the state government led by the Secretary to the Government, Mr. Amaechi Okolo and the company.

However, in a reaction, Enugu State Commissioner for Information,

Mr Chuks Ugwoke, described the claims as an “unfortunate misrepresentation of the facts.”

He said that though the state government would continue to encourage Orient Petroleum Resources Plc and other private sector investments in the state or elsewhere in the country, it had become necessary to correct the wrong impression created by the Managing Director of the company that the lingering issues between it and the government had been resolved.

Ugwuoke said: “The dispute revolves around the continued refusal of the company to acknowledge that it has oil wells in Enugu State and not Anambra State alone and the need to reflect the existence of oil wells in the three communities in all its communications and instruments.”

While admitting that the two parties met over the matter on July 31 2012, the commissioner noted that “no resolution of any sort was reached” as the company merely briefed the representatives of the state government on its operations in the affected communities and even proposed that a conflict resolution committee be set up to address the issues while holding further talks on it.

It will be recalled that the three oil blocs in Enugu State provide the bulk of the company ’s crude oil supply.

cuss anything about his presidential ambition in 2015.

He said: “The publication was full of falsehood aimed at distracting MASSOB because there was never a time I met Jonathan with Ojukwu’s wife, Ambassador Bianca to discuss anything concerning his ambition.

MASSOB has no link with the Presidency because we are not politicians. We are fighting for the actualisation of our own freedom in a country where Ndigbo are constantly treated like unimportant people."

WKA—ANAMBRA State Government yesterday inaugurated the Vanguard for Good Governance for the 21 local government areas of the state.

At the inauguration, the state Chairman for Good Governance and Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Professor Chinyere Okunna, urged members to evolve strategies for monitoring and ensuring that communities took ownership of projects sited in their areas.

Six local government areas out of the 21 in the state had served as pilot areas

for the exercise being implemented in collaboration with theUnitedNationsDevelopment Programme, UNDP.It was based on the success recorded by the pilot councils that informed the decision to extend it to the remaining 15 local governments.

Essentially, the objectives of the committee christened, ‘Society for Sustainable Development’, are to promote public participation in leadership through community mobilisation and capacity building; monitor public service delivery and improve transparency in leadership; ensure reduction of extreme poverty among rural dwellers; and integrate anticorruption measures into public sector management.

Fuel now N110 in Imo

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—VEHICLE owners in Imo State are now finding it extremely difficult to procure Petrol in what consumers of premium motor spirit, PMS, called “inexplicable hike in pump price of the petroleum product in the state”.

Vanguard investigation revealed that 15 out of the 27 local government areas of the state with exception of the mega stations run by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, other filling stations were either selling above the ap-

proved pump price or under-dispensed.

All the filling stations visited, including the major marketers, sold petrol at between N100 and N110 per litre.

Already, prices of essential commodities in the markets have gradually shot up beyond the reach of the ordinary man in the street.

When Vanguard called at a filling station adjacent to Maria Assumpta Catholic Cathedral, Owerri, while the meter read N97 per litre, the female attendant insisted on selling the product at N100 per litre.

Lagos Assembly lauds Radelu over land dispute

BY EBUN SESSOU

L

AGOS—THE Lagos State House of Assembly has commended the Radelu family of Ikorodu for its magnanimity in resolving the land dispute between them and the petitioner, Mrs. Ganiyat Sadiku.

Sadiku had petitioned the House alleging threat to her life and forceful possession

of her landed property by the Radelu Family.

The House while commending the Radelu family, said the family gave due recognition to the Assembly by agreeing to resolve the land dispute on compassionate ground such that the petitioner who had lost her husband would not have to lose the land as well.

C M Y K

14—Vanguard , TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

Ebonyi Police nab 7 over alleged ritual killing of 7-yr-old girl

BY PETER OKUTU

A

BAKALIKI— EBONYI State Police Command, said, yesterday, that it had arrested seven suspects in connection with the ritual murder of little Miss Ukamaka Immaculata Ogboji, 7, on Sunday at Agubia in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state.

The command which commended the effort of the community under the aegis of Ebonyi Youth Assembly, EYA, in the arrest of the suspects, noted that the suspects who had earlier kidnapped Miss Ogboji for monetary gains, later, dis-

membered her body and dumped same in a cassava farm in the area.

Confirming the arrest of the suspects, Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Sylvester Igbo, noted that two of the suspects arrested had confessed to the crime stressing, that the police had begun full investigation to ascertain the motive behind the brutal killing of the deceased.

He said: “Seven persons suspected to have killed little Miss Ukamaka Immaculata Ogboji on Sunday at Agubia in Ikwo Lo-

cal Government Area of the state, have been arrested and will soon be paraded.

What we have observed at the scene made us to attribute the killing to ritual killing and not kidnapping because the corpse of the deceased was without two legs, hands and eyes. From the act, it is a ritual killing.

Through police investigation, we have been able to arrest seven suspects among whom, two have confessed to the crime. One of them confessed that his mother was the spiritual mother of the girl when she was baptised."

Anambra LP crisis: Ezenwafor petitions Obi, IG, SSS, others

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

L

AGOS—THE internal crisis ravaging the Anambra State chapter of the Labour Party, LP, has taken a new dimension with a faction petitioning the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, Director General of the State Security Service and Governor Peter Obi among others, to step in and prevent the feud from causing insecurity in the state ahead of President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposed visit tomorrow.

The raging crisis has led

a section of the party to remove the entire state executive led by Jude Ezenwafor.

In a three-page petition dated August 23, 2012 by Ezenwafor and his Secretary, to the IGP, NSA, SSS Director and Governor Obi among others, they accused

the other faction led by Basil Iwuoba, Sam Oraegbunam and Luke Ezeanokwasi among others of using “an illegal dreaded militia group” to threaten their lives, terrorise them and cause mayhem in the party and the state.

ACN urges Jonathan to inspire Nigerians

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BUJA—THE Action Congress of Nigeria has tasked President Goodluck Jonathan to

inspire the citizens with words that can galvanise them to positive action rather than lament that he is the most criticised president in the world.

President Jonathan had on Monday at the opening of the 52nd Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, described himself as the most criticised president in the world and wondered why he was being held responsible for the state of insecurity, power failure and decaying infrastucture though his administration inherited these problems.

Reacting to the president’s lamentations yesterday, the ACN in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that “ what a nation expects from a president even at a time of crisis are words that will inspire the citizens and give them confidence that the helmsman is on top of the situation and not the kind of words credited to President Jonathan which are only capable of demoralising the citizenry and telling them things are out of control and that he is completely at loss as at what to do.”

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—15

FG secures $225m Global Fund grants to fight malaria

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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HE campaign to eradicate malaria in Nigeria has received a boost with the signing of two agreements on grants worth US$225 million between the country and Global Fund to support programmes on prevention and treatment of malaria in the country.

M e a n w h i l e ,

stakeholders in the campaign have applauded the grants, saying they would help Nigeria in its efforts towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, by 2015.

The agreements include an additional US$50 million for bed nets, approved in an unusual move by the Global Fund Board that was linked to additional

commitments by the government of Nigeria.

Deputy Executive Director of the Global Fund, Debrework Zewdie, who signed on behalf of the Fund in Abuja, said: “Nigeria is poised to become a global leader in the fight against malaria.”

Zewdie explained that the grant agreements expanded a partnership

... targets $15m for telecom sector

BY BEN AGANDE

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BUJA—FEDERAL Government is to inject $15 million into the telecom sector to assist Nigerians secure capital to promote growth and create jobs.

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobolaji Johnson, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after presenting the Ministry’s performance under the 2012 budget to

President Goodluck Jonathan at the President Villa.

She noted that the venture capital fund being set up for the ICT industry would be anchored by the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, which will put in $3.6 million or about N500 million.

According to her, government aims to raise $15 million and additional $11.4 million from

the private sector, locally and internationally.

Mrs Johnson said: “The $15 million will be managed by independent fund managers who would work with the ICT incubation team to identify projects or initiatives that we believe are great ideas and will be commercial successes.

“We will use those capital venture funds to fund them because there is no collateral. We are taking a risk.”

with the Global Fund that had yielded remarkable progress in recent years, such as undertaking the largest distribution of bed nets done anywhere— more than 45 million to date.

Minister of Health, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the government was determined to find ways to prevent malaria from further killing Nigerians.

According to him, the Federal Government is taking steps to increase the impact of grants, including the recent ones, by committing additional funds from the country.

Chukwu noted that the development was a new phase and a new way of doing things in the country.

He said: “There’s no doubt in my mind that we are on the right track.”

Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said: “Malaria is a killer. It can be prevented by investing in public health.”

NLC advocates PenCom's take-over of corrupt PFAs

BY JOSEPH ERUNKE

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IGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, has urged the National Pension Commission, PenCom, to take over the management of corrupt Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs. The union also said it was in full support of the action of the pension fund regulatory body to revoke the licences of some PFAs, which were unable to meet up

with capital base needed for operation.

NLC said PenCom must strive to free itself of corruption uncovered recently by an investigative panel, saying the body should demonstrate transparency by ensuring it worked towards preparing the smooth benefits for workers who invested in the contributory pension scheme while in active service.

Lawyers call for NJC reform

BY INNOCENT ANABA

L

AWYERS in the country, yesterday, called for the reform of the National Judicial Council, NJC, to make it effective in checking corruption on the bench.

They made the call at the on-going Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, annual conference in Abuja, during the Section on Public Interest and Development Law session, with the theme Corruption, National Development, the Bar and the Judiciary.

Leading the call was former President of the association, Chief Thompson Okpoko, SAN, who said: “NJC was a well thought out concept but the Nigerian factor destroyed it. You can remember that NJC in its early days was very active. So it needs to be reformed.”

Also, Mr. Lucius Nwosu, SAN, said: “Our legal system has been broken down because of poverty, quota system, greed, inadequate salaries and emolument among others.”

16—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Adamawa House approves 10 aides for Nyako

TRAINING: From left— Mr. Govind Bahirat, Director, Shreeyash Electro Medicals, India; Dr. Kamoru Omotosho, District Governor, Rotary International, District 9110; Dr. Biola Awonuga, Medical Director, Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, and Dr. Dehinde Shoga, Past District Governor, at a training programme for personnel of hospitals on the installation and maintenance of donated incubators.

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DAMAWA State House of Assembly, yesterday, approved 10 new special advisers for Governor Murtala Nyako. The approval in Yola was in response to a letter to the House by the governor requesting for it.

Alhaji Ishaq Bala (PDP, Yola North) moved the motion for the approval, which was seconded by Mrs Wilbina Jackson (PDP, Guyuk). The unanimous approval by

State police can break-up Nigeria— NBA

BY SUZAN EDEH

B

AUCHI—BAUCHI State chapter of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has faulted the call for state police. It said the solution to the security challenges experienced in the country is intensification of intelligence gathering by security agents as state police could split the coutry.

State Chairman of NBA, Mohammed Alhassan, said Nigeria lacked the capacity to handle sensitive issues such as state police, because the timing was inappropriate and it could be used as an instrument of manipulation by greedy politicians to destabilise the country.

In an interview with Vanguard he said: “The agitation for state police dates back to the Second Republic, where a lot of states, especially in the South-West, were clamouring for it.

“It is clear that the present security situation in the

country is not doing too well because a lot of the structures that has been set up.

Under the present arrangement, Nigerian Police has been compromised and the situation will even grow worst if the state police is to be created.”

“Should we have state police, it will be much easier for the governors of those respective states to use the institution (state police) to intimidate, harass and even probably kill any opposition within their domain.

“Nigeria today has never been more fragmented in its history since the civil war because there are lots of people now agitating for the balkanisation of this country.

“I think the biggest mistake that the country can make is to sanction the creation of state police, because it can be used to cause disunity, which will eventually lead to the break-up of the country.”

PDP chieftain flays Obasanjo over comments

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chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a man who thrives on illegalities.

He also faulted claims that Obasanjo resigned as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the party to concentrate on international issues.

Kashamu spoke against the backdrop of the comments credited to the former President at a purported Ogun PDP stakeholders’ meeting held last weekend in Abeokuta, the state capital.

He said: “Obasanjo thrives on illegalities. His statement is contradictory in character, content and C M Y K

form.

“Here is a man who told the whole world that he resigned his chairmanship of the BoT to concentrate on international matters, yet he hosted and presided over a purported Ogun PDP stakeholders’ meeting without the validly elected state executive committee.”

Kashamu wondered why Obasanjo had continued to encourage illegalities and lawlessness within the party by promoting one member of the party and his co-travellers as members of the state exco of the party “when there are various subsisting court judgments validating the Mr. Adebayo Dayo-led exco as the only authentic organ of the party in the state.”

the House was done through a voice vote.

The House also deliberated on a letter from the governor requesting for approval of Mr. Sabiru Danyari as the state Auditor-General.

The House, presided over by the Speaker, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, however, directed its Clerk to invite Danyari to appear before it on Monday.

The house had, in June, approved 50 special advisers for the governor.

Disaster from Cameroon: Excess water from Lagdo Dam kills 15 in Kano

BY LAIDE AKINBOOADE, with Agency Report

A

BUJA—KANO State Rehabilitation and Emergency Relief Agency, KSRERA, yesterday, confirmed the death of 15 persons in a flood that swept through nine local governments due to the release of excess water from the reservoir of Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, even as the Federal Government confirmed media report of 15 deaths in Adamawa State caused by same flood.

Director of Operations at the agency, Alhaji Shehu Maitama, told newsmen that the flood destroyed houses and farmlands estimated at N120 million, and displaced more than 2,000 families.

Maitama listed the local government areas, where houses were destroyed, to include Bagwai, Bebeji, Gabasawa, Garun Malam, Karaye, Nassarawa and Sumaila.

Farmlands were washed away in Doguwa and

Tudun Wada local government areas.

Maitama said the agency had requested for relief materials from the state government, after thorough assessment of the affected areas. He added that the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, had been informed about the

incident.

In the case of Adamawa State, the Federal Government also confirmed that over 10,000 persons were displaced and 10 local government areas affected.

Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sidi, stated this at the meeting organised by NEMA in Abuja on the

release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.

He said the report that was received from Cameroon High Commission in Abuja, on the August 23 indicated that if the trend of heavy rain continued in the next few weeks, more water would be released from the reservoir till October.

Suspected Boko Haram member dies in wheel barrow bomb attack

BY NDAHI MARAMA

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A I D U G U R I —A suspected bomber was, yesterday, killed in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, when a bomb, strapped to a wheel barrow exploded at Ramat Square along West End road and Gwange ward.

Confirming the incidents in a statement, Joint Task Force, JTF, Spokesman, Lt.Col. Sagir Musa, said: “There was an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, explosion today (yesterday) at West End, Ramat Square General Area of Maiduguri

metropolis.

“The device was concealed in a wheel barrow by suspected Boko Haram sect member and it exploded at about 8.35am. The owner of the wheel barrow was killed instantly, while attempting to escape.”

Sagir, however, said apart from the mastermind of the blast, no other casualty was recorded and that the area was cordoned off and swept by the Bomb Disposal Arm of the JTF. He said: “An undetonated Improvised

Explosive Device, IED, was discovered by JTF troops in GwangeSabonlayi, Maiduguri metropolis at about 11.

29am, yesterday.”

According to him, the IED was strongly suspected to be planted there

by Boko Haram insurgents. It was recovered and defused by the Bomb Disposal Arm of JTF by 11:40am, yesterday.

He said normalcy had since been restored in the affected areas as people were going about their normal activities unhindered.

FG, China partner on $1.5bn Lagos-Ibadan rail project

BY CALEB AYANSINA

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BUJA—FEDERAL Government, yesterday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, of $1.5 billion Lagos-Ibadan rail project with Messrs CCECC Nigeria Limited.

The Federal Executive Council had, in July, approved Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Track on double formation, covering a distance of 156.65km, totaling 313.30km double track in favour of the company, in the sum of

US$1,487,782,196.00, taxes inclusive.

Signing on behalf of the government, the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar noted that the contract signified continued commitment of the Federal Government’s policy to the modernisation of the railway system in the country.

The rail project, which is expected to be completed in 36 months according to Umar, will be partly financed by the Chinese Government through China EXIM Bank Concessionary loan facility.

He said: “Under the agreement the loan facility, to the tune of US$1.0 billion, is going to be provided by the China EXIM Bank.

However, negotiation has been concluded with the China EXIM Bank for an initial US$500 million during the negotiations in China, which was led by the Coordinating Minister for the economy.

“The negotiation on the balance sum of US$500 million is expected to be done in due course. The Federal Government of Nigeria is expected to pay the

balance of the project fund in the sum of US$530, 779.101.00.”

The minister also assured that the contract for the completion and rehabilitation of the 274km Itakpe-AjaokutaWarri Standard Gauge Railway line is in progress, saying work has progressed steadily with all the tracks laid, while the outstanding works are the completion of construction of interchanges and ramps, station building and signaling and telecommunications.

— 17 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012— “Do not try to lean on a wall that is not near you.”- Ghanaian Proverb.

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Squabbling at a problem

Gov. Aliyu Babangida, Chairman, Northern governors forum reports by the elders that they had approached Northern governors earlier to take up these issues with the President, as people with political and legal obligations and clout.

Indictment of governors

T

he decision by Northern elders to engage Mr President directly on issues that would have been effectively taken up at numerous levels and occasions by governors was a serious indictment of the governors. Even if, as was rumoured, some of the governors had encouraged the elders to go straight to the Villa, they would only have shot themselves in the foot. The desperate, yet unproductive sojourn of the elders may also reinforce a widespread perception that they hold the governors in very low esteem, and would rather appeal to a President seen in many circles as a co-facilitator of the political and security situation of the North, than appeal to them to take up its cause. The President’s silence since their visit also speaks loudly his perception of Northern problems.

It is difficult to avoid the impression

that Northern governors have set up this and two other committees as a belated reaction to control major damage. So much water has passed under the bridge, that you have to wonder whether even members of the committee will believe that they can do any genuinely productive work. The insurgency has taken roots in many parts of the North, and all governors say is that they have no control over security matters. They are substantially its targets, and their influence over the community which can be mobilized against it is virtually nil.

So they cannot fight it, and they cannot resist it. Their coterie of the ulaama is politically compromised, and they live behind secure embankments, too

,

ORTHERN Governors set up a seemingly powerful committee on reconciliation, healing and security last week, three months into the silence of President Goodluck Jonathan over the long list of grievances and demands presented to him by Northern Elders.

The governors’ committee is meant to liaise with stakeholders in the states affected by the JASLIWAJ(a.k.a. Boko Haram) insurgency and other security threats, and get to the root of other security challenges and proffer solutions.

It also has their mandate to negotiate with identified groups, liaise with the Federal Government and agree on best approaches to resolving security challenges, and work out modalities for reconciling warring parties and communities in the North. The governors say recurring incidents of violence in the North have almost crippled the economy and society of the region, and they represent serious challenges to national stability, unity and development.

Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Dr. M.B. Aliyu wants the committee to assist by broadly looking at the issues of religious extremism, intolerance and mutual disrespect which appear to be creating more ethnic and religious cleavages that are damaging Northern unity. He lamented the inability of a single Northern state to pay one month salary from internallygenerated revenue. He hinted at the resolve to sustain resistance by the Northern governors against what they see as unfair distribution of oil revenues.

It will be uncharitable to dismiss this latest move by Northern governors as a red herring, but it will be equally hypocritical to applaud it as a statesmanship from leaders of people with their backs against many walls. The Northern Elders’ Forum which met and presented a litany of requests and demands to President Jonathan three months ago has to be a backdrop to an assessment of the utility of this move by the governors. Almost bowing to the ground, the leader of the elders appealed to the President to demilitarize the North, curb gross abuses by security agents, including extra-judicial killings, discourage official perception of the insurgency as a Northern Muslim resistance against the President, revisit many of the reports of investigations into ethno-religious conflicts and implement their recommendations, tackle corruption, address youth unemployment, stop arbitrary and indiscriminate removal of senior officers from the public and security services, and many more demands. There were no

major task ahead of them, particularly given the fact that many of the problems they are being asked to find solutions for have their roots and locations in the manner governors run the North. The committee couldn’t have started at a more inauspicious moment either, with the JASLIWAJ insurgency reportedly denying reports that it is engaged in negotiations with government, and even warning Dr Datti Ahmed to steer clear.

They will be well advised to take some of their terms of reference with a pinch of salt. The charge to dialogue with any or all sources of the violence in the North must sound hollow, coming from people who cannot facilitate the most elementary of contacts, or exploit the huge goodwill which exists in their communities towards fighting the insurgency. The task of identifying the roots of the security challenges should not be difficult to accomplish: they are the task masters, who have raised bad governance, corruption and impunity to new levels.

Members of the committee should not bother with the term of reference which says they should liaise with the Federal Government and deliberate on the best approach to resolving security challenges. If the Federal Government has the slightest clue over how our numerous challenges can be resolved, why would it wait for a security committee to come for them?

The members of the governors’

The decision by Northern elders to engage Mr President directly on issues that would have been effectively taken up at numerous levels and occasions by governors was a serious indictment of the governors

removed from the people. The economy in much of the North is well and truly wrecked, but neither the lavish lifestyle of governors nor the army of political hacks paid from public funds is showing evidence of being affected. Governors cannot call each other to order. They cannot set benchmarks for Jang in the manner he relates with some ethnic groups in Plateau State, and they cannot prevail on Yakowa to do something on the consequences of the Zonkwa massacre. They cannot take on the President on the PIB, on the on-shore/ off-shore dichotomy, on the operations of security agencies and their impact on communities; or on any major policy which affects the North substantially.

For whatever it is worth, many people of impeccable integrity and undoubted commitment have accepted to be part of the governors’ committee. They have a

,

committee should take their jobs seriously. To do this, they will need to re-write their terms of reference. The sources and the results of the security and economic problems of the North are here in the North. The Federal Government and the rest of Nigeria are only marginally responsible, the former as a seemingly-willing accomplice in a tragic self-mutilation, the latter, beneficiaries of a weakening competition.

They can write their report in a month because combatants, warring communities, JASLIWAJ insurgents or the Federal Government will not give them the time of day. If governors are content with public relations gimmicks, many of the respected members of this committee should not be. The problems of the North and national security are too important to be handled by governors hiding behind committees.

OPINION

BY ABDULRASHEED MOHAMMED *The writer today continues his argument that Northern leaders are responsible for much of the problems in the region HEN my friends from the South point accusing fingers at me for being a Northerner and for the way the region has ruled the country and brought it to its present deplorable state, I shake my head in sadness.

For a region that produced the country’s leaders, both military and civilian, for more than 36 years, it is saddening that the level of poverty in the region could still be as terrible as it is today. And the region is still holding most of the highest positions in the land today; it has the highest number in the legislature, meaning that the wealth of the nation has never been far away from the laps of the North. What do we have to show for these?

The truth is, even we Northerners are not proud of these leaders because the poverty in the region is greater than elsewhere as evident in the violence-prone nature of the re-

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C M Y K

Onshore/Offshore dichotomy and North’s dance of shame (2) gion today. And some people are waging needless wars over oils that are thousand miles away rather than the fields for agriculture which are close by? What have we gained from the ‘little’ allocation the states in the region collect now to support call for upward review? Of course, nothing but insecurity and Boko Haram insurgences allover the North.

At best, I see the calls for the reversal of the widely-supported abrogation of onshore/offshore dichotomy as a renewal of the grand plot against the South-South region of Nigeria by some Northern leaders.

If the current vultures (insert leaders if you want) want us to believe that they are agitating for more wealth in the interest of the masses, they should look inwards first by regenerating the strongholds of the region’s wealth. They should develop what truly belongs to the North—agriculture, rather than seeking to grab from the perks of collective

allocations and thereby make nuisance of themselves or even cause controversy in the country. It is sad that what we in have in the North now as leaders are lazy people,people without vision, people without foresight but out to line their pockets and those of their cronies. Why can't our leaders look inwards rather than depend on money from the sale of oil? Where are the groundnut pyramids, the solid minerals and agriculture which our forebears used to run the region when oil was yet to be discovered? It is my sincere wish and other Northerners that the country returns to true fiscal federalism so that each would develop its economic potentials to the fullest.

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he Niger Delta people no doubt pro duce over 90 percent of the nation’s resources whether off shore or onshore. They equally suffer the environmental hazards and

degradations associated with oil exploration and exploitations while we in the North sit in the comfort of our offices awaiting the sharing of the proceeds equally with them.

These leaders, particularly are nothing but callous in their demand for increase revenue.

Can they even withstand the danger the oil producing communities face on a daily basis? A friend jovially said to me recently: “Mohammed, why are your leaders fighting against resource control again?” and I told him it’s because they have eaten all the resources of the North and no longer have any to control. The truth is there are countless resources in the North and they should be developed so that we too can have something to collect derivation from, rather than fighting a lost battle.

Concluded

•Mr. Mohammed a public analyst wrote from Kaduna

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

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T last, governors and leaders of the 19 states of the defunct Northern Region seem to have realised that the primary responsibility for arresting the many challenges facing the region in particular and the nation at large lies with them.

After a prolonged period of silence in the face of terrorism in their major cities and communal killings on the Plateau, the governors have conducted series of meetings at the Niger State Lodge in Abuja under the chairmanship of Governor Aliyu Babangida of Niger State.

A committee of 40 eminent persons, led by Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim has been assigned to pursue reconciliation, healing and the restoration of security throughout the troubled north.

Babangida declared soberly: “We have realised that most of the challenges we are facing of poverty, unemployment, youth restiveness and violence are manifestation of rejection of the core values of honesty, equity, fairness and justice in our communities, societies and indeed the nation ….

Positive signs from the North

“This is the time to restore the admirable lost values and virtues that previously distinguished us … We must show respect for and understanding with one another, irrespective of our differences.”

We sincerely hope that this moment of realisation will last and is genuinely and generally shared by leaders from that part of the country. It is a positive and commendable development, taking into account that when the Boko Haram terrorist organisation launched its bloody campaigns about this time last year, there was what many termed a cult of silent approval among some sections of the leadership. Some even openly grovelled before the group as if eager to save themselves and families from being

targeted.

There was this mistaken notion that the terrorists were fighting for the interests of a particular religion and that the government of President Goodluck Jonathan was the primary target.

As a newspaper, we knew from experience that this notion was wrong and shared our concern. We are convinced that violence and anarchy in any part of the country is a problem for all Nigerians, but the immediate theatre of violence will naturally bear the primary brunt.

We wish the Ambassador Ibrahim committee success in its assignment and urge the Federal Government and all Nigerians to render whatever assistance necessary to restore peace, security and healing to northern Nigeria.

We look forward to a new future where religion, ethnicity and regionalism will cease to divide us. Rather, our diversity should be our strength and the building blocks of a greater nation. If the leaders of the north are sincere and apply themselves to this task, with the help of all Nigerians the problems confronting us from that end will be a thing of the past soonest.

OPINION

BY DAVID EHORO

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URING the Vietnam War - a cold war era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from November 1, 1955 to the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 - many Americans appeared thorn between the patriotic impulse of supporting their country’s involvement in the war and the horrors of deaths, mostly of Vietnamese, during the war. America’s support of South Vietnam was rationalised as part of its containment of the spread of communism, then its bogeyman. The moral dilemma faced by many Americans was resolved when a few courageous individuals like the legendary boxer Mohammed Ali began to speak up against the war, telling Americans that “no Vietcong ever called me a nigger”. The Reverend Martin Luther King also weighed in: “We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy…. A time comes when silence is betrayal”.

There are parallels between the moral approach-avoidance conflict in which many Americans were trapped during the Vietnam War and the Farouk Lawan case.

In Vietnam, the first obvious instinct for many Americans was patriotism – communism needed to be contained from spreading to South Vietnam. In the Lawan case, the first instinct is an expression of outrage at public officials apparently

Who speaks for Farouk Lawan? abusing their oversight functions. In Vietnam, as the horrors of the killing of some two to three million people, mostly Vietnamese, began to dawn on Americans, there arose the moral unease of whether the war was after all worth the human costs. In the case of Lawan, as the first wave of anger disappeared and people began to notice far too many grey areas and numerous unanswered questions, many people appear trapped in a moral crisis: to boldly speak up about the grey areas in the saga or how the system is skewed against Lawan in the case might seem as condoning bribery. Yet we need to confront some of the grey areas: Since neither of the two government’s committees on the fuel subsidy scam headed by Access Bank Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, found any of Otedola’s companies culpable, does it follow that Lawan is vindicated in moving for Otedola’s companies to be removed from the list of companies indicted over the fuel subsidy scam? And if so, what was the purported $620,000 bribe money really for? Why has the SSS which carried out the purported sting operation refused to speak up?

I do not for a second believe that Lawan is a saint - even if he has not been found guilty of any crime. But I am miffed at how stories on the issue from the Police appear slanted, often presenting him as a man broken by guilt: He was said to have broken down

when confronted with the video recording of his encounter with Otedola (that video has not yet surfaced despite Lawan’s challenge for such to be made public). Some papers quoted Police sources as saying they allowed Lawan to go on the lesser hajj only because he broke down in tears. Presenting Lawan as a broken man feeds into a narrative that already found him guilty before the trial. Meanwhile, Otedola, with whom he traded accusations, was not only reportedly shown a few times on television in the company of the key power brokers in Abuja but was declared a prosecution witness in a case that apparently is yet to be filed in the courts. Something seems very wrong here.

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ith numerous unresolved questions, conspiracy theorists are having a field day: In the current face-off between the House of Representatives and the executive in which the former is dangling the impeachment axe, conspiracy theorists claim the House is fighting back because the Presidency allegedly wanted to use Otedola to bring down the House leadership.

Another set of conspiracy theorists claim that Lawan is a victim of his own ambition – that his open secret of wanting to be the next Governor of Kano State unleashed forces that needed to stop him in his tracks.

Remember Dominique Strauss-Kahn? The

former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund was tipped to beat Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election that was held in May 2012. On May 14, 2011, a 32-year-old maid, Nafissatou Diallo, at the Sofitel New York Hotel alleged that Strauss-Kahn had sexually assaulted her after she entered his suite. By the time prosecutors filed a motion to drop all charges against Strauss-Kahn on the grounds that they were not convinced of his culpability beyond all reasonable doubt in addition to serious issues in the complainant’s credibility and inconclusive physical evidence, the French elections had come and gone and the scandal prevented him from contesting. If there were elements of truth in the ‘theory’ that the LawanOtedola saga is rooted in Lawan’s gubernatorial ambition, then the plot, as in the case of Strauss-Kahn, has also succeeded.

In all these, Lawan’s voice remains muffled.

Apparently not a friend of the government of the day and reportedly treated as a pariah by his fellow Members of the House who probably fear that to come to his defence on this issue could lead to the public finding them guilty of corruption by association or attract the anger of the forces that allegedly used Otedola to rope him into this saga, I can only imagine how lonely Lawan may be feeling.

*Mr. Ehoro, a social critic, wrote from Ohio, USA.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012— —19

, J

UST when you think this government will quit its inanities and get hold of itself, it comes up with another foolishness that leaves you convinced that it’s yet to know in what direction it wants to go. President Goodluck Jonathan last week introduced a strange ritual we hear he shopped from some foreign country (France?) that required a signed commitment by his ministers to perform. In other words, the President made his ministers enter into a contract with him that committed them to perform or be fired. I could not understand the meaning of such contract except that, bored probably beyond words and too confused to know how to address the sundry failures of his administration, President Jonathan stumbled upon the revelation that his failures as president were an aggregation of the failures of the people he has to work with, to wit his lieutenantsministers, permanent secretaries, heads of government departments, parastatals, advisers and, I imagine, political hangers-on, among other categories of public officers earning credits, including

pay for work either badly done or not done at all. President Jonathan is definitely right in his prognosis, namely, that his failure must come from the failure of those he has to work with but he is wrong in the measure he has chosen to take to address that problem. He knows very well what he should do to his non-performing appointees- fire them! But the fact he has to go through this charade of contract signing tells one something about the level of control he exercises over his subordinates.

According to reports from the Villa Chambers in Abuja where the Federal Executive Council meets weekly and where the President opened the new scene in his unfolding absurdist drama, in compelling his ministers to sign a performance contract the President aims to assess his ministers in terms of their level of performance. Which is to say that the privilege to continue to sit in meetings of the FEC will, henceforth, be based on members’ ability to deliver on their contract.

The quality of ‘deliverables’, to borrow the President’s officialise, is the yardstick by which a

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minister’s performance would be assessed. In specific terms, President Jonathan reveals that his ministers would not be judged in terms of how they’ve applied their ministerial allocation but rather in terms of the impact of their effort on the Nigerian people. Well, this looks a bit too open-ended, a very nebulous standard that nobody would in the end meet or anybody could claim they’ve met. The yardstick of measuring the performance of the ministers in terms enumerated by the President does not appear objective enough.

But I get ahead of myself in saying this. So let us go back to more basic matters. In the first place, one must ask on what basis the President appointed his cabinet and had them sworn into office if he now wants them to sign a contract with him committing them to perform in their various positions.

W

ere his ministers not appointed on, at least, some prima facie assumption that they are competent people, if not the very best available at the time of appointment that would help the President realise the mandate the

China/Africa co-operation on infrastructure and media

BY CHARLES ONUNAIJU

A

T the two-day meeting of the fifth ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation, FOCAC, held in Beijing last month, the issue of infrastructure as the key link in enabling functional integration in Africa received attention at the highest echelon of Chinese leadership. Announcing a five point priority areas, in which China would assist Africa, the Chinese president, Mr. Hu Jintao specifically promised that “China would establish a partnership with Africa on transnational and trans-regional infrastructural development, support related project planning and feasibility studies and encourage established Chinese companies and financial institutions to take part in transnational and transregional infrastructural development in Africa”.

Through this measure, according to the Chinese leader, ‘we will support the African integration process and help Africa enhance capacity for overall development.There is very few issue that has held Africa’s integration by the jugular as the dearth of infrastructural linkages across the continent.

While efforts have been made by the several sub-regional groups on the continent to enhance free movement of people and goods, the lack of trans-national road networks have ensured that such crucial steps in integration remain pitiably only on official documents.

This is more so, in the era, when governments across the continent are been de-invested of serious commitment to provide public facilities. And the much glamorized private sector has yet to find its

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valve to undertake such capital intensive project as transnational infrastructural linkages. For years, these crucibles in any meaningful integration process of the continent have hardly been affected by the robust rhetoric of pan-Africanism at the political level. Given Beijing decisive and firm commitment, the appalling scenario of Africans living too near but unable to have effective exchange might become a thing of the past. In fact, China is not completely a stranger to this type of challenge. In the early 1970s, when the racist regime in South Africa was actively destabilizing the states in the region for backing and providing sanctuaries to the anti-apartheid activists, China came to the rescue and constructed the longest railway from the Zambian copper mines to the Dares Salam port in Tanzania. The railway, Tanzam, dubbed the freedom road, enabled the land-locked Zambia to export its copper, the mainstay of its economy, without the apartheid South Africa’s route. The feat of Tanzam railways completed on schedule became the early embodiment of the solidarity between China and Africa in practical co-operation.

Building on the traditional solidarity and sense of mutual empathy that have existed between China and Africa, since the early 1950s, when the two sides had their formal contact at the Bandung Afro-Asia conference in Indonesia, the founding of the Forum for China-Africa co-operation 2000 has accelerated co-operation moving up to “strategic partnership and now to a new type of partnership as defined by the fifth ministerial conference of the forum in Beijing last month. This point was effectively recognised and brought home by the Chinese leader when he noted that “facts

have shown that the new type of ChinaAfrica strategic partnership is the result of continuous growth of traditional friendship between the two sides”, and added that “the forging of this partnership has inaugurated a new historical process in growing China/ African relations and added a new momentum to China-Africa exchanges and co-operation”. Stating categorically, China’s unwavering stance to her cooperation with Africa “as equals and with sincerity and friendship”, President Hu Jintao maintained that: "No matter how the international landscape may change, China will remain unchanged in its commitment to supporting Africa’s peace, stability, development and unity and will

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Jonathan’s performance contract- another tale of the absurd

What the President is doing with this contract signing amounts to putting the cart before the horsethis is something he should have done, at least, before naming his cabinet

Nigerian people gave him? In the many weeks before a president names his cabinet, it is assumed they look around for the best people available for the various offices. What did President Jonathan spend his own time doing? Did he simply went to bed after INEC announced him winner of the last election and waited on his party elders to send him a list of party journeymen and women in need of jobs?

What the President is doing with this contract signing idleness amounts to putting the cart before the horse- this is something he should have done before anything else after his election, at least before naming his cabinet. It is basic that people appointed into any position are expected to perform or be fired. It is a part of everybody’s job description that requires no special ritual. Ordinary Nigerians from teachers to bankers and bricklayers know that the only way they can keep their job is to perform. They do not need to be told- it is something the very application they sent in for the job states in the first place. Targets, sometimes too high and unreasonable for certain categories of workers like bankers, are set for any new employee. How come those who get the highest advantages in the land are employed without this basic requirement? Does the President want to be congratulated for this non-initiative of making his ministers commit themselves to do what their oath of office demanded of them? With the kind of song and dance that went with the contract signing nonsense last week one would be excused to think the President and his cabinet have made some outstanding discovery not to tell Nigerians that they’ve been enjoying the perks and privileges of office without work.

With this, the impression many

What is unique to China’s co-operation with Africa is that words and commitments are always and promptly matched with actions

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give genuine support to African countries independent choice of development paths and genuinely help African countries strengthen capacity for self-development”.

While Africa’s challenge for development and its many obstacles have never lacked generous words of empathy and concern from partner governments, international organisations and even non-governmental organisations, NGOs, what is however unique to China’s co-operation with Africa is that words and commitments are always and promptly matched with actions and thankfully, this trend has been the defining

Nigerians have that the President is out of his depth in his present position hardens into fact with the addition that his ministers are mostly party hacks whose only recommendation was their affiliation to the PDP and their friends and not competence. His list of ministers must have been handed to him, hence the urgency to sign another contract binding the ministers to him. The President’s action has a strong aroma of unconstitutionality for what other contract should his ministers have other than the Constitution. What happens if the President, like some politicians, decides to summon his ministers to oath-taking sessions in the manner of the Okija ritualists?

It’s also curious that ministers were until now assessed in terms of how they ’ve spent their allocations. This is a fiscal requirement that does not necessarily prove efficiency.

Anyone could claim they’ve spent whatever amount on projects that exist only on paper as is very often the case here. This is the kind of requirement responsible for the unseemly rush by ministers and other public office holders to spend every kobo of their allocations as the year runs out in order to qualify for a new allocation. It does not matter what they’ve done, once they can show they’ve put their allocation to some use, there the matter ends. But Jonathan want them to be more accountable, in what way exactly I do not know except to cite his own example that rather than asking the Minister of Health how much he’s spent on his sector, he would be required to show how well he’s succeeded in reducing maternal child mortality.

There’s more that stinks about the President’s contract with his ministers than space would permit me to discuss.

hallmark of Sino-African relations encapsulated in the FOCAC process, since its founding in 2000.

G

iving insight to more creative endeavours to enhancing SinoAfrica co-operation beyond the traditional trade pattern, the Chinese Minister of Commerce and honourary Co-chair of China’s follow-up committee of the FOCAC, Mr. Chen Deming has suggested that to “reinvent ways of co-operation and to enhance the role of Chinese and African economies in the global value and industrial Chain” China would “continue to expand investment co-operation with Africa and migrate to Africa, industrial chains with which China enjoys a comparative edge, so as to extend the value added chain for “made in Africa” products and more job opportunities for African people”. He further underscored that China “deep co-operation with Africa on infrastructure development would cover pre-and post- construction stages from planning and design to operation and management”, and according to him, “with these efforts, China “seeks to upgrade bilateral co-operation in quality and efficiency, turn Africa’s potential into development strengths and share the benefit of the relocation of the global industrial chain.

However, while huge turning-points have been recorded in Sino-Africa relations and co-operation and even more still anticipated in the coming years, the evident lacuna has been in the media coverage which has been dominated by sceptical reporting or no reporting at all by the dominant Western media outlets. This trend seemed to have captured the attention of the Chinese top leadership.

Mr Onunaiju, a journalist, wrote from Abuja

20—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012 bogus hope to come out from the present predicament overnight and be at par with other advanced climes by the year 2020.

Need for ballot box revolution A

LL the ruling political parties in Nigeria today are in very bitter competition with one another which has been retarding the progress of our country. Competitions in monetized Politics: competitions in thuggery; competition in elimination of political opponents; competition in rigging out one another during elections and so on. The end result of this competition is the looting of the public treasury. It will be very difficult for any of the ruling political parties to unilaterally stop any of these vices, as any party that follows this path will likely lose control of power to its opponents .

Although INEC used to give some stipend to political parties to run their offices, it is a known fact that politicians spend their personal money to run for elective positions and in most cases, the money runs into billions of Naira depending on the office being run for.

It is also known that our

politicians indulge in rigging and sundry malpractices during elections, resulting in prolonged court battles and the accompanying financial haemorrhage. In some cases those involved spend large sums of money before and during elections some of which is borrowed at high interest rate.

By the time some of them get to the positions of authority, they discover that money spent before and during elections is more than

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Dear Editor,

N

from both internally generated and monthly allocation from the federation account.

These elected officials are therefore faced with many challenges, some of which include how to recoup money spent before and during elections period. They would also need to compensate those that contributed to their victory at the polls. How to reconcile this situation with

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These are challenges that have constituted obstacles to the nation in all ramifications

the revenue some of the state governments generate in years. Many of them also discover that their predecessor had used the assets of the government to incur huge debts which must be serviced and cannot be redeemed in many years even with all the expected revenue

that of providing dividends of democracy to the electorates is another challenge politicians face.

These are challenges that have constituted obstacles to the nation in all ramifications.

By Akanni Iromini Mushin, Lagos 08081981846

BAYELSA State may be home to all Ijaws. It is equally a home to few Urhobos. A flag, coat of arms or anthem that will reflect the colours and symbol of Ijaws alone will be unfair. That is imperialism, colonialism and amounts to treating the Urhobos in Bayelsa state as conquered people.

Hon. Ese 08023288055

PHCN new tariff

It was with great surprise that I observed that the July PHCN bill sent to my flat, the amount allotted to my power usage was very low compared to the so called fixed charge in the bill.

While my usage was pegged at N300 , the fixed charge was at N500 from N79 charged previously.

Then I asked, if N500 was used to maintain N300 power supply, then our leaders and the Power Holding Company are wicked and inhuman. What happens when one travels and does not use power? Will that person come back and pay the accumulated fixed charges, despite the fact that the power usage tariff was increased in June?

Why do our leaders derive joy

in compounding the suffering of the citizens? The authority should please do justice Segun 08051764184

Al Mustapha comments on NADECO

Contrary to the alleged comments by Al Mustapha, Nigerians are aware that NADECO fought for our democracy which Nigerians are enjoying

Corruption is a household name which has become endemic and incurable in the country. It has also become a winner in almost every facet of our human endeavour. In Nigeria the two concepts of bribery and corruption have become seeming invincible monsters. They are the cankerworms that are eating deep into the fabric of our economy, thereby contributing to our underdevelopment as a nation.

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Bayelsa State's flag, coat of arms and anthem

Ibori ‘s transformation I am excited to learn about the transformation taking place in James Ibori’s life in far away United Kingdom prison . At a time I thought his godly mien was genuine and that we can indeed have a truly reformed Ibori coming out from prison.

However, his continued denial of the alleged bribe money given to the former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu and allegedly lodged with the Central Bank of Nigeria casts a doubt on his sincerity. He should open up on the true position of things.

Francis writes in from Lagos State.

today. Nigerian elites know that Hamza Mustapha was an evil man during the Abacha regime and enemy of democracy.

NADECO members were patriotic and fought for democracy . This is pay back time for Al Mustapha for all atrocities, murder among others that he allegedly committed.

Alhaji Mani Hassan

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Ibori’s alleged $15million bribe

The 15 million dollars allegedly given by Ibori to the former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu should be returned to Delta state. Also the United Kingdom and United State of America should return all alleged funds and properties

Nigeria should apologise to Ghana Dear Editor,

F

or twelve years now, our great country, Nigeria has been overwhelmed by series of challenges, ranging from political, economic, social and even spiritual problems.

We have been struggling to wriggle out from the quagmire but to no avail. All measures applied by experts to improve the country ’s standard or return it to status quo have hit a brick wall.

Up to this moment, Nigeria that has been parading itself as the giant of Africa is still trailing behind, not being able to achieve any feat reasonable enough to qualify her prestigious pretension.

More laughable is her

that were recovered from the former governor of Delta state .

Anonymous 08026986452

Resist crazy PHCN bill

The problem with us as a nation is that those who are saddle with certain responsibilities do not really care when things go wrong. Other wise, if it were to be in a decent society, relevant agencies would have retrieved the PHCN crazy bills for the pervious month after sustained public outcry. It is a known fact that the justice of a nation is measured by it treatment of the poor and powerless. The need of the poor ought to take priority over the maximisation of profit. Where are the prepaid meters promised by the Minister of Power?

Nigerians should resist any infringement of their rights. The estimated crazy bill must stop.

Janet 08175941697

On Corruption

Corruption is a household

igeria started having problem when Ghanians were forced home.

God cannot leave unpunished any person, group of persons or nation that maltreats strangers, widows, orphans, invalids or down trodden.

Deut. 25:17. It was what the Amalekites did to the Isrealities that God told King Saul to destroy the city.

Ghanians went home with despondence but God saw their plight and remembered them. Now Ghana’s economy has improved tremendously.

Nigerians now live and study in Ghana. What a shame!

Nevertheless, we can still come out of present difficulty if we can ask God for forgiveness and also shun pride and apologise to Ghana for the misdeed.

I strongly feel that when we do this, God in His infinite mercy will pardon us and restore our lost hope.

Nkemakolam Gabriel Port Harcourt 08072257360 gabchiz@yahoo.co.uk

name which has become endemic and incurable in the country. It has also become a winner in almost every facet of our human endeavour. In Nigeria the two concepts of bribery and corruption have become seeming invincible monsters. They are the cankerworms that are eating deep into the fabric of our economy, thereby contributing to our underdevelopment as a nation.

John writes in via email

Nigerian politicians and our economy

Nigeria is a country endowed with human and natural resources yet nothing seems to be working well.

Since the removal of fuel subsidy has there be any improvement? What are Nigerian leaders doing with our resources? The Federal Government should explain because the hardship on Nigerians is on the high side.

Fidelis 08037235403

SAYINGS OF OUR ELDERS 1.A sword is useless in the hand of a coward.

2. Music will not be appreciated if the listener is deaf.

Oladele Akinrinmade(08058154895), Abiye Maternity Hospital ,Ganmo, P.O.Box4906,Ilorin, Kwara Delta Send us your Sayings of Our Elders. They must be African sayings or proverbs. Biblical or English proverbs are unacceptable. You will be paid N100.00 for every saying published. Address your sayings to: The Co-ordinator, Sayings of Our Elders,Vanguard Media Ltd., PMB 1007, Apapa,

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012 — 21

NEPAD, FIIRO collaborate on CIS-trade framework

By ELIZABETH AMIHOR

T

HE New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD Youth Initiative is collaborating with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) to provide a strategic framework and guidelines for trade peace, unity and development.

The collaboration was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the launching of the Collaboration, Initiation and Stabilization, CIS, framework in Lagos recently.

Speaking at the summit, the National Director, NEPAD Youth initiator, Prince Clement Enweremadu, said, “the collaboration, Initiation and Stabilization- CIS framework is an all encompassing product which will identify made in Nigerian products, their sources nationwide and their markets both locally and internationally as well as ensuring packaging that meets international standards.

“Our emphases on agricultural produce for trade among commercial ventures will enable Nigeria achieve food security as a nation. It is when such products are ready that we can engage in effective trade.”

He said that to achieve these goals, the institute has established partnership with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Diplomatic community, Insurance companies, the Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Heads of Department of Agriculture, both at the state and local level.

The CEO of FIIRO, Dr. Mrs. G. N Elemo, said, “NEPAD youth is one of the numerous organizations that the institute has recently developed strategic partnership with in the area of job creation for youth employment, employing the instrument of technology, most especially indigenous technologies to promote national development.”

166.80

+3.90

2,475.00

+78.00

19.79

+0.21

112.30

-1.29

94.87

-1.28

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING DOLLAR POUND EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONER SDR

154.8 244.7388 193.9334 161.4518 1.966 0.2762 234.5399 24.3471 41.2767 26.033 235.2496

155.3 245.5293 194.5598 161.9733 1.9723 0.2862 235.2974 244262 41.41 26.1171 236.0094

155.8 246.3198 195.1862 162.4948 1.9787 0.2962 236.055 24.5053 41.5433 26.2012 236.7693

CBN Exchange rate as at 28/08/2012 C M Y K

Enweremadu disclosed that NEPAD plan sto raise at least $1 billion between now and 2015 to fulfill its promise to the youth. The targeted sum would be sourced through grants, donations, proceeds from trade and technical support.

Elemo said that over 250 entrepreneurs have been trained on various technologies at FIIRO and

many of them have established profitable businesses based on acquired technologies generating millions of employment directly and indirectly through multiplier effect.

“It is my desire that this partnership will produce over 10,000 fully established techno-entrepreneurs within the next five years who will be generating over a million jobs directly

or indirectly.

“I have all the assurance that this target is achievable considering the framework that is already put in place to cover the six geo-political zones in Nigeria as well as the pedigree of the management of NEPAD youth coupled with the technical competence and the experience of FIIRO as its chief technical partner,” she added.

From Left; Godfrey Efeurhobo, Regional Operations Director; Inusa Bello, Chief Sales Officer; Linda Umeh, Delta South Zonal Business Manager and Obinna Amiche, GM Brand Assets, all of Airtel Nigeria during a press conference in Warri, Delta State. Photo: Akpokona Omafuaire.

Stakeholders renew call for energy efficiency system … ECN targets 50% energy savings on retrofit

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

S

TAKEHOLDERS in the nation’s energy and environment sectors have reiterated their support for adoption of the energy efficiency initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and Global environment facility, GEF, aimed at transforming the county’s energy system.

They also charged all government agencies, NGOs, international organizations and the private sector to give their support to the on-going energy efficiency initiative of the body.

The call was made during the official commissioning of the Energy Efficiency Retrofit of Energy Commission of Nigeria, ECN, Head quarters building in Abuja.

The headquarters building of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, ECN, in Abuja is currently undergoing energy efficient retrofit under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) initiative.

The project is expected to cut power utilization at the building by 15,021 watts at peak period, representing about 50 percent of the amount of energy spent on lighting alone.

The innovative project estimated to cost about N20 million is expected to be completed in two months time.

The project according to GEF is part of the wider $3 million UNDP-Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and Nigeria Energy Efficiency Programme (NEEP), designed to promote energy efficiency in both private and public places across the country.

The retrofit project awarded to Schneider Electric Nigeria kicked off last week with the official flag-off conducted .

Highlighting the key elements of the project, the National Project Coordinator of UNDP GEF Programme, Etiosa Uyigue, said that the project which comprised replacement of 413 pieces of two feat linear fluorescent lamps; 408 pieces of four feat linear fluorescent lamps; installation of solar power lighting on 3 rd floor of the building on peak reduction, installation of sensor in common rooms and standardizing of the circuit to reduce loss of energy is estimated to bring a peak reduction of about 15,021 watts of electricity, 17 years estimated life span of the LED at the cost of N20 million.

He also called on other organizations to embrace the

opportunity provided by the initiative to save the huge loss of energy in their various establishments and make more energy available for other uses.

In his address, the Director General, ECN, Professor Abubakar Sambo while commending the UNDP for choosing the commission said that adaptation to energy efficiency in Nigeria had become inevitable because the 4,000 Mega Watts currently being generated by the country for over 150 million people is grossly inadequate.

He said that so much attention had been given to energy generation and distribution with little or no attention on energy conservation, saying that an estimated 40% of energy generated in Nigeria is wasted from inefficient equipments and human behaviour.

According to Prof. Sambo, of the 167 million population in the country, only about 40% gain access to electricity, and most of them live in the urban areas.

To achieve a good energy efficient system, the DG said that Nigeria must adopt the use of improved technology products and change in people’s behavioural approach to energy usage to make more energy available.

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

NSE: Capital Oil, Union Dicon, 7 others to be delisted

BY PETER EGWUATU & MICHAEL EBOH

T

HE council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has approved the regulatory delisting of nine moribund companies from the daily official list due to their persistent

non compliance with post listing requirement.

The companies are: Capital Oil Plc, Union Dicon Salt Plc, Lennards Nigeria Plc West Africa Glass Industry Plc, Nigerian Wire Industries Plc, Aluminum Manufacturing Company of Nigeria Plc,

Rokana Industries Plc, Hallmark Paper Products Plc , Nigerian Wire Industries Plc and Udeofson Garment Factory Nig Plc The NSE had earlier suspended trading in the shares of these companies with effect from August 2, 2012.

Management of the NSE noted that the delisting of the moribund companies will commence three months from when notice was served to the company.

Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema

explained that the NSE had adopted a proactive approach by calling on companies to understand the challenges they are facing; making them to go contrary to postlisting requirements.

He explained that the idea was to give companies all the support to comply with rules and to also allow the investors know the companies that are struggling by putting out symbols next to their names, adding “but at some point, if a company is not going to be able to turnaround or a company is just going to be there, then we have to get them delisted,” It would be recalled that the NSE had in

April 2012 unveiled a Report known as XCompliance Report as part of its ongoing regulatory programme to enhance transparency and disclosure.

The X-Compliance Report also notifies the public when a company is embarking on capital reconstruction, delisting (whether voluntary or regulatory) or restructuring.

According to the NSE, it believes that the timely disclosure of financial information and on-going event disclosure is critical to stakeholders in the capital market as well as investors.

AOL to buy back $600m of shares

A From Left: Adebola Akindele, Group Managing Director of Courteville Business Solutions Plc, Lord Mayor of London David Wootton and Wale Sonaike Deputy Managing Director ( AutoReg Franchise ) at the recently concluded London Expo 2012.

Shareholders blame apathy towards insurance stocks on low dividends

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

I

NVESTORS in the capital market have adduced reasons for the apathy towards investing in insurance stocks, saying that low dividend paid by companies in the sector was a major set back.

Besides, they said that the low patronage was a reflection of general indifference towards insurance products which is prevalent among Nigerians.

Reacting on the issue, Mr. Timothy Adesinyan, President, National Shareholders’ Solidarity Association, NSSA, said that the two kobo, two and half kobo, three kobo the insurance firms are paying as dividend was nothing to write home about, adding that some of them end up not paying the little dividend proposed until the following year when another annual general meeting was fast C M Y K

approaching.

According to him, investors no longer put their money in stocks that have little or no return after the losses they suffered in the capital market four years ago.

He said, “Even the ones that are paying are doing so just to fulfill all righteousness about pension fund investors so that they don’t move their funds out of their kitty. It is not necessarily that they are paying them out of convenience because when you are paying a dividend of 2kobo, 3 kobo, 4kobo, the cost of disbursing those dividends is even almost more than the dividend which you are actually paying out.”

Sir Sunny Nwosu, National Coordinator, I n d e p e n d e n t S h a r e h o l d e r s Association of Nigeria, ISAN, said that with good policies in place, the apathy towards insurance stocks would

abate.

“For instance, they were alleging that some insurance companies had some false manipulation of figures and all that. All that NAICOM need to do is to start with that first; anybody caught on that must be punished and must be seen to have being punished; no compromise about that.

“That is the kind of regulatory oversight this market needs. Look at the three banks that were either nationalized or taken away, it hurts, it hurts. Even foreign investors that intend to come to this country will see it that with such powers, it will not encourage foreign direct inflow of investment into this country.

“So, those are little things I think regulators should be mindful of and exert their powers properly, not negatively, not because you want to get at somebody, you are

doing that. Let it be purely on business and principles of the business,” he stated.

Nwosu however, advised investors to look the way of penny stocks which insurance sector falls into, saying that those that went for high profile stocks suffered greatly during the crash.

“To me, they are stocks investors should go into because the fact that most of them sell for two and half kobo is enough attraction.

Gradually, they will be going up; and for you as a shareholder of an insurance company, you will also be going up in capital appreciation with them,” he added.

It would be recalled that since the equity crash in 2008, almost all the insurance stocks have being selling at almost the nominal value, even when other sectors seem to have started enjoying improved patronage.

OL Inc said it will buy back $600 million of stock and pay a dividend of $5.15 per share as part of its plan to return shareholders $1 billion that it received by selling patents to Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O).

The company has been aggressively giving back to investors in recent months. It won a bitter proxy battle against activist hedge fund Starboard Value and pledged to give the entire $1 billion patent sale proceeds to shareholders.

The patent sale in April helped AOL swing to a profit for the second quarter from a loss a year earlier.

The deal will see AOL pay Barclays Bank (BARC.L), $600 million up front to execute the repurchase this year, with Barclays to deliver the first four million shares by August 30.

The stock was up 2 percent at $33.59 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday morning.

The buyback plan accelerates a previously approved share r e p u r c h a s e authorization and an incremental $10 million plan authorized on August 26, AOL said.

AOL has 93.9 million shares outstanding, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Asseco puts off Nasdaq listing, eyes Russian takeover

A

SSECO Poland ACPP.WA, eastern Europe’s top software maker, put off its planned Nasdaq listing until at least next year, and set its sights on a Russian takeover to expand its business instead.

Financial market volatility, restructuring and the complexities of a foreign listing led Europe’s no.7 IT player to shift its focus towards - a market it has long promised to conquer.

The blue chip group, which has built up its position through a series of acquisitions in recent years, had hoped to raise

between $200 million and $300 million from its Nasdaq debut and flag its presence on the world’s largest market.

“Works are ongoing, we need at least a year more. It has to be prepared carefully,” Asseco Chief Executive Adam Goral told a news conference on Monday.

Russia’s IT market is twice the size of Poland’s at 14.3 billion euros with an annual growth rate of around 18 percent, but Polish business has so far not gained a strong foothold there because of historical grievances.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—23

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya

DIARY Select ICT events zInternet Show Africa. Holds Sept 1112 in Johannesburg, South Africa. z Submarine Networks World. Holds Sept 11-13 @ Marina Bay Sands - Singapore. z The Mobile Show Africa 2012.

Holds Sept 11-13 @ Sandton Convention Centre - Johannesburg, South Africa. z PDS 2012 Technology. Holds Seop 19 - 20 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US.

New inventions shaping life and living

Cat tunnel sofa The Cat Tunnel Sofa concept was created to provide a more harmonious seating situation for humans and their feline companions.

Designed by Seungji Mun of South Korea, the sofa features a cat-sized tunnel that travels along the side, back and arm of the sofa. The tunnel gives the cats a way to play and exercise that complements their natural tendencies while allowing the owners a new and easy way to interact with them during their own couch-time.

Although still in the concept phase, Cat Tunnel sofa could come to market in early 2013.

I N S I D E C M Y K

zBroadband: Next level of telecommunications revolution in Nigeria. Photo from www.lorrainehiggins.com

Broadband: Nigeria out for investors at ITU's Dubai summit

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

T

HE Nigerian gov ernment is stop ping at nothing to ensure that massive investment is made in the newly created broadband sector of the economy.

The government is using the economic transformation brought about by the telecom revolution in the country, to benchmark the contributions of broadband investment even as it has been seen as major economic booster of many developed countries of the world.

Armed with those facts, perhaps, the Communications Technology Minister, Mrs. Omobola Johnson has been drafted to lead a high powered delegation of industry play-

ers including government officials, policy makers, the regulator and several other stakeholders including telecommunications companies to this year’s International Telecommunications Union, ITU Telecoms World conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

Leveraging on the development, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications

Commission, NCC,, Dr. Eugene Juwah also addressed a media parley last week, in which he outlined activities and strategies the country has lined up to ensure that every strong ICT investor that attends the Dubai event would at last emerge Nigeria’s broadband sector potential investor.

According to Juwah, main reasons for the coun-

try’s focus on broadband development is that no matter the tag that Nigeria was doing well in internet penetration, the high cost of bandwidth due to its unavailability on demand calls for worry.

He said that this poor state of broadband penetration and the attendant high cost of bandwidth have drawn government’s attention and cause it to continue em-

,

,

Preview

We want to tell potential investors that Nigeria remains the preferred investment destination in Africa. We will also explain to the potential investors the areas that still needed their attention since we have made a sizeable progress in voice telephony

Google extends support Apple's shares rise to University of on $1bn Samsung Ibadan verdict—Page 24 —Page 24

5 ways to avoid over-sharing in social media —Page 26

phasizing investment drive in that direction.

Juwah said that “much progress has been made in voice telephony but data aspect of the sector is still poor and far between. Indeed, operators in Nigeria spend an average of between $400m and $500m yearly on bandwidth imported from foreign service providers and this has accumulative negative effect on the end users who have no choice but bear the high cost of this all important tool for fast internet speed and data transmission. That is why the Communications Technology Minister will be leading this delegation to correct this imbalance by courting investors to

Continues on Page 27

First global smart classroom coming, to run on Made-inNigeria computers —Page 27

24 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Ndukwe joins RIA board

I

MMEDIATE past Ex ecutive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Ernest Ndukwe has been appointed to the board of Research ICT Africa Networks (RIA).

Ndukwe is currently chairman of Open Media Group.

RIA is a South Africabased renowned ICT firm that conducts research on ICT policy and regulation that facilitates evidencebased and informed policy making for improved access, use and application of ICT for social development and economic growth. It also conducts public-interest research on ICT policy and regulation that responds to national, regional and continental needs.

In a statement by Alison Gillwald, Executive Director of Research ICT Africa and Adjunct Professor at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, Management of Infrastructure Reform and Regulation programme, RIA noted that “it is a privilege to welcome Dr Ernest Ndukwe, one of the fathers of African telecom regulation and former head of the Nigerian Communications Commission to assist us to carry on with our mission to develop research capacity and undertake research that facilitates informed policy making and regulation for improved access, use and application of ICT for social development and economic growth”.

Dr Ndukwe who also

Apple's shares rise on $1bn Samsung verdict

zDr Ernest Ndukwe heads the Centre for Infrastructure Policy, Regulation and Advancement (CIPRA) at Lagos Business School, is a professional telecommunications engineer, corporate executive and public servant with over 35 years of international experience in the telecommunications industry and in corporate executive management, majority of which have been in top management positions in private multinational companies and in government.

Appreciative of Ndukwe’s sterling qualities RIA enthused, “we thank him for accepting our invitation to serve on the board and look forward to his assistance with drawing West African more inclusively into the RIA research network in particular and to better support evidencebased ICT policy and regulation on the region and continent more generally”.

Kasuwa rebrands to Jumia.com

BY KOYINSOLA ADELEYE

O

NE of Nigeria’s Number 1 online retailer, Kasuwa.com, has announced a change of name to Jumia.com in a bid to reposition and spread its tentacles across Africa. Owners also revealed that the online outfit will begin operating under the new trade name immediately to become part of the largest online stores across the African continent.

Speaking about the reason for rebranding so soon after the initial launch, founders of the online store Tunde Kehinde and Raphael Afaedor, said that “it has become necessary to accelerate growth and integrate more seamlessly with the rest of Africa. The new JUMIA is larger and

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PPLE's $1 billion court win against Samsung is translating into a much bigger jump in its market value.

Apple shares were up $11.98, or 1.8 percent, at $675.26 in morning trading Monday.

That boosts Apple Inc.'s market capitalization, already the highest in the world, by $11 billion to $633 billion.

In opening trading, Apple shares hit $680.87, a new all-time high.

Late Friday, a nine-person federal jury in Silicon Valley found that some of Samsung's products illegally copied features and designs from Apple's iPhone and iPad. Investors appear to be betting that the verdict will make it harder for Apple rivals to ride on the iPhone's coat-tails. In particular, analysts said it's likely to slow the growth of Android, Google Inc.'s operating system for smartphones. It's used by Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola, now a division of Google.

A

better equipped to fulfill the growing demand for online shopping in Nigeria. The rebrand is the outcome of the overwhelming response to the online shop’s offerings in Nigeria. We have since the launch, received and fulfilled thousands of orders and expect to have sold significantly higher number of items by end of the year.”

At JUMIA.com, Nigerians can buy the latest mobile phones, laptops, electronics and home appliances.

Additionally, there are over 20,000 book titles and an extensive catalogue of beauty, hair, baby and children’s products.

JUMIA plans to add more categories to its wide selection, including fashion, shoes and accessories.

Samsung Electronics Co. shares fell 7.5 percent in Korean trading.

Apple could ask the judge to stop sales of infringing Samsung products in the U.S. Samsung, the world's largest maker of smartphones, could still keep selling its products unchanged in the rest of the world. But the U.S. is the world's largest market for smartphones, and Samsung is likely to

want to remain there.

"We believe this verdict could lead to Samsung delaying near-term product launches as it attempts to design around Apple's patents," said Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley.

While Apple has been the driving force in the smartphone market since the iPhone was launched in 2007, it only commands 19 percent of the world-

wide market share, accord to research firm IDC. The high price of the iPhone keeps it out of consumer hands, particularly in emerging markets. That's left an opening for Android, which now accounts for 64 percent of smartphones sold.

UBS analyst Amitabh Passi said that it's "very unlikely" that Apple could stamp out Android by repeating the U.S. legal victory in the rest of the world. The cellphone carriers like having several suppliers to choose from, and would not accept dominance by Apple, he wrote Monday.

Shares of HTC fell 1.9 percent on the Taiwanese stock market. Google shares fell $13.80, or 2 percent, to $664.83 in U.S. trading.

Meanwhile, U.S.-listed shares of embattled Finnish phone maker Nokia Corp. jumped 24 cents, or 7.8 percent, to $3.32. That was the highest level for the company since May. Nokia has gone against the grain and based its new smartphone line not on Android but on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Phone. That operating system is substantially different from Apple's, and hasn't landed in its legal sights. However, sales of phones using the software have been slow, imperiling Nokia's turnaround efforts. — AP.

Google extends support to University of Ibadan

BY EMEKA AGINAM

G

OOGLE Nigeria has extended an innovative program called Google Apps supporting programs’ (GASP) to the University of Ibadan.

The solution, according to Google, will give thousands of students of the university a lifetime email address with up to 25GB of storage space The programme provides the Google Apps for Education suite (Email, Calendar, Groups, Docs, sites) and strengthens the existing ICT services of participating universities through a combination of infrastructure grants, technical consulting and training. Through the integration of Google’s tools into university processes and student life, GASP aims to increase productivity and offer cuttingedge world-class collaboration solutions to the academic world.

According to Prof Adewole, deploying Google Apps means that students have access to a platform that offers the best integration and collaborative opportunities. He went on to add that through this deployment, he envisions all students having access to their emails from every part of the campus.”

Reacting to the new development, Ego Obi, Google Program Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa said: “We are excited and honored to be partnering University of Ibadan - Nigeria’s premier University to launch UI email powered by Google, , one of many Apps in the Google Apps for Education suite. We hope that this exciting development will foster better communication and collaboration within the university community enabling teach-

ing, learning and research.” We are quite confident that this tool will help expand the horizon of students, and further establish the university as one of Africa’s top citadels of learning.

She added, “We want to get more and more Nigerians users online by improving access to the Internet and helping universities like University of Ibadan to take advantage of the Internets many opportunities aligning with its vision to be a world class

institution for academic excellence. We look forward to partnering with more local universities, and encourage any interested parties to visit our website.”

So far, Google Apps for Education has been deployed in over 100 universities across sub-Saharan Africa to hundreds of thousands of students and university faculties, including South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Kenya and Uganda.

AIRTEL MILLIONNAIRE: Left, Mr. Yemi Adepetun, ICT Reporter of The Guardian presenting the cheque of N1 Million to Winner of Airtel Free Millionaire, Mr. Surajudeen Agbede (3rd left) and his family at the prize presentation ceremony held at the Banana Island, Ikoyi, corporate head offices of the company last Friday.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY,, AUGUST 29, 2012—25

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26—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Techtrust brings in Apple products

BY EMEKA AGINAM

Women In Tech bemoan bad impact of technology on children

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

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group of women in the information technology sector of the economy, under the aegis of Women in Technology in Nigeria (Witin), have decried the negative impact of technology on the Nigerian child, stating that as mothers, they would not allow values to be derailed for mere technological developments.

The group said that as mothers, the hearts of its members are bleeding daily over unusual trends and terrifying stories of how Nigerian youths have become victims of attacks through technological devices.

As a result, the group said it has concluded plans to organize a forum that will put parents, guardians and others on the alert about technology, its developments and impacts.

This, they said, will help curb the growing negative trends coming from the adoption and use of technology, especially by the children. The international forum, which comes up in Lagos on October 4, would among others expose the risk factors and vulnerabilities connected with children's use of the Internet.

President of the group, Mrs Martha AladeOmoekpen, said the 1. Share with real friends When you feel the need to share, make sure you do it in person and with people you trust. If you feel the need to share online, don’t say something online you wouldn’t say off line. Being online doesn’t make you anonymous. In fact, there’s a better chance your comments will catch fire, and you’ll get the kind of attention you don’t want or need. Kind of like the teen who had 21,000 RSVPs for a birthday party because the event was accidentally shared with the public. Fan pages were even created to promote it. Her house ended up trashed.

2. Turn off locationbased apps Turn off location services on apps on your smartphone. If you are not sure why this is important, then consider the iPhone app, Girls Around Me. It displays the location of nearby girls. The information is collected from social media platforms. Another example is C M Y K

world today is shaped by the advancements in the field of ICT, its relevance to the development of individuals, organisations, nations and the entire world cannot be contested but that at the same time children must be guarded against its adverse effects.

Alade-Omoekpen added that ICT has frequently been incontrovertibly acknowledged to be the driving force behind today’s economic growth while playing a key role in the recent extraordinary economic and human development.

According to her, the

use of ICT innovations by children in the new world of freedom for empowerment has in different ways influenced and to a certain degree also changed roles and processes within child development.

The Witin president was quick to say that, despite the noble objectives ICT is known with, it has its negative sides.

She said these negative sides would come to fore at the forum, which would have in attendance speakers from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The conference with the theme; "ICT and Child

Development:Benefits and Challenges” would be a forum to discuss topics like the role of mothers in children use of ICT; mobile phones usefulness, risks and myths; bridging the gender digital divide: girls in ICT ( which would be taken by ITU representative) and ICT for improved healthcare of children.

Minister of Communications Technology Mrs Omobola Johnson, and Dr. Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC are expected to attend the event.

O

NE of the Nigerian indigenous ICT firm, ,Techtrust Integrated Services Limited has announced the arrival of various Apple products in its office for onward delivery.

The products, according to the company are not limited to Apple ipad’, apple Ipod; apple imac desktops among other products.

The Managing Director of the company, Silvanus Adesina in a recent media parly said the firm opened shop as a retailer of fast selling ICT products, lifestyle gadgets and accessories, stressing that the vision of the firm has always been to be the preferred supplier of ICT products. Operating from within and around the popular ‘computer vil-

Checkpoint unveils 3D security solutions

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

A

STARCOMMS TALK NOW PAY LATER OFFER: Mr. Arthur Onwuegbuzie, Product manager – VAS, Ismail Olowu, winner of cash prize of N50,000 and Mr. Tayo Adigun. Managing Director of e-Credit, at the prize presentation ceremony in Lagos.

lage’, generally referred to as the home or hub of all ICT products in the country, Adesina said Techtrust, started with just street marts, deep market knowledge, and strategic partnerships built on trust.

“At the turn of the year, Techtrust went on to implement a strategy that was put on paper in 2011.

It shifted allegiance to just one brand. From carrying products of major industry brands like HP, Dell, Nokia, Blackberry, HTC, Samsung, and Sony, the company is now refocused to deal in just Apple products.

“Apple computer products generally offer the best quality in Information Technology and Communications hardware and operating system with high performance and design excellence.

player in the busi ness of internet security, CHECKPOINT has introduced an internet security solution with a vision to redefine security by combining policies, people and enforcement for unbeatable online protection.

Speaking at the launch of the Checkpoint's 3D internet security solution, the Sales Director, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, said that the organization has continued in its stride of developing new innovation based on software blade architecture providing customers with flexible and simple

solutions that can be fully customized to meet the exact internet security needs of any organization.

He noted that the new Checkpoint 3D security solution uniquely combines policy, people and enforcement for greater protection of information assets and helps organizations implement security blueprints that align with business needs, and to achieve the level of protection needed in the 21st century, and that security needs to grow from a collection of disparate technologies to an effective business process and can be achieved with 3D security.

EMC out with storage solutions

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

I

5 ways to avoid over-sharing in social To make sure people media WeKnowWhatYou’reDoing.... see what you want them 3. Be selective about instant sharing on social networks Turn off instant sharing from apps that track your activity. Everyone doesn’t need to know what you listen to on Spotify, or watch on YouTube. If you feel the need to share from apps, do it with a few people. Facebook now offers you the option to create groups so that you can ensure who will see what.

4. Regularly update your settings Set a reminder to check your profile settings on social networks for any changes at least once eve-

ry three months. BlissControl is a tool to select what you want to change on any social network and takes you directly to make those changes. Sometimes social networks will make changes that impact you, but that you may not be aware of right away.

5. Consider a service that monitors your reputation Facebook has pretty much every chat, photo, and status update saved.

You can even download your data at a later date.

Google keeps searches for up to seven years.

to see, consider doing a little reputation management. Reputation management services like BrandYourself help you create a page with only approved links about you.

Other sites like Reputation.com will run a scan of your online reputation and alert you when you are mentioned anywhere. Or, you can do it the old fashion way and create Google Alerts for your name.

— By Lane Sutton in Mashable. Lane Sutton is a 15-year-old entrepreneur and social media coach.

NFORMATION In frastructure Solutions company, EMC, has assured of its continuous provision of first class services at a seminar it organized for Business Organizations entitled " Cloud Transforms IT - Big Data Transforms Business" recently in Lagos.

Speaking at an unveiling ceremony, Regional Director, Emerging Africa, EMC, Mr. Fady Richmany, said that the EMC is proud to be doing business in Nigeria, and it operates in over a hundred countries, with strong prescience in sixty countries which include Nigeria, that the organization is known as the king of storage, and with its IT Solutions which has over the years evolved from Cloud Computing to the Big Data has continually en-

abled organizations managed the storage of their data with utmost security.

Richmany, further said that EMC solutions deliver IT efficiency and makes it possible to store, manage and analyze information even as it continues to grow.

Channel Manager, EMC West Africa, Mr. Olumide Erinle, stated that "with the explosive growth in data globally, it is estimated that about 80% of storage capacity shipped this year will be used for unstructured, fill-based data. it is therefore important that business seeking to transform how information is used and dessiminated focus on transforming the infrastructure to be simple, efficient and agile to adapt to the business demand ans save costs and protect your information assets".

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—27

First global smart classroom coming, to run on Made-in-Nigeria computers

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

T

RADITIONAL teaching and learning methods in the conventional classroom is on its way out as an ICT firm, Teledom Group International, said it has perfected plans to launch the first global smart classroom in the country next month.

The new digital technology enhanced classroom, expected to be launched

by President Goodluck Jonathan, is expected to boost the quality of teaching and knowledge as-

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similation level of Nigerian students by leveraging learning technology, such as computers, specialized software, audience response technology, video conferencing platform, interactive smart board, multimedia projector, LCD TV, DVD player/recorder, USB duplicator and SATA storage device among others.

Disclosing this to newsmen, CEO of Teledom Group, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, said that the smart classroom, when

launched would dramatically make teaching and learning more efficient and improve the quality of education in the country.

According to him, access to ICT is fast becoming a human right with the rapid expansion of internet-delivering infrastructure. He explained that the traditional teaching and learning methods in conventional classroom seem not to have delivered the much needed dividends to the student,

the teacher and the society at large, evident in the quality of products we have in our society today.

“If we sincerely desire to improve the quality of teaching and learning, then we must do the needful and integrate ICT in our learning processes. “ICT has become an indispensable tool in the pursuit of knowledge, acquisition of it and its translation into productive activities wherever one is. Although, most ICT applications are concentrated on achieving

more efficient or cheaper ways of performing existing tasks, its integration into the education system is mostly concerned with sharing of resources, allowing access to wide range of information in different formats,” he said.

Speaking on the peculiarity of the new technology, Ekuwem said “with smart classroom, no teacher can walk to the class unprepared, as the teacher has to prepare ahead of the class, maintaining that the need for increase in the quality of teaching cannot be overemphasized.

He added that the smart classroom will run on locally-made computers by OEMs in Nigeria, saying that thousands of jobs are expected to be created in the process of setting up the smart classroom with

more jobs also to be created by the products of a smart classroom.

“Learning becomes fun with excitement to learn more and apply knowledge and there is mass attraction to the classroom by the youth. Boredom in class is gone forever,” he added.

Broadband: Nigeria out for investors at ITU summit Continues from Page 23

our sector”he added.

Although he admitted that some progress has been made in terms of providing bandwidth locally through Main One Cable Company, Glo 1 and the recently the relaunched NigComSat-1R satellite, the cost of acquisition is still high.

“We want to tell potential investors that Nigeria remains the preferred investment destination in Africa. We will also explain to the potential investors the areas that still needed their attention since we have made a sizeable progress in voice telephony. “For instance broadband as a technology is the direction the world is going now. It is about bringing developing countries like Nigeria to the knowledge economy where so much can be done on telemedicine, tele-education, via the internet”.

Juwah added that since missing out on the potentials of broadband development can also cause the country a huge economic developmental loss, it would also be suicidal to leave the campaign and provision in the hands of private investors who are largely profiteers.

The ITU Telecoms world conference in Dubai is taking place from October 14-18 and is expected to enable Nigeria to showcase its investment potentials.

The event brings together industry players, policy makers, regulators, operators, government officials, technology experts and investors.

Through the event, ITU applies technology solution to real world issues using ICT as a catalyst for social, economic and sustainable development.

According to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr Ban Ki Moon, the event has become the global platform for telecommunications regulation and standardization and a meeting point for those who desire the growth of ICTs in their countries. “It brings together all the major players to ignite change in the way people communicate globally” he added.

28 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, Agusut 29 2012

Federation Cup

pix by Sylva Elearya

STATE BLESSING... Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha gives Ikechukwu Ibenegbu of Heartland FC of Owerri a pat on the back for their victory after the final of the 2012 FA Cupchampionship

HAIL THE CHAPIONS . . . Chinedu Efugh, Captain of Heartland FC of Owerri lifts Federation Cup trophy as he celebrates with teammates .

ORIENTAL BROTHERS...Supporters of Heartland FC of Owerri celebrating their victory.

GOAL RUSH . . . Heartland FC of Owerri forward, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu tries to put the ball behind Lobi Stars FC of Markudi keeper, John Lawrence

SANDWICHED . . . Brendan Ogbu of Heartland FC of Owerri (M) is sandwiched by defenders of Lobi Stars in the 2012 FA Cup at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos. Heartland 2-1.

BALL SENSE . . . Kalu Orji of Heartland FC of Owerri displays his skill.

TUSSLE . . . Yerna Ikpeen of Lobi Stars FC of Markudi contesting the ball with Brendan Ogbu of Heartland FC of Owerri.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, August 29, 2012 — 29

US Open:

Djokovic is favourite to retain US Open crown, insists Federer

Federer cruises past hapless Young

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OGER Federer insisted Novak Djokovic should be the favourite for the US Open title after beginning his campaign in style under the lights at Flushing Meadows.

The world No 1, who is chasing a sixth title in New York, was never really troubled during a 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory over America’s Donald Young.

Federer has been in great form this summer, winning his seventh Wimbledon title and reaching the final of the Olympics, while he defeated Djokovic to win the Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati last weekend.

But the 30-year-old feels the Serb’s status as the defending champion and his back-to-back wins

R

•Clijsters

over him in semi-finals at Flushing Meadows give the second seed the edge.

Federer said: ‘Novak to me goes in as the favourite still because he’s the defending champion.

He’s probably won the most titles on hard courts the last couple of years.

It’s where he felt most comfortable.

Clijsters wobbles a bit at the start but cruises

K •Djokovic

Sharapova reveals pregnancy scare after easy US Open

W

M

ARIA Sharapova made a convincing start to her US Open title campaign on Monday and then turned comedian as she revealed her build-up had been affected by a "pregnancy" scare.

The Russian was forced to miss events in Montreal and Cincinnati earlier this month because of a stomach bug she first felt on the eve of the Olympic final, in which she lost to Serena Williams.

"I had some tests done, some bloodwork, some ultrasound stuff," Sharapova told reporters after her 6-2 6-2 win over Melinda Czink of Hungary.

ORLD number one Victoria Azarenka wasted little time in outlining her US Open title credentials on Monday as she scorched to a 6-0 6-1 first round victory over Russia’s Alexandra Panova.

The Belarusian, who won her first grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, was at her very best as she raced through in just 50 minutes.

Azarenka has yet to go beyond the last 16 at the

NDY Murray believes the Olympic gold medal he won in London has given him the mental strength to overcome the physical challenge of trying to collect his first Grand Slam title at the US Open.

The third seed was in pain as his left leg cramped up late in his first-round match against Alex Bogomolov but he worked the problem off to win 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 and set

wildcard but prevailed in 51 minutes.

Duval was the youngest player in the women’s draw and won three straight games at one point in the first set against the former world number one.

Clijsters, 29, will retire after the US Open to concentrate on family life.

Near flawless Azarenka stresses title credentials

•Azarenka

US Open but she outclassed world number 76 Panova with a performance full of power and precision.

The 23-year-old dropped just five points in the first set and maintained her momentum in the second to cruise into round two.

•Federer

Djokovic, Serena toast of NY crowd

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Murray backs himself in the battle of mind over matter

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IM Clijsters overwhelmed American teenager Victoria Duval 6-3 6-1 on Monday in a powerful start to the final tournament of her career at the US Open.

The three-times champion at Flushing Meadows wobbled a bit in the opening set against the 16-year-old

OGER Federer’s bid for a record sixth US Open got off to a smooth start last night when he beat Donald Young of the USA in straight sets, 6-3 6-2 6-4. This sets up a second round match against German Bjorn Phau.

Federer has come into this tournament in scintillating form having won his seventh Wimbledon title, claimed silver at the London Olympics, and then he beat Novak Djockovic in the Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati. During that time he has also claimed back the number one spot.

This first round match lasted just an hour and thirty-four minutes and Federer took control of the first set when he broke to love in the eighth game. The second was similar as Federer showed his class when he won the last four games.

up a clash with Croatia’s Ivan Dodig, a player he has never faced.

For Murray, beating Roger Federer in the Olympic final just four weeks after losing an emotionally charged Wimbledon final to the world No1, has been hugely significant.

He said: “Mentally, I feel like I am in a good place but physically I think all the players are going to be tired after a

•Murray long season. You’ve just got to push through it.

•Carroll

nce considered a jok er given his talent for imitating fellow players, Novack Djokovic was jeered at Flushing Meadows in 2008 for daring to hit back at claims by Andy Roddick that he exaggerated his injuries. But last year, the Serb was cheered to the hilt as he beat Rafa Nadal to win the US Open for the first time and complete his collection of grand slam trophies.

"I feel the energy," said Djokovic, who plays Italian Paolo Lorenzi in round one. "It's incredible and a very unique feeling

•Serena to come back to New York as defending champion.

It's one of the most exciting cities in the world.

"You definitely can feel that. Especially the night matches in front of the

•Djokovic packed stadium. It's a lot of entertainment, a lot of fun. The fans get into every point, they play with you, so it's quite different from all the other tournaments."

30—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Stakeholders to brainstorm on Number portability at Lagos Forum

Juwah outlines broadband plan, seeks stakeholders' input

BY ADEKUNLE ADEKOYA

in Nigeria.

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Open Access Model

“The Open Access Model is expected to help Nigerian’s plug into the global knowledge grid and stay competitive with other countries”, he said.

The key elements driving the objective focus on open access deployment of fibre infrastructure, according to Dr. Juwah, is to achieve high level of penetration across all geo-political zones, contribute to GDP growth and development of knowledge economy, provide commpetitive and affordable pricing, ensure intelligent incentives to support industry players while equipping Nigeria with leading infrastructure in Africa The ultimate imperatives for this objective, he said, is to realize affordable prizing, high speed connectivity, high level of coverage and targetted government support.

Dr. Juwah who spoke to an international audience including Nigeria’s Communications Technology Minister, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Representative of the ITU Secretary General, Mr. Desire Karyabwite, the C M Y K

Presidential body on broadband coming

zDr. Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC

,

IGERIA’s efforts to join the global broadband community has crystallized into a focused master-plan unfolded by the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, at the Nigerian Broadband Forum which held at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, with the Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union, Dr. Hamadoun Toure, commending government’s support for broadband connectivity.

The plan as unveiled by the Commission has, more or less, confirmed the ‘Open Access Model’ earlier indicated by the Commission as Dr. Juwah presented a clearer perspective to the plan which he said encompasses the current State Accelerated Broadband Initiative, SABI, and the Wire Nigeria Initiative, WIN, programmes of the Commission.

He missed the point by expressing the view that Africa has no credible software developers which is equal to saying that orthodox medicine cures all illnesses in Africa

Secretary of the Africa Telecommunications Union, ATU, Mr. Abdoulkarim Soumaila, and a wide range of experts and Nigerian stakeholders, said the plan is focused on accelerated broadband connectivity at affordable costumers.

Toure lauds NCC

The message of the ITU Sec. Gen. Dr. Toure was relayed to the forum on video, where he commended the efforts of the drivers of Nigeria’s broadband efforts and encouraged the government to support every effort directed towards broadband availability in Nigeria as this is the focus of the global ICT community.

Dr. Juwah who dissected a graphic representation of Nigeria’s model, said the essence of the presentation is to equip stakeholders and the investor community on the direction of the plan to enable their input before the implementation, having completed the preliminary studies of the Nigerian situation.

Dr. Juwah also presented a stakeholder mapping where the Commission would be responsi-

ble for provision of licenses, regulation of services, facilitation of agreements. This relationship is guided by an indsutry structure of the open access model of the type being implemented in Australia.

In explaining the market service strucutre in the Nigerian model, Dr. Juwah said involves provision of non discriminatory broadband access and services to end users, and provision of e non-discriminatory equal wholesale broadband connectivity using active infrastructure, while NetCos build and operate passive infrastructure.

Dr. Juwah said the integration of the SABI and WIN in the current plan was to expand the horizon in the pursuit of the mandate of the Commission to promote the provision of modern universal efficient, reliable, affordable, and easily accessible communications services of the widest range throughout Nigeria”. , The ITU Sec. Gen had through his representative at the even emphasized the need for establishment of transparent and effective regulatory framework and policy for broadband development

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson had earlier assured of the support of the Federal government towards this initiative with a planned setting up of a Presidential Committee on Broadband deloyment while indicating that appropriate pricing and availability is critical in achieving universal access to Broadband, especially in rural areas. Global phenomena such as the scissors effect and economic recession pose significant threat to the capacity to finance broadband infrastructure developments. Stakeholders at the event concluded among other things that: zBroadband would facilitate the growth and availability of innovative and evolving ICT services which will increase the national GDP. zProvision of incentives by government will stimulate investments in Broadband deployment similar to the tax exemption granted to GSM operators at the inception of GSM mobile services in Nigeria. zRecent study shows that there is huge demand gap for broadband services in Nigeria. However, there is insufficient infrastructure to support the provision of broadband to meet the demand.

Conclusions

They also concluded that: strong government and political commitment towards broadband provision is required and that migration to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology will require high level investment. It was also recommended that spectrum congestion will need to be addressed through variety of available options while 4G frequency spectrum will need to be licensed by 2015.

One of the conclusions reached at the forum hosted by the NCC as part of the processes for provision of robust broadband services in Nigeria was that rapid deployment and availability of broadband will lead to the introduction of innovative services

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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LANS have been concluded to assemble Nigeria’s leading lights and stakeholders in the telecommunications sector in Lagos for a one day forum to brainstorm on the implementation of the Nigerian Commu-nications C o m m i s s i o n (NCC)proposed Mobile Number Portability (MNP).

The event , a breakfast session tagged Number Portability – opportunities and pitfalls, is organised by Private Media Mart Limited Billed to hold on the 26thof September at Golden Gate Ikoyi Lagos, the event is meant to review the development of the telecoms sector since liberation and the role number portability will play in fashioning the way forward for the sector.

According to the organizers, the event will seek to answer pertinent questions to clear the air on number portability and the way and manner the policy will affect both the operators and subscribers.

Some of the areas to discuss by eminent personalities include setting realistic agenda for the operation

of number portability scheme in Nigeria. To achieve this, the Managing Partner of Private Media Mart limited Mr Ejiofor Agada stated that the NCC and other notable telecoms stakeholders such as telcos, database management com-panies, the media and members of the public would participate and present reports of their positions while pointing the way forward for number portability.

By the last quarter of this year, Nigeria would join many other countries of the world to launch the Mobile Number Portability, making it possible for a Nigerian subscriber to migrate from one network to another without losing his original phone number.

However, experience has shown that new offerings like this hardly experience general acceptance, because very salient facts of the offerings are not thoroughly ironed out between the implementers and the final consumers.

Much information about the new offerings is always hidden to the consumers, fuelling suspicion, hesitation and in most cases outright rejection.

Etisalat connects Oracle's Exadata

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

ETISALAT Nigeria is doing everything to ensure an appreciable customer satisfaction on its network and has therefore hooked Oracle Communications data model to quickly analyze growing volumes of diverse data, and make better business decisions.

According to Etisalat, the solution allows it to analyze data across multiple business areas, including customer, revenue and network management which would aid adequate reaction to technological, regulatory and business challenges in both prepaid and postpaid markets.

The fast growing telecom company said that upon implementing Oracle Communications Data Model on Oracle Exadata Database Machine, X2-2 Half Rack, it has already reduced the time required to aggregate and analyze data by 99 percent. The company

can now load call detail records in near realtime, and has gained improved insight to the behaviour of its customers and their propensity to churn.

The company said that since it could be able to make decisions based on near real-time data, it can now take immediate action to prevent customer churn, deliver personalized promotions and identify and address revenue leakage sources.

According to Etisalat’s Ajibola Ajia who is in charge of IT I n t e l l i g e n c e , Implementation & Integration, part of the packages that have given the company’s services more efficient confidence included the deployment of Oracle Communications Data Model on Oracle Exadata Database Machine, which offers extreme data w a r e h o u s i n g performance with faster upload and query speeds.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—31

Africa Re gives shareholders 11months to subscribe to new shares

By FAVOUR NNABUGWU

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FRICAN Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) has given its existing shareholders up till next month to fully subscribe and pay for its new shares.

The governing board of the reinsurer at its General Assembly held in Rabat, Morocco decided to extend the subscription and payment period for its new shares being offered to the current shareholders at US$ 182.7 per share till end of May next year.

Disclosing this, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly, Mr. Musa S. El Naas from Libya, let out some of the major decisions taken at the Morocco meeting in the areas of technical, financial and human resource management, including the readjustment of the retrocession programme, the review of underwriting guidelines and the investment policy, the approval of major investment projects or the strengthening of the policy to attract, recruit and retain the best skills.

According to him, “With respect to the Corporation’s fourth capital increase, the General Assembly took note of progress made and was delighted that existing shareholders (States, Development Finance Institutions, insurance and reinsurance companies) have subscribed more than 70 per cent of the new shares” Africa Re is an international financial institution comprising 41 member countries of the African Union (AU) and devel-

opment finance institutions such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), DEG (Germany), PROPARCO (France) and FMO (Netherlands), as well as about 100 insurance and reinsurance companies operating in the member countries.

The Chairman also commended the results of the Corporation in 2011 as confirmed by Standard & Poor’s and A.M. Best who reaffirmed the Corporation’s financial strength rating (A-).

Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies has assigned a Stable A- rating to Africa Re’s operating structure, affirming its strong financial strength,

counterparty credit rating, diversified competitiveness in the African insurance markets and impressive business outlook.

“Africa Re continues to be supported by strong capitalization, including a growing level of capital redundancy which is supportive of future premium growth. On December 31, 2011, Africa Re’s capital adequacy was redundant to 40% above the A rating level.

Its capital adequacy was boosted by recent capital injection, primarily from existing shareholders. Capitalization is also supported by appropriate reserving policies and retrocession protection.”

As a regional reinsurer, Africa Re’s operating perform-

Pix 4: Pix 5: Mr Kester Osahenye, Regional Marketing Manager, South-South, MTN, Senator Liyel Imoke, Cross Rivers State Governor and his wife Mrs. Obioma Liyel- Imoke, First Lady of Cross Rivers State admiring performances at the 2012 Leboku festival supported by MTN.

Aiico pays claims in excess of N2.5bn

By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

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ANAGEMENT of Aiico Insurance plc said the company has paid claims in excess of N2.5 billion during the financial year 2011.

The company’s Managing Director, David Sobanjo, who disclosed this to journalists in Lagos promised that the insurance firm will continue to discharge its responsibility in the area of claims payment whenever the need arises.

According to him, the company achieved a gross premium of N9.79 billion during the first six months of 2012 as against N8.1 billion recorded during the same period in 2011 adding that the various efforts being made by the manC M Y K

ance remained strong and stable, improving its net combined ratio in 2011 to 92% below its already-strong fiveyear average. Also, its return on revenue improved to 13% in 2011 from 9% in 2010, with strong competitiveness across the African market netting approximately 10% market share.

The General Assembly approved the Report of the Board of Directors on the 2011 accounts, which confirmed the Corporation’s financial strength, as well as its ability to meet its commitments to cedants. Consequently, the General Assembly decided to maintain the current dividend distribution policy to significantly improve returns on investment for shareholders.

agement of Aiico have began to yield fruits.

He stressed that as the company continue to re-strategise in order to keep rendering excellent services to its cherished customers, it has assisted the organisation to improve on its fortunes in the market to the delight of its shareholders.

During the same period between January and June 2012, the gross benefits and claims paid by Aiico amounted to N3.02 billion compared to N2.85 billion paid during a corresponding period in 2011.

Sobanjo explained that the quantum of claims paid is in line with the company’s determination to ensure that all claims are paid as promptly as possible.

The company also achieved

a profit before tax of N1.78 billion during the six months period, while its profit after tax stood at N1.49 billion.

Meanwhile, Aiico recorded a 24 per cent growth in its gross premium income and profit before tax for the financial year ended December 2011. The gross premium income recorded for the year 2011 was N18.44 billion indicating an increase of N3.49 billion over the 2010 figure.

In the same vein, the company’s net premium earned rose by 19 per cent to N15.62 billion whilst retained profit grew by 30 per cent.

Commenting on the overall performance of the company during the last operating year, Sobanjo said “Aiico Insurance plc is well positioned for continued profitable growth. We

are quite pleased with our overall performance in 2011 despite the prevalent economic challenges. Clearly our unflinching efforts at improving our overall operation and service delivery have remained the reason our consumers and clients consistently rely on us.”

Also, speaking on the company’s outlook, he added that the company is looking forward to another good year and enthusiastic about the growth opportunities that lie ahead.

“We are confident we will exceed our 2011 performance figures this year.

Following the results, a dividend of six kobo per share representing a 300 per cent increase over what was paid in 2010 was recommended by the board of Aiico at the last annual general meeting of the company in Abuja recently, and this was unanimously approved by the shareholders.

BRIEFS NCRIB to propagate operational ethical standards — Osijo

By RITA OBODOECHINA

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resident of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, Mrs. Laide Osijo said it is determined to continually encourage its members to ensure ethical standards in their operations.

Osijo stated this during the NCRIB’s Members Evening held in Lagos.

She said, “We stressed the need for Government to among other things, patronize only registered insurance brokers in conformity with the law and to encourage sanity in the market” She said, the National Assembly was implored to put machinery in motion towards the involvement of insurance brokers in the presentation and defense of insurance proposals before the National Assembly on a yearly basis.

In a similar vein, she said, Government institutions were advised only to employ qualified insurance professionals to man their insurance desks, and ensure effective and regular manpower training for them to attune them to contemporary challenges in the insurance profession and business.

Direct life insurers fuelling growth in the sector

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ANSTAR has rated Allianz, Real Insurance and Zurich as the top three direct life insurers, and says the product is increasingly popular because companies that offer it are less likely to exclude customers.

Canstar Research Manager Chris Groth says consumers find the product easy to apply for and often know immediately if they have been accepted.

“The idea of applying online or over the phone really appeals to people who are timepoor, work irregular hours or live in remote locations, particularly when you can add trauma and total and permanent disability cover on the same application,” he said.

Mr. Groth says the growth of direct cover is helping to address underinsurance. “When direct life insurance first appeared on the market, it was pretty much a black and white product,” he said. “If you ticked all the boxes you got cover but if you put a cross in just one, you were excluded.”

32 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Euro Global buys Savana apple drink from Life Breweries Stories by PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

E

uro Global Foods and Distilleries Limited has bought over from Life Breweries Limited, Savana Apple Drink, as it returns to the Nigerian market, repackaged.

Speaking on the reintroduction, Mr. Felix Aighobahi, Sales Director, Euro Global Foods and Distilleries Limited said,

“Savana Apple Drink is amongst the first bottled apple drinks produced in Nigeria in the early nineties.

It was the travellers’ choice back then in Onitsha where it was rooted.”

“We are excited at the opportunity to maintain its rich history and look forward to spreading the uniqueness of this drink and the fun associated with it across Nigeria.”

The refreshing Savana Apple Drink now comes packaged in an attractive new 50cl pet bottle for easy handling and mass appeal away from the former 33cl glass bottle that it was known with. Euro Global plans to introduce more flavours of the product into the market in order to meet consumers’ needs while also diversifying the company ’s line of products.

Aighobahi said that Euro Global Foods and Distilleries will be working with its robust network of dealers and distributors to ensure that Savana Apple Drink is available across Nigeria. “We will also be having exciting activation campaigns across the country to enable us connect and reward our customers as we roll out more flavours of the drink.” he concluded.

Cowbell rewards Olympic medal rush promo winners

By ESTHER ONYEGBULE

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ORE loyal consumers have been rewarded with cash prizes in the ongoing Cowbell Olympic Medal Rush promo that was launched recently by Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell Milk.

The winners which included Miss. Adenike Idris who won N20, 000, Mr. Christopher Nnagbo who won N50, 000, Mr. Prince Mattew who won N50, 000 and Mr. Adebisi Olusegun who also won N50, 000 were at the head office of the company to collect their cash prizes last Thursday.

In an interview, Mr. Prince Mattew, a Togolese who carted away a cash prize of N50, 000 said he has always been drinking Cowbell Milk and decided to participate in the promo after he saw the advertisement on television.

According to Prince, his wife showed him the ticket as he had gone to work when the tin was opened.”I am very happy I won because after I bought the milk I could not drink it as I was late for work only to get back in the evening and my wife brought the N50, 000 winning ticket to me.”

Similarly, Miss Idris Adenike, an account officer in a family business who won N20, 000 in the promo said her family never intended to participate in the promo but got the Cowbell milk with the winning ticket in a gift pack from a family friend during the Ramadan celebration.

Cowbell Milk Brand Manager, Mr. Abiodun Ajiborode, said the promo is intended to reward loyal consumers, adding that, it will also entrench the Cowbell brand in the minds of the consumers while creating fun and excitement around the brand.

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FROM RIGHT: Procurement Manager, Promasidor Nigeria, Mr. Anie Ekong presenting a cheque of N20, 000 to winner, Miss Idris Adenike while Assistant Brand Manager, Promasidor Mr. Kingsley Onuoha, looks on at the on-going Olympics Medal Rush promo in Lagos recently.

Nokia offers more games on Asha devices E

NTHUSIASTS of mobile games are in for a treat as Nokia adds to its mobile games two popular Zynga’s hit games, Draw Something and Zynga Poker which would be available on the Nokia Asha Smart phone devices; Asha 305, Asha 306 and Asha 311 in the third quarter of 2012.

According to the Finnish phone maker, this is a fallout of a partnership announced by the two companies earlier in June. The announcement reinforces Nokia’s commitment to delivering must-have app and gaming experiences to consumers of Nokia Series 40 devices, including the Nokia Asha Smart phone range.

Customers can soon challenge their friends to a round of the popular social drawing and guessing game, or enjoy their own virtual poker match game. Zynga’s Draw Something and Zynga Poker will both be free to download on the Asha devices from Nokia Store. The addition of these two new games gives Asha Smart phone users the opportunity

to enjoy a variety of mobile gaming experiences along with the other games powered

by Electronic Arts (EA), Gameloft, Rovio, and NAMCO BANDAI. Speaking on the development, Vice President, Nokia West Africa, Mr. James Rutherfoord said that it is a great opportunity for

Nigerians to also experience the awesome applications that are internationally acclaimed and provided by Nokia on the Asha phones. “This is part of our efforts to bring ‘more’ to our customers at affordable cost. We also believe that the games are one of the many features that will interest our customers.

…launches Danfo competition

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OKIA is currently engaging users of Nokia Asha - 200, 201, 302 and 303 phones in a mobile game competition called, Danfo reloaded. The freely available game on the Nokia store is an indigenous game developed to mimic Lagos commercial buses, popularly referred to as Danfo.

Mr. Teemu Kijaarvi, Head, Developer Experience, Nokia West-Africa, stated that the Danfo Reloaded competition is another way Nokia is reaching out to its loyal subscribers. “At Nokia, our customers are at the heart of everything we do, this is why we will always look for ways to reward their loyalty to the brand and put smiles on their faces.”

In the last 2 weeks, the competition has recorded 4 winners from across the country with more prizes still to be won in 3 weeks. Contrary to the error in a major newspaper advert on Thursday, the 23rd of August, 2012 stating that the competition was to run from May 15th to June 30th 2012, Mr Kesiena Ogbemi, Marketing Manager, Nokia-West Africa, advised Nigerians to disregard the dates indicated in the publication.

According to him, the Danfo Reloaded competition commenced on the 6th of August and will run till 3rd of September 2012.

BRIEF Heroes Award: Indomie announces Judges

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ufil Prima Plc, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles has announced the names of the panel of judges for the fifth edition of its corporate social responsibility initiative “Indomie Independence Day Award (IIDA) for Heroes of Nigeria”.

The Judges are expected to sit to adjudicate and select the final three winners from the top 18 Stories already penciled down by the selection committee having met the set down criteria.

The members of the panel for this year include Graham Stohhard, Headmaster, Lagos Preparatory School, Philip Isakpa, Editor, Businessday, Joel Okei Odumakin of the Women Arise for Change Initiative, Jimi Solanke, Veteran Playwright, Artist and Singer, Karen-King Aribisala, Professor, Department of English UNILAG, Angela Ege Ochuko, PSFR Specialist and Niyi Adesanya of Fifth Gear Consulting.

This List was contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, on progress of activities on the 2012 Indomie Heroes Award.

“I am pleased to announce to you that we have selected another creed of credible and well meaning Nigerians this year to serve on the panel of judges for 2012 Independence Day Heroes Award to select three deserving heroic children” Ashiwaju said. “ The selected members of the panel are credible people with proven integrity and the fact that they come from different backgrounds ranging from academics, the Media, NGOs and Private Practice will bring about a cross fertilization of ideas to reach informed decisions”.

Ashiwaju revealed that the search phase of the 2012 edition by the Independent Research Agency and submission of entries have been concluded with over 11,000 stories, out of which the top 18 stories have been carefully selected by a screening committee in consonant with the set criteria for selection.

He disclosed further that the verification teams are already on the field to authenticate, validate and simulate ‘the selected stories which will be used during the judges’ meeting for the selection of the first, second and third place winners. The winners of the award are expected to win N1, 000,000.00 worth of scholarship for the first prize winner, N750, 000.00 for the second prize winner and N500, 000.00 for the third place winner.

Vanguard, WEDNESD AY , A UGUST 29, 2012—33 WEDNESDA AUGUST

•Specimen of the new N5,000 currency

N5,000 note as red herring!

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HE Central Bank served an advance notice of the introduction of a N5,000 note as well as the redesigning of the existing currency profile; under the proposed arrangement, six of the denominations i.e. N5,000, N1,000, N500, N200, N100, N50 will remain in notes form, while N20, N10, N5, N2, N1 and 50K will circulate as coins.

CBNs confirmation of 2013 as the takeoff date of the new currency profile seems to have jolted the nation and Nigerians have unequivocally challenged the raison d’etre for the introduction of the new design notes and coins at a cost estimated at over N40bn; an amount which critics allege could have been better utilised in remediating some of our severe social and infrastructural deprivations.

In the above event, we will evaluate CBN’s controversial decision by examining the structure and cost of producing and promoting acceptance of the new currency range. We will also comment on the likelihood of public adoption of the new coin profile, and then, we will briefly discuss the sustainability of the new currency range!

Currency profile The proposed N5,000 note sticks out like a sore thumb in the new currency profile; technically, currency profiles are universally structured along multiple steps of 1, 2, 5 and10, for both coins and notes. Surprisingly, in this instance, CBN has leapfrogged N2,000 to adopt the N5,000 denomination. The omission of this critical denomination would be regarded as an aberration!

So far, CBN has not adduced any reason for this omisC M Y K

sion. Some critics have, however, suggested that this is a deliberate ploy to make CBN appear responsive to public opinion, whenever the apex bank ultimately decides to include the N2,000 denomination as response to the expected public outcry on its inexplicable omission. In addition to the proposed six-denomination note profile, the N20, N10 and N5 denominations, will now join N2, N1 and 50k as coins.

This presumably means an end to the extravagant polymer versions, which have not displayed the durable characteristics that CBN earlier promoted as its preferred quality. Incidentally, the production of the new currency profile is estimated at over N40bn.

This, of course, does not include the cost of promoting public ac-

,

BY LES LEBA

ans will recall that the apex bank has earlier inferred that over 30 per cent of CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi banks operational costs and space derive from their cash per cent of our total population. handling operations.

In other words, CBNs current Consequently, CBN expected application of public funds to that the cash-less system would bank rescue may have in fact, reduce operational costs, so that actually deepened the inequalibanks would be better primed to ties in the system. lend to the real sector at single Some analysts have argued that digit interest rate. So far, this ex- the issue of excessive cash hanpectation has not materialised; dling cost would probably be best even the extortionist charges in managed by a redenomination excess of 10 per cent, which of the currency profile; in other banks enjoy as additional income words, if the current profile is refrom large deposits/withdrawals denominated by, for example,two by customers has still failed to decimal points, the N1,000 noteencourage banks to lend to the would be issued as new N10, in real sector at benign interest which case, the proposed N5,000 rates. would be redenominated as equivalent of a new N50 note.

These analysts further argue that such an arrangement would give added value and make primary kobo coins attractive to hold once again, as one new kobo, under this arrangement would be equivalent to the current N1.

Thus, 1kobo, 2kobo, 5kobo, Nonetheless, in spite of their 10kobo, 50kobo and N1 will refailure to support the real sector, main as coins, with redenominathe spate of annual trading retion, but will command the same sults so far published this year is purchasing value with the cura convincing testimony that the rent N1, N2, N5, N10, N20, N50 banking sector is still the most and N100 denominations respecprofitable area of investment. In tively. the light of over N600bn special Undoubtedly, redenomination, bailout and AMCONs over N3 as described above, is in sync trillion public fund injection into with the concept of a cash-less the banks, and the apparent prefeconomy, but regrettably, even erential featherbedding of the redenomination cannot address banks at the expense of the pubthe evident symptoms of a failed lic, CBN should be concerned that monetary policy model. In this banks remain unable to deliver regard, neither the introduction on the expectations of the apex of higher denomination notes bank. and coins nor the redenominaInstructively, however, current tion of our current currency proUNDP’s indices suggest that all file will bring down interest and the above official funding and inflation rates to middle single support may have gone to a subdigit prerequisite levels required sector that caters to just over 10 to jumpstart the economy.

CBN must explain why in spite of ever-present scourge of excess liquidity, the banks still have minimal funds to lend to the real sector

ceptance, which may exceed N10bn, that is, if the cost of a similar exercise in 2007 is anything to go by. In addition, the above amount excludes cost of production of the existing currency profile, which would now be disposed by flaring in case of the notes, and possibly also, by open auction of the redundant coins to metal brokers, as was the case with those coins, which were rejected by Nigerians after reintroduction in 2007.

It is likely that the direct and indirect costs related to the new currency profile may ultimately exceed N100bn, which is just below the N114bn, which CBN claims that the Banks expend on cash handling, movement and storage costs annually. Nigeri-

,

In other words, so long as CBN fails in delivering its core mandate of price stability, (some would say its raison d’etre) our economy will remain under-performing, and poverty will continue to deepen nationwide. From the foregoing, it is obvious that CBN’s introduction of the new currency profile is, in fact, a red herring (described as something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand; a misleading clue in Dictionary Reference)!

In the above event, it is certainly more appropriate to demand an explanation from the apex bank on why it has continuously failed to create an enabling environment for economic and industrial growth. CBN would need to give answers to Nigerians why our country has continued to suffer the scourge of excess liquidity or too much cash in the system for over three decades!! We must ask CBN to explain why it self-inflicts excess liquidity in the system, when it unilaterally substitutes printed/ created naira allocations in place of the major dollar component of distributable monthly revenue.

Oppressive interest rates Nigerians demand to know the reason why CBN, together with the Debt Management Office, DMO, crowd out the real sector from available credit in the market, with government borrowing of hundreds of billions of naira it does not need at oppressive interest rates around 15 per cent every month for governments risk-free investments!!

Furthermore, CBN must explain why in spite of ever-present scourge of excess liquidity, the banks still have minimal funds to lend to the real sector, but inexplicably, the CBN and DMO easily raise over N200bn every month by borrowing such funds from the same banks.

We should similarly demand explanations from Mallam Sanusi on why the naira rate paradoxically comes under pressure whenever we earn increasing dollar revenue and why our nation’s poverty index rating deepens whenever our foreign reserves are increasing. CBN management is, of course, hopeful that the Nigerian public will not have sufficient awareness to ask any of the above questions, since the apex bank would fail woefully to give meaningful answers.

It is tactical, therefore, that CBN should continue to throw up controversial talking points and policies to engage our attention, while the monetary authorities continue to consciously debase the purchasing power of our incomes while recklessly undermining economic growth and employment generation in our country.

SAVE THE NAIRA, SAVE NIGERIANS!

34—V anguard , WEDNESD AY , A UGUST 29, 2012 WEDNESDA AUGUST 34—Vanguard

NIGER DELTA: Beyond resource control - burdens and realities of transformation H

OW can the Niger Delta region march on with or without controlling their famed oil and gas resources?

If I were to interpret this further, I might assert, can the Niger Delta region succeed without controlling their resources?

The poser can be expanded. Can Nigeria succeed without controlling Niger Delta resources? I shall provide my perspectives in the course of this presentation.

Resource control became a political term from the efforts of Niger Delta peoples to get a fairer share of their God-given resources and more say in their own affairs in relation to the rest of Nigeria. Resource control in that sense, therefore, has become a rallying cry for the long-suffering peoples of the Niger Delta region and understandably subject to various interpretations de-

wheel turned and they found their voices and are demanding for justice and for their rights, much to the shock of those who want the exploitation to continue unchallenged. Surprisingly, some have made an enterprise of justifying the suffering in the Niger Delta, in a provocative manner that tends to take the peaceful nature of our peoples for granted. Thankfully, our people have ignored them as we continue the search for justice in the matter.

D

r J. D. Ikechukwu cap tured the devastation of the region succinctly in his article on the Niger Delta crises in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria, when he noted that “The oil which has brought so much wealth to the multinational oil companies and the Nigerian State has at the same time brought to the people of the Niger Delta untold poverty, disease, persistent pollution, ecological and environmental degradation.”

Sad, as this picture may look, the Nigerian economy has largely depended (85 per cent) on earnings from crude oil sales.

On the strength of this single point, it is easy to see the fundamental importance of the Niger Delta region to the Nigerian GOV EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN economy and its oil to global energy resource. Sadpending on the individual’s ly, that importance does not restand in the country’s often frac- flect on the treatment the region tious socio-political and economic gets from the federation. debates.

As a ranking exporter of crude If the demand for resource con- oil, Nigeria’s supplies from the trol has remained trenchant, it is Niger Delta region play a crusimply because our peoples have cial role in maintaining global for long lived with the stark evi- supply stability. On the other dence of a mindless exploitation hand, finding the delicate balof the oil resources in their land. ance in the well-being of the NiThey have lived with the despo- ger Delta region, the demands liation and degradation of their of the Nigerian economy, and the environments without concomi- global community’s energy tant benefits to them as a people needs, is at the heart of the comand to their communities where plexities associated with issues these resources are. emanating from and concerning As it eventually happened, the the region.

•Map of Niger Delta states In a sense, I seem to have answered my second poser, which was, if Nigeria could survive without controlling resources of the Niger Delta region. Current reality dictates otherwise, from a standpoint of national economic survival, the stability of Nigeria as well as its ability to exercise influence as a sovereign state in the international political system.

If Nigeria derives all these benefits from the resources taken from the Niger Delta region, the moot question is, what would happen to the peoples of the Niger Delta, when oil and gas resources finish, as they must one day. This, to me, is the more compelling question, which we must

,

Being a paper delivered by Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan at the Business Hallmark public policy forum, in Asaba on August 24,2012

Let me in this regard salute the pioneering works of our past governors, especially my predecessor, Chief James Ibori, and the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, who especially championed the cause of achieving a better and more equitable allocation of resources to the Niger Delta region. That era gave resource control life. The battle, as most will recall, was not easy, as they were often deliberately misunderstood and their leadership questioned. Thanks in large measure to them, the argument for a fairer allocation of federal oil revenue to the Niger Delta region though not won, has become a progressive issue

The oil which has brought so much wealth to the multinational oil companies and the Nigerian State has at the same time brought to the people of the Niger Delta untold poverty, disease, persistent pollution, ecological and environmental degradation

urgently address.

Having this in mind therefore, what should a transformation agenda for the Niger Delta look like today? There are two cardinal points, I envisage in this.

One, get the most you can from oil now as you transform to a post-oil era; because, like it, or not, that era must come.

Available options Two, develop other sources of revenue and diversify your economy to optimise available options or create them. To do the latter, you must revive agriculture and invest in agro-allied industries, enhance rural industrialisation, revive and deepen manufacturing, clean up the environment, develop human capital and upgrade infrastructure.

For the first leg of the struggle I would say since the return to democratic governance in 1999, these points were not lost on the political leadership of the zone.

discourse, aug 27

,

on the national agenda.

We cannot forget also the great efforts of Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River in focusing his State as a tourism destination of choice. It was no surprise then, that when the State lost 76 oil wells in a Supreme Court judgment, Governor Liyel Imoke reminded his people that there was life without oil.

He stressed the more important contributions of human resources and tourism to the growth and development of the State. He was not talking out of emotion. A foundation for this has been laid, and he is building on it.

There is indeed, life after oil, and the current leadership of Niger Delta region is immensely aware of this fact. On our part, my administration since inception in May 2007 has made it a covenant with the people to look beyond oil. We have set for ourselves, a three-point agenda of peace and security, human capital development and infrastruc-

tural development. In my article of October 2007, titled, “Delta Without Oil - The Changing Global Economy”, I pondered the question of Delta surviving without oil. While acknowledging the difficulty, I submitted that, “This administration from the beginning has thought in that direction. We do not work for the money that comes from oil. It is easy money; it has changed our orientation about hard work. Our young people are growing up in expectation of an easy life from oil.”

Fixation on oil money I am happy to report that five years on, we have succeeded to some extent, in changing our people’s fixation on oil money.

Our first strategy was to return peace to our State, especially as the turmoil was related to contentions over easy money from oil.

Without peace and security very little else can take place.

Given the long years of military rule and the upsurge in militancy in the entire Niger Delta region, no thanks to the divideand- rule strategy which was often employed to keep our peoples apart, restoring peace and security to our State was not the easiest assignment to undertake.

Our strategy of persistently engaging the different peoples and interests in our State has ensured peace for even development. Commenting on this agelong security challenge, Democracy in Nigeria: Continuing Dialogue(s) for Nation-building, noted on the Niger Delta in Chapter 11, “We may characterise the history of the democratic struggles of the people of the Niger Delta as consisting of two main directions: resistance to European pacification, domination by ethnic majorities, and most recently, military authoritarianism. At the heart of this resistance lie the control of resources and livelihoods.

Continues tomorrow

MIDWEEK SERMON

Vanguard , WEDNESD AY, A UGUST 29, 2012—35 WEDNESDA AUGUST with SAM EYOBOKA sameyoboka@yahoo.com

Methodist Church elects 7 new bishops

BY SAM EYOBOKA

NIGERIA'S first Christian denomination, Methodist Church Nigeria has elected seven new bishops and ordained 121 priests into the church's full connexion at her just concluded 43rd/8th biennial conference which was hosted by the Diocese of Lagos Mainland.

A release made available by the church's Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, said the elevation of seven priests to the episcopal rank and the creation of five new dioceses namely Ijesha-North (Osun), Oyo (Oyo), Okun (Kwara/Kogi), Kubwa (Abuja)

and Gokana (Rivers) are in line with the church's vis-ion to become one of the country's largest and spirit-ually fulfilling and vibrant churches.

The new bishops include Very Rev. Rufus Olanrewaju Babalola (bishop-elect for Kubwa), Edoka Amuta (bishop-elect for Evangelism and Discipleship), Abayomi Ade-gbite (bishop-elect for Owo), Titus Omoniyi (bishopelect for Oyo), Olusesan Abejide (bishop-elect for Okun), Isaac Bola Osunjuyigbe (bishop-elect for Ijesha-North), Nnam Lebee Humphrey (bishop-elect for Gokana) and Okpara Chukwu-di Chiemeka (bishop-elect for Uzuakoli).

In the same vein, the church ordained 121 priests and five deaconesses at a divine service which was presided over by the church prelate, His Eminence Sunday Ola Makinde.

In his charge to the newly ordained priests and deacon-esses, retired archbishop of Ilesa, Most Rev. Lawrence Ladigbolu enjoined them to ful-fil their calling by preaching the gospel of truth to the flock com-mitted to their care.

He said what is missing in the world today is truth which has allowed deceit to permeate nearly every facet of our exist-ence, urging them to be God's agents of transformation.

There's much poverty among Christians —Pastor Ufford

By NNAMDI OJIEGO

S

ENIOR pastor, Insight Christian Centre, Lagos, Prince Ufford has opined that there is so much poverty in the church today.

According to him, the Insight Christian Centre, was divinely founded to liberate people from the clutches of poverty by preaching and spreading the message of God as well as teaching them how they could be pro-ductive to themselves and the society.

Ufford, who spoke at the just concluded 6th edition of the Insight annual summit titled; “Change!” said God has called him to deliver His people particularly, the youths from poverty and ignor-ance.

“If you look at the Body of Christ today, there are so many poor people who cannot even feed; who cannot take care of them-selves. It is because of this reason that God called me. He told me to go and deliver His people from poverty.

“Our message is about inspiring people to su-cceed. Since we

*Pastor Prince UFFORD have been running this church, we have not ask-ed anybody for money. We believe in the principle of giving. Instead of asking people to give us, we are giving them. I can tell you that this ministry has blessed a lot of peo-ple.

We may not have the crowd, but we have bless-ed people.

“We have a unique way of preaching the gospel. We don’t believe in noise making. We be-

lieve in telling people what they should do. We are using the Word of God to train, develop and educate the people.

“Our major target is the youths.

This is because, Satan's major target is the youth. We target the youths to get them to know and work with God. Apart from teaching them, we also help them financially.

“We have paid tuition fees for university students and helped others to start businesses just as we have paid hospital bills,” he said, reiterating that since inception, the church has been guided by this principle and would not relent in its determination to deliver people from poverty.

According to him, the best way to save the people, particularly, the youths is to emancipate them through the Word of God. “What we do here is to teach the people, impart in them, so that they can through their own lives affect the society. It is the Church that is supposed to to affect the society and not the other way round", the pastor stated.

BRIEFLY...

GKS admonishes youths against bad influence

N

IGERIAN youths have been warned to avoid the corrupt ing influence of Satan so as not to violate the laws of God. The warning was given by chairman, Executive Board of God’s Kingdom Society, GKS, Brother Godwin Ifeacho, during the 2012 annual Youths Fellowship Assembly held at the Apapa Service Hall of the church on Saturday, reports LAJA THOMAS. Theme of the event was "If Sinners Entice Thee, Consent Thou Not".

In an address delivered on his behalf by Brother Theophillus Iwoh, Senior Station Minister for Lagos, Brother Ifeacho said: “The essence of the assembly is to nurture the youths to be well grounded in the knowledge of God so that they will serve Him faithfully and sincerely and be of service to humanity all the days of their lives.”

He added that the occasion was informed by the fact that "we are living in a period of uncertainties, where so many people are crooked and perverse in their ways, at the instance of the devil. The level of moral decadence is such that even those who are on the side of truth and righteousness are facing constant pressures to dilute or even abandon their principles by deviating from the straight and narrow path.”

While admonishing the youth, Ifeacho said: “A number of youths today are being lured into the sins of fornication and adultery, sometimes while they are still in school, through social media sites as well as other means of mass communication.

"That is why security agencies and social workers have been insistent on the need for parents to be more watchful of what their children are watching and downloading from the internet. It is common knowledge that a number of criminal gangs have joined the sex trade through these media outlets,” he noted. He advised youths to avoid the company of those opposed to righteousness.

Highlight of the occasion was Bible quiz for children and youth, who represented the various branches of the church, namely: Lagos Island, Apapa, Okota, Shogunle, Egbe, Okokomaiko and Ikorodu, to broaden the knowledge of the participants on the scripture. Drama presentation by the various groups and musical performance by different choral groups, including from the church’s headquarters in Warri.

YOWICAN urges FG on youth empowerment

By CALEB AYANSINA & AMINAT AMUDA

T

HE national presid-ent of Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Niger-ia, YOWICAN, Patriot Dolly Simon has appealed to the Federal Government to provide a conducive environment that will make youths excel in their chosen carriers.

Simon who made the appeal while playing host o the senior special assistant to the presi-dent on Student and Youth Affairs, Comrade Jude Imagwe in Abuja, also

Clerics enjoin FG to tackle youth dev

By OLAYINKA LATONA

S

ENIOR evangelists in Celestial Church of Christ, CCC, have called on the Federal Government to invest more in youth empower-ment and provide enabling environment for them to cont-ribute their quota to national development as part of strateg-ies to arrest the growing tide of terrorism in parts of the country.

The clerics also posited that until African leaders go back to God, violent criminal activities may just be the beginning of terrible things to befall Nigeria and the African continent at large.

Speaking during the 14th Annual Youth Conference org-anised by

the CCC in Oke Ifo, Ogun State, deputy general youth co-ordinator, CCC, Evang. Gabriel Awoniyi noted that youths should be the great-est assets of any nation.

Awoniyi said: "Unemployment is one of the major challenges facing the youths and therefore the government should create jobs to tackle this problem and non-governmental organis-ations should create opportun-ities for skill acquisition so that the youths can become resour-ceful. We should realise that un-employment among the youths would give rise to laziness which will in turn promote vices."

Speaking, Superior Evangelist and Head, Government Layout

Parish, Gbagada, Afis Kiki said terrorism by the Islamic sect was an African phenomenon; noting that the country’s political leaders cannot offer solution to the problem because “they have one time or the other taken part in the things of the darkness”.

“We have submitted to the gods of goats and submitted our wills to Satan and the Bible has said that whosoever mortgages his life or destiny to Satan would have his descendants to suffer for it. The insecurity has just started except our leaders in all aspect of lives, including, polit-ical, professional and religious leaders accept and agree with God,” he said.

National Youth President, CCC,

Evang. Segun Siwonku, said it was necessary to re-engineer the minds of the youth on what the nation expects of them, adding that this would help them understand that they are the leaders of tomorrow and should therefore live exemplary lives which the young ones could emulate.

Siwonku called on the youths to become responsible citizens of the nation so as to become a driving force to be reckoned with in nation building and de-velopment.

The chairman of conference committee, Evang. Olu Bankole, said that the essence of the conference was to bring the youths together to educate them on their roles in the church and the society at large.

called on youths to unite in prayer and strive to leave behind a good legacy.

“Federal Government should give the youth a platform to excel; we have so many talented youths but they lack the needed environment to strive”, he said.

Simon admonished youths to refuse to be used to perpetrate illegality or cause mayhem that could jeopardize the country’s unity, noting that, even if government wanted to perform, the insecurity in the country would provide it with an opport-unity to give excuses for their non-performance.

According to him, “youths are being used for all these crises, but 90 per cent of victims of every bomb incidence are youths”.

Responding, Imagwe assured Nigerian youths that he would not allow the paraphernalia of office to derail him from fighting all odds against them, while challenging the media to project the country positively.

His words: “I want God to lead us all, we are stranger in this world, the only thing will can be remembered for is the legacy we leave behind”.

“I will not allow government to change my person, but I will rather change government. I want God to lead us all, we are stranger in this world, the only thing will can be remembered for is the legacy we leave behind,” he said.

36— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 29, 2012

The fuel subsidy probe and the ethical deficiencies in public office in Nigeria V

anguard Conference Hall is the highest interactive editorial platform for public policy enlightenment, advocacy and solution delivery. It offers public office holders, civil society groups, academicians, opinion leaders and corporate chiefs, the arena to debate and exchange ideas for good governance. In this edition, the topic for discussion is entitled: “Fuel subsidy and the ethical deficiencies in public office in Nigeria.”

Over the years we have had this argument that government spends too much money to subsidize the importation of petroleum products and that the benefits are not going to the intended targets. Early in year, the country erupted in crisis as a result of the removal of the subsidy in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol).

There were recriminations, parliamentary probe and finally a sleaze that raised ethical issues in public office. The issue of petroleum subsidy may seem simple on the surface, but it is highly political as well as economic.

We have in this edition, Mr. Obafemi Olowore, the Executive Secretary of Major oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, (MOMAN); Mr. Dapo Abiodun , Chairman of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMA); and Mr. Chuks Onyeka, Director of Media for Trade Union Council (TUC).

The Vanguard Conference Hall team is led by Mr. Jide Ajani , Sunday Editor; Ms Clara Nwachukwu, Energy Editor; and Mr. Hugo Odiogor, Coordinator/Foreign Affairs Editor.

LOWORE, MOMAN Let’s ask ourselves what has brought about subsidy? It is because we cannot refine or provide enough locally, hence we have resorted to importation.

Subsidy arises even if you produced locally because of the fact that NNPC that produces the product locally buys the crude at the international market. Once you buy at the international market, there is going to be a difference of what is produced and what you are told to sell.

Whether it is right or wrong is not what I’m after. What I’m after is the fact that somebody is buying the product at a particular price and therefore he has to recover his cost. If he does and he recovers fully and you tell him to sell at a lower price, then there is gap and that gap is the subsidy.

The effect is that we are throwing out money. Who gains is another question. A lot of arguments came up as to who is gaining from subsidy. People feel that those of us that sell the products are the ones that gains from the subsidy. I am a player in the industry and I believe that it is not the seller that actually gains from it.

Because the seller has bought

•Dapo Abiodun

Even with local refineries, subsidy will persist— Marketers the product at a higher price and is forced to sell at a lower price, having incurred the cost upfront, he is entitled to reimbursement which is the subsidy. Again, whether it is right or wrong is a different matter.

been enough political will to remove the subsidy.

If we continue to say that government is bleeding, the economy is bleeding because we are spending money on subsidy and we are not making effort to block it then there is a

For me, the starting point will be: if the refineries in the next six months is adjudged to be able to produce X quantity, give them that and turn the rest back to the federation and let the federation sell the crude and let the money come into the federation

,

O

•Chuks Onyeka

•Obafemi Olowore

So, as far as I am concerned, there is subsidy and all effort should be geared towards removing that subsidy. Perhaps that is where the political side comes in. For me, there has not

,

problem. I was with one popular professor in Nigeria at one forum one day and he was saying that there is no subsidy on PMS, then I looked at him and I said: first of all, his is a

professor in biology and not a professor in Economics.

If the cost of the crude which is the main input is that high then there is no way that there will not be subsidy except you are saying that because the crude is produced here, it should be given out free. I believe that that in itself, is bad economics; so there is always going to be the subsidy thing.

The removal of subsidy is a political thing. If government can continue to be paying subsidy, all well and good; but for me, it is nonsense because it does not pay anybody if we continue to have subsidy.

Government should bite the bullet.

If the removal in one swoop may be to traumatic for the economy, then they should agree with all the stakeholders to do it in phases. We have been talking about this phases for a very long time. Six months

may not be ideal, maybe 12 months, or 18 months but everybody must be carried along. Ghana did it for a period of 24 months and they did it gradually and we saw what they were using the money for.

ONYEKA, TUC he Trade Union Congress of Nigeria is not against the removal of fuel subsidy if it does exist. We have also questioned the origin of the subsidy. Why is it that it has become a problem? And that is where we talk about ethical dimension; we also talk about people who cannot deliver to the people.

And because of that, they know they cannot win election a so, they have to find a way of reproducing themselves and finding themselves back into governance and the only way

T

Continues on page 37

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 29, 2012— 37

L-r: Obafemi Olowore , Dapo Abiodun, Hugo Odiogor and Chioma Gabriel, Editor, Saturday Vanguard

L-r: Jide Ajani, Editor, Sunday Vanguard; Chuks Onyeka, Media Director TUCN, and Ms Clara Nwachukwu, Energy Editor

Somebody should be held accountable

Quantum of subsidy It is when we have determined the quantum of subsidy on the products that we can start to talk about the subsidy, but we have not determined the quantum of subsidy on the products, so we cannot start to talk about it.

Prior to when the President announced the increased on PMS on the 1st of January 2012, it was reported that Nigerians consumed 28 million liters per day, but at the end of the day, we discovered that the government was funding about 59 million liter per day on subsidy.

We looked at all these; we accept that there was a budget that was appropriately passed in 2011 that made provision for the subsidy regime, but now they are saying that we are spending close to N2.5 trillion in the same process. How did it happen? Somebody has to be

held accountable. How did it happen in an election year?

How did it jump from hundreds of billions to trillions? Is there a connection between the subsidy regime and the election that took place in 2011?

Now we hear all sorts of stories that some people suddenly were brought to court and all of a sudden the cases instituted against them were withdrawn. But they are saying that they have not withdrawn the cases against them but that there is no evidence against them and as such they want to build solid evidence against them; that is what they are telling us now.

But we know that the people that were arraigned: the marketers, that they will tell Nigerians where the money went to that is, the money they collected and did not import any products.

It is as a result of this threat that the government decided to withdraw their charges against them. We are talking about transparency, honesty, openness, doing things right and due process in the subsidy regime. We want to know how much is involved. When we go to NNPC, or PPPRA, and DPR they will be able to tell us what is the quantity that we have, what quantity do we consume as a people.

But you cannot find that data anywhere not even with MOMAN or DAPPMA. So that is a very big problem and Nigerians are paying for what they not ought not to pay.

Marketers and government are manipulating data of our daily consumption What I said is that knowing what we consume on a daily basis as far as PMS is concerned is a point of departure. The Minister of Finance said our refineries produce about 15 per cent later

it went to about 40 per cent. We now know what we produce locally and what we consume and there is a difference. It is actually the difference that we can bring in from the outside through importation.

It is actually the ones that we bring from outside that there is subsidy, and now we have to look at the entire process of bringing in the products from outside. Who is bringing the products? Where are they bringing the products from? and at what cost? We also have to look at all these issues. When the country consumes about 100 million litres and somebody is importing about 200 million litres of PMS then there is a problem somewhere. That is the

,

Continues from page 36 their pocket so as to be able to buy votes through all manner of manipulations to win votes.

So, how do they do that?

They corrupt subsidy regime in such a way that they distort the process and create a room to make more money. These are the basic issues. So we are saying that if we first of all trace the quantity of fuel consumption in Nigeria, what is the quantity of PMS that is subsidised in Nigeria?

We know that the country gives NNPC 450,000 barrels per day and when you factor that in, you will now look at the quantity that is imported to augment, what we have internally. That is the only way you can determine the quantum of subsidy that is on the product.

complications. If the refineries are consuming only 200,000 barrels per day, give them that quantity, then the others go back to the federation and let the federation sell it the normal way they are selling crude and get the money. Because at the end of the day, all these offshore processing, crude swap and everything has a problem of accounting and I am talking as a Nigerian, there is a problem of accounting.

You cannot say that one barrel of Nigerian crude will translate to a certain number of litres if refined elsewhere, because every refinery has the capability of shaping what it brings out, depending on the season. For instance, if it is winter season abroad when

Basically, the people in government do not command our trust because they have lied to Nigerians in all cases. So, they cannot now come to us to tell us that they love us so much and we should continue to bear the brunt of a distorted process

only way you can check the corruption if you have the facts.

That is why is in Nigeria there is a deliberate attempt to falsify data to make sure that we don’t have accurate data. It is not as if somebody is making a mistake somewhere, it is not a mistake, it is deliberate, it is conscious to make sure that due process is not followed.

Olowore, MOMAN At 445,000 barrels per day, our refineries cannot consume all. So the starting point should be, to give the refineries what they can consume. The issue of what the refineries can consume and what should be taken abroad to be refined and brought back has some

,

everybody sit at home and they need more of heating oil, they will produce less of PMS. For me, the starting point will be: if the refineries in the next six months is adjudged to be able to produce X quantity, give them that and turn the rest back to the federation and let the federation sell the crude and let the money come into the federation account directly without going through NNPC accounting procedure.

When President Obasanjo was around, he set up a committee but remember that before he came to power in 1999, we did not have an idea of what we consumed. We thought that we were consuming about 19 million

litres per day because that is all our refineries could produce and as a matter of fact, that is all the 450,000 barrels could produce.

Anytime they say that the refineries are producing about 100 per cent, the first question you will ask is how about the FCC unit is it working? If it is not working and the refineries are producing about 80 per cent, they are just burning crude and getting more on the heavy fuels which are LPFO and HPFO, which pleases the people to export because people can now export that product, refine them and bring them back to us again.

Establishing of some good records If we repeat the exercise that President Obasanjo did in early 2000, we will be able to establish some good records.

At that time, we picked a very generous average of 50 litres consumption per day and we were able to arrive at 26 million litres of consumption per day.

Even if our consumption has risen, I don’t think it will have gotten to that 59 million litres we were told.

But we need to do that exercise again after 10 years and establish our national consumption. It will be fair for everybody because we have to and the people who did it then are still around. It was a committee of NNPC, DPR, MOMAN, IPMAN, and the vehicle registration agency in each state. It took us about three months and it was ok for some time until the consumption overtook the demand. So we need to go back and establish the actual volume that we consume every day.

Continues tomorrow

38—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

BAKASSI: We’re not interested in declaration of sovereignty — Ita-Giwa •Not all parts of Bakassi were ceded to Cameroon SENATOR Florence Ita-Giwa was elected Senator for the Cross River South Constituency, which include the Bakassi area in 1999. In this interview, ItaGiwa, a champion of Bakassi political interest, said to avert bloodshed, there is need for the Federal Government to properly resettle residents of the peninsula.

Excerpts:

BY DAPO AKINREFON

W

HAT do you think led to the controversy over the Bakassi Peninsula?

At the tail end of the former General Ibrahim Babangida regime, the Cameroonian Gendarmes, who had co-habited with us for many years suddenly effected a change of name of our ancestral villages. This development triggered a chain of events that culminated in military hostilities between Nigeria and Cameroon during the late General Sani Abacha administration. As a living witness to that particular conflict, I can attest to the fact that there were heavy casualties. In fact, I gave a reading at a combined mass burial service for fallen soldiers and civilians on the invitation of the Nigerian military command. It is for this reason that I opposed the use of military force to regain the peninsula.

,

Constitutional conference Soon after those hostilities and Nigeria regained control of the territory, General Abacha’s administration was in the process of organizing a constitutional conference. I recall that I was one of those invited by General Abacha to take part in the conference as a government nominee because of my advocacy for Bakassi. At the conference, I and a few other leaders from Cross River successfully made a case for Bakassi Local Government which General Abacha graciously acceded to.

Did the creation of the local government help resolve your problems?

To a large extent, the local government contributed to the provision of hitherto non-existent infrastructure like health centres, clinics and schools. However, it also attracted hostile gestures from the Camerounian gendarmes who persistently maltreated Bakassi indigenes at every opportunity.

Aside the aggravations from the gendarmes, the Cameroonian government took Nigeria to court over the peninsula but General Abacha refused to subject Nigeria to the jurisdiction of the

*Ita-Giwa International Court at the time to the frustration of the Cameroonian government. In fact, General Abacha is regarded as a hero by the people of Bakassi for his role in liberating Bakassi territory from the Gendarmes and creating our local government.

You must recall that in 1999, Nigeria returned to democratic governance.

Democratic governance It was at this time that our democratically elected president decided to respect the rule of law one of which was the 1965 declaration to subject itself to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, hence, Nigeria joined issues with Cameroon at the International Court of Justice.

What part did Bakassi natives play in the case at the ICJ? From the onset, we have been made victims of the political machinations of different forces.

Not one Bakassi native took part in the preparation by the Nigerian legal defence team. In fact, at no time were we consulted, no one asked us for

So what happened next?

Obasanjo having tried his best, returned to us to inform us that the ceding was inevitable. He however promised that we would be relocated to a place of our choice, properly resettled as painless as possible with our social, political and traditional institutions intact. As peace loving people, we agreed to be relocated and resettled for the sake of peace.

Have you been resettled?

It would appear that no matter the sincerity of the Federal Government in this issue, when the state government gets involved a lot of extraneous issues come to play. While I was supposedly being consulted by the state Land Commissioner for a possible relocation site, the state government was sponsoring a spurious bill at the House of Assembly surreptitiously creating a new local government under the guise of adjusting the boundary

any information concerning our sojourn on the peninsula. No one briefed us on the Nigerian defence team’s strategy. All of these must have contributed to Nigeria losing the case. Like someone said recently, it was a case of shaving a man’s head in his absence.

How did your people receive the news of the adverse judgment of the ICJ and what moves did you immediately make?

We had resolved that because we were never consulted in the matter, we as a people were not obliged to accept the judgment.

We in fact gave notice to the Federal Government that we were taking the option of self determination.

What was the reaction of the Federal Government to this threat?

President Olusegun Obasanjo appealed to us and assured us that in spite of the judgment, there were some options he was considering. I can attest that he entered into negotiations with some world powers and even tabled a buy back option to Cameroon.

ought to hail from oil producing local government and it is on record that the old Bakassi local government was the only local government area in Cross River that could lay claim to being oil producing.

More ridiculous is the instance where a non Bakassi indigene was appointed to represent Cross River State in the mixed commission overseeing the handover of Bakassi to Cameroon.

Having rejected the law option, where have you identified as an alternative for relocation?

The ceding of the old Bakassi Local Government territory was not total as erroneously believed in most quarters. Three islands namely: Kwa Island and Day Spring 1 and 2 were not ceded to Cameroon. In fact, we were registered to vote and indeed voted on those islands in the presidential, National Assembly and state assembly elections.

This so called number 7 you keep referring to was never and to date has never been ratified by the National Assembly and so does not have the force of law.

Incidentally, by divine providence, INEC impartially saw through the ruse of the bogus Law Number 7 to completely disenfranchise the Bakassi people and insisted that voter’s registration and voting exercise of the Bakassi people should take place on the islands which

From the onset, we have been made victims of the political machinations of different forces. Not one Bakassi native took part in the preparation by the Nigerian legal defence team, in fact, at no time were we consulted, no one asked us for any information concerning our sojourn on the peninsula

between Akpabuyo and Bakassi.

The bogus ‘Law number 7’ which was hurriedly passed by the house shamelessly expunged our political institution and in fact what they actually did was to create a new local government from the three wards carved out of Akpabuyo local government in Ikang without recourse to the National Assembly a sine qua non for the creation of new local government.

How do you think this law has affected your cause?

The bogus Law Number 7 has effectively made us persona non grata in our state. Take the issue of political appointments in the state since the ceding, no Bakassi indigene has been appointed into the state executive council.

No Bakassi indigene sits on a state or federal board. In fact, since the inception of the NDDC, no Bakassi indigene has represented Cross River State on the board even though the NDDC act stipulates that state representation on the board

,

constitute the unceded part of the Bakassi LGA. In fact all documents produced by INEC for the 2011 elections bore the original ancestral names of our 10 wards a situation that prevented INEC from conducting elections at Ikang.

What is the way forward?

All we are saying is resettle us in the place we have identified to be ours. We are not interested in any conflicts or declaration of sovereignty that will lead to bloodshed. We have observed that in every case where a people resettle in an area with an indigenous population, it leads to bloodshed like in the case of Fulani and Berom in Plateau State.

The Modakeke and Ife people in Osun State. Someone should please prevail on the Federal Government to side step the desperate elements within the Cross River State who wants to play the Bakassi card as a bargaining chip.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—39

ONSHORE/OFFSHORE DICHOTOMY:

A threat to Nigeria’s survival (1)

BY ANIEKAN UMANAH

usurpation of the people’s power by the military were to completely alter the revenue sharing arrangements and the basis of our federation to the detriment first, of oil bearing states as a whole and second, of littoral oil bearing states in particular.

At a certain point the derivation principle came to an ignoble one (1) percent while offshore oil revenue was deemed to belong wholly to the central government.

In case it has escaped their collective memory, leaders of the North need to be reminded that these were the obnoxious circumstances that led to the agitations and struggles for a better deal for oil-bearing states and communities.

I

N the matter of revenue allocation, especially as it relates to the re-institution of “onshore/offshore dichotomy,” it really begs belief that Northern political leaders won’t let sleeping dogs lie. The current attempt to re-visit the issue is illadvised and insensitive to current national realities.

Indeed, it bodes ill for the continued existence of Nigeria as one indivisible national entity.

The threatened re-introduction of ‘onshore/offshore’ dichotomy completely, perhaps, even contemptuously, ignores the historical reality that the extant policy position on the distribution of offshore oil revenues represents a negotiated compromise which, as with the 13 percent derivation principle itself, the people of the affected states only grudgingly accepted as an interim measure and in the interest of national cohesion.

People of goodwill, within and outside Nigeria, know for a fact that the exclusion of revenues from offshore oil production from the distributable pool was intended to unfairly and illegally deprive littoral states of their due.

Before the emergence of petroleum oil as the major source of revenue in Nigeria, the revenue allocation formula was based on 50 percent derivation principle. During the same

Derivation principle

*Jonathan period and based on the 1963 Constitution, the continental shelf of a region (state) was deemed part of that region (state) for the purpose of revenue allocation under the 50 percent derivation principle.

Even import duties on a range of products, less administrative

expenses, were fully payable to the region (state) for which the products were destined!

These, along with other reenforcing provisions, constituted the bases on which our founding fathers agreed to build a federal Nigeria.

The advent of oil and the

The minimum of 13 percent derivation principle enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and the 2004 Act of the National Assembly that provides for the application of that principle to oil produced within 200 meters (water depth isobaths) for littoral states were the direct result of a national consensus to give oil-bearing states a modicum of justice and now, almost a decade after, some people want to turn back the hands of the clock.

Two questions immediately arise: At what cost? And to what purpose? If history is any guide, the cost to the nation of any

attempt to re-introduce onshore/ offshore dichotomy will be very high, perhaps, unaffordable.

Regardless of the arrogance and insensitivity of people, who live comfortably distant by hundreds of kilometers, from offshore oil operations, the people of littoral states have seen the ugly face of oil production and they simply won’t go back to bearing its full brunt without any substantial benefits and/or compensation.

No, indeed, after more than 50 years, that dog won’t hunt. The level of agitation and militancy, which we saw some years back in the Niger Delta would be a child’s play compared to the eruption that would accompany the unjustified re-introduction of onshore/offshore dichotomy so late in the day when the people are beginning to hope that the worst in deprivation and neglect is behind them.

It is on record that, at some point under former President Olusegun Obasanjo; militancy had driven oil production to a mere 30 per cent of available capacity. And precisely because such militancy would be driven by righteous anger, pacification by force of arms would have limited success.

If advocates of the reintroduction of onshore/offshore dichotomy are motivated by a desire for development, then they need to do a serious rethink. For the fallout of such a retrogressive step would not allow any meaningful development.

To be concluded *Umanah, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and Communications, wrote from Uyo.

KOGI GUBER: Acid test for Nigeria’s jurisprudence

BY PHRANK SHAIBU

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S Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja prepares to deliver judgement on the suit filed by Jibrin Isah (Echocho) seeking to validate the January 2011 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Kogi State today, there are anxieties as to whether the judgement will not toe the path of the suit filed by the former governor of Bayelsa State, Timpriye Sylva against the PDP for excluding him from the second primary election of the party.

The Supreme Court had, on April 20, dismissed Sylva’s suit against the PDP for lack of jurisdiction, holding that the issue of primary election was the exclusive affair of the party and that the court lacked the power to decide for a party who its candidate should be. One might be tempted to adopt the judgement of the Supreme Court in Sylva’s case as being applicable to the instant case of the Kogi governorship tussle filed

by Echocho because the suits look alike on the surface, but a critical and legal consideration of the two suits reveals that their causes of action are different.

The PDP in Kogi State had conducted a primary election on January 9, 2011 where Echocho emerged as its standard-bearer in the April 26, 2011 general election, but the victory of Echocho was short-lived when, on February 23,2011, Justice Adamu Bello of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja elongated the tenure of five state governors beyond May 29, 2011, of which Kogi was one.

On appeal by Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, had upheld the judgement of the lower court that the tenure of five governors, including the Kogi State governor, had not expired, hence the postponement of the general election in Kogi, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Sokoto and Cross River This decision, no doubt, changed the political terrain of Kogi State, as the PDP went ahead to conduct another primary election in September

2011, where Idris Wada emerged as the winner.

Not satisfied with this judgement, INEC evoked the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in Appeal No: SC/357/2011 vide its notice of Appeal dated July 14, 2011, asking the court not only to set aside the judgements of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal elongating the tenure of the governors, but also to dismiss their claim. The Supreme Court, on January 27, 2012, acceded to the INEC’S appeal and granted all its reliefs/ prayers, stating clearly that the tenure of former Governor Ibrahim Idris and four others ended on May 28, 2011.

Judgment of apex court Following the judgement of the apex court, Wada was sworn in as the duly elected governor of the state in the December 3 governorship poll. This action led Echocho to court.

Through his counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, (SAN), he asked the court to determine whether, having regard to the

combined effects of Sections 26(1), 26(2), 87(1) 87(2) (3) and (4)(b) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, the valid and due nomination of the plaintiff (Isah) and submission of his name by the PDP (1st defendant) to the INEC as the party ’s governorship candidate in the Kogi State 2011 governorship election can be vitiated by the postponement of the election from April 26 to December 3 2011.

He also asked the court to determine whether the PDP could validly have conducted another special state congress for the governorship primary election in September 2011 for the governorship election, having sent his name to INEC as its candidate.

He posited that he could not be substituted with any other name except as provided in Section 33 of the Electoral Act, as amended.

While replying to the reliefs sought by Echocho, counsel to Wada, Chris Uche, SAN submitted that “there is nothing unique about the plaintiff’s case because there is a precedent of a similar misadventure which

recently ended in misfortune at the Supreme Court”.

Citing the recent case of Sylva versus PDP, Uche maintained that every right claimed by Echocho for having won the January primaries has been extinguished by the Supreme Court judgement, as the two cases were similar in every material particular.

Considering the reliefs sought and the arguments of parties in the instant suit, it is crystal clear that there is a whole lot of difference between Sylva and Echocho’s suit.

It will be recalled that while the INEC’s appeal was still pending at the apex court, it went ahead to conduct an election in Kogi State to elect a governor.

Looking at the parties, Sylva’s suit was against the PDP refusing to allow him to contest the party primaries of November 19, 2011 for the general election of February 12, while Echocho’s case challenged INEC’s action of conducting an election during the pendency of its own suit against the tenure elongation.

*Shaibu wrote in from Abuja

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Opposition parties reject A-Ibom LG poll

BY TONY NYONG

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From left: Mr. Goodluck M. Udokoh; Commrade Tunde Okorodudu and Mr. Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh, at the marriage of Idolu and Razak Giwa-Osagie, in Warri.

PRODUCT LAUNCH: From left: Mr. Benson Abraham, Marketing Manager, The La Casera Company Limited; Mr. Kaveti Vishal, Regional Sales Manager (North); Hajiya Fatima Mundu, Myra Ice Products Ltd; Mr. Jayantha Sinha, Sales Head, The La Casera Company Limited and Mrs. Diana Muku, Favour Goshen Nig. Limited, at the regional launch of LATINA sugar free fruit drink, in Abuja.

YO—MORE than two months after elections were conducted into local government councils in Akwa Ibom State, opposition parties rose from a meeting in Uyo, the state capital, to condemn the action of the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC), for flouting court injunction restraining it from conducting the poll.

Chairmen of 17 opposition parties who went to court to press the matter, further pointed out that the AKISIEC chairperson, Mrs. Gloria Ukpong, violated the provision in the Local Government Electoral Act, by allowing the exercise to hold.

Chairman of Forum of Opposition Political Parties, Comrade Godwin Umana, who doubles as the chairman of National Conscience Party, NCP, said the exercise was conducted in fragrant disregard to the laws.

He said: “Let it be known that the last June 9, 2012 local government elections in Akwa Ibom State was conducted in defiance of a court orderinterlocutory injunction.”

PHCN to S-East govs: Demolish structures under power lines

BY TONY EDIKE

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NUGU—THE Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, Enugu Electric Distribution Zone, yesterday, called on the five South-East governors to order the demolition of all structures built under high tension power lines and other power installations to prevent electrocution of the people.

The company particularly asked the Enugu State Government to urgently remove the large billboard it erected under the 330KV high tension power line near Haijag Construction Company along Enugu-Onitsha expressway in Enugu.

The metal edge of the billboard, which bears the inscription of Enugu Lifestyle and Golf City, also known as Centenary City, almost touches the power line and constitutes serious danger to workers of the Construction Company and petty traders within the area.

The PHCN Public AfC M Y K

fairs Manager in the zone, Mr. Eseme Udoh, who conducted newsmen round some of the affected power lines within Enugu metropolis, yesterday, regretted that despite repeated warnings to property owners within the zone, they have continued to erect illegal structures directly under high tension power lines.

He said that occupants of such structures are

exposed to danger as they would be easily electrocuted if any problem occured on such power lines, adding that necessary precautionary measures should be taken by members of the public by way of rejecting occupation of such structures or doing business under power lines.

He said: “If you can recall, the PHCN had problems in Port Harcourt and Ibadan in the past

when live wires snapped on people. The one in Port Harcourt was at a bus stop and killed several people and that of Ibadan was in a market where many market women were affected.

“As a responsible organisation, we have embarked on sensitization of members of the public and customers especially those who have structures under high tension power lines."

He accused the state government of disregarding another court order restraining it from swearing-in the “selected officials” who emerged after the disputed election that was already declared a nullity by the court.

He recalled that AKISIEC had in September 2011 announced and published December 29, 2011 as the date for the poll, lamenting that the commission later can-

celled the date without prior notice to other political parties that had invested so much resources in preparing for the exercise.

Umana also noted that AKISIEC ran foul of the rule of law by taking a decision after a meeting with the political parties on March 19, 2012, to conduct the poll on May 19, 2012, saying the date fell short of the 90 days notice as stipulated in the Electoral Act.

NUEE alleges Power Ministry's refusal to pay salaries of PHCN staff

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

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ATIONAL Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, yesterday protested alleged refusal of the Power Ministry to pay the salaries of workers of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, who were regularised as established workers of PHCN since February 2012.

It will be recalled that the Ministry of Power and management of PHCN had, during the first round of negotiations with the unions in 2011, agreed that 11,000 casuals in PHCN be regularised and integrated into employment.

The exercise was concluded in February 2012.

NUEE alleged that the management of PHCN refused to pay the workers because of orders by the Minister of Power, Professor Bart Nnaji.

NUEE in a statement by its General Secretary, Joe Ajaero, insisted that proper investigation be conducted on PHCN before any form of privatization was carried out.

Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of PHCN Ikeja Distribution Company, Mr. Chris Akamnonu, had confirmed that the entitlements of the regularised staff had not been paid, explaining that the biometric exercise that would fully capture the identity of the affected staff was yet to be completed.

Identify with your language, Yoruba youths urged

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OUTHS of Yoruba extraction have been advised not to abandon the use of the Yoruba language but should rather identify with it.

The charge was given

by Prince Funsho Ademigbuji, President of Yoruba Broadcasters’ Association, YBA, during the presentation of certificate to the newly formed association by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, in Lagos,

yesterday.

Ademigbuji, who warned that the youth and the entire Yoruba race should not allow the language to go into extinction, said: “We have observed that the emerging young generation of Yoruba have abandoned the language. This trend has eaten deep into the fabrics of our heritage.

Parents do not teach their children our culture, even some do not speak the language."

NIFOR boss tasks host community Clerics urge FG to tackle on co-operation Great Ife-Benin CommitBY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

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ENIN—EXECU TIVE DIRECTOR of Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research, NIFOR, Dr. Efe Asemota, has appealed to workers of the institute and its host communities to support the new management in its desire to reposition NIFOR with a view to achieving the objectives for which it

was established.

His appeal came on the heels of the advice to the Federal Government by the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom and Edaiken of Uselu, Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, to always consider local content in the appointments to key positions in Edo State.

Dr. Asemota, who spoke at a reception held in his honour by the

tee of Friends, made up of Bini students in the then University of Ife, in the seventies and eighties, on his new appointment as the CEO of NIFOR, called on the people of the state to support him with prayers to enable him succeed.

Dr. Asemota is the first Bini man to occupy the position of Executive Director of NIFOR since it was established 72 years ago.

youth devt

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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ELIGIOUS leaders in the country have called on the Federal Government to invest more in youth development as part of strategies to check the wave of violence in the country and provide enabling environment for them to contribute to nation development.

The clerics who spoke during the 14th edition of

the Annual Youth Conference organised by the Celestial Church of Christ, CCC, in Oke – Ifo, Ogun State, lamented that unemployment was one of the major issues plaguing Nigerian youths.

Deputy General Youth Coordinator, CCC, Evangelist Gabriel Awoniyi, said the youths of any nation were the greatest assets of that nation.

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Hotel where Cynthia Osokogu was strangled to death.

How fraudsters target married women ••blackmail victims with recorded nude pictures

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HE gruesome killing of Cynthia Osokogu, the only daughter of Maj.-Gen. Frank Osokogu, (rtd) by two undergraduates on July 22, 2012, in Festac Town, Lagos State, has highlighted the frightening danger behind befriending strangers on the social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, e.t.c.

Investigations by Crime Alert into the web of criminality associated with social networks revealed startling cases worse than that of Cynthia Osokogu.

Such cases, unfortunately, involved mostly married women who out of adventure or deprivation, got engaged to male friends on the social network only to end up being photographed nude. Checks carried out in and around Lagos revealed that those that befriend the mature women are usually young men who capitalize on the naivety of their victims to lure them into hotels or exclusive guest houses where they would end up being drugged. After which photographs of their nude encounters would be recorded and used to fleece them off millions of naira.

Many of these victims, over time, have found it increasingly difficult to confront their blackmailers for fear of having C M Y K

their nude photos posted on the internet or having their clandestine activities exposed to their husbands. Those who braced up to the challenge by damning the adverse consequences to lodge a report to the police always insisted on holding it close to their chests.

They pay the police handsomely urging them not to reveal thier secret.s Police sources who took part during investigation of some of

,

BY IFEANYI OKOLIE

of these areas, the source who craved anonymity, stated.

It was discovered that most of these crimes are usually aided by some staff of the hotels where they are perpetuated. These hotels and guest houses are located in hidden corners of the estates or in some cases positioned at the end of street closes.

Normally, they are not easily identifiable as the owners deliberately or otherwise do not

Many of these victims, over time, have found it increasingly difficult to confront their blackmailers for fear of having their nude photos posted on the internet or having their clandestine activities exposed to their husbands

these cases told Crime Alert that some of the suspects arrested during investigations of these blackmail cases were young men who were formally into internet fraud commonly known as Yahoo Yahoo. They reportedly resorted into blackmailing and robbing innocent unsuspecting social media users since internet scams became difficult to reap from.

Sources also added that these cases are common within Festac Town, Satellite Town and Amuwo Odofin areas of Lagos State and they are perpetuated in hotels situated around obscured parts

,

place signboards for easy location, especially by their victims. A Commercial motorcyclists who also spoke under the guise of anonymity narrated scaring stories about the physical condition of their passengers after visiting such hidden resorts.

According to one of them who identified himself as Innocent: “The problem is that police detectives do not want to use us to crack all these criminal cases.

Any Okada man that tells you he does not know that such thing happens and where they

normally happen is a liar.

“Those of us that are permanently in Festac and Amuwo-Odofin axis know both the women that have fallen victims and perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Women that fall victims are mostly those that go for young and appealling handsome men, either for fun or out of desperation to cheat on their spouses.

“They always go about with very flashy cars and when you see them, you do not need to be told that they are in desperate need of fun. There is a very strategic eatery positioned at Apple junction. This is where most of them book appointments and at the end of their meeting and end up in one hotel or guest house.

“Their male counterparts are always smartly dressed and some usually come with cars to ferry their victims to the hotels or they take over the steering from those rich women while going for rendezvous. We that know their exploits always notice the outlook of their female victims after the show because they will not only be looking unstable.

“Those of them that we carry normally forgot their residential addresses because of the fact that they were not only drugged but dispossessed of their valuables and they are always

afraid of raising alarm because they called for it. Some even abandon their costly cars for days in such hotels until they recover from their stupor and go back to recover them.”

Police sources also hinted that they also carry out their nefarious activities by going through a potential victim’s profile and photos, making sure that she is suitable for them. Then they would engage them into any

•Lagos CP. Umar Mank

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-E-D

n in Lagos

ko

manner of conversation that would attract such woman to them. It could be business, romance or what have you. After a while, they would cunningly lure them to any of the resorts either at Festac Town, Satellite Town or Amuwo Odofin area, where they operate safely. Then they would drug their victims and strip them naked after which they would take shots of them in thier nude.

The sources said: “These blackmailers don’t usually go public with these photos, they contact their victims demanding huge sums of money with threats to make public the photos if their victims don’t cooperate.

Meanwhile, some of their victims pay huge sums of money to these blackmailers, but they usually don’t stop asking. We got some of these reports. They ask the victims to cooperate with them and also ask them to meet at a particular location, from where we arrested them. But one disturbing factor is the fact that we don’t have the right laws to prosecute some of these cases logically.”

It was gathered that one of the victims paid close to a million naira to her blackmailer before she reported the matter to the police recently. The victim who spoke with Crime Alert over the telephone said that she thought she was chatting with a normal

human being on facebook before they met, and he got her drugged. She said: “I thought he was a reasonable man when we started chatting on facebook. He was the one who aided me and was continually sending romantic messages to me. Each time I felt bored, I would call him to come online and we would chart for long hours.

“I stay in Port Harcourt with my family and on a day I had some business in Lagos, I called him to say I was coming and he was very glad. He begged I should stop at Mile 2 when I finished with what I came for. I was filled with anticipation over the meeting and I quickly rounded up my business and proceeded to see him. After we met, we went to a bar for drink. I don’t know how he did it, but after a few hours I started feeling very dizzy.

“He told me that he would get me into a hotel where I could get some rest and I agreed. That was all I could remember. I woke up the next day when the hotel officials knocked on my door only to discover I was completely naked. I don’t know how it happened. I managed to leave the hotel back to Port Harcourt and he started calling me. First, he said I should pay N200,000 into an account or he would post my nude photos on the internet.

I pleaded he shouldn’t do that and I ran quickly to the bank and paid the money. The extortion continued for almost one year and he took over N900,000 from me before I got the police involved and he was arrested.”

Crime Alert learnt that the recent arrest of some of the scammers, the police in Lagos have intensified efforts at rounding up perpetrators of this crime.

Owners of guest houses To this effect, the State Police boss, Mr. Umar Manko has directed that a meeting of all the hoteliers and owners of guest houses in such identifiable areas should urgently be convened, where he is expected to read the riot act to them on their code of conduct and the possible resultant action the police would take against any of them whose outfit was discovered to be the rendezvous for such criminal acts. The Police boss has also reportedly ordered a 24-hour surveillance and patrol of those areas suspected to be beehives for such act and has vowed to discipline any of his officers under whose jurisdiction such crimes are committed.

He said: “So far, undercover detectives have been deployed to all nooks and crannies of these areas especially Festac town, to fish out, not just potential victims but people who have fallen victims in the past, with a view to rounding up all those involved in the act.”

Love tango between teenagers ends in fiasco •Girl forced to take secret love oath

By RUTH CHUKWUEMEKA & DONALD AJI

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13-YEAR-old girl simply called Chika, residing in Lagos recently had a bitter peel of the resultant effect of love that went sour when her 18-year-old lover simply identified as Chukwudi, went wild and subjected her to untold torture after threatening to pour acid on her. In fact, she narrowly escaped being strangulated to death if not for the quick intervention of her mates who rushed to her rescue after hearing her cry for help. The teenager who is presently recuperating in a private hospital in Lagos told Crime Alert that she saw hell in the hands of her lover after she called off the relationship.

Her story: “The relationship started three years ago between us when we were residing at Jakande, Ajangbadi in Ojo Lagos State. We were neighbors and while I was living with my parents, he was staying with his elder sister. Chukwudi’s sister was in the dark about the relationship. The relationship grew stronger for some months because we had an agreement not to have sex because I was a virgin. All this changed one faithful day, when Chukwudi’s aunt and my parents went to work.

Calabash with love oath “Chukwudi knew I was alone in the house and invited me over to their apartment. When I got there, he had already set some items in preparation for something that looked strange to me. He had a calabash tied with black cloth, inside it was a blade, a kolanut and red palm oil. I asked him what the calabash was for and he said he wanted to be sure of our relationship. I got confused and asked him to explain better to me and he said he wanted us to take a love oath. He also said the oath was to make sure that anyone who cheats on the other would go mad before dying eventually.

“When I refused to partake in such an act, he brought out a knife and threatened to stab me with it if I did not comply. I got scared and succumbed to him. My weakness and naivety gave him more power as he grabbed my hand, cut my index thumb, licked it, cut his and forced me to lick it too. Chukwudi did not stop at that as he bullied me to undress, threatening that my refusal could lead to my death. I struggled with him but he succeeded in tying my hands and legs together with a rope. He forcefully had his way with me and threatened again to kill me if I ever told anybody about what had transpired

Chika between us. I did not tell a soul because I was scared of losing my life.

“He kept on having sex with me using the oath as an excuse till the bubble burst after my mother noticed signs of pregnancy in my physical appearance and behaviours. She asked me for the date of my last menstruation, after my response, she concluded that I was pregnant.

She went further to ask for the person responsible for the pregnancy and I truthfully told her it was Chukwudi. When he was confronted, he denied the paternity but warned us not to get rid of the pregnancy. He later beat me up which led to a miscarriage. Chukwudi got his own punishment as his sister sent him back to the village when she got wind of the shameful act.

“After that, all was well with me until Chukwudi returned to the city after spending two years in the village. He showed up in March this year in his sister’s house. He came to me and started threatening again with the oath, saying that if I failed to come back to him, he will kill me. I accepted it as my fate, so we continued with our sugar-coated but terrible romance until I got pregnant for him again. I told him about the pregnancy and his response was that we should have a secret wedding. I rejected this suggestion and he started making life hell for me, disturbing and threatening me. On August 19, 2012, at about 12 noon, I was in a choir practice in church when Chukwudi sent someone to call me. When I refused to heed his call, he came into the church and started constituting nuisance.”

Man docked for stealing N95,000 motorcycle BY: DONALD ARJI

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odwin Uwaezeke was Tuesday arraigned before the Ojo magistrate court for a one count charge of stealing. He reportedly stole a sport motorcycle belonging to one Chijoke where it was parked.

The 29-year-old suspect as gathered, had earlier been arrested and charged to court for similar offense. Owner of the motorbike, Chijoke

explained that immediately he reported to the police about his stolen motorbike, a friend of his called him on the phone to inform that he saw the missing motorbike with one of their friends Godwin. “ I never gave Godwin my motorbike. it still baffles me how he managed to remove it from where i parked it “, Chijioke told Crime Alert.

When Godwin’s charge was read to him by the persecutor, Supol Eze,he pleaded not

guilty and pleaded for mercy saying “i will no do it again,it is the work of the devil. This is my first time of being accused of stealing,i dont know what possessed me. If I am free, I promise that i will go and be pushing cart to irk a living.The magistrate Mrs J.O.E Akhanama who laughed over his plea cautioned him and also granted him bail of 50,000 and two sureties with 2 years tax payment.

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Obama, Romney arrive hurricane hit cities

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S president Barak Obama has arrived the hurricane hit Gulf Coast cities even as Presidential candidate Mitt Romney flew to Tampa to join fellow Republicans seeking to put their shortened convention back on track and prevent his message from being drowned out by the freak weather. Obama showed he was staying on top of the hurricane situation, warning Gulf Coast residents to make preparations, but he planned to go ahead with own campaign events in Iowa and Colorado later in the day.

Isaac has achieved hurricane status, shortly after US President Barack Obama warned of the likelihood of significant damage from flooding. The storm reached hurricane strength on Tuesday with maximum wind speeds of 120km as it bore down on the northern US Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

“Reports from an air force reserve hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that maximum winds associated with Isaac have increased to 120km/h,” the center said. “On this basis, Isaac is being upgraded to a hurricane.”

Obama noted that the hurricane was expected to make landfall later in the day, and said he had managed a wide-ranging

•Obama effort by federal and local governments to make preparations. Finally getting down to business after the storm threat upended the convention schedule, delegates will affirm Romney as the party’s nominee in an evening capped by primetime speeches by his wife,

•Romney Ann, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Romney, who had originally planned to stay out of the spotlight until Thursday night when he accepts his party ’s nomination, decided to make an early appearance in the host city on Tuesday.

France probes Arafat’s death

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French court has opened a murder inquiry into the 2004 death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, a legal source told Reuters on Tuesday, following claims by his wife that he may have been poisoned.

Arafat died in a Paris military hospital in November 2004, a month after being airlifted, when his health collapsed, from his battered headquarters in Ramallah, where he had been effectively confined

by Israel for more than two and a half years.

Last month, Arafat’s wife, Suha, asked a court in the western Paris

•Arafat suburb of Nanterre to launch a murder investigation following revelations that a Swiss institute had discovered high levels of the radioactive element polonium-210 on Arafat’s clothing.

Syria exodus threatens neighbours

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YRIA’S refugee exodus is accelerating and up to 200,000 people could settle in Turkey alone if

the conflict worsens, the United Nations warned yestersday, increasing pressure for creation of a buffer zone inside Syria.

Turkey has floated the

Iran denies plan to show nuclear sites

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RAN said yesterday it has no plans to show its nuclear sites to diplomats visiting Tehran for this week’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, despite an earlier offer by a deputy foreign minister.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh hinted on Monday that visiting NAM diplomats might be allowed to tour the Parchin military base, which the U.N. nuclear watchdog says may have been used for nuclearrelated explosives trials.

But Foreign Ministry

spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast appeared to pour cold water on the idea. “We have no specific plans for a visit to Iran’s nuclear installations by foreign guests participating in the summit of NAM member countries,” state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying. A Western diplomat had dismissed as a “bad publicity stunt” Akhoundzadeh’s tentative offer, made after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) again failed to gain access to Parchin for its inspectors at a meeting in Vienna on Friday.

idea of a “safe zone” to be set up for civilians under foreign protection as fighting has intensified in a 17-monthold uprising against President Bashar alAssad. Up to 5,000 refugees a day have been crossing into Turkey over the past two weeks while the pace of refugees arriving at a camp in northern Jordan has doubled, heralding what could be a much bigger movement there, the U.N. refugee agency said.

Although there is no sign divided world powers are ready to back a buffer and no-fly zone, as rebels and aid organizations would like, U.N. Security Council foreign ministers are expected to discuss the idea at a meeting on Thursday. While Turkey could in theory create a buffer zone itself, it has said it is reluctant to go it alone.

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Obtaining Nigeria e-passport

By VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU

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OSSESSION of a Nigeria passport is undoubtedly imperative for every Nigeria citizen, either in readiness for an intended travel outside the country or as proof to show that he/she is a bonafide citizen of Nigeria. For the fact that a passport gives an individual full identification, and being the only universal identification document which is globally accepted as proof of nationality, it becomes important for every Nigeria citizen to own one.

Aside the fact that the passport identifies you as a Nigeria nationality; it also gives you the full right to return to Nigeria from any part of the world. Note that Nigeria now offers only electronic passport for new passport applications and also that the electronic passport, known also as the epassport is classified as either Standard or Official e-passport, depending on intended use.

Applying for Nigeria e-passport: You can apply to get your e-passport either at the physical location of the Nigeria Immigration Services or by making submission through its online website, and if you are living in other countries, contact the nearest Nigeria embassy or consulate nearest you for guidelines on how to go about renewing or getting a new passport.

Nigeria standard e-passport guidelines: An applicant who wishes to obtain the Nigeria standard e-passport is expected to come for the e-passport interview with a Local Government letter of identification,

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birth certificate or age declaration and a recently taken color passport sized photographs, which must show applicants full face down to the neck without any discolouration.

The applicant is also expected to come along with a guarantor’s form, sworn to before a Commission of Oats/Magistrate/ High Court Judge, a parents’ letter of consent is required in the case of a minor, below the age of 16, and also, a marriage certificate where applicable.

Replacement of lost or stolen passport In a case where by the intention is for a replacement of lost or stolen passport, the applicant should come with a Police report, which is also the case if an Official passport applicant seeks to recover a stolen, damaged or lost passport.

Official passport: The official e-passport, which is primarily reserved for certain class of government officials and Nigeria diplomats is also obtainable through same processes as the Standard and seekers are to come for collection with a letter of identification issued from the appropriate State Government, Federal Government, Ministry/organization, a marriage certificate where applicable, a letter of appointment and a letter showing a new designation/promotion.

Both passport and application form, with supporting documents are to be submitted at the passport office for further processing.

Whether it is a Standard or Official passport

•Mrs. Rose Uzoma, Comptroller General, NIS

type, an application form, acknowledgement slip, payment receipt and two recent photographs are required and if it is done online, the applicant should print out a copy of the duly completed and signed application form to the application office for further processing.

The applicant should package together with application form, photocopy of the guarantor’s Data page of Nigeria Standard Passport, driving license or National Identity Card, before submission.

Receiving the new e-passport: With your e-passport, you are sure of acquiring a visa to visit any country of choice for various intended purposes; bearing in mind that visa will not be issued if you fail to meet the mandatory visa requirements as stipulated by the Consulate of desired Country of visit. Nationals are also advised to ensure the validity if their passports exceeds the period of stay they intend to spend in a foreign Country, since some Countries mandate that a passport must be valid for six months beyond date of entry.

To avoid any unwarranted

embarrassment, you should, prior to your journey, verify if your destination requires the six months rule to make sure your passport validity is in line with intended period of stay, and as you embark on the trip, make a photocopy of the identification page in your new passport and keep it separately from your passport while abroad.

Owing to the importance of your passport, it is advised that you leave the passport photocopy at home, Note that the passport must contain empty pages to accommodate your visa. If the pages in your passport are filled with either visas or entry and exit stamps, then you need to apply for a new passport, even if the passport has not expired.

Permission to land in Nigeria: A foreign national is permitted entry into Nigeria when he/she has been able to show that he is credible having met the entire basic mandatory prerequisites needed for visa issuance under due processes.

Just like every other embassy across the globe, all categories of Nigeria visas are made available to applicants who wish to travel to Nigeria for various intended reasons, and as in all cases, the pricing information concerning various visa fees, requirements and processing times vary, depending on the type you need.

Applicants can apply to get a Nigeria visa from Countries where they are domiciled or at any Nigeria mission nearest to countries of residence.

Basic visa requirements: Foreign nationals visiting Nigeria should get themselves equipped to meet the Consular officers with original Formal Invitation Letter, Copy of Applicant’s International Passport Data Page, online visa application form which should be attached with a recently taken specified passport photograph, showing clearly applicant’s face without any discolourations.

50— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

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— 51 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—

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52— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

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— 53 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012—

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54 —

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

ashola Federation Cup: NFF praises Go Govv F Fashola T

HE Nigeria Football Federation has applauded Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) for his “personal commitment and drive” which played no mean part in ensuring the success of this year ’s Federation Cup grand finale.

NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari said in Abuja on Tuesday that the football-loving Chief Executive of Lagos State has set new standards in genuine efforts at developing the beautiful game in Nigeria.

In a letter to Governor Fashola, who donated a giant trophy and was present at the Teslim Balogun Stadium venue of the third place and Final matches on Sunday, Maigari wrote: “This is to express our heartfelt appreciation to Your Excellency’s personal commitment and drive to see to the successful conclusion of the 67th Federation Cup competition, which Grand Finale you and your administration elaborately hosted at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere on Sunday, 26th August, 2012.

“The NFF commends Your Excellency for your donation of a new, giant, all-silver trophy for the Federation Cup, and for dignifying the occasion with your presence, coupled with a number of other steps that will surely bring back the glory and glamour of the oldest football championship in our country.”

A

FRICA’S greatest manager confirms for Soccerex Seminar Lagos Soccerex is delighted to announce that the most distinguished coach in African football history, Claude Le Roy, will be attending the Soccerex Seminar Lagos,27-28 September. Le Roy will take part in an exclusive one-to-one session discussing his past coaching roles and what the future holds for African football.

Le Roy has a vast amount of experience in African football having coached Cameroon on two separate occasions, Senegal, Ghana and DR Congo. Whilst managing Cameroon he achieved his greatest success by guiding ‘The Indomitable Lions’ to runners-up in the 1986 African Cup of Nations before winning the tournament in 1988.

He took over Ghana in 2006 and led the ‘Black Stars’ to 14th in the FIFA World Rankings, their highest ever position.

Away from African football

CONTEST ••• Yerna Ikpeen of Lobi Stars FC of Markudi contesting the ball with Emeka Ogbugh of Heartland FC of Owerri in the 2012 Fedration Cup final at Teslim Balogun Statium, Lagos. Heartland beat Lobi Stars of Markudi 2-1. Photo by Sylva Eleanya.

T

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We’re ready for Akpabio Cup — LOC

of the League Sponsorship dispute to be resolved O6RGANISERS edition of Akpabio Cup has declared that soon — Baribote all logistics are ready to th

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HAIRMAN of Ni geria Premier League (NPL) Board,

Thompson Onibokun is dead HOMPSON Oni bokun, one of the great names in Nigerian sports passed on yesterday in Oyo town. He was 76. Onibokun was one of the finest tennis players to have come out of West Africa in the 60s, up to the 70s. He was Nigeria’s Davis Cup non playing captain During Nigeria’s best times in the competition when they narrowly missed the World Cup after losing to the Netherlands with Oosting Meno playing his best tennis to stop Nigeria who missed the services of Nduka Odi-

Soccerex brings LeR oy tto o LeRo Lagos

zor in the encounter in Benin City.

“The great man is gone. Thompson Aderemi Onibokun. May he rest in peace,” was the terse message to our Group Sports Editor Onochie Anibeze at 8.15 pm yesterday. The message was sent from Thompson Onibokun’s phone. A call to it was picked by his first daughter, Seun who confirmed that the great tennis player and sports administrator of repute died yesterday morning.

May his soul rest in peace.

Chief Victor Rumson Baribote has revealed that the end to the protracted league title sponsorship dispute is in sight.

Baribote who dropped the hint in Lagos recently at a dinner organized

in his honour by Arena Signage Limited and Youdees Integrated Services Limited, attributed the resolution of the crisis to the intervention of the Honourable Minister for Sports and Chairman of the National Sports

Commission (NSC), Mallam, Bolaji Abdulahi.

He disclosed that the Minister has succeeded in bringing the companies locked in the dispute over the title rights to a round table for amicable settlement.

Prime’s vict or wcases ssttandard victor oryy sho show of National League — Inyama

BY JACOB AJOM

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HAIRMAN of the National League, Chief Emeka Inyama has saluted Prime Football Club of Ogbomosho for clinching the third place match of the 2012 Federation Cup, saying that the club gave a very good account of Nigeria’s second tier league.

Speaking in a chat with Sports Vanguard, Monday, Inyama said, “the

victory of Prime Football Club over Kano Pillars who are contenders for the Premier League title is a testimony to the standard of the National League. It is a league that has witnessed some positive changes; one of which was that when we came on board, we insisted on the standard of play, standard of the plying facilities and management of the league and it is beginning to pay off.”

Inyama said there were many more clubs in the division that could have achieved Prime’s feat, saying that the National League was destined for better days.

“What we are doing now is to attract corporate patronage and it is certain that they will come.

Happily, we have been able to stabilise the league and very soon, they will be convinced by our level of seriousness,”

host teams for the event.

According to Uko Akpabio, chairman of the Local oOganizing Committee, the September 15 kickoff date remains and advised teams and clubs that had entered for the championship not to take their preparation for granted.

He boasted that the logistics on ground will be able to host any football event and thanked Governor Godswill Akpabio for sustaining the event which has come to stay.

He also expressed gratitude to Her excellency, wife of the governor Mrs ekaette Unoma Akpabio for her support since the inception of the tournament, especially for gracing last years final.

He also thanked His Excellency Obong Nsima Ekere the State Deputy Governor, who took the kick off of the 5th edition.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012 — 55

We all failed...no blame game — Chukwumerije

BY JACOB AJOM

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FAILED BID ••• Chukwumerije (r) in action for Nigeria.

Why we travelled by road —— Heartland

F

EDERATION Cup Champions, Heart-

land FC arrived to a massive welcome in

Athletes deserve commendation, not condemnation Continues from B/P President of AFN, Chief Solomon Ogba who reviewed events of the London Olympics said that they were happy with the performance of Nigerian athletes despite not winning a medal. ‘’We are happy with the performance of our athletes. And as for us, we met the targets we set before the Olympics.

It was amazing that we qualified in 10 semi-finals and five finals of the Olympics. Not only that. For the first time in our participation in the Olympics, we have an athlete run 10.93secs, 10.92 and 11.01 secs in the Women 100 metres.

We have never attained that feat in the Olympics. We also improved on the High Jump At the Beijing Olympics, Doreen Amata did 1.89 but surpassed that in London, jumping 1.90 These are statics that we did well and if you recall, I promised that we would qualify to semi finals and that from there anything can happen. Therefore, there is no reason absolutely to blame the athletes. They did well but we as a Nation did not provide all that we needed to provide for the athletes. It goes beyond the $3,000 that we

gave’’.

Ogba who is also the second Vice President of Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, also absolved the National Sports Commission from blame. ‘’NSC did not get financial support from Government early because of the fact that budget was not approved early. The NSC got money in May and serious countries by that time had concluded preparations for the Olympics. As a country, we need to fund sports better to get the desired results that all Nigerians yearn for.

“While we are still crying over our poor outing in London, the Great Britain has announced a budget of 500 million pounds for the Olympics in Rio de Janerio in 2016. That is a budget of N131 billion compared to about N2.3 billion for Nigeria. Sports has gone scientific and we need proper funding to move up to the level that is expected of us”, Ogba who as Sports Commissioner in Delta State made the state the number one in sports said.

He pleaded with Nigerians to protect Nigerian athletes by commending them instead of condemning them. ‘’Comparatively, they did well’’, he emphasized.

Owerri after their triumph over Lobi at the Federation Cup match played in Lagos on Sunday. They beat Lobi 2-1 to retain the trophy.

The team travelled to the Imo State capital by road attracting the ire of many who said they deserved to fly first class to savour the success of their victory as it is often done by other clubs.

But General Manager

Fan Ndubuoke said that their decision to travel by road was deliberate. ‘’Yes, we travelled by road but it was deliberate and not due to lack of care or lack of funds’’, Ndubuoke maintained. ‘’We wanted to show off our prized tropy to Nigerians and the best way to enjoy that is to travel by road and not 40 minutes flight to Owerri’’, Ndubuoke said.

APTAIN of Team Ni geria to the London 2012 Olympics, Chika Chukwumerije has asked Nigerians to collectively absorb the pains resulting from the failure of the country’s athletes at the games and begin to work immediately ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Speaking in Lagos Tuesday, a sober Chukwumerije who competed at the games but failed to pick a medal in the Taekwondo event (+84kg class), said, “the pain of the 2012 London Olympics is still fresh on our minds. Personally, I am deeply hurt by the result and so are the over 150 million Nigerians. There are no excuses to be given; no blame game and no escape from the trauma of that pain. The pain is real and as we come to terms with that failure, we must share the collective pain.”

Chukwumerije said Nigerians should learn to stop apportioning blames each time “the country’s athletes fail in international competitions. He was philosophical.

“For me I understand these things even better.

We must come together and share the blame; just

Mikel seeks to repeat Babayaro feat

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IKEL Obi said he hopes to emulate compatriot Celestine Babayaro by helping Chelsea win the UEFA Super Cup on Friday.

In 1998, Chelsea parading Nigeria international defender Babayaro beat Real Madrid 1-0 to win their first-ever Super Cup. And Mikel has now told MTNFootball.com that he hopes he could repeat

•Mikel

that feat as ‘The Blues’ battle another Spanish club Atletico Madrid for the prestigious trophy.

Mikel was part of history last season as Chelsea won their firstever UEFA Champions League trophy and he has now said he wishes to add to that piece of silverware inside the Stade Louis II in Monaco.

“The game will be interesting and tough.

Atletico Madrid are Europa League champions, that says a lot about them.

They won this same trophy last season and will want to retain it,” Mikel said.

as we shared the joy of the 2 gold medals Team Nigeria won at the Atlanta Olympics... shared the joy when Blessing Okagbare jumped to a bronze medal at the Beijing Olym-pics...shared the joy when news filtered in that the silver medal won by the late Sunday Badaled 4x400m Relay team at the Sydney Olympics had been upgraded to gold; same for now- though it is unpalatable to digest we must come together and share the pains of Nigeria’s failure at the London Olympics. I believe joy and sorrow depict the two sides of a coin.”

The Team Nigeria captain said he felt he had the best preparation before the London Games.

“For four years I trained hard and had one of the best coaches in the sport,” he said, insisting that he was not under any pressure to win a medal. “Any athlete who trained hard, and was physically and psychologically fit, like I felt I was, had no reason to panic before his event.

I worked hard, followed a programme that saw me win a bronze at Beijing, I won a silver at the All Africa Games and the same programme I followed to qualify for the London Olympics, I travelled to Asia and Europe. I was fit.

I could see the gold; I smelt it. Everything was done for me to earn a medal but I failed. I am disheartened that my result fell short of what millions of Nigerians expected. It was sheer luck. That is sports.”

Falconets plot Me xico’s ffall all Mexico’s Continues from B/P

of losing at this level of the tournament as only the best teams were still competing. “That is why we are taking every match serious. Against Mexico, we hope to beat them and progress to the semis,” although he noted that he was not underrating any team.

“We will play the games as they come and the girls are working really hard though they are not yet there. What we need do is to continue to motivate them and give them the necessary confidence.”

He commended their performance against It-

aly and said they must not rest on their oars.

“It is not yet over until it is over,” he quipped.

The coach observed that his girls had improved from the last squad that went to Germany.

“Nothing has changed between 2010 and 2012, except that all the girls who were already there have worked hard and improved,” said Nigeria coach Okon Edwin.

“We always come to the World Cup to win it. We were close in 2010. We still aim for the final, and this time, we just hope that the result will be different.”

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

We all failed...no blame game — Chukwumerije P.55

Falconets plot Mexico’s fall OLYMPICS:

...As Okon eyes trophy

Athletes deserve commendation, not condemnation — Ogba

BY KATE OBODO, Tokyo

A

S the Falconets con front Mexico in their quarter final clash of the ongoing FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Tokyo today, Coach Edwin Okon has sworn to see his wards through to the next stage of the competition.

On tomorrow’s all important match against Mexico, the Nigerian sweat merchant said he was sure of victory. “I foresee the Falconets winning convincingly, with a wide goal margin.

We are very much prepared for the task ahead as we know that the higher we go the tougher it becomes,” the coach said in a chat with Sports Vanguard in Tokyo.

Coach Okon said he was aware of the danger CContinues on page 55

•Ogba

BY TONY UBANI

A CONTEST.....Martina Rosucci (L) of Italy and Ngozi Okobi of Nigeria battle for the ball during the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on August 26 in Kobe.

Nigeria won 4-0.

Thompson Onibokun is dead — Pg 54 YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 2 Devil (5) 7 Tendon (5) 8 Pass on (5) 10 Bet (3) 12 Entrap (3) 13 Inlet (5) 15 Rule (7) 17 Dislike (6) 19 Of us (3) 20 Unbiased (7) 23 Cradle (4) 25 Final (4) 26 Cautious (7) 30 Because (3) 31 Flavour (6) 34 Fine (7) 38 Lubricate (3) 39 Hue (5) 40 Viper (5) 41 Beneath (5) 42 Avarice (5)

S Nigerians come to terms with the no medal placement of Team Nigeria at the London 2012 Olympics, Athletics Federation of Nigeria, has given thumbs up for its Track and Field athletes who surpassed their personal bests at the Olympics.

CContinues on page 55

DOWN 1 Head-dress (5) 2 Drain (5) 3 Arouse (6) 4 Mimicked (4) 5 Mid (7) 6 Ragged (5) 9 Meadow (3) 11 Turbulent (7) 13 Verify (5) 14 Moral (5) 16 Dog (3) 18 Fault (7) 21 Lariat (5) 22 Prick (5) 24 Confused (7) 27 Fish eggs (3) 28 Alliance (6) 29 Sullen (5) 32 Correct (5) 33 Attack (5) 35 Free (3) 36 Row (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS CROSS: 2, Table 7, Stow 8, Recipe 9, Older 11, Pew 13, Bus 15, Away 16, Pet 18, Mete 19, Married 20, Lied 22, Tout 23, Runaway 25, Used 27, Nil 28, Wife 30, Rod 31, Nor 33, Befit 36, Snooze 37, Only 38, Gripsy.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 1, Strew 2, Two 3, Bud 4, Err 5, Act 6, Spout 10, Ewer 11, Palour 12, Wavered 13, Bedounin 14, Setter 16, Pagan 17, Trial 18, Met 21, Dud 24, Wide 26, Sound 29, Folly 32, Woo 32, Beg 34, Fog 35, Toy.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

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

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

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

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