2015 ll be tough,says Jonathan by Vanguard Media Limited

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VOL. 25: NO. 62307

MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Okowa picks Otuaro as running mate 45

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2015'll be tough, says Jonathan

By Ben Agande & Tina Akannam

•Charges Nigerians to pray against politicians setting Nigeria ablaze •President, Buhari should sign peace accord — Lamido •We'll work hard to make polls violence-free — APC

BUJA — IN clear terms, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, previewed 2015 politically and economically and returned a grim verdict: It may be a turbulent year and there is need for Nigerians to pray. Speaking at the Christ Apostolic Church, Area I, Durumi, Abuja where he joined other worshippers for the last Sunday service of the year, President Jonathan specifically enjoined

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COLUMNISTS:

T/BILLS: Who will stop this looting spree? •P.44

Mr & Mrs

CALABAR CARNIVAL: Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State dancing with Nigeria's dance hall super stars, Psquare and Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, at the 10th edition of the Calabar carnival in Calabar, Cross River State. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke. •See more photos on pages 14 &15.

INEC shuns NSPMC, prints 75m presidential ballot papers in Europe

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POCKET CARTOON

BLAST VICTIMS: Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Sidi (left), and FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, during their visit to victims of last week's bomb blast at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

2015'll be tough, says Jonathan Continues from Page 1 religious leaders to pray to God to guide him and other politicians in the country aright so that they will not set the country ablaze through their utterances. On the drop in the price of crude oil, Nigeria's main foreign revenue earner, Jonathan admitted that the trend will "affect us in one way or the other" but promised that "the economic team is working very hard to stabilise it and we believe that although there may be t e m p o r a r y inconveniences, it will definitely not bring the economy down." The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate reiterated that the ambition of anybody in the country was not worth the blood of any Nigerian. The president spoke on a day Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State urged him and MajorGeneral Muhammadu

Buhari (retd), the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential standard bearer, to sign a peace accord for the forthcoming general elections.

A tempting year According to the president, for every office in the country, there are a thousand and one Nigerians who are qualified to occupy such office, so no politician should think that he is the only qualified person for the office. His words: "Next year is a tempting year for us. Election year in Third World countries is always a turbulent year with all kinds of predictions. I, however, believe that God who brought us to this level will see us through. "All that I will request of you is to continue to pray for us politicians, myself and other politicians from all political parties, for God to guide us in our

TAKE HEART BY ELLA RANDLE

Perhaps it’s good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to have a beautiful heart —Nobel laureate John Nash.

AHIL Gibran had rightly said: “Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.” Selflessness is one virtue that absolves man of selfishness, conquers pride and guards one against meanness and jealousy. A selfless person is someone who volunteers his service without any selfish motive or without being expected to be served in return. Beautiful hearts don’t just happen. Nash calls it a gift, but it’s a gift in the way that faith or hope or love are gifts. And I’m convinced we have each been endowed with a beautiful heart says, prolific writer Steve Goodier, we may not always see it. We may not even believe it. But it’s a gift that is inborn and, every time we act selflessly, it grows a little. C M Y K

utterances and what we do so that we will not sacrifice the lives of Nigerians because of our ambitions. "Nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. Pray to God to give us that wisdom and mind to make sure we conduct ourselves in a way that will not set the country ablaze because of our personal ambitions. "There are so many good Nigerians that can hold the offices we are occupying or aspiring to occupy, it is by privilege of God that we are here in positions to ask for the mandates of Nigerians. "None of us should begin to think that he is the best person to be anywhere from state houses of assembly to the Presidency. There are a thousand and one Nigerians that are super qualified more than those people who are even aspiring to occupy offices. "Pray for us that God should give us the wisdom to conduct ourselves in a manner that at the end of the day, this country will triumph."

Essence of leadership Emphasising that the essence of leadership is to serve the country and its people, Jonathan said any person seeking to lead would not encourage the killing of people he seeks to lead or the destruction of their property. He said: "The development of Nigeria is what all of us want. If every aspirant has the mind to develop the people, then you do not need to kill or maim

people to get there. You do not need to kill the people you want to develop in order to get to the office you want except if you are aspiring for that office for a different reason. "If the idea is to help the people, grow the economy and make the people happy, you won't want to kill, you won't want to maim or burn down houses, vehicles and property."

Nigeria's challenges Acknowledging that the country is under going a lot of challenges, the president hoped that the country would overcome the challenges. "We are facing a lot of challenges now as a nation. The challenges did not start today but somehow, instead of abating, the problems started increasing for one reason or the other. But I am convinced that it would have been worse than this but for your prayers. With the prayers you continue to offer to God, God will see us through," he said. Jonathan also acknowledged that Nigeria, as a nation, had not reached where it ought to be, saying his administration had put in place policy measures that will begin to bear fruits in the next four or five years and change the face of the country. He said: "Those who are taking pains to look at what we are doing will agree with us that if we progress as a nation steadily in this manner, in the next four or five years, this country will be a better place. "Only a few days back, the Vice President was in Port Harcourt to flag off the Eastern railway. The Western one moving from Lagos to Kano has been

running. We will start using the modern one from Kaduna to Abuja by the first quarter of next year and the one from Port Harcourt. "We relied on agriculture before the oil boom or doom and all that died. We are reviving it and the whole world has appreciated that we are moving forward in agriculture. When they start something, people do not see the benefits immediately. We know that as a nation, we have a lot of challenges in terms of getting jobs for our young graduates and we have set up a lot of programmes that can create job opportunities for our young men. The result may not be obvious immediately but God willing, job opportunities will continue to increase and many more young people will be engaged."

We'll work hard to make polls violence-free — APC However, the APC has assured Nigerians and the international community that it will do all in its power to make sure that the 2015 general elections are violence-free, saying the rising apprehension about the polls among the populace is inimical to the conduct of a successful election. In a statement issued in Lagos, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said its efforts should be complemented by the PDP-led Federal Government, which has a propensity for using the security agencies to harass and intimidate the opposition and ordinary citizens. It also said the Federal Government should take necessary measures to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible, since rigging and other acts of electoral malfeasance constitute the immediate trigger for anger and violence during and after elections. It said: ''We have heard

from Nigerians who are so afraid about possible violence during the forthcoming elections that they are even willing to relocate to other countries until after the elections. But, as the biggest opposition party in Nigeria and a major stakeholder in our nation's democracy, we are assuring, on our part, that there will be no violence. ''Though our party has no history of violence, we have commenced a nationwide effort to sensitise our members and supporters to the need to eschew rancour and embrace non-violent methods, even in the face of the kind of provocations to which we were subjected during the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, when our members were needlessly harassed, arrested and detained by partisan security agencies acting under orders from the Federal Government. ''If the Federal Government allows a level playing field for all contestants, if the security agencies stop acting as the armed wing of the ruling PDP, if the electoral umpire will carry out its duties without fear, favour or bias and if citizens are allowed to exercise their franchise unmolested, the stage will be set for a non-violent, free, fair and credible polls. In other words, the government has a major role to play in making the forthcoming polls peaceful. ''On our part, in addition to other efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful election, we pledge to accept the result of an election that is not only free, fair, credible and transparent, but one that is also seen to be so. We hope other parties will make a similar pledge.'' The party said it demonstrated, during its recent rancour-free and festive national convention in Lagos, that elections should be a celebration of democracy, rather than a moment of fear, violence and threat to Continues on Page 45

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XMAS CELEBRATION: Man, 45 batters son to death in Ebonyi By Peter Okutu

BAKALIKI—A 45-yearold man, Mr. Nwofu Igbo of Nwofe community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, weekend confessed to killing his 16-year-old son (name withheld) who returned from Lagos State to celebrate Christmas with members of the family. Vanguard learned that Nwofu killed his son over a squabble between him and the deceased mother earlier before she was chased away by his father (Nwofu) over an undisclosed reason. It was also gathered that Nwofu had since married another wife,

Violence in Ijoko: Police invite two monarchs, arrest 9 suspected arsonists

who bore him five children and took possession of all that belonged to the dead woman. An eyewitness, who said the deceased mother was chased away from her matrimonial home 16 years ago, noted that the deceased decided to return to his paternal home to enable him make peace and reconcile with his father without knowing that such venture would lead to his untimely death. It was gathered that by the time the deceased returned and greeted his father (Nwofu) and requested an apartment where he could drop his luggages, Nwofu

refused to welcome him, so he decided to drop his luggages with one of his friends where he equally passed the night. Investigation revealed that the deceased went back the following day to apologise and possibly reconcile with the father, but Nwofu grudgingly showed him one of the rooms, where the deceased entered and as he was undressing, he was hacked to death. It was learned that the teen was busy undressing, his father sneaked into the room with a big iron and hit him on the head and dragged his remains to the nearby road, where he abandoned the

coprse. It was further learned that Nwofu after committing the dastardly act, denied knowing what happened to his son when the villagers besieged his house, but it took the intervention of one of his kids from the second wife, who testified against him before the villagers and the police, that he saw his father when he hit the deceased with an iron on his head and dumped his remains at a nearby road. When contacted, the state police Public Relations officer, Chris Anyanwu, who confirmed the incident, said the case was being investigated by the police.

Four in police net for stealing phones worth N1.5m in Lagos

By Daud Olatunji

BEOKUTA—THE Ogun State Police Command has arrested nine suspected arsonists and summoned two traditional rulers in Ijoko/Ota, Ado-Odo/ Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State over the violence which led to the destruction of a palace and some houses. The monarchs, who were invited include Oba Lasisi Ogunseye and Oba Fatai Matanmi who are Onijoko of Ijoko/Ota representing Egbaland in the area. It will be recalled that some suspected hoodlums had been on rampage in Ijoko Otta area of the state In connection with the lingering Onijoko Obaship crises and set ablaze some houses while several people were injured. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi in a statement, said that nine persons were arrested with arms and ammunition after allegedly setting ablaze the palace of Onijoko of Ijoko Otta , Oba Ogunseye . According to Adejobi, “Following the recent crises that rocked Ijoko Otta town in Ado Odo Otta council of Ogun State, the Ogun State Police command embarked on proper investigation by going after the perpetrators of the crises that lasted for days and arrested nine suspects with arms and ammunition."

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.The suspects

By Esther Onyegbula

AGOS—THE police in Lagos have arrested four members of a 10-man robbery gang, which specialised in burgling and looting shop within Alaba International Market and its environ. The suspects identified as Azuka, aged 27; Onyenge e, 35; Arinze, 22; and Afolabi, 21 were arrested while the leader one Friday and five others are currently at large. It was learned that two members of the gang, Arinze and Afolabi were apprehended at the scene of the operation on November, 20, at Alaba International Market, Ojo in Lagos, while two others were arrested during the course of investigation. Vanguard gathered that but for the timely intervention of operatives of Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, at the scene, the 10man robbery gang led by one Friday, would have unleashed terror on the traders. The fleeing members of the gang were said to have made away with about 70 smart phones and

ipads worth N1.5 million using locally made pistols. Vanguard gathered that investigation is on-going to apprehend the other members of the gang as well as their receivers.

Suspects account

Confessing to burgling and looting shops, the four suspects however denied using weapons during the operations. Azuka said “We were 10 that went to Alaba International market to see the Chairman of Alaba international Market in Ojo (names withheld). We heard he was coming to the market, so we decided to pay his a courtesy visit because each time he comes around; he gives us money which we share among ourselves. After waiting several hours and the chairman didn’t show up, Friday, our leader decided that we burgle shops and loot their wares. All we did was to threaten the traders to enable us loot their shops, we weren’t armed. “Everything was the idea of our leader, Friday. He is a very

popular person in the area. When we got there, we broke the showglass used to display phones in one of the shops while the operation was still on, two of our members were caught. “I don’t have a job. What I do to earn a living is to direct prospective customers to traders shop; after buying, the traders pay me stipends as commission.” The second suspect, who identified himself as Onyenge, said “I am a footballer in Okoko. I was arrested because I was among the guys that looted a phone dealer's shop in Alaba International Market. ''Usually we go to such phone dealers who specialise in selling stolen phones to settle us. We attacked the phone dealers when they refused to settle us. But we only took 10 phones, while we were still carrying out the operations, we saw operatives Special Anti Robbery Squad, so I escaped with the seven others while they succeeded in apprehending two. I was traced and arrested through the first two guys that were nabbed.”

Death penalty'll end cult killings in Edo, APC youths tell Assembly By Simon Ebegbulem

ENIN CITY— FOLLOWING the recent cult wars, which led to the death of eight persons in different parts of Edo State, All Progressives Congress, APC, youths in the state, yesterday, urged the state House of Assembly to pass laws prescribing death penalty for cultists. It will be recalled that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, had disclosed that over 10 persons have been arrested in the recent cult killings in the state. An APC Youth Leader, Mr Tony Adun, who spoke in Benin City on the prevalent cult related killings in the state, described the trend as wicked and worrisome, adding that unless similar law passed on kidnapping, which is death sentence was passed, innocent youths will continue to meet their untimely death. “We are tired of people being killed every day in Benin City as a result of stupid cult wars. It is evil in the sight of God and man and such ungodly attitude must be checked else people will continue to be killed every day. The other day, an O’dua People Congress, OPC leader was shot dead after attending a meeting of his community in Uwelu. A bus conductor was killed at New Benin last week. “This is madness. These people are our youths and their lives cannot continue to be cut short by wicked people. We know that the Edo State Police Commissioner is doing his best to stop them but we need the state House of Assembly to pass laws like they did in the case of kidnapping so that anybody caught killing in the name of cultism will face death penalty. The house they operates from should also be destroyed. “As it is now, this is the only language these people understand. It will check their excesses so that we will have peace. It has worked in the case of kidnapping and we believe that it will work if it is also applied to cultists,” he stated.

8— Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North, & Joseph Erunke

B U J A — T H E Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has shunned entreaties by influential politicians to print its ballots papers for next year ’s elections with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, NSMC, an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Rather than give the mouth watering printing job to the company, INEC has farmed out the job to a Spanish firm, which is expected to deliver the materials to the commission early in the new year. Vanguard gathered that the printing job, which was awarded late this year and benchmarked in Euro, had already reached an advanced stage and that the commission was monitoring the progress of work being done through regular visits and contacts. A competent source confirmed to Vanguard that the commission opted to print the presidential ballot papers abroad to save time and avoid any disappointment by Nigerian printers, which are said to be unable to deliver such quantity and quality materials within the time specified by the agency. It was however learnt from the commission that the ballot papers for the other elections had been awarded by the commission to several Nigerian printers spread along the North/ South divide to avoid accusation of favouritism against the commission. Under the arrangement, northern contractors have been awarded the printing of ballot papers meant for elections in the Southern parts while Southern contractors have taken up the job of printing the papers meant

INEC shuns NSPMC, prints 75m presidential ballot papers in Europe for elections in the other part of the country. “The overall intention of what the commission has done is to ensure that the ballot papers are not compromised,” a top INEC official, who pleaded anonymity, told Vanguard yesterday. “The commission opted to print the presidential ballot papers abroad because of a number of factors. The NSMC which is seen as an agency of the Presidency could not be used to print the papers to avoid a situation where Nigerians

would begin to accuse INEC of working with the Presidency to rig the election. “Apart from the issue of time constraint, we did not want to play into the hands of politicians by giving the printing jobs to anyone they could accuse of anything and tarnish the reputation of the commission,” the official explained. It will be recalled that the Presidency had earlier in the year intervened and asked INEC to consider working in partnership with the NSMC in the printing of its electoral materials.

As a result of the intervention, top INEC officials, who had concluded arrangements to visit four countries with a view to choosing first class printing facilities for their ballot papers, had to put the trips on hold. But many Nigerians viewed the Presidential effort as an unnecessary incursion into the independence of the commission, a development that might have emboldened it to distance itself for the NSMC and print the presidential ballot papers in Spain.

RECEPTION: President Goodluck Jonathan receiving Vice President Namadi Sambo while the Minister of State FCT, Mrs Olajumoke Akinjide watched when the FCT residents paid Christmas homage to the President at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida.

But the top official of the commission denied that the Presidency asked it to print the papers with the minting company. The official explained that the Presidency only admonished it to upscale its operations so as to ensure a hitch-free election. Redeployment of REC’s, normal operational procedure — INEC Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said yesterday, that its redeployment of 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, last week was not out of place, but a normal operational procedure. The commission denied reports that the redeployment was carried out because some of its RECs have compromised with their host governors, insisting that its action had nothing to do with the alleged compromise of the RECs. Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, spoke while responding to Vanguard’s questions on the telephone on why the commission took the action, at a time the 2015 general elections were close. He said: “There is nothing abnormal about the redeployment, what INEC, as a commission did was a simple operational procedure.”

‘Why democratic leaders like Obasanjo want change with APC in 2015' By Levinus Nwabughiogu

BUJA—DEPUTY National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in charge of northern affairs, Senator Lawal Shuaibu on Sunday declared that the only reason why most ex and present Nigerian leaders want APC in power next year was to salvage the country from the brink of collapse. Boasting that APC represented the anticipated change Nigerians earnestly desired, Shuaibu also maintained that the idea had fascinated the likes of exPresident Olusegun Obasanjo who he said had shown sympathy for the party. He stated that the party had found favour before Obasanjo even as he also reiterated that some other past Heads of State C M Y K

and most members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had subtly decided to support APC in 2015. He said: “We don’t have any connection with Obasanjo other than the fact that Obasanjo sympathises with anybody that could effect change in this country. He is not a member of our party mind you, he is still a PDP man but for the fact that he is a former democratic President in this country people listen to him. “More often than not, some people go to seek his advise both from PDP, APC and other parties. But he is interested in the type of change we are driving on, so he is to certain extent sympathetic to APC.”

According to him, there were Nigerians who were caught up in PDP’s web in the past years but have come to join hands with APC. Having dissected the problems facing the country in their manifesto, Shuaibu said that APC would strive hard to fix them when voted into power. “It is not everybody in PDP that came to join APC. Whatever has happened in PDP is because of its own system. ''Those that left the PDP probably find themselves in the midst of strange bird fellows and what was happening in PDP came to affect them and they have seen the attraction in APC and they have come to join the wagon for change. “I assure you in APC we

are going to adhere strictly with the provision of our constitution and in line with what our manifestos stipulate which is the principle of supremacy of the party. The party is supreme, the party dictates

what happens not the governors, not the president because the governors are for the party and the party has programs, policies and guidelines and everybody who is a product of the party must abide by that”, he said.

President Jonathan for private visit to UK By Ben Agande

BUJA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Ebele Jonathan left Abuja Sunday afternoon for a brief private visit to the United Kingdom. A statement by the special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati said the President was

accompanied on the trip by some of his principal staff and personal aides. The presidential Aide said he is expected back in Abuja today “ahead of official engagements at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday including scheduled audience with groups from Delta and Lagos States”.

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Three yrs after, Reps pass 101 bills, 120 resolutions, reject 23 bills By Emman Ovuakporie

BUJA—THREE and half years after the present House of Representatives was inaugurated, it has passed a total of 101 bills, 120 resolutions while 23 bills were rejected As at December 18, when the House of Representatives went on its Christmas break, a total of 244 legislative outputs came out during plenary sessions that spanned a period of 42 months. Vanguard probe into the matter further revealed that the lawmakers treated an average of two bills per month. However when compared to the 6th House (2007-2011), which introduced 481 bills and passed 187, the present House, introduced 668 bills as at December 2014, less than six months to the end of the 7th Assembly. The 6th Assembly passed 187 bills as at the end of its tenure and from all indications considering the high level of politics in the House in the last three months it will be almost impossible to equal the achievement of the 6th Assembly, a source confided in Vanguard. He said a vital bill like the Petroleum Industry Bill, otherwise known as PIB may die towards the end of this assembly the way it died in the last week of the 6th assembly. He explained further that “in all sincerity this House had a well orchestrated sense of

VISIT: From left; Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo; Emir of Kaura Namoda, Alhaji Muhammad Ahmad Asha; Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero and Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Muhammad Gusau, during Sambo's courtesy call at the emir palace in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State.

direction initially when we started but today no one can really tell where we are heading to now”. “The only assurance I can give now is that if God prevails, the PIB may sail through like the National Health bill which Mr President has finally endorsed”.

“We may abandon more bills than the 6th assembly if care is not taken but this is not the time to apportion blames”. “As you can see for yourself, the National Assembly is empty and will remain empty till the last week of March of 2015”. “By then the politics of who emerges as the new speaker will

keep us so busy to the detriment of legislative business”. “As envisaged, this House may bequeathe more bills to the incoming House making their work heavier if they choose to treat such bills”. “From the result of the primaries more than 260 lawmakers may not return, so

what happened in 2011 is fast becoming a reality in the 8th Assembly”. “This trend of changing lawmakers like wrappers may not help build our legislative experience as those coming will need to build their capacity to enable them perform optimally”.

Count me out of Mimiko’s S'West PDP meeting — JIMOH IBRAHIM

chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, has denied attending a meeting of the South West PDP with Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State. Dr. Ibrahim said at the weekend that he was not at the said meeting and it was wrong for anybody to have associated him with such, adding that at the time of the meeting, he was in Abuja and was not at any time part of such meeting. He said, ''My attention has been drawn to the meeting held by Mimiko with South West PDP where it was alleged that I attended the meeting. I want to make it clear that I was not at that meeting and it is wrong to use my name as one of the attendees. As at the time the purported meeting was held, I was in Abuja.’ ‘I do not believe in the capacity and capability of Mimiko to deliver South West to President Jonathan in the 2015 elections. For instance, a leader that could not put his house in order, that C M Y K

cannot pay salary of civil servants, has no political stock in trade to deliver South West for the President. He noted; ''Mimiko lacked the political legitimacy, particularly the moral acceptance at this time. If the governor could poll 260,000 in the last election out of the 1.4 million registered voters in Ondo State for his own

mandate, I do not know what he wants to transfer to President Jonathan in 2015.' ''A leader who deceived former governor Adebayo Adefarati as a commissioner under the Alliance for Democracy, moved to PDP and deceived Olusegun Agagu as secretary to the government also deceived former President

Olusegun Obasanjo, who made him Minister of Housing will, by that historical fact, only deceive President Jonathan in 2015.'' Ibrahim however advised the authentic PDP candidates to commence their campaign, while assuring them that the administrative authority of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, cannot

over- rule judicial power. ‘With the court order in their hand, they are as good as the various positions they are vying for.’ He said President Jonathan’s re-election if coordinated by credible people and not political liabilities, will be an easy ride in the South West. He promised to stop all the illegal candidates being paraded by Mimiko.

Sagay scores judiciary pass mark in 2014

AGOS—A professor of constitutional law, Itsey Sagay, has given the judiciary a pass mark as an arm of government, in 2014. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos Sagay, however, said the judiciary experienced ‘’mix bag of successes and failures’’ in the judgments it delivered in some cases in 2014. He said: “The judgments in

the Adamawa and Taraba states removing usurpers in the office of the governor are highly commendable. ‘’The setting up of an Independent Panel to investigate allegations of breach of oath and ethics of office against the Nasarawa Governor by the Chief Judge of the state is noble and good. ‘’But the judgment of a court which penalise elected officials that defected to another party

is not in alignment with our political culture since 1999.’’ Sagay said that judges needed to sustain the kind of judgments they delivered against usurpers of public offices, describing such judgments as ‘’ highly principle activism’’. He added that there was a need to caution defence lawyers in corruption cases against using preliminary objections to stall trials. ‘’Principle activism on the part of our judges suggests that they

put justice above everything. ‘’Senior lawyers that deploy preliminary objections too often to allow a case to linger to the extent that public fund is wasted and people lose interest in the matter should be disciplined. ‘’Judges handling corruption cases should hear preliminary objections together with the substantive issues to be able to give judgment on time from 2015,” the lawyer said.

10—Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Lagos PDP picks Abdulkareem as Agbaje’s running mate L

A G O S — T H E governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, yesterday, announced Alhaja Safurat Abdulkareem as his running mate for the 2015 governorship election in the state. Agbaje made the announcement in a statement signed on his behalf by his Director of Publicity, Mr. Felix Oboagwina. Abdulkareem was running mate to a former PDP governorship candidate, late Mr. Funso Williams, in 2003. Abdulkareem, a trained teacher and an accountant, is the wife of a retired Air Force officer and holds an MBA degree. The statement quoted her as saying that she would complement her principal, and assist in ushering into Lagos “a refreshing atmosphere, devoid of state-brewed intimidation and human rights abuses. “I feel humbled about being chosen for this noble responsibility. “Mr. Agbaje is an amiable personality. He is a complete gentleman. I hope I can really complement him and assist him in winning the 2015 election because Lagosians strongly desire a change in government.” she had said. Describing PDP’s chances in

the governorship polls as very bright, the deputy governorship candidate said she and Agbaje were entering the race at a time when Lagosians wanted to break the shackles of subjugation that had held them bound for 16 years. “Our chances are very bright. Everybody wants a change in Lagos. They want personalities who can bring positive programmes to their lives. “We want to usher into Lagos a

better way of governance, devoid of coercion and intimidation” she said. Born June 23, 1961 to the family of Mr. Abdulmananu Mofolorunsho Layode and Mrs. Risikat Ayinke Layode, Abdulkareem began her educational life in Ansar-ud-Deen Primary School, Badagry, Lagos, between 1966 and 1972. From 1975 to 1980, she attended Government Teachers’ College,

Badagry, where she obtained a Teacher’s Grade II Certificate. She, thereafter, proceeded to the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, from 1985 to 1987 for an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Accounting, followed by a Higher National Diploma (HND) from the Kano State Polytechnic (1990). In 2006, she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management from the University of Ado-Ekiti.

CHRISTMAS EVE DANCE: From left: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN; Chairman, Island Club, Prince Ademola Dada; former Governor of Lagos, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu; former Governor of Osun State, Prince (Dr.) Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Chairman Skye Bank Plc, Dr. Olatunde Ayeni; and the Lagos State All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, during the Island Club Christmas Eve Dance at the Lagos Island, on Wednesday.

I bear no grudge against Obasanjo —FAYOSE By Gbenga Ariyibi

DO EKITI— GOVERNOR Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has said that he bears no grudge against the person of the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He said Obasanjo's recent comment against him was to put him on his toes towards saving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Fayose made the clarification in Ado-Ekiti, weekend, while featuring on a monthly Radio and Television Programme, Meet Your Governor. He said it would be wrong for anyone to view his recent outburst against the former Nigeria leader as an attempt to settle personal scores. Fayose said members of the PDP must see the sustained attack by Obasanjo against President Goodluck Jonathan and the party, as something that must be condemned. He said: “This is not a question of whether somebody is elderly or young, but when you see somebody continuously attacking the vehicle conveying members of the PDP, then that person must be checked or else the vehicle could sink. The PDP is like a moving train and when

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you see somebody shooting sporadically at it, those inside must talk or raise alarm if they must survive the onslaught.” Speaking further, the governor said Obasanjo was more at home with the opposition, most especially the All Progressives Congress,

APC, stressing that this informed the strange romance between them. He urged members of the PDP to rise and defend the party from both the enemies within and those outside the party . On the 2015 general elections, Fayose said the tide still favours

the return of President Goodluck Jonathan to power. According to him, Nigerians would not make the mistake of voting APC into power at the centre, adding that the opposition party has bad records in the states it is governing.

Affluent Nigerians don’t pay tax —NLC

AGOS—IN spite of the introduction of austerity measures by the Federal Government, the organised labour says the rich have continued to evade tax. Mr. Peter Ozo-Eson, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said in Lagos yesterday that a great percentage of the affluent and the propertied class in the country do not pay tax. “Most of the very rich people in the country are not paying tax; there must be a scheme to get them to pay adequate tax. “Most of the luxury goods are consumed by the rich, and goods in this category include private jets that are in our airports today,” he told the News Agency of Nigeria,

NAN. He said with effective taxation of luxury goods being consumed by the rich, the country could survive the current economic depression occasioned by the fall in oil prices . The labour leader appealed to the government to shun all attempts to transfer the burden of the economic crisis to the workers. “Nigeria is a country that is very rich and yet there is serious poverty. “If we tax private jets and other frivolous forms of consumption in a very high rate that will be a welcome development. “Those who consume such commodities should be taxed heavily,” Ozo-Eson said.

Ozo-Eson said that the starting point of the austerity measures should be a cut in the cost of governance to check waste, adding that government could efficiently function with leaner expenditure pattern. He added: “Our position is that with the employment positions in public sector today, most of the cost that is weighing heavily on the finances has nothing to do with the remuneration of workers. “It has to do with the bloated and exquisite allowances attached to the management staff, political office holders and their staff.” The NLC, he said, agreed in principle to the government’s plan to raise tax on luxury items.

NEMA cautions boat operators on loading

AGOS—THE N a t i o n a l E m e r g e n c y Management Authority, NEMA, has urged boat operators and fun seekers on the national inland waterways not to overload their vessels during the festive season. Mr Bamidele Onimode, the SouthWest Zonal Coordinator of the agency, gave the warning in Lagos in an interview. According to him, mishaps on waterways are products of what the operators and passengers do or what they fail to do. “Our inland waterways are nationwide and we are into collaboration with private boat owners to ensure maximum safety during these festive seasons and beyond. “We are at the fore front of campaign against all dangerous activities on the waterways capable of causing mishaps. “We want to urge boat operators during this period to avoid excesses, overloading and speeding, to ensure safety,” Onimode said.

PDP chieftain flays APC for allegedly misleading Nigerians By Emma Aziken

CHIEFTIAN of the P e o p l e s Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser, has flayed the All Progressives Congress, APC, for allegedly marshalling a highly misleading campaign directed at discrediting President Goodluck Jonathan in the eyes of right thinking Nigerians. Adebajo-Fraser,in a statement made available to Vanguard, asserted that the Southwest region would remain impervious to the opposition party in the forthcoming presidential election saying the candidate of the APC, Muhammadu Buhari, would not be welcomed in the region.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014—11

Ekiti APC condemns Fayose’s position on Sept salaries T

HE All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has expressed shock over Governor Ayodele Fayose’s media chat statement that Ekiti State workers should forget their September salary on the grounds that it was former Governor Kayode Fayemi who owed them. The party also reacted to Fayose’s aide, Lere Olayinka, who said former Governor Fayemi lied on his claim that the debt profile of the state and projects execution during his administration had put Ekiti State ahead of its peers in the country. The Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Taiwo Olatunbosun, described Fayose’s refusal to pay workers' salaries as wicked, and insensitive, coming from a governor to workers who are the engine room of government policy and programmes. He said records would show Ekiti people the debts profile of Ekiti State during Fayemi’s administration, adding that the experience of Ekiti people in Fayose’s tenure during Christmas would convince the people who is a liar between the two leaders. The party noted that since the federal allocations are paid in arrears, it was incumbent on Fayose to pay September salaries with September federal allocation that he collected in October after

Fayemi had left office. “It was Fayose as governorelect who went to harass the banks that had overdraft arrangement with the Fayemi administration to stop granting such facilities to Fayemi even though it is the same facility Fayose is currently using to pay salaries as admitted in his media chat. “We wish to remind Governor Fayose that even if it was

Fayemi that did not pay September salary, government is a continuum and whoever assumes office inherits both assets and liabilities of that state. It is therefore a misnomer for Governor Fayose to declare on state radio and television that Ekiti workers should forget September salary,” Olatubosun said. He added that Fayose’s declaration had confirmed

speculations and fears that he had misapplied the September salary amounting to over N1. 5 billion. “If he paid December salary with November allocation that he received in December, what stopped him from paying September salary with September allocation that he received in October? Why skipping September salary only to pay October salary with September’s allocation?"

THANKSGIVING: From left: Labour Party governorship candidate in Oyo State,Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, his wife, Chief (Mrs) Oluwakemi Alao-Akala and Chief (Mrs) Folashade Raji, during the Christmas thanksgiving service at First Baptist Church, Ogbomoso, Oyo State on Christmas day.

2015: Ogun East PDP delegates reject Daniel, insist on Kashamu By Daud Olatunji

BEOKUTA—OVER 700 delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party from Ogun East senatorial district, yesterday, rejected the planned attempt by the party's National Working Committee to field former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel as their senatorial candidate. The delegates, led by their chairmen from all the nine local government areas insisted that the Chairman of Mobilisation and Organisation of the PDP in South West, Prince Buruji Kashamu, who had been elected during the primaries remained their senatorial candidate. Daniel and Kashamu had contested for the Senate ticket which was later won by Kashamu after Daniel had allegedly withdrawn from the race two days to the primaries.

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The chairmen who spoke in turn on behalf of the delegates from the senatorial district, threatened that any attempt to replace Kashamu with Daniel or anybody else would spell doom for the PDP. Elder Solomon Osinbajo, who moved the motion to counter the planned move by

the party in Abuja to substitute Kashamu with Daniel, urged the state chairman to forward their complaints to the national body. Addressing the protesting delegates during the senatorial district meeting held at Ijebu-Igbo, the state chairman of the party, Bayo

Dayo, described Kashamu as the best hand in the party. He confirmed that there were moves at the national level of the party to substitute Kashamu’s name with Daniel’s whom he said did not participate in the primaries which produced Kashamu as the candidate.

Aregbesola urges sustenance of peace in Modakeke

O D A K E K E — GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, weekend, sued for the sustenance of peace in Modakeke in the Ife East Local Government Area of the state. Aregbesola made the call in a message he sent to the 29th Modakeke Akoraye Day Celebration and launching of N500 million Community Development Fund at Modakeke. The governor, who was represented by Mr Wahab

Adeniji, member, Local Education Authority Board, Modakeke, said peace was imperative for any sustainable development to take place. “My administration is determined to ensure that infrastructure is provided in every part of the state, including Modakeke,” he said. Earlier, Mr Tajudeen Oke, the National President of Modakeke Progressive Union, called on the Osun government to provide basic infrastructure in the area. “The Modakeke community,

in spite of not being lucky to enjoy government patronage, has provided public facilities which government itself is benefiting from in boosting its revenue generation. “One of such facilities is the Magistrate Court premises,” he said. The traditional ruler of Modakeke, Dr Francis Adedoyin, commended the indigenes of the area who have contributed towards the development of infrastructure in the community.

Osun bans cash in revenue collections By Gbenga Olarinoye

S O G B O — BEGINNING from January 2015, Osun State Government says it would no longer accept collection of cash for payment of fees, fines, charges and other forms of revenue collection in the state. The state, according to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, has concluded all arrangements to go digital in the collection of its revenues and erase all avenues through which revenue officials come in contact with cash. According to a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon in Osogbo, Aregbesola dropped the hint when members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and representatives of all trade unions submitted a report of their efforts at seeking alternative sources of revenue for the state in the face of the dwindling revenues from the federation account.

Folarin appoints ex-speaker as campaign DG

BADAN—AS part of efforts to give fillip to his electioneering campaign, Senator Teslim Folarin, the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State, has appointed Mr Asimiyu Alarape as the Director-General of his campaign organisation. Alarape was the speaker of the State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003. A statement yesterday in Ibadan also named Mr Victor Oluwadamilare as the organisation’s Director of Media and Strategy. Oluwadamilare was a former Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Oyo State Council. The statement described Alarape as a respected grassroots politician and a tactician.

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Delta Beyond Oil: All theory, no physical results —PFN CHIEF concerning corruption and bad leaders who are against the progress of Nigeria. “The media has not helped the fight against corruption in this country because it has refused to tell the whole truth about corruption in high places in the country. The youths have been lied to and

By Egufe Yafugborhi

misdirected. “In 2015, a lot of values buried will be unearthed. People with undeserved wealth stolen from the state would be forced to spill it. It is set to be the year of resurrection of truth. A lot of youths in Nigeria will thrive in self discovery,” he added.

extra commitment and A R R I — V I C E - cooperation from the next P R E S I D E N T , governor to sustain this Delta Pentecostal Fellowship of Beyond Oil policy.” He prayed that in the Nigeria, PFN, Bishop Simeon Okah, has described Governor coming year, a lot of buried Emmanuel Uduaghan’s truths will be revealed development policy, Delta Beyond Oil, as “too full of theory and lacking meaningful physical results.” Okah, General Overseer at Flock of Christ Church, yesterday, who briefed newsmen at the church’s headquarters in Warri, Delta State, as part of activities to mark his 62nd birthday anniversary, which also involved free medicare for members of the public, said: “The governor is a dear friend and a brother. He has, himself, confirmed this publicly, but I dare say, without apology, that the canvassed transformation appeal of the Delta Beyond Oil is too full of theory and I am finding it hard to locate its manifest structures. CONFERMENT: Bishop of the Diocese of Asaba, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev Justus “I pray fervently for God to Mogekwu (right); his wife, Mrs. Threesa Mogekwu (middle) and Ezinne Maria Unini, during sustain the intended ideals of the conferment of EZINNE on the latter and 33 others in the Diocese of Asaba, Anglican this policy beyond the Communion by the Bishop, at the Cathedral in Asaba, yesterday. Photo: Henry Unini. originator, because given the superficial structures in which it was conceived, it would take

Bayelsa community rejects Agip’s Christmas gift By Emem Idio

ENAGOA—THE people of Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, have turned down the 10 bags of rice and one goat intended as Christmas gift to the community by ENI otherwise known as Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC. In a statement in Nembe, the Chairman of Nembe Oil and Gas Committee, Chief Nengi Orioworio, described the gift as “a corporate embarrassment to the traditional institution and the good people of Nembe Kingdom which the people will never take kindly.” Orioworio recalled a meeting with the General Manager District of the company when he visited King Edmund Dakoru, the Amanyanabo of Nembe Kingdom, alongside his management team, where issues of corporate social responsibilities were addressed. He noted that for Agip to give 10 bags of rice and one goat to a community of about 5,000 was a clear demonstration of the crass insensitivity of the oil company to the community which is a major hub of Agip’s operations. Orioworio stressed that the people of Nembe are a contented people, who will never be cowed by any Greek gift that will cause disaffection among the people of the area. According to him, Nembe Kingdom was in dire need of development and employment for the teeming C M Y K

unemployed youths alongside environmental protection. He warned that if the issues were not properly handled, they could affect the harmonious relationship and peaceful coexistence between the company and the community.

Oshiomhole lauded over Ihonvbere's re-appointment as SSG By Simon Ebegbulem

ENIN—THE Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, has commended Governor Adams Oshiomhole for re-appointing Prof. Julius Ihonbvere as the Secretary to the Edo State Government following the earlier resignation of the latter from the position. Ihonvbere had resigned as SSG after he alleged that the governor had worked against his senatorial ambition during the All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries of the Edo North senatorial ticket which he lost to Chief Francis Alimekhena. His re-appointment was part of the peace moves by Oshiomhole to bring all aggrieved aspirants together before the February general elections. The governor had also met with the incumbent senator in the area, Senator Domingo Obende, who equally lost in the contest. However, Chief Edebiri, who noted that the re-appointment of Ihonvbere came as a pleasant news to many indigenes of the state, said that it was an indication that crisis can always be resolved if the parties are genuinely working for the good of the state.

2015: It's impossible for Jonathan to lose —DOKUBO

By Davies Iheamnachor

ORT HARCOURT— ALHAJI Asari Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta People’s Salvation and Volunteer Front, NDSVF, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan, the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 Presidential election, has already won. Asari who spoke at the burial ceremony of Late Princess Preba Ekineh, in Buguma, Asari Toru Local Government Area, said it was not possible for the incumbent president, who is also from the Niger Delta to lose the election that will return him for a second term. He said that the incumbent president must win the election, adding that the election was a walk over.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014—13

I regret supporting Amaechi to be governor —ODILI By Jimitota Onoyume

ORT HARCOURT— FORMER governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, has said that he regretted working for Governor Rotimi Amaechi to emerge governor of the state. Odili, in Ndoni Local Government Area of the state, at a campaign rally for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Nyesom Wike, alleged that Governor Amaechi dismantled structures that the founding fathers of the PDP had in the state when he assumed office. He said: “We thought we did the right thing by supporting Amaechi to become the governor of the state. We left a united state. We also left a united party. PDP was one. Rivers State is PDP. There was no other party in Rivers State. Whatever the party hierarchy said would happen, that was what happened. The secretary is here to confirm what I am telling you here today. “With all the best intentions, we supported his political career and ambition. We thought we did what was best for the state. As you know, until a man has power and has money, you don’t really know him, but that is a story for the future. One thing is clear, we have accepted our mistake and we are determined to correct it in 2015.

PDP chieftain warns against tribal sentiments By Perez Brisibe

GHELLI—AHEAD of the 2015 general elections, the Assistant Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State, Mr. Bernard Odior, has warned the various ethnic groups in the state to shun tribal sentiments in the interest of democracy. Odior, who spoke to Vanguard at Ozoro, in Isoko North Local Government Area of the state, on the emergence of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as the PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 general elections, described same as a reflection of the wishes of the people to inject new ideas into governance so as to attract more development. C M Y K

“Who would have thought that a governor who won an election on the platform of the PDP would decamp with the mandate of the party to another party? Who would have thought that a governor elected on the platform of the PDP would abandon the PDP to join an opposition party? “The elders of the party who are here can corroborate what I am saying here today. We ran a cohesive party. We had respect for the elders of the party. We

had respect for party members. No one attempted to hijack the PDP because the party was bigger than anyone no matter his or her position. Party officials were respected because the party was run from the secretariat which was home to all members of the party “I want to thank the governorship candidate of the PDP for the 2015 governorship election and the next governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for miraculously rescuing the

party from disintegration and working tirelessly to unite the members of the party. God will bless you. “By the special grace of God, in February, we are going to the polls. The first election is to re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term. The second election will be the governorship election where our candidate, Wike, will emerge as the next governor of Rivers State.”

VISIT: First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan (2nd right); Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State (left); wife of former Anambra State governor, Lady Obi and wife of Abia State governor, Mrs. Mercy Orji, during the First Lady's visit to Ohuhu clan in Umuahia.

Ijaw elders endorse Karetimi as Delta PDP gov running mate

JAW Political Elders Forum, IPEF, has called for the selection of Chief Oluwole Karetimi as the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP flag bearer in Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, in the 2015 governorship elections. The position was taken at a meeting of the forum in Bomadi, weekend, which had in attendance, various political groups such as the Delta State PDP Youth Circuit, Niger Delta Liberty Movement and others, who threw their weight behind Karetimi, who is the Chairman, Bomadi Local Government Area of the state. The forum, which said that the need to pick a candidate of trust for the exalted office such as the deputy governor of a state informed its choice of Karetimi. It added that its choice of Karetimi as Senator Okowa’s running mate was informed by the apparent realisation that an Ijaw, for the first time in the history of this political dispensation, will be chosen to occupy the office of the deputy governor of Delta State. The elders noted that the choice of Karetimi as candidate for Deputy

Governor, was a guarantee that they would be truly and duly represented in the political system, and urged the PDP and Senator Okowa not to hesitate in picking him as his running mate. In a statement by Capt. O. Obriki (Bomadi ), Chief Chamberlain Abeki (Patani), Smart Bonny (Burutu), Chief Couple Oruomoni (Warri South West), the Secretary of the Forum, Mr. James Bekesuoyeibo, President, PDP Youth Circuit, Rawlings Dagidi Andaye and others, the forum passed a vote of confidence on their illustrious son, Karetimi, to represent the image of Ijaw in Senator Okowa’s government, adding that he is “A trusted son of Ijaw with the requisite political experience and capabilities to make the Ijaw nation proud in Senator Okowa’s administration. “We do not want to regret and bite our fingers at the expiration of Senator Okowa’s government, hence our support for Karetimi. The leadership of PDP should heed our stance on this issue, because the elders made concerted efforts in the search for a suitable running mate across Ijawland before arriving at Karetimi."

Itsekiri Amnesty beneficiaries accuse Kuku of intimidation

ARRI—ITSEKIRI A m n e s t y beneficiaries have vowed that they can no longer tolerate excuse and “intimidation” by the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, accusing him of playing a script to deliberately exclude Itsekiri from the amnesty programme. According to the Itsekiri amnesty beneficiaries, they were denied the opportunity of embarking on their various studies/ trainings overseas in September 2014 on the excuse of non-availability of fund by the Amnesty Office, yet the Ijaw were sent for their studies/ trainings abroad. In a statement in Warri, Delta State by Chairman of the Itsekiri amnesty beneficiaries, Peter Tidi, the Itsekiri amnesty beneficiaries called on the National Assembly and other relevant government agencies to intervene to stop the alleged marginalisation.

14â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

10th edition of Carnival Calabar 2014

Cross River State Governor, Sen Liyel Imoke and his wife, Obioma (middle); Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke [2nd right]; Cross River State Deputy Governor, Effiok Cohbam (right), and Cross River State, PDP gvernorship candidate, Sen Ben Ayade, with his wife (left), during the kick-off of the 10th edition of Carnival Calabar 2014, in Calabar ,yesterday. Photos: Nwankpa Chijioke

Sea Gull Band .

Cross River State Governor, Sen Liyel Imoke dancing enthusiastically with Nigeria's Dance hall Super Stars P-Square, yesterday

Members of Sea Gull Band

Members of Passion 4 Band Members of Passion 4 Band.

Sea Gull Band

Paparazzi

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014â&#x20AC;&#x201D;15

10th edition of Carnival Calabar 2014

Participants at Carnival Calabar 2014 grand finale

Masta Blasta Band

Sea Gull Band

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Sea Gull Band

Members of Passion 4 Band

Members of Sea Gull Band

16—Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Imo APGA suspends former gov aspirant, 3 others as crisis deepens By Chidi Nkwopara

WERRI — CRISIS rocking the Imo State Chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has deepened following the suspension of one of the contestants in the just concluded APGA governorship primaries in the state, Mr. Okey Eze, and three others, for alleged “insubordination, gross indiscipline and anti-party activities”. Others suspended with Mr. Eze included the Director General of his campaign Organisation, Mr. Sonny Nwadialo, Eugene Nzeme and Engr. Chidozie Orijuba. Announcing their suspension at a briefing, State Chairman of APGA, Mr. Peter Ezeobi, said “the suspension was in relation to a recent parallel primaries Mr. Eze and the other suspended persons organised illegally.” According to him, “Mr. Okey Eze obtained his party governorship Nomination and Expression of Interest forms from the national office of our party, under the leadership of Chief Victor Umeh and was screened together with the other contestants, namely Capt Emmanuel Ihenacho and Mazi Okey Unegbu. "He was also present and participated fully during the primary election conducted by the party at Rosy Arts Theatre,

Ikenegbu, Owerri, on December 8, 2014, which was won by Capt. Ihenacho.” Ezeobi recalled that the primary election was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Services, DSS. “It is, therefore, an embarrassment and a serious party misconduct for Okey Eze, after losing in the authentic governorship primary election conducted by our party, to go to his event

centre in Owerri thereafter to make a jest of our party by using posters of the other aspirants to conduct what he called parallel governorship primary election and announcing himself the winner.” He argued that although the action appeared childish and funny, yet it was a grave misconduct. Justifying the suspension, Ezeobi, said the leadership of the party in the state had earlier summoned Mr. Eze to come and defend himself on the alleged misconduct but, he allegedly shunned the

invitation. “We cannot continue to watch Mr. Okey Eze and his cohorts ridicule our party, create confusion and deceive the public with their recent acts of indiscipline and anti-party activities. "Nobody is above the law. Therefore, we invoke Article 21 of our party’s constitution to suspend him and the others accordingly,” Ezeobi said. He added that the matter would be referred to the party’s disciplinary committee in the state as provided in the party’s constitution for further action.

Director, Brand and Marketing, Airtel, Obinna Aniche; Producer, Airtel Touching Lives Programme, Patricious Spero and Director, Legal and Company Secretary, Airtel Nigeria, Gbenga Rotimi.

NASU decries imposition of taxes on workers by state govts, academic institutions By Victor Ahiumayoung

NAMBRA — NONACADEMIC Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has decried imposition of taxes on workers by some state governments and educational institutions. Members of NASU in West African Examinations Council, WAEC/Libraries and other trade group councils at their 2nd regular meeting in Anambra State, also rejected the purported abrogation of an existing agreement between WAEC management and NASU on deployment of serving officers of the union. In the resolutions at the end of the meeting, the council-in session observed with shock and dismay the pathetic condition of the state and C M Y K

federal libraries in Nigeria, lamenting that the welfare of staff had been jettisoned. Members called on the federal and state governments to devise a steady means of ensuring an increased flow of resources to the sector, so that the objectives and aspirations for which they were established could be achieved. According to the resolution, “the council-in-session urged government to increase funding of this important education sector and also called for the approval of an enhanced salary structure for the staff. Furthermore, the affected state governments and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, are enjoined to support the union’s innovative approach in putting life back into the libraries for the benefit of all and sundry.

On perceived excessive taxation, NASU members said “the council-in-session observed with dismay, the imposition of outrageous high tax regime by some state governments and managements, as a means of generating income at the detriment of the welfare of their workers. A case in point is the ongoing exploitation of the staff of NABTEB by the management with imposition of illegal tax arrears deductions. The councilin-session, therefore, urged the affected state governments and managements not to use high taxation as a means of exploitation and tool for further pauperisation of the workers whose take-home pay has already been eroded by inflation. ”Members equally frowned at the purported abrogation of an existing agreement between

WAEC management and NASU WAEC on deployment of serving officers of the union.Council-inSession observed with dismay the anomalies, discrimination and dichotomy introduced into the reviewed scheme of service and, therefore, rejected the newly reviewed scheme of service in totality." According to the resolution, the council-in-session called on WAEC management under the leadership of Mr. Charles M. Egwuridu to objectively look into these issues and revalidate the agreement reached with the union on non-deployment of serving union officers and expunge all the retrogressive policies imported into the reviewed scheme of service within the 21 days ultimatum given by the union to avoid industrial breakdown in the council.

NRC pensioners beg FG to fund payment of 33% increment arrears By Francis Igata

NUGU— NIGERIA Railway Corporation, NRC, pensioners, have appealed to the Federal Government to provide funds to enable the management of NRC offset the arrears of the 33 per cent increment due to them between 2009 and 2013. The Eastern district secretary, Nigeria Union of Railway Pensioners, NURP, Mr. Obi Uyanne, said “our members are dying every day. The paltry amount paid to us as pensions does not reflect the present economic realities on ground. "Federal Government should quickly make funds available to Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, to offset the arrears of 33 per cent owed to us since 2009. Most of our members have been short paid during retirement."

Ebonyi community faults Governor Elechi on NIGERCEM By Peter Okutu

BAKALIKI — Nigeria Cement Company, NIGERCEM, host community, Nkalagu in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state, weekend, faulted Governor Martin Elechi's alleged decision not to allow investors to revitalise the company. According to the community, any attempt by the state government to hinder the reactivation of NIGERCEM would not be tolerated by Nkalagu and its environ. Speaking with Vanguard, former state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairman and Ebonyi Central senatorial district candidate of the party in the 2015 general elections, Chief Obinna Ogba, criticised Governor Elechi for allegedly hindering the progress and commencement of work at the company throughout the period of his administration.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 17

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18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 CORPORATE Nigeria, a group that impetuously springs to life for a presidential election, contributed over N21 billion at President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent fund raising. In the 2003 and 2007 elections, Corporate Nigeria raised billions of Naira for Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’dua. In October 2010, it raised money for Jonathan before he became a candidate! According to Section 221 of the Constitution, “No association, other than a political party, shall canvass for votes for any candidate at any election or contribute to the funds of any political party or to the election expenses of any candidate at an election.” Corporate Nigeria is not a political party. Could donors at the event be Peoples Democratic Party members, in which case their action could qualify them as acting for a political party? It is unlikely. The secrecy on identity of donors says so. Even registered companies donated. The donations violated the Constitution and clearly show the tenuous convictions of our leaders. While these openly violate the law, others are raising funds secretly. Section 91 (9) of the Electoral Act states, “No individual or other entity shall donate

Corporate Contempt Continues more than one million naira (N1, 000,000) to any candidate.” How do we confirm what each individual gave? How do the organisers explain companies’ contributions, contrary to Section 38 (2) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act? Section 91 (10) of the Electoral Act further provides, “A candidate who knowingly acts in contravention of this section commits an offence and on conviction shall be liable – (a) in case of presidential election to a maximum fine of N1, 000,000 or imprisonment of 12 months or both.” Section 91 (11) states, “Any individual who knowingly

acts in contravention of subsection (9) shall on conviction be liable to a maximum fine of N500, 000 or 9 months imprisonment or both.” Section 91 (2) pegs the expenditure of a presidential candidate’s expenditure in an election at N1 billion.Brazen abuses of immunity protect beneficiaries who in turn shield their benefactors from the law. Fears exist that financiers of a candidate’s election would exert pressure on him, if elected, to act to please them rather than the electorate. The implications are vast. Improprieties associated with contributions to political causes inadvertently became public during the pre-2007 election tiff between President Obasanjo and Vice President Abubakar Atiku. Both accused the other of unauthorised expenditures from the remnant of their campaign funds, a confirmation that the Independent National Electoral Commission does not monitor political parties’ finances. Examples are important to rescue our country from the uncertainties the imperious conducts of those in high offices portend. Leaders must provide sterling examples of faithful adherence to the law.

OPINION By Michael Egbejumi-David

IKE most people, I believe in God. But I am not what you would call a religious person. In fact, I regard religion a major contributor to the world’s problems. Take Nigeria for example: Here’s is a country that’s crying out for a revolution, a country crying out to be rescued. But its Christian citizens have been largely stultified, mumufied. They would rather pray (while collecting bribes) and wait for God and his angels to march down from Heaven to sort things out for them. The Muslims? Well, there’s suicide bombing if things are not exactly going your way. It is difficult to say it, but the Chibok school girls – about 219 of them now – are still missing. They continue in their harrowing abduction. It’s been eight long months and counting. However, life goes on here as if that event happened somewhere else far away from us. Government lackeys have even taking to abusing and casting aspersions on anyone or any group that agitates for the rescue and release of the girls. Right here, right now, the preoccupation is politics and money. Tells you about the kind of society we currently have on our hands. It is a very sad and a very sick society indeed. The girls were abducted and continue to be held (presumably in a forest somewhere in north-eastern Nigeria) by

Female suicide bomber bomberss brazen cannon-fodder who have taken up arms against the country in a barbarous power grab quest. Nevertheless, the criminals insist on telling us that they did what they have done out of religious diktat. Frankly, I don’t believe it. How does any religion make anybody do this? More worryingly however, in the past few weeks, and as we approach the February 2015 elections, a rash of suicide bombings has descended upon the nation. Astonishingly, most of these bombings were reportedly carried out by female teenagers. Well, who are these teenage girls? And what can be said by anybody to a teenager in particular; a young and energetic person full of potential, with their whole life ahead of them to convince them enough that voluntarily killing yourself and others right now is the way to go? Why and how could a couple of teenage girls agree to go into a hair salon filled with people just like them who had come to braid their hair people like their sisters, their mothers, their aunts, their friends – and detonate a bomb which killed everyone there including themselves. This is powerful stuff. This is amazing control. What are the words? What could be the compelling argument? I am not

convinced that there is anything religious anybody can say to a young person – particularly to a young girl to make them agree to strap on a large crude bomb and kill themselves and others like them. Some claim that for men who die in such fashion, a gaggle of virgins possibly await them at whatever destination they find themselves afterwards. And for the females? Curiously enough, I have never heard of the child of a Cleric, of a leader anywhere, even the child of an APC or PDP bigwig being a suicide bomber. Is martyrdom and unverifiable extraterrestrial sex really that much of an inducement? What is martyrdom? Does anybody remember the name or the family of the chap who carried out the first suicide bombing in Nigeria? What of the first person who did it in Pakistan, in Iraq, in Afghanistan? Is there a register kept somewhere of such names where they are revered and honoured? Have the families of such disgracefully departed souls been elevated to superstardom within their communities and elsewhere? In the case of the suicide bombers that took out the hair salon, I am not even convinced that they pulled the trigger mechanism themselves. It is more likely

that another person (a demented man) pulled a remote switch. So that leaves us with cohesion as a probable catalyst. Lately in the West, and in some Latin American countries, there has emerged a new pattern of alleged forced drug smuggling by females. Usually, the apprehended females recount that the drug barons and their agents have either got hold of their families or have vowed to kill off their families if they refuse to transport drugs from one destination to another. Could a similarly sinister thing be afoot here? You know in Nigeria some of us can’t wait to import bad and barbaric trends. Some people contribute 419, child-selling and drugs, others, terrorism and suicide bombing. The likely cohesion of our own female bombers could be something akin to forced drug smuggling: repeatedly abusing, torturing and telling captured persons that they would die anyway. That they could either choose to die horribly in the hands of their sadistic captors or die in a ‘battle’ situation. A most hopeless conundrum. So where do you get a steady supply of teenage girls that would have arrived at a point in life where they are able to kill themselves under these conditions? It’s painful to think along these lines, but you have the abducted Chibok school girls... *Mr. Egbejumi-David, a medical doctor, wrote from UK.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014— —19

By Placid Eze

ITH Nigeria not insulated from the miasma of political immortality, the on-going political humiliation of Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may remain, for a long time to come, as the very emblem of political victimization. For those not conversant with the politics of Ebonyi State and Elechi’s place in it, a synoptic rehash of some basic facts is apposite. Ebonyi was created in October 1996 from Abia and Enugu States with two main cultural blocs –Abakaliki and Afikpo. Of the thirteen Local Government Areas in the state, Abakaliki bloc has eight and Afikpo five, with the result that Abakaliki bloc can perpetually control the political destiny of the state. In 1999, Dr. Sam Egwu (from Ebonyi North Zone) became Governor on the platform of the PDP and later handed over to Chief Martin Elechi (from Ebonyi Central Zone) in 2007 also on the platform of the PDP. Upon his reelection in 2011, Elechi declared his intention to cede power to Ebonyi South zone at the end of his tenure in the interest of equity. Disavowing the Governor’s plan, the Abakaliki bloc stressed that Afikpo bloc is educationally and economically more advanced and that they intended to maximize their numerical advantage to control political power. As the current political transition and succession programme gathered momentum, the DeputyGovernor, Engr. Dave Umahi mounted a rebellion against his boss on the choice of the former Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu (from Afikpo) to become the next Governor.

Ebonyi: immorality of Elechi's political humiliation Prior to his rise to prominence, Umahi was a Port Harcourt based contractor. He was a member of the then All Peoples Party along with his kinsman - the former Governor of Abia State Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, then the most influential politician from the area. Ambitious for political headship, Umahi fell out with Onu in the battle for political supremacy. The orgy of violence that defined the political struggle between Umahi and Onu led the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2007 to cancel the polls in the entire Ohaozara LGA and declared the winner of the Governorship election of that year based on results from twelve Local Government Areas. Having emerged as Governor and following representations from some quarters, Elechi nominated Umahi as the new Caretaker Chairman of Ebonyi PDP and later the substantive chairman of the party. As the Chairman, Umahi enjoyed unprecedented patronage from the State Government through multibillion naira contracts. With Elechi’s favourable disposition towards rehabilitating Umahi (who lost valuable property during his violent confrontation with Onu), Umahi became the most influential contractor in the state and having made enough money, he began to target the governorship throne. While many people were apprehensive of Umahi’s rising financial and political profile, Elechi’s love for his Deputy disabled him from reading the handwriting on the wall. He was confident that his unflinching support for President Goodluck Jonathan (whom he always regarded as a victim of ethnoreligious and political gang up)

By Dan Amor "That which God writes on your forehead, thou wilt come to it"- Koran. NDEED, the Holy Book cannot lie. That which God has written on your forehead is your destiny. According to Origen, things do not happen because God foresees them in the distant future; but because they will happen, God knows them before they happen. For Seneca, the greatest stoic philosopher and Nineth Century Roman essayist, nothing comes to pass but what God appoints- our fate is decreed, and things do not happen by chance, but everyman's portion of joy or sorrow is predetermined. Yet, for Von Goethe, the Eighteenth Century German historian, philosopher and great writer, man supposes that he directs his life and governs his actions, when his existence is irretrievably the control of destiny. The Bible also says that we are the clay while God is the potter who moulds us according to His purpose. The above epistles point to the fact that in this matter, all religions and philosophy agree to the centrality of fate in all human endeavours. Fate is not the ruler but the servant of providence. Again, Seneca agrees when he says that what must be shall be; and that which is a necessity to him that struggles, is little more than choice to him that is willing. Thus, Dryden the English classical poet asserts that all things are by fate, but poor blind man sees a part of the chain, the nearest link, his eyes not reaching to that equal beam that poises all above. So those who don't agree with the inimitable Shakespeare that Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate, would continue to quarrel with why Nelson Mandela or Olusegun Obasanjo, for instance, emerged from the heat of the gulag to the splendor of the presidential villa. But while it is said that of these two ex-leaders hobbled by fate, the former understood the existential inevitability of fate, the latter was ignorant of this philosophic construct.

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coupled with his numerous contributions to the entrenchment of the PDP, would earn him the reward of producing his successor as promised by the party. As it turned out, Elechi’s confidence in the PDP to keep its pledge was acutely misplaced. When Umahi rebelled against his boss, he found a willing ally in another illustrious son of Ebonyi State – the Secretary to the Government of the Federation who was said not to have been consulted by Elechi before making his choice of successor. The burgeoning opposition to Elechi received further boost when his predecessor Dr. Sam Egwu threw his hat in the ring following Elechi’s unwillingness to support his senatorial bid. While many have charged Elechi with the sin of ingratitude towards Egwu, they forget that Elechi was instrumental to Egwu’s appointment as Minister of Education under the late Yar Adua and that Elechi spared neither effort nor expense in prosecuting Egwu’s ambition to be the National Chairman of PDP, among

With the conclusion of the primaries and selection of the party’s standard bearers for 2015 general election, the PDP supervised the political humiliation of one of its most passionate and committed stalwarts

other favours. Additionally, Elechi was misled by the leadership of the PDP which mooted the idea of returning at least two Senators per state to the Senate to stem the tide of rookie legislators who throng the red chamber after every electoral cycle. With Senator Paulinus Igwenwagu having publicly declared his ambition to run for governor, Elechi was left with the choice of supporting Senators Sonni Ogbuoji and Chris Nwankwo to return to the Senate in keeping with the PDP agenda – a situation that turned Egwu against Elechi. Furthermore, the Speaker of the State Assembly Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku turned against Elechi for not supporting his House of Representatives’ bid. Not a few Nigerians were shocked that Nwazunku joined Elechi’s traducers given that the Governor singlehandedly saved him from impeachment only two months earlier. With such high profile coalition of the aggrieved standing against Elechi, the national leadership of the PDP became his only hope of actualizing his succession plan. The acid test came on 1st November, 2014 when the Ward Delegates Congress of the PDP held. In Ebonyi, the outcome was strenuously disputed between the Elechi and Umahi groups. As the dispute raged, the next exercise being the Local Governments’ delegates congress was aborted. The House of Assembly Primaries followed. Elechi frantically ran to Abuja to protest the state of anomie in his state. At a meeting with the highest leadership of the PDP in Abuja on Thursday 27th November, 2014 a decision was taken to postpone the Assembly

Jonathan's winning streak This piece does not intend to sing praises century, is a ringing surprise to us keen of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, neither does it observers of this macabre drama. Yet, despite the antics of his detractors, intend to broach on his achievements in power. Rather, this is just an attempt to from all indications Jonathan is coasting to reconstruct an elementary philosophical victory come 2015. The indices are there model for those who think that with sheer just for the asking. The first is that the verbal attacks, white lies or virulent hate emergence of General Muhamadu Buhari they can remove him from power when God as the presidential candidate of the major does not say so. It is just an offering to a opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is nation where politicians favourable to Jonathan winning unfortunately learn their again. Jonathan is much younger geology the day after the than Buhari. All over the world, earthquake; where it is more whether it is in the United States of profitable to pull down their America, Great Britain, France or opponents instead of playing even Ghana, governance is in the the game according to the hands of members of Jonathan's rules. In his epic novel, generation- young, dynamic and SHAME (1983), Salman adequately educated people. Rushdie, the Indian born Nigeria cannot afford to be an controversial English writer, exception. paints the picture of a Yes, General Buhari was said to disconcerting political be a powerful military ruler under hallucination in Pakistan whose watch, Nigerians were which he calls "Peccavistan"forced to be disciplined. Even existing fictionally as a slight though Buhari 's achievement in angle to reality. this regard is still being contested The major thrust of the General as most Nigerians ascribe it to his novel is that the shame or second in command, the Chief of shamelessness of its Buhari was Staff Supreme Headquarters, the characters returns to haunt said to be a late General Tunde Idiagbon, this them. Yet the recurrent theme was an era of military dictatorship, is that there are things that powerful the darkest chapter in the annals cannot be said, things that of this country. And they were able cannot be permitted to be true, military to do whatever they claimed to in a tragic political situation. ruler under have done because both men were To this end, fiction and politics relatively young. Today, an aged ultimately become identical or whose Buhari with weak limbs and an rather analogous. That so equally aged Prof. Yemi Osinbajo banal and damaging a watch, constitute a spent force. Analysts political atmosphere could be Nigerians say the APC brought a much so manifestly created from younger Osinbajo as Buhari's within the Nigerian political were forced running mate in order to reenact environment by opposition to be the Yar'Adua/Jonathan paradigm politicians in the second so that in the event of Buhari decade of the twenty-first disciplined

primaries in Ebonyi, Adamawa, Ondo and Taraba states pending the resolution of the disputes that trailed the earlier congresses. To the shock of all, the PDP dispatched an electoral panel headed by Senator Ben CollinsNdu to conduct House of Assembly Primaries in Ebonyi State on Saturday 29th. Basking in the assurance that the election was postponed, Elechi and his supporters refused to participate in what they thought was an illegal exercise. If Elechi and his supporters were shocked that the primaries held at all, they were completely numbed when two days later, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP told the nation that the House of Assembly Primaries took place in Ebonyi State and that the results had been ratified by the National Working Committee of the party. The following Monday 8th December, relying on Umahi’s Ward congress list, the PDP conducted the Governorship Primaries in Ebonyi State at which Umahi expectedly won a landslide victory. With the conclusion of the primaries and selection of the party’s standard bearers for 2015 general election, the PDP supervised the political humiliation of one of its most passionate and committed stalwarts in Governor Martin Elechi. He failed to produce his preferred successor. His ambition to go to the Senate was aborted. He was not even allowed a say on who would represent him in the State House of Assembly. Worst of all, his traducers now want to impeach him. •Prof.Eze, a management consultant, wrote from Lagos.

answering the ultimate call, Osinbajo would automatically become president if their party wins. This probability has already started working against the opposition party as northerners would rather prefer to have a younger Jonathan who has done well to complete his eighth years two term presidency to having another Yoruba as President so soon after Chief Olusegun Obasanja has just ruled. Another index gravitates toward Jonathan's pragmatism and experience. Those who mouthed that the Nigerian leader was "clueless" forgot so soon how he started off as Nigeria's first democratically elected Acting President upon the untimely death of President Yar'Adua. In fact, some of his actions preceded the long overdue legislative impetus given him by the National Assembly which was pressured by overwhelming public opinion. These include the humility to always apologize to Nigerians when the need arose and his order to ministers with oil-related portfolios not to proceed on Christmas holiday until the strangulating and excruciating fuel scarcity was resolved. Others include the historic locking out of ministers from a meeting to which they arrived late, the vehement order to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free and fair election in Anambra state, and the abrupt but minor cabinet reshuffle which caught the erstwhile all powerful Attorney General and Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa napping, and so on. Above all, Jonathan's startling performance in his first tenure despite obvious security challenges, shows that he is destined to win in 2015. Except perhaps the rehabilitation era of General Yakubu Gowon after the Civil War and perhaps the Murtala/Obasanjo military era, no other administration in the history of Nigeria has done what Jonathan has done in the past three years. •Mr. Amor, a journalist, wrote from Abuja.

20 —Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

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DECEMBER 29, 2014 By BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

he three tiers of government shared N6.3 trillion as statutory allocations from January to October this year. However, revenue from crude oil into the federation account fell by 3.3 percent to N5.7 trillion during this period, reflecting the impact of the falling price of crude oil. Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reveal that revenue from crude oil into the nation’s federation account dropped by 3.3 percent to N5.797 trillion in the first ten months of the year, from N5.997 trillion in the corresponding period of 2013. From N1.834 trillion in the first quarter of 2013, oil revenue fell to N1.808 trillion in the first quarter of 2014. In the second quarter oil revenue dropped to N1.795 trillion, and again to N1.723 trillion. Since June, crude oil prices have been on the downward trend. According to the CBN, average price of Nigeria crude oil fell from $114 per barrel in June to $59.97 per barrel as at December 24th. According to Dr. Bright Okogu, Director-General, Budget Office, the decline in crude oil price is one of the challenges of implementing the 2014 Budget. In an analysis of the 2015 proposed budget, he said that releases for 2014 recurrent budget are on track, while N610 billion has been released for capital expenditure. He said for the implementation of SURE-P Budget, “Of the N268.37 billion provisioned for SURE-P, N208.3 billion (or 77.6 percent of the SURE-P budget) has been utilized in various job creation initiatives and infrastructure projects. “This level of implementation is coming amidst various challenges to the 2014 Budget revenue, including: fall in average oil production of 2.2mbpd against 2.38mbpd budgeted; oil price falling from about $114pb in June now to about $60pb; and Underremittance of internally generated revenue by some MDAs” Statutory allocations fall by 4.5% Analysis of statutory allocations to the three tiers of government as published by the Central Bank of Nigeria in its monthly and quarterly C M Y K

CONFERENCE - From left: Director, Shipping Development, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh; Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Barr. Calistus Nwabueze Obi and Director General, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi at the NIMASA World Press Conference in Lagos.

FG, others share N6.3tr in 10 months zOil revenue drops to 3.3% zBudget deficit rises 21% zExperts fault 2015 budget assumptions reports reveal that total allocations from January to October fell by 4.5 per cent or N296 billion from N6.626 trillion in the corresponding period of 2013. In the first quarter, statutory allocations fell to N1.827 trillion from N2 trillion in the first quarter of 2013. Allocation to the Federal government rose to N912 billion from N908 billion, while allocation to the 36 states fell to N669.57 billion from N734.07 billion. Allocation to the 774

local governments fell to N374.79 billion from N401.68 billion. From N2.11 trillion in the second quarter of 2013, allocations to the three tiers of government fell N1.926 trillion in the second quarter of 2014. Allocations to the federal government in the second quarter of 2014 fell to N864.2 billion from N885.5 billion in 2013. For states and local governments, allocation fell to N692.08 billion and N388.13 billion respectively, from N773.01 billion and N422.62 billion In the third quarter, allocations to the

federal government fell to N924.68 billion from N686.86 billion in the corresponding quarter of 2013. Allocation to states and local government however rose to N694.39 billion and N398.09 billion from N686.86 billion and N394.12 billion respectively in third quarter of 2013. FG’s deficit rises 21% Further analysis reveals that the budget deficit of the federal government rose by 21 percent in the first ten months of 2014. Recall that the 2014 appropriation bill of Continues on page 22 C M Y K

22 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Cover Story

Vocation and technical education – a key to improving Nigeria’s development (2)

CONFERENCE - From left:Deputy National President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Alhaji Remi Bello; 1st Deputy National President, NACCIMA, Chief Bassey Edem; and acting Director-General, Mrs Janet Omisore during a press conference on the Review of the 'State of the Nation’ in Lagos.

FG, others share N6.3tr in 10 months Continues from page 21 the federal government projected revenue of N3.73 trillion and expenditure of N4.96 trillion, implying deficit of N1.23 trillion. Statutory allocation data show that total federal government revenue from January to October dropped to N2.979 trillion, from N3.064 trillion in the corresponding period of 2013. The revenue for the ten months however represents 79.8 percent of the total revenue projected for the year, less that 83.3 percent or N3.1 trillion expected for the ten months period. Federal government expenditure also dropped from N3.817 trillion to N3.6 trillion. Consequently, total deficit rose to N753 billion from N620 billion in the 2013 period. Experts fault budget 2015 assumptions Meanwhile a group of experts have faulted the crude oil price and exchange rate assumptions of the budget 2015 proposals of the federal government. The proposed 2014 Budget of the federal government is based on a crude oil price benchmark of $65 per barrel (initially $78) and exchange rate of N165 to the dollar. Experts at the Center for Social Justice however averred that, “the benchmark price of crude oil and the exchange rate projection seem to be based on inaccurate data and information and will lead to lack of predictability in the budget”. It its preliminary views on the 2015 Federal Budget, the C M Y K

Center stated, “Insisting on a benchmark price of $65pb at a time crude oil is trading below $60pb is an exercise in futility which seeks to lay the foundation for budget failure. It is also a ready-made excuse for the budget not to achieve its objectives. A budget must be realistic and its revenue framework based on accruable revenue sources. Planning with facts and statistics which the planner knows to be wrong is a waste of time. For the government to merely hope without any empirical basis that the price of oil will rebound in 2015, as the basis for fixing a benchmark higher than the actual price raises issues about the credibility of the budget. The benchmark should have been lower than current prices and if the price

eventually goes up, savings can accrue to the Excess Crude Account. “Insisting on an exchange rate of N165 to 1USD at a time when the currency is facing severe pressure and the Central Bank has fixed a band of - + 5percent around the N168 to 1USD corridor appears overtly optimistic. Why not use N168 to 1USD or the interbank rate of N167.5 to 1USD. With the sell-off of stocks by foreign investors, increased frivolous spending for the 2015 campaigns and obvious liquidity challenges, the naira may likely depreciate further. Undue optimism in the face of daunting challenges pointing in the opposite direction is not the way for credible planning.”

Heirs Holdings invests in Wonderloop Inc Heirs Holdings, a Lagos based African proprietary investment company, has committed an angel investment to Silicon Valley start-up Wonderloop Inc. to support the development and expansion of its custom videoprofile platform. The seed funding will support experimentation and prototype development to accelerate the global adoption of the video platform. The investment will be disbursed as a convertible loan directly to Wonderloop. Wonderloop is the world’s first video-profile identity platform. The cutting edge iPhone app will revolutionize the way people

connect through short 10-15 second video-profiles, creating real-world connections on mobile devices. The video-profile replaces the static images and bios on traditional social networks and provides users with more accurate impressions users. “If we can meet each person in the world with a click of a button, it changes the way we connect, hire, invest and give, said Woonderloop Founder Hanna Aase, during a recent interview. “We do introductions for the people we know, but what if we could replicate that experience with Continues on page 23

s the Roman Historian, Plutarch (AD 46-120) had noted “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” Given their corrupt and greedy lifestyles Nigeria’s leaders do not seem to care about integrity or moral values. They are good at predicting the future without creating it. As Peter Drucker has observed “If you want to predict the future, create it.” In Nigeria, the growing problem of unemployment in the country has contributed largely to the worsening problem of poverty among the populace. Unemployment according to Olaitan (1996) leads to frustration and disillusionment which may result in crime or drug abuse in a futile attempt to escape from and forget the pains and humiliation of poverty and lack. The problem of unemployment, he further stated, has worsened as millions of school leavers and graduates of tertiary institutions have not secured gainful employment over the years. Unemployment has posed a serious problem not only to the welfare of individuals but also to that of their families. Many able bodied and highly qualified persons who could not secure gainful employment have remained economically dependent on their parents. This is because they lack the necessary occupational skills to be self employed and to effectively function in today’s world of work. These occupational skills can be provided by technical and vocational education. According to Abdulahi (1994) technical education is that aspect of education that involves the acquisition of techniques and application of the knowledge of the science for the improvement of man’s surrounding. Technical and vocational education prepares one for the world of work with which the individual become reliant and can make contributions to the development of the society. As employers look for new talents every year from new graduates, it is important to not only have a solid education but graduates that have

features that stand out from the rest of the graduating students. With the economy being more globalized than ever, it is important to have a background and a skill set that allows graduates to become immersed in the global economy right from graduation (Cote, 2007). It is important for these students or graduates to have skills in innovation in technology education and entrepreneurship to be ready to fit into the global market place on which today ’s economy depends on. Entrepreneurial Skills Needed by Technical and Vocational Education. Leadership is not a major cause of Nigeria’s underdeveloped status. Nigeria can become an economic powerhouse (and realize its visions) only if proper attention is given to education and technological development and promotes and rewards creativity, and channel its material and human resources to productive use. The leaders must recognize the relevance of technical and vocational education in national development and adopt and adapt what works in developed nations. The resources being wasted in the on-going false re-branding campaign should have been used to re-brand the nation’s education sector. No amount of rhetoric (or fanciful slogan) would solve Nigeria’s sociopolitical and economic problems. The leaders could salvage Nigeria’s image by re-branding their mentality and doing the right thing: tackle corruption, reform the electoral system and fix the dilapidated institutions. Thus, without a fundamental shift in values, beliefs and thinking, and without technological capability, Nigeria will continue to dream of becoming a ‘Great Nation’. It cannot be overemphasized that technical education is the engine for economic growth. No nation can fight a war without an army. In the same token, Nigeria cannot develop without wellequipped technical and vocational institutions.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 23

hen last week I wrote that CPC was wrong to have ordered Coca Kola to pay the sum of N100 million for pushing to the market two half filled cans of Sprite, there were immediate reactions. One was particular and luckily enough he called instead of sending the text message he had intended. He felt that I was paid to do the article. He told me he was about sending a text to ask how much I was paid. But after taking him through the discussions, and why I took the stand and wrote the way I did, he sighed and said this is happening because of the level of corruption in the system. Well corruption is a matter for another day. I, as a business reporter, have met with the Director General of Consumer Protection Council twice in the course of my daily assignment. On the two occasions I had the opportunity to ask her two government agencies are by events that followed which different questions that quick to refer to, if you buy a I do not want to put in print to sparked an argument that product and it is defective or protect the source of the convinced me she was rattled does not meet your need, information. by the questions. Yes, the CPC DG may have within a specified time frame At the very first meeting I you can return the product as very good intentions to clean drew her attention and that of long as the receipt is with you. up the marketplace but her her team to what was This is not the case in Nigeria. happening in the Nigerian The CPC is well aware that marketplace. In Nigeria at the many Nigerians have bought open market where the electronic gadgets, Each day, common man that need more generators, handsets that Nigerians buy of government agency like failed to function the very day CPC protection, receipts they were bought and never electric bulbs and issued by traders always carry got compensation because other consumer a note that goods once there was no one to take up delivered can not be returned. their cause. Many have goods that never This practice has been with us reported their plights to this last more than one as a nation and many innocent same Council without any consumers have suffered remediation. Each day, hour. greatly in the hands of those Nigerians buy electric bulbs who manipulate the market for and other consumer goods that The Director their personal gains. What this never last more than one hour. General of CPC means is that whatever the The Director General of CPC condition of the goods sold to when asked this question when asked this you in the open market, even could not offer any satisfactory question could not in stores, if you have explanation or plan of action complaints you will not be to checkmate this ugly offer any attended to. situation. satisfactory In developed climes, there is The second encounter was warranty on goods bought when I asked the DG if she explanation or whether in the open market or would have the will power to plan of action to directly from the stand the pressure that will manufacturers. In the US and come on her once the first shot checkmate this other developed markets, even is fired. She apparently took ugly situation in South Africa where most offence at the question going

Of CPC, Coca Cola and invincible hand of Presidency 2

approach is wrong. When Dora Akunyili wanted to clean up the pharmaceutical industry, she took the war to the root of the problem. The source, fake drugs. At the moment Standard Organisation has taken the battle of fake products to the marketplace and supplier nations of such products.

f the current matter of fine imposed on Coca Cola had passed the necessary procedures, there would have been no dissenting voice in this matter. If CPC had shown evidence of incurring N60 million costs as a result of its investigation of the matter, there would have been no issue. If CPC had come out to say the cost associated was as a result of its collaboration with local or foreign known laboratory, there would also have been no issue. Is it because it asked Nigeria Bottling Company to open its facility for one-year inspection that Coca Cola and Nigerian Bottling Company have to pay N60million for fine and another N40million to its coffer? Besides, it is asking that it be given N40 million while N50,000 should be paid as compensation to the complainants. What were the criteria for arriving at the various sums to be paid?

Business & Economy

CPC to my mind is under pressure from the powers that sent the half-filled cans to it to investigate. The question Nigerians should ask themselves is, are there a set of rules for the rich, the powerful and the highly influential that is different from the set of rules for the poor, the wretched, the needy and the deprived? Who of these Nigerians need more of government protection? If the half filled cans had not come from the source we mentioned last week, will the matter have been like this? Can the CPC and those behind the media war deny that it is because of the pressure from the powers that be, that made the matter assume the tone it has right now? One of the readers who called on this matter and demanded I write a sequel to the earlier article said that it is an act of corruption that is at work. He said if Coca Cola had agreed to negotiate to say N30 million, the matter would not have come to public glare and somebody would have pocketed the money. It is for the court of public opinion to decide. As far as I am concerned every Nigerian is equal before the Nigerian constitution. Nigeria is not for the rich and most powerful alone. Here at Vanguard , our motto is “Toward a better life for the people” that is all Nigerians not a set of Nigerians, not the money bags, not the powerful alone, but all.

Nigeria’s investment in R&D accounts for 0.01% —FIIRO BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

indings from Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) show that Nigeria’s investment in Research and Development (R&D) accounts for 0.01 percent of global expenditure. The Director General, FIIRO, Ms Gloria Elemo, stated this while presenting a paper titled: “Investment in Research and Development: A panacea for Sustainable Job Creation in Nigeria.” She stated that Nigeria ranked 94 out of 134 nations in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) in 2010 without a university ranked in the world’s top 500. Elemo pointed out that there

are huge opportunities and possibilities for wealth and sustainable job creation if the government at the local, state and federal level continues to partner with the private sector in the uptake and commercialization of most of its R&D results. She said: “In FIIRO for example, we have developed more than 250 technologies from locally available raw materials and 50 of these have been scaled up to pilot plant production and packaged ready for commercialization. “The federal government has a huge role to play by enacting policies and legislations that will encourage production of consumer goods from indigenous raw materials. The support given to the partial

substitution of wheat flour with cassava flour in bread and confectioneries will for instance revolutionalise the entire cassava value chain,” she said. Additionally, she said that the 10 percent cassava flour inclusion policy, if passed into law has the potential of generating more than three

million jobs down the line across the entire value chain. “I believe it is a policy that should be given a serious and speedy consideration by the national assembly. “Nigeria has aspirations to be one of the top 20 world economies by 2020 creating two key issues – a need for

massive investment in science, technology and innovation over the next decade and strategic opportunities for researchers in R&D and new product development. FIIRO is poised to play a major role in achieving the year 2020 projection,” she said.

Heirs Holdings invests in Wonderloop Inc Continues from page 22 everyone in the world? If we can see anyone, anywhere in the world, we will feel we have met and can be comfortable hiring, investing, giving and more, virtually,” stated Founder Hanna Aase, during a recent press interview. Aase created the Wonderloop app

after being inspired by Oprah’s mission of connecting and giving to people all around the world and wanted to bring it to the mobile space. Her goal is to give everyone the power to meet life-changing people using the integrated search

engine. “I am excited about Wonderloop’s vision of giving everyone in the world an opportunity to be seen through this dynamic cutting edge video-profile system,” said Tony O. Elumelu, C.O.N, Chairman of Heirs Holdings.

24 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Business & Economy

PZ Wilmer, others seek withdrawal of 75% import duty waiver By FRANKLIN ALLI & JONAH NWOKPOKU

OCAL palm oil and vegetable producers in the country have demanded that the Federal Government withdraw the 75 per cent import duty waiver granted to importers of crude palm oil

being brought into Nigeria through the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos. The local producers, the ilk of PZ Wilmer, Presco Oil Plc and Okomu Oil Plc, etc, lamented that the 75 percent waiver could best be described as nailing the coffin of the local oil palm economy and burying it.

Engr. Henry Olatujoye, President of National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria, NPPAN, who gave insight on the impact of the 75 per cent waiver on oil palm industry operators, said the competition is seriously affecting them who have invested huge amounts of money on plants and

PRESENTATION: Some staff of Heritage Bank presenting food items to Hearts of Gold Children's Hospice as part of the bank's Yuletide season activities.

C M Y K

plantations across the country. “We have lost over N20 billion to this unguided policy and people saddled with Nigeria economic watch are looking the other side. This has to stop immediately,” Olatunjoye said. He said that the industrial users of CPO in Nigeria have come to realize that it was very important to develop their own plantation to sustain their demand for CPO. “That is why PZWillmar is developing about 30,000Ha, Presco 16,000Ha, Okomu 12500Ha, Slabmark 4000Ha, etc. Ten thousand Hectares represent 10 km by 10 km in area. You can see that operators in the industry in Nigeria are spending huge fund to develop plantations. Therefore any policy that will negate this investment should be seen as anti Nigerian and should be crushed immediately,” he said. On his part, the Managing Director of Okomu Oil Palm Plc, Dr. Graham Hefer, said that the 75 per cent waiver should be withdrawn immediately as it is illegal and inimical to the future development of the oil palm sector and open to abuse. “As we see happening now,

the 75 percent waiver is detrimental to the development of Nigeria as a whole since the government loses revenues or lost duties,” he said. For the Managing Director of Araromi Ayesan Oil Palm Plc, Mr. Babatunde Kuku, the granting of 75 percent waiver on duty payment to some companies in the vegetable oil sector creates undulating playing ground for manufacturers in the industry while industries enjoying the waiver pay only 8.75 per cent while others pay 35 per cent. “This is unfair and capable of destroying the investments of the companies that are not favoured. Government should reverse the waivers or in the alternative bring duty down to 8.75 percent,” Kuku said. According to Santosh Pillei, Managing Director, PZ-Wilmar, their $650 million Joint Venture project under a robust backward integration programme would be saving Nigeria up to $300 million yearly in foreign exchange, and drastically reduce the current huge crude palm oil (CPO) importation.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 25

26 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Banking & Finance

anking and finance in 2014 were defined by efforts of industry players and regulators to enhance the quality of banking services as well as increase access to finance for critical sectors of the economy. Amidst these efforts, the industry experienced two major reality checks, which impacted regulation and monetary policy in the second part of the year. Presented below is a brief account of these developments. Suspension of Sanusi The suspension of Mallam Lamido Sanusi on February 20th was an unprecedented development in the history of the country. The suspension was the outcome of Sanusi’s outcry over missing crude oil revenue. Sanusi’s suspension triggered fear and apprehension in the industry especially among foreign investors, who feared that Sanusi’s tight monetary policy vis-a-vis stable naira exchange rate may not be maintained. The investors decided to divest from Nigeria and this triggered increased demand for dollars, resulting to suspension of the interbank foreign exchange market, and money market on February 20th. To allay the fears of investors, the CBN increased sale of foreign exchange to meet demand, leading to 9.4 percent increase in foreign exchange sales at RDAS in February, and 13.23 percent decline in external reserves. Reflecting the impact of Sanusi’s suspension on Nigeria’s reputation in the international economy, Standard and Poor Credit rating agency downgraded Nigeria credit rating to “negative outlook” Appointment of Emefiele Mr. Godwin Emefiele’s appointment as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was least expected by industry observers. He was not one of the personalities touted to be in contention for the plum job. But since his assumption of office on June 4th 2014, Emefiele has taken decisions with far reaching impact on the industry. He has maintained the various measures to improve quality of banking and access to finance for economic development. He has also maintained the tight monetary policy obsession of the Sanusi led CBN. Furthermore, he has shown leadership in the response of the CBN to the impact of the declining crude oil price on the economy. In addition to devaluing the naira, the CBN under Emefiele has introduced measures to curb speculation

Sanusi

The items included electronics, finished products, information technology, g e n e r a t o r s , telecommunication equipment and invisible transactions. According to the apex bank, the items would henceforth be funded from the interbank foreign exchange market only. Further, the apex bank reduced the Net Open Position of banks to zero percent of shareholders’ funds, thus banning them from holding dollar assets for trading in the interbank market. In addition, the CBN imposed a 48 hours limitation on utilisation of dollars purchased from the interbank market.

Emefiele

Biometric machine

MONEY MARKET 2014 REVIEW

Reality check amidst measures to enhance banking services By BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE and slow down decline in external reserve, leading to further increase in interest rates, and freezing of interbank foreign exchange market. Monetary Policy Monetary Policy was tightened in 2014. In March the CBN raised Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for banks on private sector deposit to 15 percent from 12 percent. This was further increased to 20 percent in November. These increases led to the withdrawal of almost N1 trillion from banks and thus reduced their ability to extend credit to the economy. The withdrawal also prompted increase in lending rates of banks, as

well as increased mobilisation and competition for low cost funds. In addition to raising CRR on private sector deposit, CBN also introduced measures to address excess cash (liquidity) in the banking system. In October, it limited interest payment on its

To allay the fears of investors, the CBN increased sale of foreign exchange to meet demand, leading to 9.4 percent increase in foreign exchange sales at RDAS in February, and 13.23 percent decline in external reserves

Standing Deposit Facility (through which banks place idle cash with the CBN) to N7.5 billion. It also banned banks from accessing its discount window (to exchange treasury bills for cash) while participating in its foreign exchange auction. In addition to tightening liquidity, Monetary Policy also battled to save the naira from the impact of falling crude oil prices. Measures were introduced to curb speculation in the foreign exchange market. On October 28, in addition to the 10 kobo margin limit imposed on intervention dollars, the CBN banned banks from selling the dollars to BDCs. Furthermore, on November 6 th , the CBN excluded importation of six items from official foreign exchange, saying it would no longer sell official foreign exchange for the importation of the items.

Review of BDC Guidelines On June 24, the CBN introduced new guidelines for bureaus de change (BDCs), raising the minimum capital base to N35 million from N10 million, and the mandatory caution deposit to N35 million from $20,000. The initial deadline of July 15th was extended to July 31st , while the CBN agreed to pay interest on the mandatory caution deposit. However, despite the general belief that the measures would lead to reduction in the number of BDCs, the more than 3000 licensed BDCs were able to meet the new requirements, and thus retained their operating license. In addition to the new guidelines, the CBN reduced weekly sale of dollars to each BDC from $50,000 to $15,000. This combined with the ban on sale of CBN intervention dollars to BDCs restricted dollar supplies to the parallel market, leading to further depreciation of the naira in the parallel market. Cashless Policy and Epayment reforms The Cashless policy was extended to the remaining 30 states in the country on July 1st as scheduled though charges for cashless limit were suspended to allow for awareness. In addition to this were several initiatives to boost adoption of electronic payments in the country. These include commencement of epayment of salaries, pensions and taxes; Introduction of EReferencing; Introduction of Limits on Electronic payment instant transfers; Electronic payment incentives scheme; and reintroduction of charges for using the ATM of other banks (Remote-On-Us) Reflecting the impact of these initiatives on electronic payments in the country, average monthly epayment

Continues on page 27

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 27

Banking & Finance Facility is aimed at settling certain outstanding debts in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) amounting to 213 billion and guarantees the take-off of the Transitional Electricity Market (“TEM”). In specific terms, the proposed facility will cover legacy gas debts and the shortfall in revenue during the Interim Rule period (IRP). The facility will be administered through deposit money banks. The Facility will be disbursed at the rate of 10 percent per anum. The tenor shall not be more than 10 years. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that complies with section 31 of CBN Act 2007 will serve as an intermediary between the banks and the Electricity market players. Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shall reset the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) to ensure that it provides for the loan repayment including the costs of setting up and operating the NEMSF.

Reality check amidst measures to enhance banking services Continued from page 26 transactions rose by 24 percent from 8.1 million in 2013 to 10 million as at July 2014. Also transactions through Point of Sale (PoS) terminals grew by 191.24 percent to 15.17million (N241.51billion) in 2014 from the 5.21million (N95.29billion) in 2013. Biometric Verification Number In order to improve on the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement, and enhance security of transaction, the CBN and banks introduced the Biometric Verification Number (BVN). Based on biometric identity of the customers, the BVN was launched February 14 this year, with a pilot phase involving banks’ staff in 48 branches across the country, followed by enrolment of customers in 1000 bank branches in Lagos. In other to fast-track implementation of the BVN, the CBN in October issued a circular, wherein it mandated that banks must enrol 70 percent of their customers for BVN by March 2015. In addition, it made the BVN a condition for accessing bank loans in the country. “All new loans must have the BVN as a condition precedent to drawdown , with effect from November 3rd 2014”, the CBN said in a circular signed by Mr. Dipo Fatokun, Director, Banking and Payment System Department. International Outbound Money Transfer service In 2014, banks commenced Outbound Money Transfer services to ease the stress of sending money from Nigeria to individuals outside the country. This followed the introduction of the revised guidelines for International Money Transfer Services by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which allowed provision of Outbound Money Transfer services in the country. In August, the CBN, Western Union and FirstBank launched the first Outbound Money Transfer services. Speaking at the launching ceremony, CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele said the service is targeted at remittances by individuals to dependants, including children, leaving abroad and for other personto-person needs. He said that the system would also simplify money transfer process in Nigeria. He said, “Today, outbound money services is being launched to provide an

Sekibo

Chike Obi

Oguntayo

Ibrahim

alternative channel of foreign exchange transfer to serve the needs of small foreign exchange end users. “Simultaneously, it reduces the foreign exchange sourced from official foreign exchange window in Nigeria and to a large extent, helps to conserve our foreign exchange.

loans in some institutions and yet are availed further credit facilities by other institutions under the same or sometimes different identity. But following request from banks, the apex bank technically lifted the ban, by allowing banks to lend to defaulters subject to certain conditions.

Ban on loan defaulters Efforts to address the problem of non-performing loans in the banking industry received a boost in July when the CBN banned banned banks and development banks from lending to loan defaulters of over N500 million, without its prior approval. The ban was announced by the Director, Banking Supervision, CBN, Mrs Tokunbo Martins in a circular titled, “Prohibition of Loan Defaulters from Further Access to Credit Facilities in the Nigerian Banking Industry.” This decision according to the CBN was occasioned by, “the level of impunity with which some borrowers default on their

Funding of Power Sector and MSMEs

Also transactions through Point of Sale (PoS) terminals grew by 191.24 percent to 15.17million (N241.51billion) in 2014 from the 5.21million (N95.29billion) in 2013

The CBN further demonstrated its commitment to enhancing access to credit for critical sectors of the economy with the launch of the N220 billion Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Fund and the N213 billion Power Sector intervention fund. Launched in August, the MSME Fund provides loans at nine percent interest rate to MSME operators. According to the guidelines, 60 percent of the Fund is to provide financial services to women. Also the Fund is to be shared between micro enterprises and SMEs at a 50:50 ratio. The Fund can only be accessed to fund Agricultural value chain activities, Services (hotels, schools), Artisans, cottage industry, and trade and general commerce. In November the CBN introduced the N213 billion Nigeria Electricity Market Stabilsation Facilities designed to address obstacles to power generation. According to the CBN, the

Sale of Enterprise Bank and Mainstreet Bank The number of banks in the country further reduced in 2014 with the sale of Enterprise Bank and Mainstreet Bank. The two banks were among the three nationalised banks sold to Asset Management Corporation (AMCON) due to failure of the legacy banks to meet the recapitalisation deadline of the CBN. The banks are Keystone bank (formerly Bank PHB), Mainstreet Bank (formerly Afribank) and Enterprise Bank (Formerly Spring Bank). On September 11th, AMCON had announced HBCL Investment Services Limited (HISL), promoted by Heritage Bank as the preferred bidder for Enterprise Bank, ahead of Fidelity Bank, which emerged as the reserved bidder). Upon the announcement HISL, made the first payment of 20 percent as stipulated in the share purchase agreement (SPA). The sale was completed on October 16 th when the company successfully completed the payment for the transaction. Also on October 5 th , AMCON announced Skye Bank Plc as the preferred bidder for Mainstreet Bank, ahead of Cedar One Investment Partners Limited and Fidelity bank as 1st and 2 nd reserve bidders. Consequently, on October 8, Skye Bank signed the Share Purchase Agreement form and paid the mandatory 20 percent deposit. The Bank concluded payment for the transaction on October 31st ahead of the November 3rd deadline.

28 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Corporate Finance

Stock market: Investors lose N3.23trn in 2014 …Global market records mixed performance By PETER EGWUATU

nvestors reaped more from their investment in the global capital market, even though it recorded mixed performance than the Nigerian capital market in the year, 2014. The investors in the Nigerian capital market lost Oteh N3.23 trillion or 24.4 percent towards the end December, 19, Friday from 6,731 it opened in billion to USD606 billion. The 2014. January. plan further established Specifically, the equity Malaysia as one of the world’s market of the Nigerian Stock Reforms most important Islamic finance Exchange, NSE closed last There had been a far centers while moving it from a week Friday 19, December, reaching reform programme narrow market dominated by 2014 at N10.0 trillion from that is meant to address some equities and bonds to other N13.23 trillion it opened at the nd of the challenges facing the products like REITs, ETFs, beginning of trading on 2 market. There had been less derivatives, and non-interest January, 2014. investor apathy and increased products. Malaysia’s first In similar vein, the All Share certainty of the market at the master plan was so successful, Index dropped by 26.6 per cent beginning of the year until the they developed a second one towards the end of December, fourth quarter that the election for their market currently being 2014 from 41.329.14 points it is getting closer. In the past implemented leading to 2020. opened during the beginning years there were regulatory Closer home, Kenya has also of trading in January 2014 to lapses, many cases of recently launched a 10-year close on Friday December 19, wrongdoing leading up to the master plan to guide the 2014 at 30,308.51 points. The crisis and most worrisome; a development of their capital index measures the market that was way below its market. performance of the stock potential in terms of breadth, market and also reflects how depth, liquidity, sophistication Elimination of Stamp duty prices of stocks have moved, and governance. and waivers: which in turn determine the The regulatory reform This year, the federal rate of returns made by agenda of the present SEC government announced the investors. administration has largely elimination of stamp duties However, operators in the been based on the report of an and value added tax (VAT) on Nigerian capital market have Industry Committee market transactions while attributed the current decline established by then being instrumental to the much in the stock market commission in 2008 titled needed forbearance for performance indicators to the “Making World Class Potential stockbrokers. Central Bank of Nigeria a Reality”. The SEC has ensured that (CBN)’s monetary tightening investor confidence is restored, policies, naira devaluation, Capital Market 10 years adopting a posture of zero and global fall in oil prices, Master Plan tolerance to wrongdoing while amongst others. The SEC took decisions to Findings show that Global leverage cooperation within stocks closed mixed in 2014, the Capital Market Committee as the US New York Stock (CMC) to set up industry-wide Exchange (NYSE) Nasdaq committees to examine the index surged by 14.7 per cent state of the market and chart to close at 4,765 points last its future path. The result of week Friday December 19, this exercise is the from 4,154.20 points it opened development of a 10-year in January. In similar manner, master plan for the Nigerian NYSE Standard &Poor’ 500 capital markets with specific stock index also appreciated blue prints for capital market by12.5 per cent to close at literacy and non-interest 2,070.65 points on Friday from capital market products. This 1,841.07 it opened in January is in line with global best 2014. On the other hand, U.S practice as we have learnt from Dow Jones which opened at successful examples from peer 16,504.29 points in January emerging markets. increased by 9.2 per cent to Statistics had shown that close at 17,804.65 points last Malaysia developed a 10-year week Friday. Tokyo’s Nikkei master plan for their capital 225, which opened at market in 2001. By the end of 16,291.31 points increased 8.2 2010 they had implemented 95 per cent to close at 17,621.40 percent of the points; while London Stock recommendations in the plan Exchange’s FTSE 100 index which led to a doubling of the dropped by 2.8 per cent to market size from USD317 close at 6,545. 27 points on

There had been a far reaching reform programme that is meant to address some of the challenges facing the market

Oscar strengthening its enforcement machinery through partnerships with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and the Nigeria Police Force. The commission instituted legal proceedings against over 260 individuals and entities for various forms of market infractions seeking to disgorge all illegally gotten wealth and restitute investors. Investors protection The commission has revamped the investor protection and dispute resolution mechanism by strengthening the SEC’s quasi-judicial Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC), developing a robust complaint management framework, setting up the National Investor Protection Fund and strengthening AntiMoney Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT) framework. Rule making The commission reinvigorated the rule making, ensured adherence to the principles of securities regulation as espoused by members of the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) in which it is a leading member. The commission has also ensured market transparency through implementation of global best practice in corporate governance and financial reporting, issuing a new Code of Corporate Governance and supporting the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In the stock market, it introduced rules on securities lending and market making to boost liquidity, as it approved new listing rules of the NSE to attract more listings and allow the market do more for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs and businesses in strategic sectors.

Bond market SEC focused on building the bond market. It streamlined the bond issuance process, introduced shelf registration and book building, and reduced issuance costs. It created an enabling environment that fosters product innovation leading to the introduction of newer products beyond equities and bonds including exchange traded funds (ETFs), real estate investment trusts (REITs), other varieties of collective investment schemes and broadened non-interest capital market products to include Sukuk bonds. The Commission reinforced the investor education agenda leveraging innovative platforms like Nigeria’s Nollywood, cable television and the social media. It also reach people directly through its catch-them-young programme, secondary school quiz competitions, partnership with NYSC, SEC Integrity Award, programme for market men and women and academies for shareholders and journalists. Effects: The domestic bond market has been attracting different categories of issuers including State governments, government agencies and companies. Current bond market capitalization is at N9.95 trillion comprising N4.10 trillion of FGN bonds, N4.35 trillion of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON bonds and N1.5 trillion state government and corporate bonds. The market during the year under review has attracting triple-A rated issuers like the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) both of whom have issued NairaContinues on page 29

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 29

Corporate Finance

SEC, NBA to partner on capital market development BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

he Securities and E x c h a n g e Commission (SEC) Nigeria is to collaborate with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to set up a standing committee as a means to working together for the development of Nigeria’s capital market. Announcing this when the President of the NBA, Augustine Alegeh and some members of his executive paid a courtesy visit to the commission, Director General of the SEC, Arunma Oteh said the partnership is essential for the two organizations and the country in general to drive the present administration’s transformation agenda. Oteh said Nigeria’s capital market has had big issues that have affected the integrity of the market, saying that the timing is perfect for the SEC and the NBA to look at ways of collaborating in the interest of investors and the country’s economic development. “The timing is right for us to look at how we can strengthen the relationship due to the value of the legal profession in fostering the

Aig-Imoukhuede rule of law in the society and the markets and the value of the capital market in transforming our economy. We can’t have a country that has such great potentials, has men and women that are entrepreneurs and still have a market that is small. “Nigerians by nature are business men; the capital market, in collaboration with the legal profession, should help to promote such businesses so that there is integrity and these businesses can grow to their full potentials by leveraging on the capital market. One area that people are

Albert Okumagba beginning to talk about is the value of wealth distribution and addressing income inequality. If a mechanism can be instituted for creating wealth for anyone irrespective of his/her status or position in the society, then we would have democratized wealth creation and that is what the capital market does” Oteh said. The DG commended the NBA for being partners in the development of the capital market in Nigeria adding that the commission is committed to raising financially literate citizens in the country.

“We are aspiring to evolve to the point of world class, this market must be one that will be the first point of call for all investors and we will get there”. Speaking earlier, the NBA President, Augustine Alegeh expressed the interest of the NBA in working with the SEC in several areas in a bid to improve the country ’s economic development. Already, he said the Association has set up a committee on legislative advocacy which offers services free of charge, to ensure that proper laws are in place no matter whose ox is gored. He said the Association was willing to assist the commission resolve some of its compliance issues, petitions in respect of what happens in the equity market and other legal assistance that may be required. It should be noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria was established in 1979 as the apex regulator of the Nigerian capital market. It is a Federal Government statutory body supervised by the Federal Ministry of Finance. Its activities are currently governed by the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2007.

Stock market: Investors lose N3.23trn in 2014 Continues from page 28 denominated bonds. With benchmark yield curve of up to 20 years, the domestic bond market is well positioned to serve as an important source of capital to tackle Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit. The market today is also a lot less concentrated as the share of the banking sector has reduced from about 60 percent to about 25 percent of total capitalization. Industrial goods, consumer goods and oil & gas have become important components. The historic dual listing of Seplat Petroleum on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange is a good case in point of the growing importance of other sectors. Our stock market over the last two years was among the 10 best performing in the world returning 35 percent in 2012 and 47 percent in 2013. Stock market infrastructure development: The management at the NSE

is leading a commendable transformation of the exchange actively seeking to boost listings, becoming a full member of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) and rolling out Africa’s most robust trading engine – the X-GEN – amongst other initiatives. The commission has equally supported the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) in its reform of the settlement and clearing system notably the implementation of SWIFT and straight-throughprocessing. Overall liquidity in the market has improved significantly since the introduction of market making. An over-the-counter (OTC) trading platform sponsored by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) has started operations to help increase liquidity in the trading of unlisted companies. Conclusion In spite of the progress made so far, the Nigerian capital market is not where it ought to

be considering the immense potential of the country. The ratio of market capitalization of listed stocks to GDP is in Nigeria is still very low at only 16 percent compared to 247 percent in Malaysia, 207 percent in South Africa and 112 percent in Brazil. The stock market does not give a proper reflection of our economy as important contributors to GDP like Agriculture, Trade, Oil & Gas and Telecommunications are not adequately reflected in the market capitalization. This partly explains the current performance with the market trading like an oil & gas stock down 19 percent year to date. The bond market has a lot of room for growth with debt-toGDP ratio at only 11 percent compared to over 200 percent in Japan, 110 percent in Singapore, 103 percent in the United Kingdom, 103 percent in the United States (US) and over 60 percent in China. All round, liquidity needs to improve well beyond its current level. The ratio of net asset value (NAV) to GDP in

Nigeria is only 0.2 percent compared to 77 percent in the US, 30 percent in South Africa and 5 percent in India. The regulators in the market have stated that there is need to focus on Collective Investment Scheme, CIS to enable a lot more Nigerians participate in market growth. The capital market can play a far greater role in actualizing Nigeria’s aspirations than it currently does. On this note, it must be positioned to grow in a strategic and organized manner. Developing and implementing master plans have proven such an effective endeavor; it is not even limited to emerging and developing markets. Recently, the European Union’s (EU) financial services commissioner Jonathan Hill announced plans by the EU to unveil a long term master plan in mid-2015 that will lead the growth and integration of European capital markets while reducing companies’ reliance on banks.

Stanbic IBTC donates to Foundations for the less privileged

tanbic IBTC Asset Management donates to Foundations for the less privileged Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, has made donations to two leading Foundations to support the less privileged in the areas of education and healthcare. The company, Nigeria’s leading asset management firm, donated N1 million to Thoughtful House Foundation and N500,000 to LOTS Charity Foundation, to enable them cater for the needs of the less privileged. LOTS Charity Foundation is focused on education and community development while Thoughtful House Foundation is focused on providing support on the education and therapy of children with Autism. Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony in Lagos on Wednesday December 24, 2014,Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, Mr. Olumide Oyetan, stated that the gesture is in line with the firm’s commitment to valuedriven corporate social responsibility, designed to make positive impact on the wellbeing of the communities where it operates.

Africa’S First Digital Lifestyle Store Debuts in Nigeria

igeria’s growing online retail market received a boost over the weekend with the launch of Kumoodi.com, Africa’s first digital lifestyle online store. The Founder/Chief Client Officer, Mr. Oye Onwuka, said the idea behind kumoodi.com is to offer an entertainment platform, where one can download music, movies, eBooks, eMagazines and Digital Art or stream over the internet on mobile devices while on the go. The platform, he added, also offers convenience and simplicity to meet such needs as airtime topup, payment for essential lifestyle services as cable TV subscription, energy tokens to recharge prepaid meters and funds transfer to most of the banks in Nigeria. According to him, “Kumoodi.com also offers Live Video Streaming services, which redefines how we watch videos on the go. C M Y K

30 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Interview

he banking industry has been under pressure due to policy measures of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to tighten money supply. In this interview, Mr. Oyewale Ariyibi, Head, Finance, FBN Holdings Plc explained how some of these policies impact the operations of the company, and efforts of the company to improve on its efficiency and deliver returns to shareholders. Excerpts By BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE These are very interesting times in the Banking industry, crude oil prices are down, there are concerns that the oil and gas sector which is the largest contributor to the economy will be affected, and a number of banks are heavily exposed to the oil and gas sectors. Also, further tightening of monetary policy by the CBN, increase in CRR and MPR pose a challenge. Presently it is difficult for banks to access discounts through CBN with analysts speculating that this trend will have adverse effects on the profitability of Banks. What effects do you think these will have on the profitability of the entire banking industry as well as the profitability of FBN Holdings vis-à-vis FirstBank? I believe that one of the key objectives of the regulator is to engender financial stability in the system by ensuring that banks are adequately capitalized and wellresourced for the businesses that they undertake. From April 2013 and up till now, there have been a number of pronouncements that have impacted income generation capacity of banks. Some of these policies amongst others are increase in Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for both public and private sector deposits; mandatory payment of a minimum 30 percent MPR rate on Savings deposits; attaching a risk weight of 125 percent to oil and gas exposure of banks with 20 percent or more of its portfolio in oil and gas; progressive reduction in Commission on Turnover (COT) from N5 per mille to N3 per mille in 2013, N2 mille in 2014, N1 per mille in 2015 and zero in 2016. No doubt, these pronouncements have impacted earnings of banks including First Bank and ultimately the holding company. Let me illustrate the impact with just the CRR at 75 percent for public sector deposits and 20 percent for private sector deposits, FirstBank, currently has about N560 billion sterilized with the Central Bank yielding no interest or return whatsoever. Hitherto, such funds would have been invested at an average interest rate of 12 percent per annum, thus the opportunity cost is an annual lost income of N67 billion. The bank has complied with all

these regulations and rearranged its operating structure and created more efficient internal processes to ensure quality service delivery and minimize the impact of the regulatory pronouncements on earnings and the bottom line. Our financial results for the nine months ending September 30, 2014 showed that the group has made significant progress with a profit of N74 billion compared to N70billin for the equivalent period of prior year. There are fears that nonperforming loans, NPLs will spike in 2015 as a result of potential downward trend in government spending and the economy in general. What plans do you have in place to mitigate this risk? You know before the bank extends facilities, there are risk acceptance criteria and credit assessment mechanisms that give some level of comfort that the obligor has the capacity and capability to repay the loan from the cash flow point of view. If the fundamentals of the obligors’ businesses do not change, loans do not go bad; however, temporary macroeconomic challenges might impact margins and profitability. We have very competent and experienced personnel at the bank who are daily monitoring the bank’s portfolio and the obligors to ensure that the loan covenants are adhered. Which of the regulatory policies would you want the

Oyewale Ariyibi

CBN to review in the coming year? The regulators have made policy pronouncements based on their research and data gathering system. As I said earlier, the objective would be

FirstBank currently has about N560 billion sterilized with the Central Bank yielding no interest or return whatsoever. Hitherto, such funds would have been invested at an average interest rate of 12 percent per annum, thus the opportunity cost is an annual lost income of N67 billion

Oyewale Ariyibi

FBN Holdings s impact of mone to ensure that there is stability in the system and we fully align with some of these policies. One area, I wish the CBN can take another look is the issue of cash reserve requirement (CRR) vis-a-vis liquidity ratio. The funds are sterilized in CBN for CRR purposes and these funds (N560billion in the case of Firstbank) do not count for liquidity but the banks are not relieved of the burden of liquidity ratio for the underlining deposits. Hence banks make provision for liquidity ratio on deposits that are not available for their use and do not count for liquidity. It is either those deposits are excluded from computation of liquidity ratio or the sterilized funds are counted as part of a bank’s liquid assets. As the largest bank in terms of Assets, how do you intend to drive down cost and increase bottom line and profit

in 2015 in view of changing regulatory headwinds? We appreciate the strength in financial size and the size of the institution has been a major asset to us. Presently we have about 800 branches and service points across the enterprise, and there are attendant operational costs associated with this size. For example, for each branch, you need to have a transformer and a generator with the attendant costs of maintenance. With the benefit of experience, the bank can safely estimate how much it will cost per annum to operate different types of branches and quick service points. Hence, a template can be developed and deployed as benchmark across different branches and quick service points. In addition, with current advances in technology and the deployment of online banking, mobile banking, over 2,200 ATMs and other platforms, the customers can transact their businesses from the comfort of their homes and offices without necessarily going to the physical bank locations. With this, we

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 31

Interview can begin to record savings in this area going forward. The group’s target is that by the end of 2016 which is the end of the current three year strategic planning cycle, we would have shaved off about 500 basis points (bps) in cost-income ratio compared to Year 2013. This is a stress target and all hands are on deck towards achieving this. Given your size and position in the industry, do you think that there is disconnect between returns and investors valuation of FBN financial performance First, the market is currently bearish. Secondly, Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) which constitute large institutional investors in Nigeria were barred from further investing in the shares of financial holding companies (Holdcos). This is because; holdcos were categorized as new companies in line with section 73 of the Pension Reform Act of

the shares of financial holding companies. We are confident that once this circular is released, the shares of FBN Holdings Plc. will gravitate towards its full intrinsic value. With the new regulatory pronouncement stipulating an interest rate of 3.6 percent to be paid on all savings accounts, does this further pose a challenge to FirstBank’s Profitability? It is not difficult to pay interest on deposits. Even before the pronouncement, Firstbank was paying interest on its Savings and the bank encourages people to save. When the rate is now indexed against MPR, this has increased interest expense and cost of funds slightly, but the bank has managed this appropriately with careful and profitable deployment of the funds. FBN Holdings recently acquired Kakawa Discount House Limited. Is the company still targeting institutions across Africa or in Nigeria for acquisition? The acquisitions that you have seen are in line with the group’s strategic plan for growth and earnings diversification. If I can take you back a little bit, you will

A quick look at our five-year dividend history from 2010 to 2014, showed that the group had declared and paid 10 kobo, 60 kobo, 80 kobo, 100 kobo, and 110 kobo yielding a cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of 62 percent recall that one of the key reasons for adopting the financial holding company structure is to extract synergies and optimize cross selling opportunities across our subsidiaries, hence the inherent value in the group will be harnessed with the financial holding company structure such that the holding company will focus

on co-ordination and consolidation and allow each operating company i.e. subsidiary business to focus on the strategic core of its mandate. The group is structured along four strategic businesses namely: Commercial Banking Group, Investment Banking and Asset Management (IBAM), Insurance and other Financial Services. The commercial banking is focused strictly on commercial banking and related businesses, Investment Banking and Asset management focuses on asset management, corporate finance, and Capital market operations including issuing house and security dealing, advisory services etc., while the insurance group focuses on risk underwriting. Prior to this time, the group held 46 percent of the Shares of Kakawa Discount House Limited and was an associated business. Kakawa offers a unique proposition to the group. It comes with a rich and unique blend of a fixed income origination and distribution capacity which can be integrated into our IBAM group and with this, we are not only reaching out to places we have not reached before but we are also able to deepen existing relationship, improve and increase the type of product

structured to minimize etary tightening 2004. This section of the old law debars PFAs from investing in new companies that has not made profit or declared dividend in the last five years. Whereas, FBN Holdings Plc. (in substance over the form), is essentially a continuation of FBN Plc. A quick look at our five-year dividend history from 2010 to 2014, showed that the group had declared and paid 10 kobo, 60 kobo, 80 kobo, 100 kobo, and 110 kobo yielding a cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of 62 percent. Investing in FBN Holdings Plc. is like a fixed income security with en equity upside. The dividend CAGR is very commendable in view of the very challenging macroeconomic environment under which we have operated in the past five years. With the promulgation of the new Pension Reform Amendment Act of 2014, the section has been amended and coupled with the release of the guidelines for the operations of a financial holding companies in Nigeria, we now await the release of the necessary circular from the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) that will enable PFAs to resume investing in

The group’s target is that by the end of 2016 which is the end of the current three year strategic planning cycle, we would have shaved off about 500 basis points (bps) in cost-income ratio compared to Year 2013. This is a stress target and all hands are on deck towards achieving this

offerings available to our customers. This makes Kakawa a perfect fit in the FBN Holdings structure. In view of this, the group decided to acquire the 54 percent shares hitherto held by non-members of FBN group thus FBN Holdings Plc. has become the beneficial owner of 100 percent shares of Kakawa Discount House Limited. Previously, the commercial banking group through Firstbank had completed the acquisition of ICB West Africa operations in Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal. Additionally, FBN Insurance Limited acquired Oasis Insurance Plc. thereby affording the company the opportunity to underwrite general insurance business in addition to its Life business license. FBN Holdings Plc. has not raised fresh equity in recent time, and the acquisitions were through internally generated funds. We monitor the group performance periodically and regularly with the objective of ensuring that we sweat the equity for efficiency. You have made acquisitions and also made divestments too. Are there plans to further divest from underperforming assets? FBN Holdings Plc. is like an investment management company. The company has expectations and usually set target returns for its operating companies in line with the group’s aspirations and strategic plan. Review of performance is a continuous process and the decision to invest or divest rests squarely with the Board of Directors. With this diversified business and revenue base, we are confident that we have laid strong foundation for the future towards improving the well-being of our stakeholders. For now we do not have any immediate plans of further acquisitions, but to focus on integration and getting the benefit before the investments.

CBN has consistently revealed that there is excess liquidity within the system and the fact that banks are supposed to be lending and not contributing to the excess liquidity pool. What do you think necessitated such excess liquidity policies?

Oyewale Ariyibi

This does not really apply to our group. The bank has constantly extended credit to the productive sectors and especially SMEs which explains why Firstbank has the largest loan portfolio in the entire banking industry.

32 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

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Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 33

34 —Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

E- Commerce

Mobile commerce, offline marketing, logistics define e-commerce in 2014 By JONAH NWOKPOKU

eeper mobile penetration and increased investment in offline marketing and logistics infrastructure by different operators in online business, especially the retail sector, dominated activities in Nigeria’s e-commerce in 2014. Most of the online businesses reported more than 40 per cent increase in the use of mobile devices to access their services. This led to more investment in mobile friendly platforms and strategic approach which prioritised mobile against being an alternative which hitherto was the norm. The year also saw fierce competition especially among the major online retailers in the country. This was characterised by aggressive offline marketing campaign that raked in hundreds of millions of naira for advertisers. For instance, Nigeria’s pioneer online retailer, Jumia.com championed investment in offline marketing that cut across different offline media within the year. So did others like Konga.com, shoptomydoor, Chekki, Jovago, Hotels.ng, Carmudi, Lamudi, Kaymu etc. Industry watchers believe that this trend portends even more offline marketing approach come 2015. Another premium feature of 2014 online business was the increase in investment in logistics. Due to the dearth of logistics infrastructure especially efficient road network in the countr y, which will enhance delivery for retailers, most of the operators in the space saw logistics as a determinant for winning or losing and therefore made significant efforts at investing more in it. For instance, online mall, Konga.com Konga raised its largest new venture fund of $40 million in October. This fund was invested in the building of new engineering department which was unveiled in November. The substantial part of the fund may also have been dedicated to the building of a separate logistics outfit, ‘KExpress’ for the company which made it possible for Konga to make a 24 hour delivery at some point within the year. C M Y K

Recall also that in November, Jumia raised additional $150 million. This was to make additional investment in improvement of logistics and then the offline marketing. The year also saw some major innovative and new entry like the emergence of grocery outfits like Supermart, Gloo, and fashion specialists like Fashpa, Tracklist etc. This is not forgetting job portal like Careers24 which made a bold entry into the job market. The year 2014 also witnessed a remarkable improvement in payment system as most of the online companies made significant efforts at bolstering their payment systems to enhance online payment and boost credibility. This was characterised by partnerships between major payment providers and these online businesses. This was also boosted by the entry of global payment processor like PayPal. Speaking on the growth and the trends in the sector, Co-CEO of Jumia Nigeria, Nicola Martin said: “The overall retail market in Nigeria is growing very fast, with a capacity to grow even faster. In comparison to more mature economies in Europe and the United States where e-commerce is about 15 to 20 per cent of the overall retail market, the retail market in Nigeria is still small, but emerging trends show us that we have the opportunity to push harder and grow to as much as 40 to 50 of the retail market in Nigeria. This year we took major steps in expanding our logistics fleet, and we are positioned to cover more areas in Nigeria faster. We started working with exciting partners like MTN which will enable us reach more Nigerians. We are happy with the performance of the market, and believe we can get 10 to 20 twenty times bigger in two to three years to come.” He added: “Nigerians are beginning to recognize the value proposition that ecommerce brings to them. From the beginning of the year, we invested heavily in e-commerce education on TV, Radio, Newspapers, in the streets, etc; and the outcome has been increased trust of Nigerians in ecommerce generally. As the pioneers of e-

Martin

Shagaya

Essien

Zmyslowski

commerce in Nigeria, we believe that education and great service delivery are key in ensuring that this market reaches its potential.” On his part, Konga’s founder/CEO Sim Shagaya said: “E-commerce saw a huge boom in 2014 with significant growth in the industry. More and more people have come to accept

online trading in Nigerian. There are more shoppers online and the shopping carts have also increased in value.” On the factors and trends that shaped e-commerce in 2014, Shagaya said: “The increased internet and mobile phone penetration directly meant that ecommerce became more accessible to many Nigerians with the resultant growth in the industry as a whole.” He noted that “the record breaking Initial Public Offering by AliExpress also brought a fresh surge of energy to the industry towards the end of the year. It has shown the crucial role e-commerce stands to play in building a countr y ’ s economy.” He added that, “It was a year that also saw a lot of new entrants to the industry and health energizing competition between the players in the field.” For Mark Essien, the Founder of Hotels.ng: “The e-commerce sector in 2014 has seen a huge spurt of growth. We have seen huge amounts of funds coming into the sector, with both Jumia and Konga raising mega capital rounds. We have seen the expansion of DealDey, as well as the rise in other e-commerce sites like Hotels.ng.” Essien believes that 2014 was very much shaped by a

The year 2014 also witnessed a remarkable improvement in payment system as most of the online companies made significant efforts at bolstering their payment systems to enhance online payment and boost credibility

‘let’s get to business’ attitude, as there was less NGO financing, less experimental apps, and more of a focus on making money and growing real businesses. He noted that the trends impacted positively in hotel booking as this meant a lot more investment in the space, with online firms like WakaNow raising significant capital, and Rocket Internet employing Managing Directors to build travel solutions for the West African market. Also speaking, Managing Director of Jovago.com, Marek ZmysBowski said: “The e-commerce industry in Nigeria has experienced a significant boom in the past one year. 2014 saw the astronomical rise of online shopping, whether for products, services or travel, Nigerians have embraced the culture of convenience that comes with shopping online. Companies like Jumia, and Kaymu which offer sales of a range of consumer goods have become an instant customer favourite in 2014. The travel sector has also been positively impacted by this boom. With more people going online to purchase products, the misconceptions about online shopping are being put to rest and so people are now more open to booking their trips and hotel accommodations online. Companies like Jovago.com have also helped shape this shift by constantly creating avenues for the re-education of the market on the benefits of transacting business online.” He identified the entry of global payment processor, PayPal into the Nigerian market as one of the most significant factors that impacted e-commerce in Nigeria this year. This, he said, “has demonstrated that online payments in Nigeria has become more reliable and even local players are now creating more efficient mobile and online payment systems. Also the proliferation of Nigerian mobile applications has brought about a revolution which is driving more people online. Hubs like the C0Creation Hub and Idea Hub are very essential for growing the online ecosystem and this has greatly helped create more awareness of the importance of e-commerce.”

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 35

Homes & Housing Finance By YINKA KOLAWOLE, with agency report

he Federal G o v e r n m e n t has delivered 43,215 housing units across the country in the last four years through various interventions by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, according to Housing Minister, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi. The minister disclosed this during the flag-off of the Nationwide Workers’ Housing Scheme in Apo Tapyi District, Abuja, by President Goodluck Jonathan. She said the houses were added to the national housing stock via interventions by the ministry in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) from July 2010 to date. “A significant number of the beneficiaries of these new housing units are workers across the country given the focus of the housing scheme of the Ministry on affordability and quality delivery, with particular attention to low-income and middle income earners in both the formal and informal sectors of the national economy,” she said. Eyakenyi further disclosed that another official ground breaking ceremony of the first batch of 10,000 affordable homes to be provided under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) housing delivery scheme of the Housing

FRSC plans 20,000 houses for staff

OPENING - From left: Kenneth Ekwueme, Branch Manager, Mohinani Group; Ronke Atoyebi, Retail Cluster Manager Electromart; Bharat Vaswani, head, Business Development; Zacheus Oludele Odusoga, special guest of honour and Lisa of Ikorodu and Arman Ashraf, head retail operations, Electromart during the opening of Electromart new showroom in Ikorodu Lagos.

FG delivers 43,215 houses in 4 years Ministry, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance and other key stakeholders will be inaugurated early next year. “Our commitment to the accelerated and long-term transformation of the sector, is well reflected in the revised National Housing and Urban Development policies, revised National Building

Code and the Roadmap being finalised for the sector. The establishment of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) in January 2014 is also set to bridge the funding cost of residential mortgages by providing mortgage lending banks with increased access to liquidity and longer terms funds in the mortgage

...Seals $80m Abuja housing scheme deal

he Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Dubai-based private developer, Signature Value Homes Limited, for the development of affordable mass housing scheme in Abuja worth over $80 million. The Public Private Partnership (PPP) project, coming under Contractors Finance Initiative of the Ministry, is billed to start in January 2015 with the first phase of 300 units expected to be delivered in six months. The project, to occupy 20 hectares of land situated at Gwagwalada, is proposed as a mixed development comprising of one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom flats on ground plus three upper level floors. At the signing ceremony, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, noted that the company submitted an unsolicited proposal of intent and made a technical presentation to the Ministry in November and the PPP Unit carried out due diligence before it was given the go-ahead for the project. “The company is technically capable and has the financial capacity to undertake the project if given the opportunity. PPP is the vehicle through which the Ministry builds mass housing. The Ministry provides land

and developers build according to agreed specifications. Messrs Signature Value Homes Limited is a mass housing project developer entity that specializes in providing holistic solutions for integrated community development. The company presented a profile of successful execution of projects in India and SubSahara African Countries and is also engaged in mass housing development with the Niger State government. “The Field Headquarters in Abuja was contacted and has confirmed that the said land on which the company proposes to develop the houses, infrastructure and facilities is free and unencumbered. The PPP Unit considered the proposal as a viable project and highly recommended it for implementation. This however necessitated the Minister’s approval for partnership with the company,” she stated. The minister remarked that the housing ministry is effectively utilising the lands allocated to it by FCT. The agreement was witnessed by Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jumoke Akinjide, and Principal Partners for Signature Value Homes led by Anand Ramanisigned.

market,” the minister stated. She also noted that the government has been creating an enabling environment for private sector-led participation in mass housing delivery, implementation of innovative people-centred policies and programmes aimed at reducing the housing deficit, promoting access to home ownership, reducing the affordability gap, reducing housing construction costs and ensuring better living conditions with improved access to social amenities. “We will not rest on our oars until we significantly reduce the housing deficit in the country, and ensure that all Nigerians are properly housed in properly functioning communities, with access to essential infrastructure and services,” she added. The minister appealed to all the 36 state governments to make suitable and unencumbered land available for the expansion of the scheme for the benefit of Nigerian workers across the country. Meanwhile, President Jonathan has revealed plans by the Federal government to deliver over 100,000 housing units for civil servants all over the country.

ederal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has revealed plans to build a 20,000 housing units for staff nationwide, expected to gulp N180 billion. Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the commission Boboye Oyeyemi, said in Abuja, that the housing scheme is the commission’s strategy to tackle the housing needs of staff “especially those who have served the FRSC meritoriously and retired with little or no prospect of owning their own personal houses after their service years.” Oyeyemi said the “one staff, one house” housing scheme will enable staff ,through mortgage schemes, to pay in 10 years. He said machinery has been put in place to ensure that in the next four years. According to him, the project is to “key into the transformation agenda of the present administration in its policy of providing decent and affordable houses to Nigerians. That policy focus has been demonstrated through the various reforms carried out by the federal government in the mortgage sector as well as restructuring of the national housing fund to make it possible for staff who contribute to the fund to access money to finance their housing projects.

Nigeria ranks low housing —NBRRI

igerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) has revealed that Nigeria ranks very low in housing and road network in the comity of nations. Director General/CEO, NBRRI, Prof. Danladi Matawal, disclosed while speaking at a public lecture in Lagos, on the theme, “Road and Building Research in Nigeria; Panacea to Nigeria’s Quest for Infrastructural Development”. He said the measure of the state of development of any country could be made through the volume and state of housing development and roads within its geographical area. According to him, infrastructure such as road and housing are amongst some of the most critical economic infrastructures that stimulate growth and development.

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36 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

The age of oil is over for Nigeria – 2 “We promise our people that even with the drop in oil prices, the economy will be stable.” President Jonathan. December 4, 2014.

or sheer fantasy, that declaration by President Jonathan will be difficult to surpass. He made it while receiving a delegation from General Electric, the global giant, to the Presidential Villa. The visitors, being very polite, naturally, kept a straight face, while listening to a good joke “from above”. It is not often they meet with a President who does not know basic economics; or who has no official to tell him the truth. The stability promised by Jonathan was already being shattered by three events which will have domino effect on the Nigerian economy. Last week, the first part of this series ended with disclosure that the 36 States of Nigeria received about 20% less than the average monthly

allocation for 2013. Bearing in mind that most states depend heavily on oil revenue allocation, it is difficult to imagine how the stable economy will be achieved. Moreover, the Federal Government had to kick in $2bn from the Excess Crude Account; otherwise the shortfall in allocations to states would have been worse. The $2bn drawdown from the Excess Crude Account, ECA, has almost depleted that account. Unless, the Federal Government intends to close it in November, not more than $1bn can be taken from it. As it is, the ECA might cease to exist by December 2014. From January 2015, the Federal Government and States will share revenue from oil selling at under $70 per barrel, instead of $110-plus and with lower volume. Meanwhile, the outlook for crude price reversal is bleak; and might remain so for years. When, the reversal occurs, it will be a

different global crude market than we have known. As Peter Drucker, management guru, has told us, “The future will come; and, it will be different.” The most important question, which governments have not addressed in: why will it be different and how will it affect Nigeria? Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had only a few days before that visit by GE to the President, devalued the currency, increased interest rates, started mopping up excess liquidity and started discouraging banks from granting loans to states. How the President and his economic advisers can imagine that “the economy will be stable”, given all these changes and the repercussions they will induce, is, again, hard to imagine. At the same time, investors in the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, are marching with their feet –

away from the capital market. Is it possible, or has it ever happened anywhere in the world for investors to withdraw from the stock market in an economy expected to be stable? President Jonathan is not an economist. And as the Governor of the CBN has stated, and I totally agree with Emefiele, nobody, in Nigeria is responsible for the sharp drop in the price of crude oil globally. It is unfortunate that it came during Jonathan’s tenure. But, like the Tsunami, which occurred during the tenure of a Japanese Prime Minister, he must deal realistically with the problem – instead of denying what a lot of people already know. Let me give two examples. Virtually all the states and the Federal government owe public servants salaries, allowances and entitlements – which they are finding it difficult to pay. Contractors have abandoned several

projects, which might become permanently abandoned, if out going governors fail to pay before departing. Meanwhile, the contractors are swelling the ranks of bad debtors increasing banks’ non-performing loans. To all these problems there is no relief in sight. On the contrary, dwindling allocations to states are expected to make things worse. How on earth can a gradual descent from bad to worse be called stable? The CBN Governor had done the Federal Government a favour by exonerating Jonathan from responsibility for crude price decline. He had performed bigger service by looking ahead to the possibility that Jonathan might return for the second term – by which time the negative impacts of the crude situation will be felt. The President needs to be reminded that, in Nigeria and elsewhere, Presidents have been elected for second, third, fourth terms, who never finished them. A turbulent economy had invariably been the harbinger of social and political turmoil.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 37

Maritime By GODFREY BIVBERE

takeholders in the maritime industry have expressed mixed reactions on the fortune of the sector in the out-going year, 2014. While some said that the fortune of the industry improved slightly in 2014, others were of the opinion that operators faced a worse situation this year compared to the previous year. Pre-Arrival Assessment Report The year started with the introduction of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report, PAAR, a scheme that was received with mixed feelings by importers and their agents alike. PAAR was introduced by the management of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, after the expiration of the contract between the federal government and the three service providers - Cotecna Destination Inspection, SGS and Globalscan Systems Ltd in December, 2013. The Comptroller- General of Customs, Dikko Inde Abdullahi, said towards the end of 2013, “We have invested a lot preparing for the feat. Service Providers took a minimum of five working days to issue their Risk Assessment Report, RAR. We convinced government that we can produce the replacement in six hours. Now, we have achieved that in less than an hour.” Weeks into the implementation of the new policy, there was outcry over delay in the issuance of the document. To obtain PAAR, an importer has to provide the purchasing invoice and other three documents from the manufacturer before he or she would be allowed to open a ‘Form M’. After which, the person would be given approval to import the goods. The manufacturer will then give the importer the original Bill of Lading, Certificate of Value, packing list and other documents which the importer will also send to the Customs through the bank to prepare PAAR and send back to the bank. This process is prone to delay because before the importer would be able to collect all the required documents, the goods would have been in Nigeria and it will still take another one month to obtain the PAAR. President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Remi Bello, attributed the delay to capacity issues that needed to be urgently addressed by the NCS in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Finance. LCCI also argued that the new arrangement being managed by the NCS is

DINNER - From left: Communications Manager, Coca-Cola, Samuel Umukoro, Coordinator, Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Haminat Adigun, Immediate past Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Ibrahim Umoru and Director, Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Clement Ugorji at dinner organized to celebrate the 2014 World AIDS Day Community Health Outreach by Friends Africa in Partnership with CocaCola held in Lagos.

Maritime in 2014 “evidently fraught with capacity challenges”. While calling for the prerelease of cargoes pending the resolution of the transitional problems, LCCI argued that without the issuance of PAAR, other cargo clearance procedures cannot progress. Sanction over ISPS code Just as the issue of PAAR was easing up, the maritime industry was hit with the news of the expected sanction of the country by the government of the United States of America, USA, over non-implementation of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code. This followed a damning report by US Coast Guard, which exposed the poor security situation at Nigeria’s seaport facilities. Under the blockade, the US will stop shipping services to Nigeria and also mobilize all her trading partners to do same as part of measures to compel Nigeria to comply with the enforcement of the ISPS Code. Both the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, held stakeholders’ meeting to sensitize everybody on the need to be pro-active on the security challenges currently facing the nation’s ports. Consequently, NIMASA was able to put measures in place to stop the much expected sanction. Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, said then that the agency has “taken up the challenge in ensuring that the country does not suffer the

embarrassment of such sanctions as contained in the report”. He explained that an action plan has been developed and immediately activated to aggressively close the reported gaps. He gave some of the measures as dispatching competent recognized security organisations to conduct security surveys and assessments aimed at identifying and correcting the deficiencies and any other observed vulnerabilities. “Whilst focusing on these facilities listed in the USCG report, measures are already underway to address the generality of Port Facilities (PFs) in the nation’s maritime domain. “This action plan has been given a nod by the USCG and it has pledged to support the efforts of the DA (Designated Authority) in ensuring the

However, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, said he ordered the strike and chided the Lagos governor, Babatunde Fashola, for claiming it was not a bomb, according to the French news agency, AFP

issues raised are remedied. The DA has outlined its implementation framework in the form of handbook to enable the public understand its agenda with respect to this new implementation regime”, said Akpobolokemi. Bomb Blast at Apapa The next event of major development in the industry was the car explosion that rocked the port city of Apapa in June. There were divergent views as to whether it was gas explosion as claimed by government officials or bomb blast as some eye-witnesses alleged. The Lagos State government, and the police, denied the blast at Apapa was caused by a bomb, claiming it was a fire incident caused by a canister. However, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, said he ordered the strike and chided the Lagos governor, Babatunde Fashola, for claiming it was not a bomb, according to the French news agency, AFP. “A bomb went off in Lagos. I ordered (the bomber) who went and detonated it,” a news agency had reported Mr. Shekau as saying. NIMASA, NLNG dispute The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, in May, 2014 halted the export of liquefied natural gas from Nigeria due to a dispute over fees and taxes, blocking ships at a facility producing seven percent of global LNG supply. The NLNG is a public private partnership initiative with shareholders, including Shell at 25.6 percent, state firm

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC with 49 percent, Total LNG Nigeria at 15 percent and Eni at 10.4 percent. NLNG said it made a $20 million payment under protest following a flare-up of the dispute in May while taking the matter to court. NIMASA spokesman, Isichei Osamgbi, however, denied it was involved in any court case with NLNG and alleged the firm owed far more than the $20 million paid. He however declined to provide specific figures. The federal government had to intervene in the face-off between NIMASA and NLNG over unpaid levies amounting to billions of naira. Presidential tour of Maritime facilities In June, President Goodluck Jonathan, toured Maritime facilities in Delta State being promoted by NIMASA. The President visited Nigeria Maritime University ’s temporary site in Kurutie, and performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the permanent site located at Okerenkoko, both in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of the state. President Goodluck also performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dockyard and Shipyard sited at Okerenkoko, which is expected to build and maintain various sizes of vessels. New National Shipping line In June, the federal government directed NIMASA to re- float a new national shipping line. Director General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, said that the new carrier will be floated on a PPP basis and that the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) went under because it was purely a government business which was poorly managed. The NIMASA boss said the new National Carrier will help return traffic to local ship owners. However, the promise by the apex maritime regulatory agency did not materialize. Development of Inland waters Also in June, the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA wooed banks and other financial institutions to help in the development of the nation’s waterways. Managing Director of NIWA, Maryam Chiroma, said the Authority was desirous of improving the sector to attract Nigerians to water transportation. Operators are, however, still waiting to the see the fulfilment of the promise and the outcome of an international workshop for that reason. C M Y K

38 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Insurance

2014: Insurance sector operates on low key By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

usiness activities in the insurance industry in year 2014 maintained a lull trend as the effect of the ‘no premium, no cover ’ introduced the previous year continued to impact on their operations. Accordingly, insurers did business on a ‘cash and carry’ basis which drastically reduced the volume of receivables which had hitherto boosted the books of insurers. Other major events that shaped activities in the sector in 2014 were the rebasing of the economy; collaboration with telecommunication companies; inauguration of new NIA Chairman; late submission of financial results; influx of foreign investors; as well as the introduction of microinsurance guideline. Rebased economy Recall that the Nigerian economy was rebased in the course of the year and this brought down the contribution of the insurance sector to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, to 0.6 per cent from 0.7 per cent. The downward movement elicited series of reactions from insurance operators and stakeholders in the sector, even as they called for all hands to be on deck to increase the sectors contribution to GDP. Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, while reacting to the development said that the drop calls for more dynamic strategies to deepen insurance reach among the populace. “The industry as a matter of deliberate policy should come up with new ways of doing the business in order to achieve better result. Our marketing strategy must change, the product design and packaging must change and the approach to policy holders and their complaints must change. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the message of insurance is taking to the grassroots. The industry must move the insurance market from its present level to a higher place within the financial services sector,” Daniel said. According to Daniel, the fundamentals for a thriving insurance industry are there in the country with a vast population, an active economy and a well capitalised industry. Collaboration with C M Y K

PRAISE - From left: Eyo Henry, Procducer, Inspiration 92.3 fm radio; Chioma Okpala, On-Air-Personality; Soni Irabor, Chief Executive Officer Inspiration fm; Bayo Dada, Executive Coordinator, Event; Charles Supo-Orija, Executive Director, Programmes and Rufai Oseni, Presenter at the 2014 Inspiration 92.3 fm Xmas family Praise Jam held in Lagos. telecommunication companies Also, year 2014 saw series of collaboration between insurance companies and telecommunication companies. During the year, a number of insurance companies entered into partnership with telecom companies as a means of selling insurance products to their vast clientele. Recall that Airtel Nigeria, collaborated with MicroEnsure and Cornerstone Insurance plc, two insurance providers, to launch a free insurance product which offers Airtel customers life and

The attractiveness of the insurance industry to both local and foreign investors is evidenced by the entry of major insurance companies and groups in the past years, such as Metropolitan Life, Sanlam, and NSIA

hospitalisation insurance with increasing benefits based on monthly airtime recharge. FBN Life Assurance also partnered Airtel to launch a life insurance product even though FBN had an existing partnership with MTN. Also, series of insurance companies initiated online internet platforms where the public can easily gain access to insurance products and services. New NIA Chairman Another landmark event in the insurance sector was the inauguration of a new Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA, in the person of Mr. Gus Wiggle. Some operators were of the view that Wiggle’s election and inauguration came at a time when the cooperation and collaboration of insurers can no longer be described as mutual and respectful. Hence, his assumption of office came at a critical time when the sector needs revamping and the onus is on the new Chairman to set things right. Late submission of results During the year under review, only a handful of companies were able to submit their 2013 financial th accounts before the 31 March deadline. Recall that the Insurance Act 2003 provides for submission of annual accounts not later than 30th June, the requirement by the Nigerian Stock Exchange for listed companies was 31st

March 2014. NAICOM continued to complain about the attitude of insurers to submit their result late. The regulatory body said that going forward, insurance companies must comply with all requisite regulatory requirements without plea subsidies from NAICOM. Influx of foreign investors In the course of the year, some foreign investors showed interest in the industry particularly Old Mutual which bought into Oceanic Life as well as AXA which bought into Mansard Insurance. Old Mutual Plc, from South Africa, bought 70 per cent stake in Oceanic Life Insurance Limited and now operates under the name of Old Mutual Nigeria Life Assurance Company Limited. The attractiveness of the insurance industry to both local and foreign investors is evidenced by the entry of major insurance companies and groups in the past years, such as Metropolitan Life, Sanlam, and NSIA. Group NSIA, a company based in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, bought 96.15 per cent equity of Diamond Bank Plc in ADIC Insurance Company Limited. Assur Africa Holding, a consortium of three European Development Finance Institutions, and two private equity firms, acquired 67.68 per cent shareholding in GTAssurance Plc and changed its name to Mansard

Insurance Plc. The DFIs are FMO (Netherlands Development Finance Company), DEG (German Investment Corporation), and PROPARCO (French Development Finance Company), while the private equity firms are Development Partners International, United Kingdom and Africinvest, Tunisia. Sanlam Emerging Markets, a group of South Africa-based investors, bought 35 per cent stake in FBN Life Assurance Limited with First Bank of Nigeria Plc owning the remaining 65 per cent. Introduction of microinsurance guideline In the course of the year, the microinsurance guideline from NAICOM took effect, although, a few insurance companies have come up with microinsurance products. Microinsurance is the insurance solution for the poor to overcome the obstacle of high fees in traditional insurance products. It is characterised by low premiums and low coverage limits and designed for lowincome customers normally not served by social or commercial insurance schemes. Microinsurance products are insurance products designed to be appropriate for the lowincome market in relation to cost, policy terms, coverage and delivery mechanism.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 39

Agric By JIMOH BABATUNDE

igeria’s immense agricultural potential is a great asset for the nation in particular and Africa in general, with promises for food security when fully harnessed. But of the 84 million hectares of arable land in Nigeria, only 40 per cent is said to be presently cultivated. Nigeria’s large pool of cheap labour is available to support agricultural intensification while also offering a huge market for agricultural produce. The market potential for the country’s agricultural produce remains under-utilized. While there is a huge market opportunity on the international space, creating markets locally for the farmers remains a task yet to be done. To this end, the government is unlocking the potential of agriculture to once again drive the economy through a rapid transformation of key agricultural value chains – from the farm to the table. In 2011, President Jonathan launched the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, with the goal of adding an additional 20 million MT of food to the domestic food supply by 2015 and stimulating the creation of 3.5 million jobs along the agricultural value chains. Achieving the set goals of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda by next year formed the bulk of the highlights of the sector in 2014. Youth in Agriculture Agriculture has become the new buzz in Nigeria, with vibrant, young graduates moving into the business of agriculture. President Jonathan recently launched the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) to create a new generation of young commercial farmers and agriculture entrepreneurs (“Nagropreneurs”). The YEAP is expected to develop a total of 760,000 ‘Nagropreneurs’ within five years. Today, young graduates and bankers are leaving the banks and heading for agriculture. The new millionaires of Nigeria will be in agriculture. Staple Crops Processing Zones (SCPZ) The SCPZs are new agricultural infrastructureenabled zones that are being developed to attract agribusiness investors into rural areas. They are to address the infrastructure challenges and constraints of the agroprocessing industry, drive social and economic impacts, offer a superior operating environment for downstream players as well as create a new platform for private sector investment in

The fishing vessel bought by the Federal Government for fishing research in August

Agriculture mechanization project kick off in Gusau, Zamfara state in November

Issues, events that shaped agriculture in 2014 agriculture. The successful implementation of the SCPZs launched this year is estimated to add N660 billion to N1.4 trillion to the Nigerian economy and estimated to create 250,000 jobs. Alape SCPZ in Kogi will focus on the production of starch and sweeteners; it is expected to produce 62,000 tonnes of starch, 5,000 tonnes of sweeteners, 720,000 tonnes of cassava root and create income impact of about 90 million dollars to the economy of Kogi. The minister of Agriculture, Dr. Adesina said that the establishment of the 14 crop processing zones was aimed at reducing post-harvest losses by setting up crop processing industries in the rural areas. He said the crop processing zones would help to process the raw foods produced by farmers into finished foods and other economic products that would benefit the area. The 14 SCPZ will cover a number of crops including rice, sorghum, cassava, fish processing, horticulture and livestock; this will reverse the rural-urban migration. The minister stressed the need to industrialize agriculture in the country, saying it was high time Nigeria stopped being an import-dependent country. Nigeria is in partnership with the UN Industrial Development Organisation which is providing assistance in the development of the master plan of the SCPZs with six master plans for the zones in Kogi, Kano, Lagos, Anambra, Enugu and Niger states finalised. Extension Services Department 800 motorcycles were distributed to all the Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) in all states and Sasakawa Africa Association to support

agricultural extension agents across the country. The distribution carried out in February at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture And Rural Development Complex, Sheda, Gwagwalada-Kwali, FCT, was to kick-start the agricultural extension mobility service initiative of the federal government. These are to assist the extension agents and mobility of agricultural development programmes. One of the goals of the Agricultural Extension Transformation Agenda is to bring to the service of farmers the best of agricultural extension approaches, building on global best practices. Nigeria’s first Federal Department of Extension was also established to provide the much needed impetus for leadership, coordination, monitoring and quality assurance to drive the transformation of extension delivery at the grassroots by the states, local governments and private agricultural advisory service providers. M e c h a n i s a t i o n transformation: Under the Agricultural

One of the goals of the Agricultural Extension Transformation Agenda is to bring to the service of farmers the best of agricultural extension approaches, building on global best practices

KICK-OFF: Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, with the Emir of Gusau during the kick off of the Agriculture mechanization project in the state. Transformation Agenda (ATA) of President Goodluck Jonathan, the New Mechanisation Policy, a PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) involving government, financial institutions, agromachinery vendors and manufacturers’ representative and service provider operators (SPOs), is to make available a minimum of 6,000 units of tractors and power tillers and also about 13,000 units of various harvest and postharvest equipment to set up a minimum of 1,200 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE) to render Mechanisation support services to our farmers. On August 25, there was a presidential launch of the initiative, with N50 billion supports. October 28, the implementation took off with a launch at Zamfara State capital, Gusau, with the beneficiary farmers eligible to 100 per cent subsidy for the dry season of 2014/2015. An intervention scheme to serve as a pilot to kick-start the implementation, with N3.6 billion, has been approved and released by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development towards financing the establishment of the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE).The funds in the first phase will

make available 400 units of tractors, 500 power tillers, and various harvest and post harvest equipment to set up 80 centers, while phase II will achieve similar results. Rice transformation: In July, this year, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan commissioned Olam rice mill. Olam, a global conglomerate, invested over $70 million in a 6,000 ha fully mechanised rice farm in Nasarawa State and has completed a 210,000 MT integrated rice mill that will process Nigerian paddy rice into finished milled rice. The mill, rated as the largest rice mill in Africa, looks set to be overtaken by another major investor when fully operational. In August again, President GoodluckEbele Jonathan, presided over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Dangote Industries Ltd for a $1 billion (N165 million) investment by Dangote for the establishment of fully integrated rice production and processing operations in Edo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger states on farmland totalling 150,000 hectares across Nigeria.

C M Y K

40 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Tax Matters

Stanbic IBTC donates to Foundations for less privileged

tanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, has made donations to two leading Foundations to support the less privileged in the areas of education and healthcare.The company, Nigeria’s leading asset management firm, donated N1 million to Thoughtful House Foundation and N500,000 to LOTS Charity Foundation, to enable them cater for the needs of the less privileged. LOTS Charity Foundation is focused on education and community development while Thoughtful House Foundation is focused on providing support on the education and therapy of children with Autism. Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony in Lagos on Wednesday December 24, 2014,Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, Mr. Olumide Oyetan, stated that the gesture is in line with the firm’s commitment to value-driven corporate social responsibility.

Auto policy: insurance firms hike motor policy premium

Electronic Filing of Returns, an outcome of the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) (1)

o facilitate doing business with taxpayers and enhance voluntary tax compliance , FIRS has been through several structural and operational changes. These changes include: oSegmentation of FIRS offices to make them business focused oCreation of risk management department o Implementation of case selection criteria o Creation of Modernisation Group to champion all reform agenda o Passage and operationalisation of self assessment and transfer pricing regulation o Fully operational Tax Appeal Tribunal o Automation of audit case selection criteria o Enablement of Withholding credit note search for taxpayers o Consistent Engagement of Taxpayers to sensitize and create awareness on tax matters. o Implementation of the Electronic Filing platform FILLING RETURNS ON FIRS ELECTRONIC PLATFORM

password are entered incorrectly ROLE OF TAXPAYERS IN ELECTRONIC FILLING After a successful login to the e-Filing application, you have access to a different menu depending on your roles as follows: oView Only (always granted by default): With this role you can only see the information on your past returns submissions without being able to submit or modify any information (the required hyperlinks for new declarations are disabled) o Declaration: This role allows filing new tax returns o TIN Validation: This role allows you to check whether a TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) as supplied by a third party is valid or not

E-FILING: DECLARATION ACCESS

schedules in online submission as .csv file upload FILING A DECLARATION

By GODWIN ORITSE

head of the take off of t h e N a t i o n a l Automotive Policy on vehicles by the Federal Government, insurance firms operating in Nigeria have hiked insurance premium on imported vehicles. Besides taking advantage of the yet to commence automotive policy, some of these insurance firms have also dropped the annual depreciation policy packages on vehicles. Under the new auto policy, used vehicles imported into the country will attract a duty of 35 percent, in addition to another 35 percent levy plus a 5 percent Value Added Tax bringing the total sum to 75 percent. The move by government to jerk up the duty payable on used vehicles is meant to discourage Nigerians from patronizing the category of used vehicles and embrace locally assembled vehicles. C M Y K

o The login page is used by taxpayers to enter eFiling platform o Forgotten passwords must be reset by contacting the Tax Office o Usernames and passwords are both case sensitive o Validation will occur if either or both username/

o Tax Clearance Validation: This role allows you to check whether a TCC (Tax Clearance Certificate) as supplied by a third party is valid or not o Upload Supporting Document Files: This role allows you to submit tax returns with all relevant

After a successful login, you are positioned in your Home page as shown in the image above, in which you can see a summary of the declarations which need to be filed, the account balances, and whether you have any unread messages. o To start your declaration,

you have two choOn your Home page either click on the View all declarations to be filed hyperlink or on the Taxpayer Service tab o The Tax Declaration page opens by default in the collapsed form. o Click on the “+” button of the tax type for which you want to file, in this example VAT o The expanded form is displayed to show the ‘File now’ hyperlinks as highlighted in the sample page above for the tax period November 2014. Click on the “File now” hyperlink to file returns using the following steps: o Enter Form line Details o Confirm Declaration Details o Complete/Submit the Declaration Process o View/Print the Remittance Document created For more Information on efiling, please contact: oitas.change@firs.gov.ng oitasproject@firs.gov.ng o08115900301 o08115900021

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 41

Industry

NIRP, cement standardisation dominate industrial sector in 2014 By FRANKLIN ALLI The Industry, Trade and Investment sectors of the economy in 2014 was dominated by the launch of Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and standardisation of the local cement industry by the Federal Government. Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan Looking back, the year started on a cheerful note with the launch of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) in January, 2014, by President Goodluck Jonathan. The NIRP, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, is a five-year plan to improve competitiveness and rapidly increase the capacity utilisation of local industries for job creation and wealth generation in Nigeria. The plan identifies industry groups where the country has comparative advantages , such as agro allied and agro processing; metals and solid minerals process; oil and gas related industries; and construction, light manufacturing and services. The NIRP also addresses the numerous issues that have held back the Nigerian nonoil sector for years, such as it addresses the high cost of funding and lack of long term finance in Nigeria; it builds up Industrial infrastructure and power for industry; provides industrial skills; links innovation and industry; improves investment climate; strengthens product standards; and promotes local patronage. The NIRP also links trade policy with Investment and industrial policies. This brings coherence in government’s agenda to diversify the economy. Also, with the NIRP, government targets to increase manufacturing contribution to GDP from 4 percent to over 10 percent by 2017, and add about N5 trillion to manufacturing annual revenues. In order to achieve this targets, the NIRP has linkages with other government agencies such as the Ministry of Mines and Steel, Agriculture, Petroleum, Power, Transport, Finance, Works, ICT, Science & Technology and the private sector to ensure adequate policy synergy and consistency. Standardisation of cement

Polo, House of Cartier partner on new collection By ANOZIE EGOLE

SHOWCASE - From left: Osas Ighodaro, Ambassador Polo Luxury Group; Jennifer Obayuwana, Executive Director, Polo Luxury Group; Zainab Ashadu, Creative Director, Zashadu; Linda Mesorob-Sodeinde, Creative Director Ariaba Beads, at a showcase of Luxury designers at the Polo Luxury Group headquarters in Lagos.

industry Looking back 2014 has also been a year of anxiety for operators in the country ’s cement industry. What was hitting the headlines for more than the first half of the year was the issue of standardisation of cement products by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON. Recall that the tension in the industry was ignited by a coalition of civil society groups and professional bodies in the construction industry. The groups decried the use of low quality cement in construction works arguing that it was partly responsible for incessant building collapse across the country. They called on SON to sandardardize cement products in the country. SON swiftly reacted to the outcry by the coalition and set up a technical committee of experts to review cement standards in the country. The technical committee was headed by Professor Innocent Onyeyili. Its members were drawn from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CIMAN), the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) including representatives of the Dangote Cement Company, Ibeto Cement and Lafarge WAPCO. At the end

of the day, the Technical committee came out with a new standard for the cement industry. The new guidelines which was approved by SON Governing Council and signed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, mandated local manufacturers to incorporate the following information on their bag of cement: CEM I 52.5R and 52.5N for use in the construction of bridges; CEM II 42.5R, 42.5N for use in the casting of columns, beams, slabs, blocks moulding; CEM I & II 32.5R, 32.5N for plastering of buildings only. SON went further to compel

2014 has also been a year of anxiety for operators in the country’s cement industry

the cement manufacturers to print the expiry date on their cement bags. Primarily, the new guidelines mandate the manufacturers to indicate on product bags the manufacturing and expiry dates, product application information as well as the batch numbers of the products. Cement manufacturers, including Dangote Cement, Lafarge Nigeria, Unicem, Ibeto Cement, Ashaka Cement and Sokoto Cement, had appealed to the agency to review its initially-proposed 30-day deadline to enable them to implement the changes in their processes. The move, which is expected to enhance traceability in case of product failures, also places a responsibility on cement manufacturers to ensure that their products meet required guidelines and health and safety requirements. Nigerian cement producers are also expected to submit their advertisements and commercials for preapproval by the SON before they are sent to the media, while processes should be initiated to ensure that products are properly stored by distributors and retailers to avoid compromising product integrity.

frica’s foremost dealer in luxury goods, Polo Luxury Group has partnered with House of Cartier to unveil a new collection of timepieces by the Cartier manufactured Maison. Speaking at a cocktail reception where the new product was unveiled in Lagos recently, Managing Director Polo Luxury Group, M r. J o h n O b a y u w a n a described the Cartier manufactured Maison collection as stylish timepieces. He said: “This brand is a stylish timepiece designed to reflect both the exceptional personalities and sophistication of the historic Cartier brand and that of the individuals who purchase and wear them. The successful cocktail affair which is now one of the most talked about event in the Polo Luxury 2014 calendar, epitomized the growing demand for luxury goods in Africa and within the Nigerian market in particular.” A l s o s p e a k i n g , Po l o Luxury Group Executive D i r e c t o r, Jennifer Obayuwana explained why the brand choose to put the event together. “The brand’s resolve in putting together the event was to showcase both the beautiful collection of unique Cartier timepieces and also to bring to the attention of international luxury brands, the increasing demand for luxury goods in this region, Africa,”. Ms. Obayuwana further explained that “ revealing the Cartier Manufacture Maison collection to the ever eager Nigerian shoppers reassured them of purchasing authentic gifts for themselves and for their loved ones this festive season. As a leading influencer in global cultural, social and lifestyle preferences since the eighteen hundreds, Cartier retains its position as one of the most sought after luxury brand, designing and manufacturing exclusive collections which extend beyond timepieces to fine jewellery, prestige accessories amongst others.” C M Y K

C M Y K

42 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Aviation T

he aviation industry in 2014 was dominated by the removal and appointment of new helmsmen for the aviation ministry and agencies, as well as the retention of the United States, Federal Aviation Authority ’s Catagory One status. These and other major development are presented below. Nigerian heads ICAO In January, 2014, a Nigerian, Dr. Olumuyiwa Babatunde Aliu was elected President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the global body for aviation safety. He is the first Blackman to head the world body. He was elected at the 38th Assembly of the organisation in Montreal, Canada by an assembly consisting of 172 countries. Aliu received full support from the Federal Government and Nigerians both at home and in Diaspora as the then Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah led the Nigerian delegation to drum support for the accomplished Aliu who has built invaluable goodwill among ICAO member countries’ representatives. Minister of Aviation sacked In February, President Goodluck Jonathan sacked the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah and the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Investment, Samuel Ortom, was asked to supervise the ministry until the substantive appointment of an Aviation Minister. Princess Oduah was caught in a web of controversy involving the purchase of two BMW armoured cars for $1.6 million. Oduah and three other ministers within the Jonathan government were relieved of their positions on the orders of Mr. Jonathan. However, their sack was passed off as voluntary resignation from the cabinet. Change of guards at Aviation agencies In March, the Federal Government removed the heads of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian College of Aviation technology. This was barely three weeks after the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, was removed as a minister. Saleh Dumona, the Director of Projects in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, replaced Mr. George Uriesi as the Managing Director of FAAN. Also, the General Manager, Procurements, in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, replaced

Avalanche of sack, appointments dominate aviation in 2014 commence exchange programmes in air navigation, to deepen knowledge and promote best practice. Chidoka, however, enjoined the US Department of Transportation, DoT, to extend its assistance to the Nigerian aviation industry in a bid to improve safety and security components.

PRESENTATION - From left:Managing Director/CEO, Osun State Investment Company Limited, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji; Branch Distributor/ Development Manager, South-West, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr. Aremu Isaiah; and Ag. Head, Living Spring Bulk Purchase, Mr. Taofeeq Sheu during the presentation of 2014 Nestle Most Outstanding Distributor to OSICOL in Osogbo. Nnamdi Udoh as Managing Director of the agency. The Government Safety Inspector and International Civil Aviation Organisation online Aircraft Safety Information Systems Inspector, Capt. Akinyele Caulcrick, took over from Capt. Chinyere Kalu as Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology. The Commissioner, Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau, Capt. Muhktar Usman, replaced Capt. Fola Akinkuotu as Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Engineer Benedict Adeyileka acted as DG, NCAA pending Usman’s confirmation by the Senate. The Director of Licensing in NCAA, Dr. Felix A. Abali replaced Capt. Muhktar Usman as Commissioner, Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau, AIPB, However, Dr Tony Anuforo retained his position as Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. New Aviation Minister appointed July witnessed the appointment of the former Corps Marshall and Chief Executive Director of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osita Chidoka, as new Minister of Aviation by President Goodluck Jonathan. Although the appointment came as a surprise to aviation stakeholders, but those who knew him attested to his youth, track record and vision, which he ably demonstrated while in

the FRSC. Before he was appointed to head FRSC, Chidoka had worked at the Federal Capital Development Authority. He equally served as a Personal Assistant to the Minister of State, Ministry of Works and Housing (1997 to 1998); Personal Assistant to the Minister of Transport (2000 to 2003); Special Assistant to the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Legal Matters (2003 to 2004); and Senior Advisor, Government and Business Relations, Mobile Producing Nigeria, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation (2006 to 2007). Retention of Category One status In September, Nigeria retained the United States of America, USA, Federal Aviation

Nigeria retained the status after the Nigerian aviation industry regulator, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and other major agencies in the sector closed all the identified “open items” after the FAA team visited Nigeria in April

Administration, FAA, Category One Status. The certification was issued to the Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka in America. This status will enable Nigerian registered carriers to fly directly to United States of America, among other benefits. Nigeria retained the status after the Nigerian aviation industry regulator, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and other major agencies in the sector closed all the identified “open items” after the FAA team visited Nigeria in April. While in Nigeria, the FAA had carried out intensive internal aviation safety assessment of the sector and there were fears that Nigeria may not retain the status it earned in September 2010. The minister said in a statement that the American FAA informed him that, “Nigeria had continued to meet the safety oversight requirements under the international aviation standards.” Chidoka also said the retention of Category One Status was “hard earned and the government would continue to ensure that the country retains the status and other future safety certifications in a seamless way.” The minister promised to reform and strengthen the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, in line with the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, for greater efficiency and service delivery and urged the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, to

Domestic airlines increase The outgoing year saw the increase of domestic airlines in Nigeria with the commencement of flight operations by First Nation, DiscoveryAir, and Airpeace. This brings to seven the number of domestic airlines, namely Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Dana Air, AzmanAir, First Nation, Discovery Air, and Airpeace. Anti-Corruption measures The year also saw an attempt to tackle the corruption in the aviation sector with The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and the Ministry of Aviation signing a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to eliminate “low level corruption at the nation’s airports.” According to the chairman of ICPC, Mr Ekpo Nta, some of the ways to check this low corruption will include mandatory training on ethics and integrity at the anti - graft agency ’s academy for personnel of all stakeholders deployed to work at the airports. He added that the agreement “ would also involve a comprehensive systems study of the Federal Ministry of Aviation, its parastatals as well as continuous sensitisation of the travelling public and foreigners who use the airports not to compromise with offers of tips or bribes and report unwholesome acts to the ICPC.” Speaking while signing the memorandum, Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka described corruption as a roadblock to national economic development .He ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN , and the Nigerian Air Force to within two weeks flush out touts loitering around the arrival hall of the Lagos International Airport. Chidoka also urged FAAN to cancel concessions involving the use of trolleys at the international airport. He added that the Federal Government will install new close circuit

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 43

Advertising Stories by PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

Sona Foods boosts biscuit market with digestives

he 2014 fiscal year in the Integrated Marketing Communications, IMC, industry recoded significant success with election and reelection of new helmsmen in different sectoral bodies, with negative reports recorded in two sectors of the industry namely the advertising and manufacturing sectors. NIMN: The National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, NIMN, witnessed the re-election of its incumbent President, Mr. Ganiyu Koledoye, to stir the affairs of the institute for the next two years. While the Manchester Business School Alumni of the NIMN branch was launched in Nigeria. The Association of Advertising Agencies of st Nigeria , AAAN, at its 41 Annual General Meeting had a smooth transmission by newly elected President for the association in the person of Mr. Kelechi Nwosu, to run the affairs of the association for two years. This year also, the Association was chosen to participate and put down their position on paper at the just ended national conference, which accordingly is a boost to the industry, as the government now recognizes their contribution to the growth of the polity. APCON: On the other hand, the negative report recorded in the concluding year rested on the controversial appointment of a Chairman for the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, by the federal government of one Mr. Ngozi

UNVEILING - From Left: Mr. Dhamarajan Eshwaran, Managing Director, Euro Global Foods and Distilleries, Oba Wasiu Ogungbayi, Onitetiku Owode, Ota, Mr. Ajai Musaddi, Group Managing Director, Sona Group of Companies and Mr. Felix Aighobahi, Sales Director, Euro Global Foods and Distilleries at the unveiling of a water borehole donated by Sona Group to Ijako community in Ota.

Marketing in 2014: Season of elections, failures and controversies Emioma,whose appointment attracted reactions and protests from different sectoral bodies, spearheaded by the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN, which till date, the issue has not been resolved, with the purported appointed Chairman purported to be operating from Abuja, leaving the known operating office in Lagos without impact on the industry. The other was the removal of the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria, Seni Adetu as a result of the dwindling

performance of its products in the market, against competing brands, particularly from the Nigerian Breweries Plc. NIPR: In the concluding year, election of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, produced Dr. Rotimi Oladele as the president of the institute, who on assumption promised the construction of the institute’s head office allocated to it at Yaba. ADVAN: The Advertisers Association of Nigeria, ADVAN unveiled the take off and construction of its

Evolution of e-marketing & Konga’s incursion

hen Michael Aldrich created the first online shopping mall in 1979, little did he know that he was about to create a brand new sector of business, e-commerce, that will, one day, metamorphose into a global phenomenon of easy and convenient shopping. This sterling effort paved way for the popular global online shopping malls like Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, AliExpress among others. In Nigeria, e-commerce ran straight from the cradle, and blazing the trail is Konga.com, an online shopping mail, owned and managed by Sim Shagaya, a Nigerian entrepreneur. It leads other online malls in delivering efficient services to the growing population of online shoppers. Nigeria had inkling into the depth of ecommerce in the country on November 2728, 2014 when Konga.com held a sales promotion for its customers. In the promo, tagged Yakata Sales,the online mall sold various items at give-away prices. Yakata Sales promo is konga.com’s version on the global ‘Black Friday Sales’ that comes once a year. The mall extended this global phenomenon to two days to give its

customers more time to take advantage of the prospects of savings that come with the Fridaysales. The Yakata Salespromo offered up to 70 per cent savings on select items. Some of the hottest deals available on the site during the period included the Haier Thermocool 3KVA remote control generator which sold at about N49,000 at a discount of almost 60 percent; and the Lenovo A3300 tablet which sold at N17,000 instead of N28,000. During the sales, Konga.com said it recorded sales of more than N600 million while delivering revenue in excess of N200 million for its merchants daily. It was processing sales in excess of N50 million per hour during the peak periods of the two days of the sales promo. This year ’s Yakata Salesregistered a record-breaking 1,440 per cent year on year increase in online revenue over its 2013 edition. Also Konga sold 500 per cent more items in the two days of Yakata sales than it did in all of 2012. This feat was remarkable in the light of the infrastructural and operational challenges that face a lot of online malls in Nigeria today and the fact that the company was founded less than three years ago.

N50 million secretariat and the institution of brand Journalists awards for those the cover the m a r k e t i n g communications industry. LASAA: Lagos Signage and Advertisement Agency orchestrated the first advertising exhibition to galvanize and expose the creative work of the Nigerian advertising industry, while reducing levies on advert rates to attract individuals and corporate organizations. OAAN: Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria rejuvenated its rested annual posters awards. Pay-Tv sector: The pay-TV sector with the major players Multichoice and NTAStarTimes grappled with the challenges associated with switching-over from analogue to digital come June 2015, as both operators say they are ready for the switchover as directed by the Nigerian B r o a d c a s t i n g Corporation, NBC. FMCGs: In 2014, the brands market witnessed some new product entrants from Fast Moving Consumer Goods, FMCGs with repackaging of some existing products. Promotions to increase he market of various companies took the front burner particularly during yuletide period.

he recent expansion of Sona Agro Allied Foods’ biscuit production capacity has started yielding results with the introduction of the new Sona digestive biscuit into the Nigerian markets. Speaking about the new product, Mr. Subramaniam Murugesan, Managing Director, Sona Agro Allied Foods, said “Sona Digestive biscuits was born out of our desire to provide consumers richer choices at affordable prices. The biscuit is made from whole wheat flour and enriched with brans fibre. It is a quality snack for all ages and occasions.” Mr. Murugesan further said, “Sona digestive is easy to digest and healthful. It is available in two packs size – 60g and 20g. Biscuits are a very important part of our daily food. From children’s school to business meetings, you’ll find biscuits everywhere with digestive biscuits being a more popular alternative to cookies and snacks that contains only white flour and sugar.” He disclosed that SAAF is undergoing a further up gradation of its installed capacity in its plant in Sango Ota, Ogun State. With new line fully operational more varieties of biscuits will be made available in the market by the company.

Teleworld opens Geek Centre in Yaba

eleworld Integrated Services Limited has opened a one-stop technology and life style superstore, called the Geek Centre in Yaba. Speaking at the opening of the Centre in Lagos recently, Timothy Ogboruche, Chief Executive Officer of Teleworld Integrated, said “The Geek Centre was inspired by the need to meet the needs of the technology consumer for convenience, access to a wide range of technology products and services under one roof and for excellent customer service. As a consumer focused company, we have been able to achieve this in Ikeja, Kaduna and Abuja, and are delighted to be replicating the same in the heart of Lagos metropolis in Yaba.“Under one roof at the Geek Centre, we have a onestop shop for phones, electronic gadgets, and household appliances, sound studio and sound system retail units to meet the increasingly dynamic needs of the contemporary technology savvy consumer. C M Y K

44— Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 Email: lesleba@lesleba.com, lesleba@gmail.com Blog page:www.lesleba.com/blog2 Website: www.lesleba.com

Tel:0805 220 1997

he contradictions in our failed economy are probably best captured by the stark reality of deepening poverty and unbridled rate of unemployment despite the celebrated recent increase in the Gross Domestic Product, with increasing revenue and bountiful reserves to boot for over two decades! We may recall that despite of the paltry $4bn national reserves during the Abacha years, when Nigeria also remained a pariah nation, our country and our people continued to enjoy credible ratings as a developing country with great promise. Ironically, Nigeria became a regular contender in the list of the world’s poorest nations only in recent years when our dollar reserves hardly fell below US30bn with the related, favourable, extended cover for our import bills. Indeed, a closer examination of prevailing fiscal and monetary strategies may suggest that the seeming relative social sanity is not only superficial, but probably also belies the deeply rooted causes of deepening poverty. For example, it is inexplicable that a country with acute infrastructural deprivation will progressively tilt annual budgets in favour of recurrent expenses, such that the 2015 Appropriation Bill presently allocates barely 20% for the provision of supportive Social infrastructure. Similarly, despite the UNESCO’s best practice recommendation for 26% of budget allocation to education, we have barely attained half of this ratio in recent years! In the rest of this article we will briefly discuss the difference between public perception and the actual reality of the impact of CBN’s monetary strategies. Ardent media followers will already be familiar with the regular

T/BILLS: Who will stop this looting spree? reports of CBN’s unchanging response to what is generally branded as excess liquidity. These Media reports generally describe the process with which the Central Bank borrows billions of Naira monthly, by selling Treasury bills to the banks, as a supportive strategy “to enable commercial banks manage their surplus cash holdings profitably.” Sadly, the positive media undertone induces the public’s perception of CBN as a supportive, attentive and proactive government Agency, which is relentless in its efforts to empower the banks to perform their roles as strategic mediators between investible funds and the real sector in order to grow the economy. The Media, both print and electronic which re-echo such positive undertone of CBN’s surplus cash management, have indeed become inadvertent collaborators with the Apex bank to mischievously misrepresent the economic and social utility of this instrument of monetary strategy. Conversely, if the Public and the media had carefully evaluated the content of CBN’s press releases in relation to its borrowings with Treasury bills, the regularity of alleged Naira surplus, and the frequency of government borrowing to restrain bank lending would appear as a bizarre strategy which required urgent interrogation; for example, it would be sensible to ask why the ever present burden of surplus Naira exists alongside serious shortage of cheap funds which are required to

ignite and sustain increasing productivity of the real sector of our economy. Furthermore, it is inexplicable that inspite of eternally surplus Naira in the system, cost of funds should remain oppressively high and a deterrent to real sector growth and creation of more jobs ; certainly, there is probably nothing that rises in price when its supply is excess, so why does the CBN, wilfully, borrow allegedly surplus funds at exceedingly high rates of interest (between 9-16%) for what are clearly risk free sovereign loans!; it should also be pertinent to determine how much it cost Nigerians to service such oppressive loans annually? The CBN’s usually terse defence that its strategy is designed to restrain inflation from spiralling out of control as a result of surplus Naira chasing few goods, is generally accepted as sufficient explanation for the

It is worrisome that the public also assumes that the trillions of Naira borrowed over the years with such high costs are actually applied to the improvement of our social infrastructure

contradictory social and economic impact of CBN’s method of reducing surplus cash from the economy. It is worrisome that the public also assumes that the trillions of Naira borrowed over the years with such high costs are actually applied to the improvement of our social infrastructure. This, however, is far from the truth; we must remember that since the funds were mopped up because they were adjudged to be excess and antagonistic to the promotion of a stable market, it would be counterproductive to re-introduce the same funds into the system, by re spending it for any purpose whatsoever! In other words, despite the heavy collateral of increasing national debt and the attendant exorbitant service charges, the Apex bank actually also consciously crowds out the real sector from the available funds in the market by liberally borrowing money that will simply be sterilised (kept idle), inspite of the clearly inappropriate and oppressive double digit interest rates for such risk free sovereign debts. Expectedly, the attendant profit bonanza for doing nothing is sufficient attraction for commercial banks to shun lending to the real sector. Clearly, therefore, CBN’s Treasury bills borrowings remain the actual enemy of real sector growth as well as a major threat to job creation, thus probably making CBN, Nigeria’s number one public enemy! If the impact of CBN’s failed monetary strategy is understood from the preceding narrative, the

media will certainly be more circumspect in their evaluation and unfortunate tacit endorsement of the impact of the current strategy for mopping up excess liquidity. Indeed, despite clearly desperate monetary controls, such as 75% cash reserves requirement for public sector deposits and 20% for the private sector, with MPR also at the industrially disenabling rate of 13%, excess liquidity still remains uncaged. Sadly, the body language and monetary measures recently rolled out to checkmate inflation by CBN suggest that it is more of the same strategies that have deepened poverty in the midst of plenty! Consequently, the social and economic excess baggage that pulls us back will be here for sometime; for example on the 19th of December 2014, the CBN borrowed N195bn with Treasury bills to mop up unyielding surplus spending power from the system; soon after, the Apex bank also gave notice of its intention to additionally borrow about N1.2trn between January – March 2015. Thus, in less than 14 weeks, the debt service charge attendant to these loans, which incidentally will simply be kept idle, may exceed N150bn; indeed if this reflects CBN’s liquidity strategy for the rest of 2015, we may require close to N600bn to service loans which will not be applied for any social or economic improvement; furthermore, the CBN’s crushing monetary policy rate of 13% will continue to deter economic growth and stunt the development of SMES. Ultimately the army of unemployed Nigerians will continue to expand. Who will save Nigerians? Save the Naira, Save Nigerians!!

Business & Economy Obasanjo tasks entrepreneurs on business challenges of Nigeria (EON) in and as they say in the military BY FRANKLIN ALLI

OMER president Olusegun Obasanjo has urged entrepreneurs in the country not to be deterred by the myriad of challenges facing businesses today especially in Nigeria but to always see the abundant opportunities in the country waiting to be explored. He made the call while addressing participants at 2014 edition of leadership insight and experiences seminar organized by Entrepreneurs Organization C M Y K

Abeokuta, Ogun State. In his presentation, he attributed the nation’s economic plight to failure on the part of the leadership. He said the three factors majorly responsible for effective and responsible management of the economy or any worthy institution is leadership, leadership and leadership. “We are witnessing a downturn in the economy now because the leadership has failed in its responsibility to deliver factors that will encourage entrepreneurship. “If leadership is not okay, followership will be wrong

parlance there is no bad soldier but bad officers so the leadership must work to ensure the economy is well managed, that there is social cohesion, that the expectations of the youths and business leaders are met while also pursuing vigorously policies, laws and regulations that ensure sustenance of any investment in the economy,” he said. Lere Baale, Chairman of EON, called on the Federal Government to give more support for Entrepreneurs, saying it is the only way to transform the economy.

Omoh Gabriel Babajide Komolafe Clara Nwachukwu Peter Egwuatu Yinka Kolawole Favour Nnabugwu Godwin Oritse Godfrey Bivbere Michael Eboh Franklin Alli Ebele Orakpo Ifeyinwa Obi Rosemary Onuoha

Group Business Editor Deputy Business Editor Energy Editor Asst. Business Editor Snr Bus. Correspondent Insurance Correspondent Maritime Correspondent Maritime Correspondent Energy Reporter Industry/Agric. Reporter Energy Reporter Maritime Reporter Insurance Reporter

CONTRIBUTORS Princewill Ekwujuru Nkiruka Nnorom Jonah Nwokpoku Naomi Uzor Providence Obuh LAYOUT

Media/Marketing Capital Market E-Commerce Industry Micro Finance Graphics Department

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014—45

2015'll be tough, says Jonathan Continues from Page 5 lives. It said far from mere rhetoric, it had taken practical steps, as far back as May 2014, to work with the PDP to ensure violence-free polls in 2015. APC said: ''Following up on a meeting of representatives of both parties in Washington, DC, US, April 7-8 2014 under the auspices of the CSIS Nigeria Election Forum, at which it was agreed that a joint meeting of both parties be convened to discuss and agree on the crucial issue of a Code of Conduct for the campaigns and the elections, we wrote a letter to the PDP suggesting a bipartisan meeting to address the issue. ''The PDP agreed to the proposal and suggested that it should be expanded to include the leadership of other political parties in the country. However, problem with logistics meant that the meeting did not hold. ''Even with the little time left for the election to hold, we strongly believe that a meeting of the leadership of the two political parties, the APC and the PDP, will send a powerful message to our compatriots and indeed the international community and douse the tension that is building up ahead of the election."

Jonathan, Buhari should sign peace accord — Lamido In like manner, Governor Lamido advised Jonathan and Buhari to sign a peace pact on 2015 election. The governor made the clarion appeal in Dutse, weekend, while formally launching campaigns for all PDP aspirants of the state at Aminu Kano Triangle. Stressing that Nigerians are over-stretched and should not be victims of political violence again, Lamido said the two candidates should sign that in case anyone of them lost 2015 general election, his followers will not throw the country into anarchy and should anyone fail to keep the pact, he will be liable on conviction. His words: "Nigeria and Nigerians are overstretched and tired of political crisis, they are saying they can no longer tolerate any political C M Y K

unrest because of the interest of two persons. I want General Buhari (retd) and President Jonathan to commit themselves in writing in case there is crisis in any part of the country after the presidential elections." Lamido said the 2007 post-election crises which claimed many lives and property should serve as a lesson.

On Clark, Dokubo Asari The governor further expressed concern over unguarded and inciting utterances from people like elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark and Alhaji Mujahideen Dokubo Asari, saying their

utterances were threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria and the peace and security of the nation. “On many occasions, when Clark or Dokubo talked, they threatened that if President Jonathan did not win 2015 presidential election, Nigeria will break, and they always regard Northerners as parasites. "Let me warn that nobody will intimidate us no matter the position he is holding or his influence in the society. Our people have been killed, our economy has been destroyed, we have been pushed to the wall. Whoever touches us again, we shall march and dare him, to protect our interest and our region.”

Okowa picks Otuaro as running mate •Ugwuanyi picks Ezeillo while Peterside nominates Asita By Festus Ahon & Francis Igata

SABA— THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has picked Mr Kingsley Otuaro as his running mate. Otuaro is a commissioner in the Delta State Oil Producing Areas D e v e l o p m e n t C o m m i s s i o n , DESOPADEC. Otuaro, an Ijaw, was said to have been picked ahead of other contenders and nominees of other influence peddlers in the state. The major blocs in contention for the position had been the Ijaw and the Isoko ethnic groups in the state given the fact that Okowa is from Delta North Senatorial district. The decision to back Otuaro was largely believed to be based on the support Okowa received from prominent Ijaw politicians including Senator James Manager and former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo in the run-up to the primaries. The support of the Ijaw politicians was believed to have played a key role in the decisive victory of Okowa in the governorship primaries. The camps of Okowa’s rivals, Great Ogboru of Labour Party and Otega Emerhor of the All

Progressives Congress, APC, were not forthcoming with their running mates last night. It was learnt that the APC may have filled in a dummy running mate and that a substantive running mate would emerge from either the Ndokwa or Isoko speaking regions of the state. Ogboru, it was gathered, also filled in a dummy for the position of deputy who an authoritative source said would be substituted within the one month latitude for substitution of candidates. The substantive running mate, it was gathered, would likely come from the Isoko or Ijaw ethnic group. In Enugu State, the PDP candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi picked Mrs. Cecilla Ezeillo, a member of the Enugu State House of Assembly representing Ezeagu consistency. The APC’s candidate, Okey Ezea, is yet to formally make his running mate public. In Rivers State, the APC candidate, Rep. Dakuku Peterside, picked Hon. Asita Asita, a member of the House of Assembly, as his running mate. The PDP’s candidate, Nyesom Wike, said yesterday that he would formally unveil his running mate tomorrow. He, however, disclosed that the running mate would be a woman.

46— Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Cross River govt set to privatize Calabar carnival By Benjamin Njoku & Jimoh Babatunde

OVERNOR Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, weekend, said that the state government was putting plans in motion to privatize the popular Carnival Calabar, describing the festival as a big boost to the economy of the state. Imoke at the carnival, urged whoever would success him to ensure that the carnival was sustained in the years ahead. Speaking at the grand finale of the 10th year anniversary of Carnival Calabar, which was flagged off at the Millennium Park, the governor said that the carnival has grown in leaps and bounds, becoming the biggest street party in Africa. According to him, for the first time in the history of the carnival, the state government did not advertise the carnival, yet the crowd that thronged Calabar to witness it was

Bishop cautions on gang up against Jonathan, Mutu

ISHOP of His Presence Ministry Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Dr. Bob-manuel Ibioku said that President Goodluck Jonathan and Mr. Nicholas Mutu, member representing Bomadi/Patani federal constituency will continue beyond 2015, warning that those fighting their ambitions were doomed, since they were opposed to the will of God. The cleric posited that no amount of treachery against President Jonathan and Mutu can change the handwritings of God upon their lives, stressing that God has anointed the duo to lead the nation and the Bomadi /Patani federal constituency beyond 2015. Ibioku in his sermon at this years’ Akugbene For Christ crusade, organised by Akugbene Christian Fellowship, said as Christians, the church was duty bound to pray for political leaders, advice, guide and counsel the leaders and encourage them to fulfil their contractual obligation to the people. The bishop maintained God will not allow any ungodly politician to lead the people, reminding those in exalted political position to know that blessing comes from only him(God) and not by our strength. C M Y K

unprecedented. He said, "This year ’s carnival is my last carnival as the governor of this state. But I believe it will continue in the years ahead. It has truly become the ambassador event for Africa. We are planning to privatize it. There must be continuity in leadership which is very critical for us. Once we can do that, I believe we will continue to deliver great performances and improve on what we have already done over the years.” Imoke was accompanied to the Millennium Park, where he cut the tape to signal the commencement of the carnival by his wife, the deputy governor and his wife, the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, the duo of Peter and Paul Okoye of P-Square fame, Senator Ben Ajade, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate for 2015 election in the state. Also, present were Nollywood stars including Kate Henshaw, Jim Iyke and Angela Okoro among others. This year ’s carnival attracted a huge number of tourists and local fun seekers from across the world. Prominent among them were the Israeli ambassador to Nigeria and the Rwandan Minister of Sport and Culture, Ambassador Joseph Habineza. As usual, the 12 kilometers carnival route was a bevy of activities as the five traditional bands dressed in different colourful attires entertained spectators while dancing and partying all the way.

One of the artises that perfomed at the 2014 Cool FM Praise Jam at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos. Photo:Kehinde Gbadamosi

Wike reconciles with Kalabari leaders

IVERS State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate, Chief Nyesom Wike has called on Rivers PDP members to put aside all other considerations and work for the total victory of the PDP in 2015. Speaking when he led party leaders to a reconciliation meeting with selected Kalabari leaders at the home of Ambassador Sobomabo Jackrich, a PDP chieftain and leader of Network for Defence of Democracy and Good Governance, NDDGG in Degema, he said that with the governorship primaries over, all interests should be jettisoned for the singular interest of the party. He said he was in Degema for the meeting with Ambassador Jackrich and selected Kalabari leaders to ensure that outstanding issues were resolved. “I am happy that this reconciliation meeting has been successful and the

leaders of Kalabari have agreed to work for us and the PDP. Whatever differences we had before, had been set aside. PDP is our main interest. This reconciliation on Christmas Day is significant as it portends victory for PDP in 2015. I

commend Ambassador Jackrich, for his commitment to PDP at all times.” In his remarks, Ambassador Jackrich, assured the PDP governorship candidate that he will work with him to attain victory in 2015.

DELTA 2015: Group seeks concession of Deputy Gov position to Isoko By Festus Ahon

SABA—AS controversy continues over which ethnic group should produce the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 governorship election in Delta State, the Isoko National Assembly, has called on all political parties to concede the deputy governorship position to the Isoko people. The group, which styled itself as the umbrella body of Isoko political leaders, in a statement “observed with great displeasure and

disappointment, the long and total marginalization of Isoko nation in the distribution of democratic dividends by Federal and State Governments.” In a statement by Chief Paul Eriri, President and others, the people, said “The position of deputy governor of Delta State in 2015 must be conceded to Isoko nation.” They insisted that they will mobilise the entire Isoko population to cast their votes for any political party that concedes the position of deputy governor to Isoko nation, both at the state and federal elections in 2015.

Royal father tasks politicians on violence-free polls By Emmanuel Elebeke

HE traditional ruler of Igbo community in Cotonou, Benin Republic, Chief Ebuka Onunkwo, has urged Nigerian politicians to toe the path of integrity in approaching all the electioneering activities, and shun acts capable of breeding violence and corrupt practices. Eze Onunkwo made the call at the unveiling of 2014 Global Leaders of Integrity awards, organised by the publishers of the Integrity Magazine in Abuja, where he was honoured with integrity international merit award and inducted into the Integrity hall of firm. The Igbo traditional leader who underscored the benefits of integrity in the life of

leaders, also tasked Nigerian leaders to imbibe the culture of caring for the less privileged in the society, saying that integrity remains the hallmark of every successful leader. “I think our politicians should

realise the need to tow the path of honour and integrity in approaching the 2015 general elections and shun politics of violence and killing in order to achieve our collective goal, which is a very peaceful

elections. “What Nigerians need now is people of integrity, who have a prestige to protect and not those that do not care even when their image is being dragged to the mud,” he said.

Jubilations in Udu over Odibo's confirmation By Egufe Yafugborhi

ARRI - THERE was jubilation yesterday in Egini, Udu Local Government area, Delta State, following confirmation of former commissioner in the state, Elegbete Moses Odibo as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, flag bearer for Udu constituency in the state House of Assembly for the 2015 elections.

Odibo polled 30 votes above the 20 scored by incumbent Keston Okoro at the party primaries, but it was rumoured that the ticket was given Mr. Okoro. The development had caused tension among leaders and PDP faithful in Udu. But it was gathered that the PDP national headquarters had reassured that Odibo stands as the ticket bearer. At a thanksgiving held by

Odibo in Egini, his home community, to celebrate the reaffirmation of his ticket, Udu PDP Secretary, King Onoawhare, said all doubts and controversy over the matter had been cleared. “Udu PDP had free and fair primaries to determine the party candidate for its state House of Assembly seat. If there was controversy over the primaries held across the state, Udu was the wrong quarter to locate it."

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 —47

Group urges Deltans to vote PDP at all levels

Vanguard CLASSIFIED AKABUIKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Victoria Iwelie Mbonu Akabuike, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Vicky Chioma Mbonu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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UGOCHUKWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Chioma Doris Ugochukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Onochie Chioma Doris. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Immigration Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and general public please take note.

ANORUO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Anoruo Chinwendu Ngozi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Emeka-Nwosu Chinwendu Ngozi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

DIM—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Dim Sunday Ikemefuna Philip, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Dim Ikemefuna Ikechukwu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EZEH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ezeh C h i e m e z u e Jemaimah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ugwuanyi-Ejiofor C h i e m e z u e Jemaimah. All former documents remain valid. National Bureau of Statistics and general public please take note.

KAYODE —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adetinuke Adetoro Kayode, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adetinuke Adetoro Odejimi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NELSON—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mercy Omoefe Nelson, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omoefe Ighure. All former documents remain valid. First Bank of Nigeria Plc and general public please take note.

IRENE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Irene Chidinma Nwogu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Irene Chidinma Kenneth Denne. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OBASI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Obasi Eberechukwu Miriam, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Dike-Charles Eberechukwu Miriam. All former documents remain valid. Diamond Bank Plc and general public please take note.

WILSON—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Peace Udo Wilson, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Peace Idorenyin Ibanga. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of Name

GROUP, Door to Door Campaign Organisation for Okowa, has urged electorate in Delta State to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates at all levels in the forthcoming general elections. In a statement by Mr. Dom Okonma, the group wished Deltans happy Christmas and prosperous New Year. It said “we the members

of Door to Door Campaign Organisation for Okowa remind the good people of Delta State, that the 2015 governorship election goes beyond certain vested interest and it’s not about the South, Central or North senatorial districts but of the general welfare, peace and prosperity of all Deltans.” It noted that the PDP governorship flag bearer, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa represents the aforesaid ideals.

48— Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

NYSC member wins MTN's N50m house

CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE: From left, Agba Akin Kehinde Olaosebikan, Chairman of the Bashorun Estate Residents Association (Zone 4) Akobo, Ibadan; Air Commodore O. A Adesanya, Commander, Nigerian Air Force Detachment, Ibadan, Professor Layi Shittu and wife, and DSP Kabiru Suleiman who bagged awards of excellence at the estate's End of the Year Family Function where eminent personalities were honoured.

NATIONAL Youth Service Corps, NYSC, member, Miss Omotola Akinsola, has won MTN’s N50 million house as part of the telecom giant’s numerous surprise packages for Nigerians in its on-going Season of Surprises campaign. The event took place during a special episode of the MTN-sponsored weekly TV game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (WWTBAM) tagged “Who Deserves To Be Surprised”, aired on TV stations all over the country on December 21 and 28, 2014. Sponsors, MTN, in

conjunction with Ultima Limited, had called on Nigerians to nominate whoever they feel deserves to be surprised during this yuletide. Such a person, they said, must have influenced or touched their lives in a positive manner. According to the organisers, many nominations were received in this regard and it took a painstaking process to select the eight nominees with the most compelling stories, to have a chance of making it to the hot seat, not only to play for the regular star prize of N10million, but to also have a surprise chance of

winning a house worth N50millon, courtesy of MTN. Of the eight nominees who were invited for the show, Omotola Akinsola and Mrs Iyabode Olasumbo Sodiya-Dawodu were the lucky two, who made it to the hot seat. Omotola Akinsola made it to the hot seat in the first episode and won N250,000, while Mrs Iyabode Olasumbo SodiyaDawodu tried her luck during the second episode and also won N250,000. With both contestants at par, show host, Frank Edoho, ushered viewers into another anxious moment, as both Omotola and Iyabode were made to play the fastest finger game, so as to determine who wins the star prize of a N50 million house.

Pastor blames corruption on mediocrity

T has been revealed that what has made Nigeria’s model of corruption uncontrollable is mediocrity in almost every sector of the nation’s society. This was made known recently at the launch of a book entitled What’s Really Stopping You? written by Pastor Debo Omotunde. While reviewing the book, Mr Idris Dele-Osagie stated that though the book’s content has semblance with the American situation, it took into cognisance the reality of the Nigerian environment. Dele-Osagie said the book took into consideration the struggle that many youths pass through in life and within the Nigerian context thus offering solution to breakthrough. While relating the book with Christian theology, he posited that its content gives clues to the fact that instantaneous acquisition of wealth was not sustainable but that gradual process through capacity development would ensure that success becomes sustainable and generational. The author of the book, Mr Debo Omotunde, said he was motivated to write the book following deep frustration that many Nigerians pass through to live up to their potentials, adding that the purpose of writing the book to motivate people to achieve their dreams.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 49

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50—Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Buhari: Port Harcourt THE family feud between paternal first cousins, Celestine Omehia, immediate past governor of Rivers State and his successor, Rotimi Amaechi is an enduring political folklore in their native Rivers State. The two men have been on opposite sides of every political contest since Amaechi took over from cousin Omehia in October 2007 following the landmark judgment that invalidated the latter as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2007 governorship election in the state. The two men were again on opposite sides in the 2011 governorship election. While Amaechi flew the banner of the ruling PDP, Omehia naturally went the other way flying the

Why Jonathan is in trouble — Gov Amaechi •Says he didn't fund Buhari's campaign GOVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was recently appointed Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation. At an interactive session, Amaechi among other things, reels out plans of the campaign organisation and also clears the air on knotty issues. Excerpts:

By Dapo Akinrefon

S it true you funded the Buhari campaign for the primaries? I did not. Buhari did not spend money for the primaries. Anybody who said they spent money should come forward with evidence. We have maintained consistently that Nigerians would fund us and that is why we have launched our campaign we are hoping that people will contribute. It is there on our website; you will just look at the account and go and pay. And we are making sure that we convince General Buhari to be the sole signatory to that account. That is the way we would raise our money. We would not depend on rich men. You can’t fight the president on funds. See how much he raised from people who some of them collected the N2.3trillion on oil subsidy and are yet to pay back. If he is not prosecuting them for oil subsidy, why shouldn’t they pay for his election?

How do you intend to combine your duty as director-general of the APC presidential campaign with your duties as governor? We will try. That is why there is a deputy governor. I have a deputy who is efficient and I will also from time to time go back to the state. But we need to deliver and we are all making sacrifices ?to deliver this change. I don’t know how people feel. The president and the federal government have not denied the fact that N2.3trillion was taken for oil subsidy and that was six months in 2011. Oil subsidy before that time was N300billion,

Symbol of change The president is trying to raise over N200 million for power and then those people he is helping to raise the money are giving him N500million. We can’t fight the president with money, we will fight him with the people. We will fight the president by telling Nigerians that they have to vote for change and the symbol of change for us is the APC and General Buhari. I will like to reiterate again that General Buhari did not pay anybody to vote for him at the primaries and he won because Nigerians want change.

If you say the president has a Ph.D and Buhari does not have one, let him show us his thesis

so how did it rise to N2.3trillion and the people are not afraid? The federal government and all its agents were not afraid that N2.3trillion was taken. So, basically, I don’t mind what I can do legally to make sure that there is a better Nigeria. What about the controversy that you have not paid eight months salaries? Anybody who said I have not paid him salaries should come forward. We have paid up till December; you can call Rivers State to confirm. I got a Blackberry message on Tuesday, saying; “Thank God, we are going home with our salary before Christmas.”

Payment of salaries What we agreed in the cabinet was that we should make sure that everybody goes home with his salary before Christmas because as a Christian, I know that December 23 and 24 are the two days that Christians like to shop. I do not owe salaries in Rivers State. I am proud to say that I will pay salaries until I leave office and I will continue to pursue development projects in the state. I was even surprised that the president’s spokesman even put it in one of his statements when he was responding to the accusation that the people who contributed to the N21billion are those plundering our economy and he said after all, Governor Amaechi funded the election of Buhari while he owes teachers eight months salary. And I asked the question, for you to be a presidential spokesman, facts and statistics must be on your palm; you shouldn’t joke with that. But the man was just reacting to gossip. What are Buhari’s programmes for Nigeria if he wins the 2015 election? The message is simple. Buhari chased away Maitasene while he was Head of State. Many Nigerians will remember that Maitasine was like Boko Haram

•Amaechi: Buhari did not spend money for the primaries and they were killing people in Borno and Kano and Buhari chased them away because he is a strong leader.

Strong leader We need a strong leader now to chase away Boko Haram or it will chase us away. Buhari will deal with insurgency because he has done that before. Many Nigerians would remember that when Borno was attacked by Chadian rebels, Buhari as an officer of the Nigerian Army almost chased them into Ndjamena. He had crossed the Lake Chad when President Shehu Shagari called him back. If he didn’t do that, Borno would have been overrun by Chadian rebels and till today Chad has

never crossed into Nigeria to fight us. It takes a strong leader to do that. We will deal with insurgency. The country may be broke now because of two factors. The first which is very critical is the diversion of funds at the NNPC. That is the greatest factor for me. The level of diversion in the NNPC has affected everybody including me. We will deal with power because if you don’t address it, you cannot tackle unemployment. The essential factor for industrialisation from elementary economics is power. So, when you hear that people in the power sector contributed N500 million for the president’s re-election, where did they get it? First, you must pay your bill

Continues on page 52

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 51

cousins at war banner of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in an election which Omehia claims to have won but rigged out by the PDP. Now, the cousins have taken their battle to the national stage, albeit still on opposite political platforms. Amaechi who last year decamped to the All Progressives Congress, APC is now the director-general of the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation while Omehia has returned to the PDP. In two separate interviews, the two men speak on the Buhari phenomenon and what it portends for the country and their SouthSouth region.

Buhari 'll take Nigeria 10 years back —Omehia Sir Celestine Omehia is the former Governor of Rivers State. In this interview with journalists in Abuja, he gave reasons why Buhari should not be voted in as President. In his view, if General Muhammadu Buhari is elected president in 2015, his election would be tantamount to retrogressing the country. Excerpts: By Chioma Obinna

O you think that President Goodluck Jonathan is a match for Buhari in the coming 2015 election? I don’t have any fear about Buhari being the APC p r e s i d e n t i a l candidate. People are rating Buhari from his military achievements, but we are now talking about the democratic government of Nigeria. If Buhari achieved anything, it was by the force of arms – the use of the army, the use of gun and so on. If you put Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan in the same environment, you will see that their behaviour would be different. One was democratically brought up. The democratic ideologies in him are different from the military ideologies in Buhari.

commands are not the same, it then means that Buhari cannot do better than Jonathan. But one thing is basic: Jonathan has had democratic experience from being deputy governor to governor, from being governor to vice president, being vice president to president. You cannot compare their experience in life in terms of democratic experience. You cannot compare their achievements. Put on the same scale, Jonathan will score 80 percent, while Buhari will score 20 percent in democratic achievements. If you put them on the same scale, the vice presidential candidate of the PDP who was once a governor and vice president for some number of years will score much more than the intimidated vice presidential candidate of the APC. So, put the

Practical politics Buhari has not learnt anything about democracy and more so, Buhari’s so called achievements in administration were not piloted by him. They were practically piloted by his second-incommand and the second-incommand unfortunately, is not his second-in-command now. He has a professor as his running mate. And we are not talking of academic work; we are talking of practical politics. We are not talking of who will be tested in the laboratory, we are not talking about who will be tested in the farmyard; we are talking of democracy in politics. So, if the two second-in-

The APC has always talked of change. That takes me to the idea of APC – change, APC – change. What is there to change? They have never told you what they want to change

•Omehia: APC cannot change what PDP has done two together, Nigerians are matured enough and reasonable enough to think and know that Jonathan stands a better chance to give Nigerians what they need. Again, don’t forget that being the president for four years running; Jonathan has set several things in motion: several projects, several principles, and several ideologies that could keep Nigeria moving. On the other hand, if Buhari is given the opportunity, he will set Nigeria ten years backward because we will start a new idea not from where Jonathan has started. He will go back and draw a plan that is different from what Jonathan has started. And in that case, Nigeria will be taken ten years behind the schedule. So, the issue of continuity comes to play. I have always said the issue of continuity is important in Nigerian politics and in the Nigerian administrative system. Mind you, APC is only coming up with vendetta. APC has never said anything good about any other party. So, when they talk about what they can do for Nigeria, APC

would always think of how to destroy what the PDP has set up to do and in that case, there would be a lot of abandoned projects, there would be a lot of wastage of our resources, there would be a lot of acrimony between the two parties. So, there would be no need creating such things.

Waste of resources Nigerians are not good with continuity and that is what we want to avoid. The APC has always talked of change. That takes me to the idea of APC – change, APC – change. What is there to change? They have never told you what they want to change. They will never come out to say these are the programmes they want to change. In any case, who are the members of the APC now, properly so called members APC? They are all members of the PDP who abandoned the project and ran into the APC. And what are they going to change? Changing what they had already done? Take for instance, the campaign director of

APC is a former PDP person. What is he going to change? He is going to change what he started in PDP. What it means is that ab initio, he was wrong in all he did in the PDP. Masari is the governorship candidate in Katsina and he was a Speaker in the PDP. What is he going to change? Look at the former PDP chairman from Kwara, Baraje, what is he going to change? Audu Ogbeh was chairman of the PDP, what is he going to change? Does it mean that all these PDP members who are in APC were failures and they now realise that they were failures and they want to make a change? It is never easy to change what you have done unless somebody else will change it. So, APC cannot change what they have done. One major issue that would remain a problem for President Jonathan is the issue of insecurity, what is your take on this? The issue of insecurity is a common global phenomenon. Criminals are born every day.

Continues on page 52

52—Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Why Jonathan is in trouble — Gov Amaechi

Ex-Governor Omehia

Buhari 'll take Nigeria 10 yrs back —Omehia Governor Amaechi Continues from page 50 every month whether you like it or not; whether you have power or not. People are now being forced to pay N75 every month whether they use power or not. So, they are being punished for not having power. How do you respond to the claim by the PDP that Buhari is a semi-illiterate jackboot? Our campaign will be issue-based. The president has a PhD in Zoology, how many farms do we have and how many people has he employed? If you say the president has a PhD and Buhari does not have one, let him show us his thesis. You are bringing yourself to the level of those who are making those allegations. Don’t bring yourself to that level, remain focused on the issues and let the president meet you there. Many have defected from the PDP to the APC and as soon as they move they become progressives. What exactly does the APC stand for and what is the ideology of the party? How many people would say that when I was in the PDP, I wasn’t a progressive? Those who left the PDP are the progressive wing of the party. Please tell me what else I need to do to become a progressive. The ideology of progressivism is about the people and I bother about them a lot. That is why there is free education in my state which is not part of the PDP manifestoes. While in the PDP, I introduced free education and health care. What else would I need to become a progressive? Those who studied at the University of Port-Harcourt will say that I have been a Marxist from my university days till today. C M Y K

Continues from page 51 APC stands for a progressive ideology and you can see that in our manifestoes. What is the assurance that Buhari will win the presidential election? The simple electoral arithmetic is that before the president had the South-south and Southeast 100 percent, but now there are problems for the PDP in Cross Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States. It wasn’t like that before. By this time the PDP would have been dancing but have you seen them doing so? When they were doing the Transformation Ambassador of Nigeria (TAN) rallies, I knew that it will get to this point. You have not seen the PDP dancing or doing any major campaign because there are problems everywhere. There is problem within the party in Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia States. So, it is no longer the same. The electoral map appears to have changed. If we go to the north, does the APC have problems in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa and Sokoto? Did we have problem in Lagos State? No, it is the PDP that has problems in those states. So the political map has changed and that is why I believe that by God’s grace, Buhari and the APC will win. I am a Christian and I think positively. I am not from the north; I am not from the south. I am a Nigerian. I don’t believe in indigeneship, but in citizenship. Buhari will win the 2015 presidential election by God’s grace and he will also win because the political map does not favour the president anymore. In 2011, in the SouthSouth and Southeast, we said he is our brother and now we are saying he is no longer our brother.

There are criminals all over the world and Nigeria is no exemption. What we must understand is that Jonathan did not create the insecurity in the north eastern part of Nigeria; therefore, it is the problem of Nigerians and not only Jonathan’s. For Buhari to say he will end the insecurity immediately he takes over power, it then means that he is the creator of the situation. He knows the origin, he knows where it started and more so, he is from the north. Although he is from the North West, he is from the North; therefore, he created it to destabilize the administration of Jonathan. Talking about insecurity, the people that are affected are Nigerians, therefore, he owes it a duty to help Nigerians and save their lives whether or not he is in power, whether or not the APC is in power. If they have the antidote to it, this is the time they should help instead of looking at Nigerians suffering and dying.

Suffering and dying This is the time they should play their role in one way or the other. But the question is, what role have they played to end insecurity in Nigeria? So, if they cannot proffer solution now, they have no solution at all even if they are in power. The dust raised in Rivers state following the conduct of the

governorship primary election is yet to settle. Are you confident that the PDP would have the day in the forthcoming election? I am very sure of PDP winning Rivers state. I am very sure of that because primaries are always in this form. No primary election in Nigeria has ended and the loser agreed that it has ended. There has always been the belief that the last is yet to be heard. Even till names are submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and even after that, people are still going to protest. So, it is natural in Nigeria. It is not the same thing when compared to other parts of the world where there are gallant losers. In Nigeria, there are gallant winners, but there are no gallant losers. But one basic thing about Rivers state is that it is a PDP state. It has always been like that. People in Rivers state don’t really like going to opposition except the individuals. When I left the PDP and joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), people joined me massively because of my personality as Celestine Omehia, because of their beliefs in my programmes, my ideologies and what I can afford them. So, people followed me and I still believe that the 2011 election was won in Rivers state by APGA led by me.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014—53

8 Ogun PDP House members set to defect

Utomi-led group warns Okotie against inciting utterances

By Dapo Akinrefon

AGOS — The Patrick Utomi-led United Niger Delta Energy Security Strategy, UNDEDSS, yesterday warned Pastor Chris Okotie against utterances that can incite the public against national peace. In a statement by its Executive Secretary, Mr Tony Uranta, the group said Okotie’s constant unsubstantiated false utterances against Nigeria’s leadership were unbecoming of a man who claimed to be a “man of God.” Okotie, who is founder and presiding pastor of Household of God Church International Ministries, over the weekend said President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration for the 2015 presidential election on November 11, 2014 had occult significance. Okotie, who wrote on his facebook page on Friday, emphasised that the exact date the President made his declaration had a ritualistic undertone. He said: “The implication of Dr. Jonathan’s declaration on that day (1111-2014) has occult significance. When the number is repeated, it takes a greater ritualistic intensity. It should be recalled that Okotie, a 2011 Presidential candidate of the deregistered Fresh Democratic Party had also in 2007 claimed that he was called by God to rule Nigeria but blamed the leadership for his failure. In a statement issued in Lagos, Uranta, a member of the defunct Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue urged those close to the cleric to advise him to stop uttering “ nonsensical partisan politics gibberish, and toe the true line of a Pastor for the sake of his followers.” Berating the cleric, Uranta maintained:“It is a shame that one who claims to serve God should make such an utterance based on his personal but diabolical belief in numbers which in itself is anti-Christianity. “

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Heap of refuse at Mosafejo, Oshodi, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

Borno gov: PDP stakeholders kick against substitution of Lawan’s name A

BUJA — CONCERNED elders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Borno State have kicked against the wrongful substitution of Alhaji Gambo Lawan as the party ’s governorship candidate for Borno State in the 2015 election. Lawan, who is former Chairman of the Grassroots Democratic Movement, GDM, and ex-Chairman of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, had picked the party’s governorship ticket at a process in Abuja supervised by President Goodluck Jonathan following his intervention to resolve the lingering disagreement over the PDP governorship ticket in the state. The former GDM chairman and founding leader of PDP in the state was affirmed by the party ’s delegates and a Certificate of Return issued to him after the election. In attendance during the primary election were VicePresident Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu, Chairman PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, Borno State PDP Chairman, Minister of State for Power Muhammed Wakil, and BoT members and other stakeholders from the state. But on the eve of the submission of parties’ governorship flag bearers to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Lawan’s name was, however, substituted by the PDP National Chairman with that of Mohammed Imam, a nominee of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. In an open letter to President Jonathan dated December 26, 2014, the PDP stakeholders called for a reversal of the wrongful substitution in the interest of justice and fair play. The petition was signed by

Honourables Aminu Yakudima, Ibrahim Abatcha and Salisu Aliyu. Speaking on the process that produced Lawan, they said: “The process and composition of the people present is first of its kind in the history of our great party, which Your Excellency described as the Supreme Court of the party whose decision is final. You may wish to recall further that Gambo Lawan having emerged from the old PDP as the candidate, you directed the new entrants to the party to nominate the candidate for the Deputy Governor. “It is disheartening to note that 14 days after the

nomination and affirmation of Gambo Lawan as the candidate, he was wrongly and illegally substituted with Mohammed Imam on the eve of the closure for the submission of the governorship nominees to INEC. “We want to believe that Your Excellency is unaware of this ugly and sad development particularly in a nomination process of this magnitude that was conducted by the highest office of the Federation. In this regard and in the best interest of the party, we call for the immediate reversal of the decision to substitute Gambo Lawan.

Benue PDP gov candidate woos traditional rulers

By Peter Duru

AKURDI — THE Benue State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the forthcoming general elections, Dr. Terhemen Tarzoor has promised to accord the traditional institution a pride of place in his administration, if he eventually wins the 2015 polls. Tarzoor, who spoke yesterday, when he hosted selected traditional rulers at his Makurdi residence, stated that the traditional institution was key to socio-political stability of any society. He said: “We all know that our paramount rulers are closer to the people than the three tiers of government, and being a government of some sort, that institution therefore should be a centre piece in our rural development drive. “It, therefore, becomes imperative that we factor their

importance to the stability and growth of the rural community.” The former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly reiterated his determination to avail the people of the state, qualitative and selfless service if elected into office to justify the confidence reposed in him by the PDP. Tarzoor said: “I see my election as a struggle for my generation and we cannot afford to fail because if we fail the people, we will have no reasons to complain if others fail to meet the yearning of our generation and the entire people of our state. “I am in this race because I knew that the concept of power is a mystery in God; that is the more reason why we must go together in the coming elections because I cannot do it without your support and the support of every member of our party.”

BEOKUTA — NO fewer than eight members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the Ogun State House of Assembly are set to leave the party following the controversies trailing the primaries to various elective positions in the party ahead of the 2015 general elections. The eight lawmakers are said to be leaving the party to protest against the purported authentic list of candidates for the 2015 polls released by the party in the state. According to competent sources among the lawmakers who had resolved to dump the PDP were a former Deputy Speaker of the House, and another two-term member of the Assembly. One of the aggrieved lawmakers in the Assembly, who spoke on the condition of anonymity wondered why the National Working Committee of the party would “hand over the fate of tens of aspirants in the party to one man” to draw up the list of candidates. The lawmaker, who was one of those who had earlier defected with former Governor Gbenga Daniel from the Labour Party to the PDP about two months ago, said: “They called off the primaries in the state on the pretext that the national body would meet and communicate to the aspirants on the way forward. “We were still expecting this one to be done when they said three leaders of the party in the state — JMK (a former Minister of Industries, Chief Jubril Martins Kuye); OGD (former Governor Gbenga Daniel); and Buruji Kashamu (Chairman, Membership and Mobilisation Committee of the PDP in the South West) – were asked to meet in Abuja to draw up a list of candidates at all levels including those who contested and those who did not. “From the list they had submitted to the INEC, only Kashamu drew up the list. The State Chairman of the party (Chief Bayo Day) relied on Kashamu’s wide connections in Abuja to conduct the governorship primary on December 8, despite a directive from the NWC, stopping the primary."

54—Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Oyo gov candidate appoints former Oyo Speaker campaign DG

HE GOVERNORSHIP candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State, Sen. Teslim Folarin, has appointed the former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly between 1999 to 2003, Hon. Asimiyu Niran Alarape as the Director General, Teslim Folarin Campaign Organisation. Alarape, who is an indigene of Oyo town, is a well-respected grassrooots politician, a deft tactician and political icon in the politics of Oyo town and the state in general. Alarape, who graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile -Ife, Osun State in 1990, holds a B.Sc. degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also attended many leadership training both home and abroad. A seasoned politician, he was a member of many political associations, which includes the National Republican Convention, NRC, United Nigerian Congress Party, UNCP, All Peoples Party, APP, Alliance for Democracy, AD, and Peoples Democratic Party,PDP. The former Speaker was also a Special Adviser to the Governor of Oyo State on Political Matters between 2007-2011. Alarape, who is the Bashorun Adini of Oyo State was until his appointment the Chief Executive Officer of Equilibrium Resorts based in Oyo Town. The former Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Oyo State, Victor Oluwadamilare, was also appointed the Director of Media and Strategy. Oluwadamilare, a seasoned journalist and Media Manager, is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan, where he graduated in1986 with a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Political Science. He was a member of various committees of the Oyo State Government,which include Oyo State Committee on the Desirability or Otherwise of the Return of Some Schools to their Original Owners (2004), Oyo State Fuel Distribution and Monitoring Committee (2002-2004), among others.

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WARSHIPS: Junaid 'bombs' Jonathan,

Tompolo

…accuses duo of undermining Nigeria’s security

to compromise the laws of Nigeria to favour his kinsmen. How can an individual who is not even in the armed forces get such approval from the Presidency to BUJA — THE controversy acquire such lethal facilities?” he over the acquisition of five asked. war ships by a company linked to “He is colluding with the a former militant leader, Presidency to undermine Government Ekpemupolo for Nigeria’s security at a time when Nigeria, has continued unabated, our soldiers are being sentenced with a Northern politician, Dr. to death for asking for enough Junaid Mohammed, describing arms and ammunition to fight the action as a threat to the insurgency. nation’s fragile peace and "Certainly, there is an evil security. agenda behind the purchase and Mohammed, a Second Republic Nigerians should demand urgent lawmaker, told Vanguard that the answers,” Mohammed said. Federal Government had some But in the heat of the controversy ulterior motives to protect by generated by the development, usurping the function that should the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, has said that the five war ships acquired by Tompolo’s company, Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd, were purchased on behalf of the agency. Akpobolokemi said last week in Lagos at a media briefing that the ships were acquired for the use of the Nigerian Navy and other relevant government agencies in the fight against piracy and other related crimes on the nation’s maritime domain. He said: “It is the Navy that has fitted their guns on the vessels to aid their policing of the maritime domain. The Agency is made up of civilians who are professionals in various fields and who have no political affiliations or interests at all. “As an arm of the government CELEBRATION: From left,Venerable Abraham Odumuyiwa, Canon Residential, Vining responsible for maritime safety, Cathedral; the Registrar, Lagos West, Anglican Communion, Prince Bambo Adesanya; Bishop security and regulations, among of Lagos West, Anglican Communion, Rt.Rev, James Olusola Odedeji, his wife, Mrs. Lydia; others, we work in conjunction Chancellor, Lagos West, Anglican Communion, Justice Babasola Ogunade (rtd); Deputy with the Nigerian Navy and other Chancellor, Lagos West, Anglican Communion, Justice Ayo Philips; Legal Secretary, Mrs. relevant security agencies to use Pheola Caulcrick, and Dean of Archbishop Vining Cathedral, Ven. Abel Ajibodu, during the their men and arms to patrol and Christmas celebration, at Archbishop Vinining Cathedral G.R.A, Ikeja, Lagos. Photo: Diran provide safety of the country’s Oshe water ways.”

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

be performed by the Nigerian Navy and transferring same to the former Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND, leader. The politician noted that the attempt by both the Federal Government to claim that the boats were bought by Tompolo’s firm for the use of the navy and NIMASA was an after-thought that did not add up and would haunt the administration for a long time to come. Describing Jonathan as one who is keen on protecting the personal interest of his kinsmen at the expense of the nation, Mohammed wondered why the administration allowed a private

individual from the President’s tribe to usurp the key function of the Nigerian Navy. “The President should be kind enough, since he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, to explain to Nigerians where he drew the authority to transfer the functions of the Nigerian Navy to a private individual from his tribe. “But if he fails to do so now, posterity would be very unkind to him because he has set a very bad precedent that no leader dead or alive in this country has ever contemplated. “Let it be on record that Jonathan has used his position

Why Gov Lamido is moving against Jonathan Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North & Aliyu Dangida

NDICATIONS EMERGED, weekend, that Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State had openly rejected the reelection bid of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. Although there had been speculations in the past that Lamido was unhappy with Jonathan over the way he had been treated by the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the president’s unfulfilled promises to the state, Lamido openly voiced his opposition to Jonathan’s candidacy at a PDP rally in Dutse on Saturday. Apparently to send Lamido’s message loud and clear to the Presidency, the event which

was held at the state capital, was transmitted live via a private television station with national coverage. Again, to prove his anger against Jonathan, the organisers of the PDP event deliberately and carefully avoided displaying the President’s posters throughout the rally. On the other hand, the campaign posters of the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state and those of other contestants for the state and national elections were conspicuously and generously displayed. Besides, rather than await the President to present the flags to the PDP candidates as is the custom of the party, the governor went ahead to perform the event, apparently

preventing Jonathan from performing the political tradition just before elections. None of the candidates canvassed for support for Jonathan throughout the rally, which was well attended by the members of the party in the state. Vanguard learnt from a top source in Dutse on Sunday that Lamido felt bitter and betrayed by both Jonathan and the PDP for not doing any tangible project in Jigawa State after he had risked his life and those of his family members to work for Jonathan’s victory in 2011. The source pointed out that the refusal or the inability of Jonathan to undertake any of the four key projects, which he openly promised the people during his 2011 campaign had pitted the governor against the political leaders and people of the state.

President Jonathan, it was learnt, had promised to build a cargo airport in Dutse, rebuild broken federal roads abandoned in the state for over 20 years, construct a dam at Auyo and build a major waterworks in the capital, four promises yet to be fulfilled with less than two months to the next polls. It was also revealed out of the N15 billion spent by state government on the building of the Duste International Airport, which Jonathan commissioned on October 21 this year, the Federal Government had only chipped in less than a billion. A top source in the state confided in Vanguard that Lamido was being portrayed as a traitor by most of the citizens, who see him as supporting Jonathan for personal reasons but working against their interest.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 55

Lucky escape for 12 passengers as bus goes up in flames

2015: Constituents plot to stop 3rd-term Rep in Abia

By Chidi Nkwopara

WERRI—NO fewer than 12 persons cheated death yesterday when the commuter bus in which they were traveling, suddenly caught fire at Amaraku, Isiala Mbano Local Council area of Imo State and burnt to ashes. It was not clear at the time of this report, where the bus was coming from or where it was heading to, before the incident. A man, who claimed to be an eye witness, said the bus driver did not know that his bus was on fire until a bystander raised an alarm. “The vehicle driver did not even know that his vehicle was on fire. It was a bystander that raised the fire alarm. The occupants managed to escape into safety before the bus went up in flames”, the man recounted. He recalled that some sympathizers brought fire extinguishers and expended them on the blazing fire. “Several drivers brought their fire extinguishers and tried to put off the fire but, to no avail”, the man recounted. Speaking further, the man said “we expected to see at least, a fire fighting vehicle but none came. The police and Road Safety officials were conspicuously absent. Traffic kept flowing because some volunteers ensured it did.”

By Anayo Okoli

AWARD: Registar General of Corporate Affairs Commission, Mr Bello Mahmud (right) receiving Certificate of Performance in Service delivery Award from President, Coalition of Civil Society Group, Mr Etuk Bassey Williams (left) while Secretary General of the coalition, Femi Osabinu and Deputy Director Public Affairs CAC, Mr Godfrey Ike (2nd right) look on in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.

Abia Professionals Forum urges PDP to pacify aggrieved gov candidates By Henry Umoru

B U J A — A B I A Professionals Forum, APF, has warned that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP risks losing Abia to the opposition in 2015 except the leadership of the party at the state and national levels pacify aspirants who are aggrieved with the governorship

FG to sponsor 100 first class graduates for studies abroad

ANO—MINISTER of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has said the Federal Government is set to sponsor 100 first class graduates for further studies abroad. He spoke yesterday in Kano during a media interaction and an awards ceremony. Shekarau said the100 first class materials would be sponsored under the Special Presidential Scholarship Programme. According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan had instructed the Nigerian Universities Commission, NUC, to select the best graduates and secure admissions for them to study up to doctorate level in universities abroad. “President Jonathan instructed that best students should be screened all over the country irrespective of their locations for scholarships outside the country,” he said. Shekarau said the first batch had been screened and would soon

leave the country to study in the best 25 universities in the world. The minister said as part of the government’s effort at providing Nigerians qualitative education, some university lecturers had been sponsored for various training locally and abroad. “The lecturers will study both within and outside Nigeria under the Tertiary Educational Trust Fund,TETFund.

particularly, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the controversial governorship candidate of PDP. We wonder how a candidate who is so unpopular will go round the state to canvass for votes. It is our fear that unless urgent action is taken by the leadership of PDP at the state and the national level, the electorates may be forced to speak with their voters’ card during the election, a situation which may turn out to be very unpalatable for the PDP.” “There is no doubt that Abia PDP and its governorship candidate will need all the help they can get in the next few weeks if they are to survive the onslaught expected from the opposition in the state in the next few weeks. In this vein, we would like to task the leadership of PDP at the national and state levels to do everything possible to bring some of the respected, but currently aggrieved governorship aspirants, especially those known to have great influence, viable political structure and popular among Abian electorates on board to boost the ability of the party to win the governorship election. The group identified Dr. Uche Ogah, President, Masters Energy who came second in the PDP Area, Anambra. He said Igbo people would vote primaries as one of such aspirants for the Peoples Democratic Party, which in its estimation, could add PDP, during the exercise because value to PDP ticket. “It is our belief that the general the All Progressive Congress, APC, had no agenda for the South goodwill enjoined by Ogah as well as his popularity will greatly East. He called on the people of enhance the prospect of PDP’s the state to obtain voter cards victory in 2015. In our view, the to exercise their civic rights, only way PDP can retain Abia adding, “the card is the State in 2015 is to bring aspirants weapon at the voter’s disposal like Dr. Ogah fully on board,” the group concluded. in choosing a leader.

primaries in the state. APF, made up of leading members of the Abia State chapter of PDP, spoke in reaction to recent appeal by President Goodluck Jonathan and chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, to aspirants dissatisfied with the result of the recent primaries of PDP not to defect to opposition parties. While noting that many PDP members had indeed defected to other parties while others were on the verge of doing so, the group, in a statement by its President, Sam Onukwe, advised leaders of PDP to go beyond ‘mere appeal’ if the party was not to suffer for the mismanagement of its primaries in the February 2015 general elections. Citing the example of Abia State, the group noted that some of the aspirants now being paraded as candidates of the party were unpopular among the electorates, saying “ we particularly note the situation in Abia State where there seem to be total loss of confidence in the leadership of the ruling party and

‘Anambra Ohanaeze Ndigbo'll vote for Jonathan'

HE Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Anambra Chapter, Dr Chris Eluemunoh, weekend said the group would vote for President GoodLuck Jonathan in February presidential election. Eluemunoh said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, at NkwellaEzunaka, Oyi Local Government

MUAHIA —A m e m b e r representing Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State, in the House of Representatives Mrs. Nnenna Ukaeje, is presently fighting the political battle of her life as stakeholders in the constituency, are opposed to his return to the House for the third term. Ukaeje won the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ticket to contest for the third term to represent the area in the House of Representative. But the stakeholders drawn from 11 communities in the constituency at a meeting in Alayi, allegedly rejected her candidacy. A statement issued after the meeting and signed by Ikenga Charles Ijioma, on behalf of the stakeholders, claimed Ukaeje third term bid contradicted the existing rotational arrangement between the two Ikwuishi and Umunna in constituency. They further accused Ukaeje of “incompetence, pride, under representation, and disrespectful to elders.” The stakeholders also accused the PDP of imposing Ukaeje on the constituency against the will of the people and threatened that the party would pay dearly by losing the seat in the 2015 election . They vowed to support the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Alfred Udensi, who they claimed was their consensus candidate to restore the existing zoning formula. “In rejecting Nnenna Ukaeje and choosing Alfred Udensi, we affirm that our constituency is tired of political qualities of complacency, inefficiency, and arrogance she has exhibited these eight years; she will not represent us again, a better Bende man should take over. She boasts too much about her contacts with so many top Nigerians and lacks the requisite humility to continue to represent us. “Prince Nnanna Njoku from Ikwuishi took only one term and gave chance to Hon Earnest Aja from Umunna who also did a single tenure but this woman has broken the ancient landmark by taking two terms yet she is not satisfied."

56 —VANGUARD, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29 , 2014

BRIEFS Electronic eavesdropping: NSA reports on privacy violations

Indonesia suspends search for missing AirAsia plane I

NDONESIA has called off until first light a search for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people from Indonesia’s Surabaya to Singapore, which went missing yesterday just after pilots requested a change in course to avoid bad weather. There was no distress call issued by Flight QZ8501, operated by Indonesian

AirAsia, 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia , which has had no crashes since it started flying in 2002. Singapore said it would send two planes to join the search for the missing Airbus A320-200 early on Monday, while the United States, Malaysia, Britain, South Korea, Australia and India offered help, from planes

and navy boats to experts and investigators. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident,” said Sunu Widyatmoko, CEO of AirAsia Indonesia, adding that, “We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident.” On board were 155 Indonesians, three South Ko-

Family members of passengers on board AirAsia flight QZ8501 wait for information inside the AirAsia crisis centre at Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East Java yesterday.

reans and one each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain, plus a French pilot. The pilot “was requesting deviation due to enroute weather before communication with the aircraft was lost”, the airline said. The pilots were experienced and the plane last underwent maintenance in mid-November, it said. The aircraft had accumulated about 23,000 flight hours in some 13,600 flights, according to Airbus. The flight QZ8501 fell out of contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 a.m. (6.17 p.m. ET Saturday). It was roughly halfway between Surabaya and Singapore when it went missing in bad weather, somewhere from Tanjung Pandan on Indonesia’s Belitung island to Pontianak, in West Kalimantan, Borneo. Malaysia AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes went to Surabaya to update dozens of relatives of passengers who waited anxiously.

U.S-led mission in Afghanistan ends combat role, as foreign troops remain

HE U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan formally ended its combat mission yesterday more than 13 years after an international alliance ousted the Taliban government for sheltering the planners of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on American cities. About 13,000 foreign troops, mostly Americans, will remain in the country under a new, two-year mission named “Resolute Support” that will continue the

coalition’s training of Afghan security forces. The Afghan army and police are struggling to fight against Taliban militants who this year killed record numbers of Afghans. “Today marks an end of an era and the beginning of a new one,” said U.S. General John Campbell, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), at the ceremony marking the end of

the mission held at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul. “We will continue to invest in Afghanistan’s future,” Campbell said at the ceremony, during which he rolled up the coalition’s flag. Since 2001, nearly 3,500 foreign soldiers have died in the Afghan war, including around 2,200 Americans. The late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

had strong relations with the Taliban, who let him and other members of his global militant network hide in Afghanistan. The Taliban have launched increasingly deadly attacks in the past year. Nearly 3,200 Afghan civilians were killed in the conflict between the militant group and the army in 2014, and more than 4,600 Afghan army and police died in Taliban attacks.

Winds hamper burning ferry rescue off Greece

U.S. General John Campbell (C), commander of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), folds the flag of the ISAF during the change of mission ceremony in Kabul, yesterday C M Y K

first group of about 131 passengers have been rescued after an Italian ferry with almost 500 people on board caught fire off the Greek island of Corfu, the Italian Navy has confirmed. The Norman Atlantic, carrying 222 vehicles, 411 passengers and 55 crew, was 44 nautical miles northwest of the Island of Corfu when it sent a distress signal af-

ter a fire started in the lower deck, Greek coast guard officials said on Sunday. Greek vessels rushed to give assistance after picking up its distress signal, the coastguard added. The evacuation was being carried out in difficult conditions, with rescued passengers saying galeforce winds were lashing the vessel.

ESPONDING to a Freedom of Information law suit by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Security Agency has reported instances when it violated individual privacy. The NSA says ‘the vast majority involve unintentional technical or human error.’ The National Security Agency has a lot to keep track of all those electronic communications and other signals, mostly innocuous but some of which are critical to national security, collectively known as “signals intelligence”. In the post-9/11 world of terrorist threats, unconventional war, and rapidly advancing technology, sorting through and making sense of all that SIGINT becomes increasingly critical. So does protecting the civil liberties of individual Americans, whose private and personal information – from cell phone records to email communication – may get vacuumed up (or specifically targeted) in the NSA’s massive electronic spying efforts.

Croatians vote for new president

ROATIANS, yesterday went to the polls to elect a president under the cloud of a deep economic crisis, with incumbent Ivo Josipovic seen as the frontrunner as he sought a second term leading the EU’s newest member state. Polling stations opened at 7am (0600 GMT) yesterday and were to close 12 hours later. Surveys ahead of the vote showed that of the four candidates vying for the largely ceremonial post, the 57-year-old centre-left leader had only one serious rival: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of the main opposition conservative HDZ. With none of the candidates expected to win more than 50 percent outright, a run-off round on January 11 is likely. The soft-spoken Josipovic - the third president of the former Yugoslav republic since independence in 1991 - is a member of Croatia’s Social Democrats (SDP), the main partner in the ruling coalition.

NATO marks transition to new Afghanistan mission

ATO has formally ended its 13-year combat mis sion in Afghanistan - heralding the start of a new phase of support for local Afghan troops. Commanders lowered the flag during a ceremony in Kabul - raising the flag of the new mission named Resolute Support. “We have lifted the Afghan people out of the darkness of despair and given them hope for the future,” mission commander Gen John Campbell said. Nato’s Afghan deployment began after the 9/11 attacks against the US. From 1 January the alliance’s role will shift to a mainly training and support mission for the Afghan army. Yesterday’s ceremony was low-key - held inside a gymnasium at the alliance headquarters away from the public. A military band played as the flag of the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) was lowered in the presence of senior military personnel from both sides.

US-led forces launch 13 air strikes in Syria, Iraq

S-led forces, yesterday conducted eight air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and five strikes on IS targets in Iraq, the U.S. military said in a statement. In Syria, air strikes centered on the town of Kobani near the Turkish border, the Combined Joint Task Force said.The strikes in Iraq included IS positions near Sinjar and near Mosul, the task force said.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29 , 2014 —57

AFRICAN NEWS

'Malaria killing thousands more than Ebola in West Africa' W

EST Africa’s fight to contain Ebola has hampered the campaign against malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that is claiming many thousands more lives than the dreaded virus. In Gueckedou, near the village where Ebola first started killing people in Guinea’s tropical southern forests a year ago, doctors say they have had to stop pricking fingers to do blood tests for malaria. Guinea’s drop in reported malaria cases this year by as much as 40 percent is not good news, said Dr. Bernard Nahlen, deputy director of the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative. He said the decrease is likely because people are too scared to go to health facilities and are not getting treated for malaria. “It would be a major failure on the part of everybody involved to have a lot of people die from malaria in the midst of the Ebola epidemic,” he said in a telephone interview. “I would be surprised if there were not an increase in unnecessary malaria deaths in the

midst of all this, and a lot of those will be young children.” Figures are always estimates in Guinea, where half the 12 million people have no access to health centers and die uncounted. Some 15,000 Guineans died from malaria last year, 14,000 of them children under five, according to Nets for Life Africa, a New York-based charity dedicated to providing insecticide-treated mosquito nets to put over beds. In comparison, about 1,600 people in Guinea have died from Ebola, according to statistics from the World Health Organization. Malaria is the leading cause of death in children under five in Guinea and, after AIDS, the leading cause of adult deaths, according to Nets for Life.

Doctor Tom Frieden, left, from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention listens to staff from Doctors Without Borders as they talk about the Ebola virus at one of their care centers in Conakry, Guinea. File Photo

Top Al-Shabab militant ‘surrenders’

top al-Shabab mili tant, Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi, has given himself up, Somali officials have said.

Mr Hersi, a leading figure in the militant group’s intelligence wing, surrendered to police in the

Gedo region, they add. In June 2012, the US state department offered $3m (£1.9m, 2.5m euros)

Missing cleric found dead in Kenya

missing cleric sus pected to have been kidnapped has been found dead in Kenya’s Embu County, stoking tension in Garissa town. The cleric cum business man, Mohamed Ali Kheir, alias Sheikh Dawara, had allegedly been handcuffed and kidnapped on Thursday by unknown people in Garissa town, according to the local Daily Nation newspaper. The newspaper quoted his brother Yussuf Ali Kheir as saying on Sunday that after a long search, the family was informed that the cleric’s body had been found at a water pond. The director of security Aden Sahal condemned the death of the cleric, and asked the national government to thoroughly investigate his death.

for information leading to his capture. It comes three months after al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US air strike. A Somali intelligence officer, quoted by the Associated Press news agency, suggested Mr Hersi may have surrendered because of a dispute with alShabab members loyal to the former leader. Mr Hersi fell out with

Godane last year and has been on the run ever since but he is still a powerful figure, says BBC Africa editor Mary Harper. Police stormed a house Mr Hersi had been hiding in for six days, close to the border with Kenya, after receiving a tip off, the district commissioner of the town of El Wag told the BBC.

Libya airstrikes hit Misrata militants for first time Al-Shabab fighters are increasingly launching cross border attacks in neighbouring Kenya

IBYA’s air force has struck the western city of Misrata for the first time in the latest clash between

Senior UN officials in Sudan asked to leave

UDAN is reported to have ordered two senior UN officials to leave, amid tensions between Khartoum and the peacekeeping mission in the western Darfur region. A UN spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anoymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said Ali Zaatari and Yvonne Helle were ordered to leave on Thursday. Zaatari has been UN resident coordinator at

the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) while Helle worked as the UNDP’s country director. The UNDP and Sudanese foreign minis-

try did not respond to requests for comment. Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, said the UN had protested against the expulsions. “The UN has filed a

protest with the government of Sudan following their decision to request the departure of two senior UN officials from the country,” he told the AFP news agency.

Liberia senate race: Landslide win for George Weah Sirleaf, the son of Presi-

HE former football star George Weah has won a landslide victory in Liberia’s senate elections, in polls disrupted by the Ebola out-

break. Mr Weah got 78% of the vote for the Montserrado county seat, which includes the capital Monrovia. He beat Robert

dent Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who took nearly 11%. Low turnout in the poll, which was first planned for October, was blamed on concerns about Ebola.

government and militant forces. A Misrata source confirmed the strikes to the BBC, adding that there were no casualties or material damage. The airstrikes come after a 72-hour ultimatum issued by the air force to militants based in Misrata. Militants had been attacking the oil ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf in East Libya. Militants were “still in high spirits, and [the] bombings will not affect our resolve,” the Misrata official told the BBC. Libya has been plagued by instability and infighting since the toppling of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and violence has been steadily increasing in recent months.

58—Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Drug abuse, linked to increase in mental disorders among Nigerians By Chioma Obinna

HEN in March 2002, Gilbert Olumide, 28, attempted suicide, no one knew in his family what was exactly wrong with him until he was taken to a psychiatric hospital where it was discovered that he was into drugs. Gilbert problems began when his first girl friend jilted him for his friend. Like any other young man he became sad. Unfortunately, he fell into the hands of strange friends who introduced him to smoking ‘ganja’. His romance with illicit drug use started in earnest when he graduated from taking one rap to second rap and later switched to various drugs like volatile solvents, hallucinogens, crystal – meth, rephnol and crack – cocaine etc. According to him, his preferred choice of hard drug then was marijuana followed by crack – cocaine. “I smoke 30 raps of joint in a day,” he disclosed. His situation grew worse that he dropped out of school and his mental health began to fail him. However, Gilbert was lucky as his parents who never forsake him rushed him to Federal Neurpsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna where he was admitted and treated for a year and some months. Today, he is the founder of, Gifted Hands Help Foundation,

become a real social menace and cuts across all social strata, with children from both rich and poor backgrounds deeply into it.” O n l y recently, the National Drug L a w Enforcement Agency, N D L E A , destroyed more than 10 • The problem of drugs has assumed worrisome dimensions currently in metric tonnes Nigeria of drugs, drugs and 3 million of these are libido, bi-polar disorder, high including cannabis, cocaine and living with HIV. blood pressure which may lead methamphetamine, with an In a lecture entitled: “Injecting to death. estimated street value of some Drug Use and Your Health: A He however pointed out the $1.4 million. Personal Experience” Gilbert, an need for the society to stop Also, more unconventional ex- addict, said one out of every stigmatisation of drug users, drugs are being used, not just 10 new HIV infections is caused adding that it is one of the most codeine-laced cough syrup which by injecting drug use. effective ways to reduce has become popular among People who inject illicit drugs problematic drug abuse, as it will married women, but solvents and risk not only the adverse facilitate access to treatment. powerful horse stimulants. pharmacodynamic effects of the He further urged government The negative impact of the drugs but also complications to come up with drug treatment menace, according to reports is related to contaminants, policies for people with currently affecting marriages adulterants and infectious agents problematic use, significant public resulting to high divorce rates that may be injected with the health risks and potentially and breakdown in family values. drug. aggravating existing health He warned that drug use may challenges such as HIV/AIDS. Global statitics lead to a person being “We must emphasize “harm According to WHO, globally, hyperactive, talkative, decreased reduction.” Harm reduction refers around 16 million people inject appetite, insomnia, increased to public health interventions that seek to reduce the negative consequences of drug use and drug policies. It has been shown to reduce the transmission of blood-borne infections as well as morbidity and related drug use. therapy, dental nursing, dental health the auspices of Dental Therapists’ Treatment in Nigeria technicians and dental surgery assistants. Registration Board of Nigeria.” On his part, the Registrar of the Board, Represented by the Chief Dental Surgeon On her part, Senior Consultant in the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Barrister Aramide Amudat Keshinro while appreciating the members of the Federal Psychiatrist, National Psychiatric Adebimpe Adebiyi noted that the centre will Hospital Abuja, Dr Olusola also focus on area of practical tests to House of Representatives Committee on Ephraim- Oluwanuga on the ascertain the quality of registered members Health recounted their ordeal before the overview of treatment and of the professions which comprises dental actualisation of the project. rehabilitation of drug users in Nigeria noted that although Nigeria has just had her GDP rebased, the effect of this on health statistics is yet to be determined. She regretted that only about 3 percent of the National health budget was allocated to Mental Health of which substance abuse would form an undetermined minute proportion of the mental health budget Oluwanuga who called for more investment in mental health and drug abuse treatment said research has shown that there is no health without mental health. “Drug abuse has to be seen as •L-R: Chief Dental Surgeon, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi representing the Supervising an integral part of mental health. Minister for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan; Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai representing The Millennium Development Chairman, Federal House of Representatives Committee on Health, Hon. Godwin Goals, MDGs, cannot be attained Elumelu and the Registrar of the Dental Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria, without investment in mental Barrister Aramide Keshinro during the commissioning of the Dental Therapists health, as the Nigerian Continuing Professional Development Centre recently in Lagos. experience has proven.”

an organisation that assists, rehabilitate drug addicts and campaign against drug abuse and crime in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the World Health Organisation’s report has estimated the worldwide psychoactive substance use at 2 billion alcohol users, 1.3 billion smokers and 185 million drug users. According to WHO, Psychoactive substance use poses a significant threat to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities and nations. Also WHO report has also implicated tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs in the global burden of disease. The report says that tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs contributed together 12.4 percent of all deaths worldwide in the year 2000. Looking at the percentage of total years of life lost due to these substances, it has been estimated that they account for 8.9 percent. The extent of the problem of drug abuse is still largely unknown but there are strong indications that it is creating additional health problems. Today in Nigeria, drug abuse has been on the rise in recent years, with anti-narcotics officials and experts warning of serious social consequences if the problem is not tackled. The use of hard drugs, especially among the youth, has

FG commissions Dental Continuing Professional Development centre in Lagos By Gabriel Olawale

HE Supervising Minister of Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan weekend commissioned newly completed ultra modern Continuing Professional Development Centre of the Dental Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria, DTRBN, in Lagos. Speaking during the commissioning in Lagos, Alhassan said the essence of the centre was to reinforce the solid foundation the National Oral Health Policy has already laid for sound ethical practices and best practices among practitioners. According to him, the well equipped centre would go a long way to provide formidable workforce that will facilitate the implementation of the national policy on oral health. He however urged the Board not to relent in their concerted efforts in continuing professional development which include training and re-training, as well as regulation of accredited training institutions and eradication of unaccredited schools. “I believe that the facility would be seen as a continuing development centre, therefore, this centre is hereby pronounced as Dental Therapists’ Continuing Professional Development centre under

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2014— 59

Trial confirms Ebola vaccine candidate safe, immunogenic in Africa T HE first trial of filovirus vaccines in Africa, published in The Lancet has shown that two experimental DNA vaccines to prevent Ebola virus and the closely related Marburg virus are safe, and generated a similar immune response in healthy Ugandan adults as reported in healthy US adults earlier this year. According to the lead author, Dr. Julie Ledgerwood from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIAID, at the National Institutes of Health, USA said: it is the first study to show comparable safety and immune response of an experimental Ebola vaccine in an African population. According to Ledgerwood, the study is particularly encouraging because those at greatest risk of Ebola live primarily in Africa, and diminished vaccine protection

in African populations has been seen for other diseases. Scientists from the NIAID developed the DNA vaccines that code for Ebola virus proteins from the Zaire and Sudan strains and the Marburg virus protein. The vaccines contain the construction plans for the proteins on the outer surface of the virus. Immune responses against these proteins have shown to be highly protective in non-human primate models. In this phase 1 trial, the Makerere University Walter Reed Program enrolled 108 healthy adults aged between 18 and 50 from Kampala, Uganda between November, 2009 and April, 2010. Each volunteer was randomly assigned to receive an intramuscular injection of either the Ebola vaccine (30 volunteers), Marburg vaccine (30), both vaccines (30), or

placebo (18) at the start of the study, and again 4 weeks and 8 weeks later. The vaccines given separately and together were safe and stimulated an immune response in the form of neutralising antibodies and T-cells against the virus proteins. Four weeks after the third injection, just over half of the volunteers (57 percent; 17 of 30) had an antibody response to the Ebola Zaire protein as did 14 of 30 participants who received both the Ebola and Marburg vaccines. However, the antibodies were not longlasting and returned to undetectable levels within 11 months of vaccination. Both DNA vaccines were well tolerated in Ugandan adults with similar numbers of local and systemic reactions reported in all groups. Only one serious adverse event (neutropenia;

low white blood cell count) was reported in a Marburg vaccine only recipient, but was not thought to be vaccine related. Ledgerwood said: “These findings have already formed the basis of a more potent

vaccine, delivered using a harmless chimpanzee cold virus, which is undergoing trials in the USA, UK, Mali, and Uganda in response to the ongoing Ebola virus outbreak.”

• Ebola Virus

NNRA tasks health facilities on human safety By Peter Duru

• Dr. Richardson Ajayi, MD, The Bridge Clinic; Dr. Kenneth Iregbu, Consultant Clinical Microbiologist, National Hospital Abuja; and Dr. Sunday Abidoye, WHO Co-ordinator, Lagos State at the one day symposium organised by PathCare Doctors Forum to mark PathCare’s 10th Anniversary in Lagos recently.

Pathcare holds symposium on quality

HE PathCare Doctor ’s Forum, recently organised a one-day symposium to mark PathCare Laboratories’ 10th Anniversary at Muson Center in Lagos. The Symposium, which was themed “Improving the Quality of Healthcare in Nigeria”, turned out to be one of the most attended and significant medical events of the year with well over 500 medical doctors in attendance. The organisers emphasized that continuing education in the medical field plays very vital role in ensuring that medical doctors stay abreast of the advancements in the field, offering ample opportunities for networking, sharing of knowledge and acquisition of new insights by doctors. “I’ve not seen such a large gathering of medical doctors and C M Y K

experts at an event such as this in recent times” said Dr. Jide Idris, Honourable Commissioner of Health Lagos State, while commending PathCare on the contributions they have made to improving healthcare in the Country over the years. The Symposium addressed key healthcare challenges pertinent in Nigeria today and proffered practical solutions on subjects such as “handling Cardiac Emergencies” which is a leading killer in Nigeria today and the process of “Ebola Surveillance” to sensitise doctors on their important role in avoiding another outbreak in Nigeria emphasizing that vigilance is even more important now, as EVD is still a potential threat to the Country.

IGERIAN Nuclear Regulatory Authority, NNRA, has implored medical facilities in the country to ensure the safety of human lives by sticking to the laid down rules governing the use of radiation emitting devices in their establishments. The North Central Zonal Coordinator of NNRA, Mr. Samuel Oyeyemi, gave the advise yesterday in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, at a sensitization workshop for operators of radiation emitting devices in the north central zone of the country. Oyeyemi who noted that the medical applications of

ionizing radiation, like any other known human occupation, had its own risks warned that it’s benefits to human health would be defeated if wrongly applied. He said, “the workshop is designed to sensitize participants about the national and international standards guarding the safe use of ionizing radiation in parts of the country. “So far, the inventory of diagnostic facilities carried out by NNRA showed that there are thousands of ionising radiation generating equipment in Nigeria and hundreds in Benue state.” While acknowledging the benefits ionizing radiation

facilities to human health Oyeyemi noted that “it is also imperative for stakeholders to comply with the requirement of Act 19 of 1995 as this is the only way to ascertain safety in the use of the facilities. Declaring the workshop open, Benue State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Orduen Abunku said, “nearly everyone in our urban cities in Nigeria is likely to undergo exposure to X- ray for medical diagnostic purpose in his or her lifetime. Therefore, it is important that radiation safety standards are adhered to in order to optimize the doses to the patients, workers and the public.”

Dufil rewards consumers for losing calories By Nkiru Nnorom

N a bid to care for the health of its various consumers, especially their heart during the yuletide, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, has rewarded consumers on the number of calories they successfully lose on the spot at a consumer engagement initiative tagged “Power Oil Pay for Calories Campaign”. The campaign held at the Ikeja Shopping Mall, created an exciting and relaxing avenue for customers’ health, even as various gift items like power banks, mugs, jerseys,

candle stands, trays, skipping ropes, etc, were up for grabs. The Public Relations Officer, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, said staying fit and healthy, during the yuletide necessitated the campaign. “The thought of losing weight runs in everyone’s mind and most people are not quite sure how to go about it, hence, Dufil Prima Foods is here with various exercising equipment like the treadmill, cycler, etc, which will give people the opportunity to exercise and be rewarded for losing calories on the spot,” he explained.

He said Power Oil is an affordable heart-friendly vegetable oil which is nonfattening and cholesterol-free. Olumide Williams, one of the participants, who burned 178 calories in eight minutes appreciated the initiative which he described as “bold” as it served as free shopping for nothing. The mall activities induced commendations from the consumers on ground. They had comments like “Good initiative for marketing strategy”, “Very good for the heart”, “What a fun way to win prizes”.

60 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 YOUR LUCK TODAY

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 GEMINI: Your creativity quotient within your working arena will today be enhanced. You’ll be blamed if you keep official issues secrets from your challenges at work. CANCER: After a few tension soaked days, you’ll have the needed opportunity to look through windows of the world and have your way as well. Magnetic and/or magic days is predicted for lovers today. LEO: Even if you continue to work under pressure via increased workload, you will have good results to show for your efforts today. Be steadfast. VIRGO: Better than yesterday. And the more cooperative you are today the better for you. Those of you travelling for love are in for an exciting day. LIBRA: Those of you willing to let go hard feelings at work are for a progressive day to the betterment of your finances. Let go yesterday, move ahead.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY By Richard Eromosele

am not asking you where you are located geographically. The question is where are you now in your life journey? In terms of achieve-

Where are you? ment, have you met all your expectations and goals? Or are you stagnant or static? If you are one of those that believes

TERROR MUDA

in being static, I tell you, there is nothing like that. If you are not going forward, then you are going backward. If

in “Never say goodbye”

you have remained where you are ten years ago today, you can’t say you are static. Honestly, you are backward. Where are you now? Think about it! By Lanre Kehinde

SCORPIO: Once again, you’ll have the needed opportunity to assert yourself to the administration of others. Both love and financial success can be yours with efforts. Reason with your tried and trusted friends. SAGITTARIUS: You can make it a successful day with positive approach on your part. You will be in a better position to defuse tension within your working arena. Try to be more ambitious. CAPRICORN Yes! You’re not scared a bit even, when opposition and/or competition come your way but, if you give in to diplomatic approach, you’ll fare better today. AQUARIUS: Pressure that came your way suddenly will give way unexpectedly, today, to the betterment of your course. The more financially ambitious you are today, the better for you. Be steadfast. PISCES: You sincerely believe in intelligent argument or discussion. And if you allow your ability to be diplomatic come to play today, you’ll be better for it. Enjoy your love life. ARIES: You’ll tend to become both creative and persuasive to the administration of others. Then those who’ve been resisting secret love may slip suddenly and become excited.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

“Pretty Lunatic’

By Andy Akman

TAURUS: Even if opposition persists, supports you are getting from the influential people will be enough to see you through. Yet, the more cooperative you are the better.

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

What’s my birthday? According to the date I was born I should be a Libran by my star but most of the time when I read horoscopes written by both yourself and foreign Astrologers Scorpio always applicable to me, why? Kindly tell me how the planets lined up when I was born and the day of the week I was born but don’t publish my date of birth. Success, Mina.

Dear Success, You were born on a Sunday. You were wrong to have taken Libra as your Sun sign because the Sun was placed in early degree of Scorpio together with many other heavenly bodies. Then with the Moon in Libra when you were born will equally be influential in your characteristics build up but, you are mainly a Scorpio born person. YOUR HOROSCOPE DATA Day of Birth = Sunday Sun Sign = Scorpio. Sun in Zero Degree of Scorpio Moon Sign = Libra: Moon in 5th Degree of Libra Mercury in 12th Degree of Scorpio Venus in Zero Degree of Sagittarius Mars in 1st Degree of Aquarius Jupiter in 29th Degree of Cancer Saturn in 10th Degree of Scorpio Uranus in 27th Degree of Cancer Neptune in 25th Degree of Libra Pluto in 26th Degree of Leo North Node in 8th Degree of Capricorn South Node in 8th Degree of Cancer No planet in earth spar sign, one in available, two in fire, three in air, four in cardinal, fixed and water star signs hosted five planets each. PHYSICAL INFLUENCE = 50% NON-PHYSICAL INFLUENCE =50% PLANET AT HOME = NONE ANALYSIS OF THE HOROSCOPE DATA You are both an intelligent and emotional person. And as there was planet at home when you were born, too many ideas will always struggle for prominent place in your mind, thus decision making is difficult but most times, your intelligence comes to the rescue. Certainly, you appear to other as a gentle person who can be mistaken for soft fellow but your inner-self is the personality with a steel like will power. You are the consistent type who may find it difficult to change once you have made up your mind as indicated by distribution of the planets as written out in paragraph two of this exercise.

VIRGINIA

HOME & ABROAD

dadadekola@yahoo.com

By Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 61

Chelsea, Man City suffer festive slump L

EADERS Chelsea and second-place Manchester City both succumbed to postChristmas hangovers on Sunday as they dropped points in the Premier League title race. Chelsea drew 1-1 at Southampton, presenting City with a chance to close to within a point of the summit, but the champions fluffed their lines by blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at home to second-bottom Burnley. The results preserved the status quo at the summit, where Chelsea lead City by three points ahead of the New Year’s Day programme. Chelsea fell behind in the 17th minute at fourth-place Southampton when Dusan Tadic freed Sadio Mane, who coolly headed the ball away from John Terry before lobbing Thibaut Courtois. Eden Hazard equalised in first-half injury time, scampering onto Cesc Fabregas’s pass down the left wing and cutting inside two defenders before firing home with his right foot. But despite sending on Willian, Didier Drogba and Loic Remy in the second half, Jose Mourinho’s side were unable to find a winner, two days on from their classy 2-0 win over West Ham United. The closest they came was a shot from Hazard that flashed wide, while Fabregas was contentiously booked for diving when he went down in the Southampton box after apparently being caught by 19-year-old Matthew Targett. Southampton had to see out the closing stages with 10 men after Morgan Schneiderlin was sent off for two bookable offences, but they held on for a draw that left them three points below third-place Manchester United. Chelsea manager Mourinho complained that his players were being unfairly treated by referees following a recent spate of diving accusations. C M Y K

Van Gaal: Man United’s title challenge still on L

CONTEST . . . Burnley’s midfielder George Boyd (R) vies with Manchester City’s defender Eliaquim Mangala during their English Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Photo: AFP

OUIS Van Gaal insist ed that Manchester United ’s Premier League title challenge was still alive despite his side’s failure to defeat Tottenham Hotspur. Van Gaal conceded that his side could not afford to repeat the flaws that marred their performance at White Hart Lane, where the failure to make more of a succession of first-half chances ultimately cost United the chance of victory. The manager, though, claimed that his side hit new heights during the opening 45 minutes against Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs team and would strengthen their challenge during the second half of the season.

Van Gaal

Newcastle’s deadly duo at it again

OH NO! . . . Chelsea’s striker Didier Drogba reacts after missing a chance during their English Premier League match against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge. Photo:AFP

OALS from Papiss Cisse, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback helped Newcastle to victory over Everton who saw Arouna Kone score his first goal for the club and Kevin Mirallas net late on. Alan Pardew made three changes from the team that lost 3-1 against Manchester United with Mike Williamson, Cheick Tiote and Papiss Cisse re-

Arsenal’s resilience impresses Wenger A

RSENAL’s Danny Welbeck, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring against West Ham during their English Premier League match at Upton Park. Photo:AP Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was delighted by the character shown by his side as they withstood a late West Ham surge to secure a hard fought 2-1 win at Upton Park. The Gunners took a while to get going, before they hit two goals in three minutes in the last five minutes of the first half to go in two nil

up at the break. And although the hosts reduced the deficit early in the second half, Wenger’s men held on to move into fifth in the table. “We had a committed and united performance. The keeper made some good saves. We knew we needed to be good in the air today. We scored a good second goal and had many opportunities to score another. It didn’t come and at 2-1 I thought the last 30 minutes would be difficult,” said Wenger.

placing Steven Taylor, Vurnon Anita and Adam Armstrong. Everton boss Roberto Martinez made an incredible seven changes with the likes of Tim Howard, Phil Jagielka, Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku all missing out. Everton started the game at good pace and they took an early lead as Arouna Kone, making his first Premier League start, got on the end of a wonderful cross from Seamus Coleman.

Celebration ... Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring against West Ham during their English Premier League match at Upton Park. Photo:AP

62 — Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

ASTOR Elijah Okon Usen, the Area Superintendent of The Apostolic Church, Maboju in his end of year message yesterday, spoke about the need to repackage for next year. He inspired the saints to see next year as the appointed time to rewrite the history of our lives. The coming year he said should be one in which we should be ready to talk about the good tidings of great testimony…….. I do not know how in the course of the sermon, I wished our sports was in the congregation, present to listen to the message that will prepare it for next season, next year. By now, the various sports federations would have come to the realization that no amount of moanings, bellyachings and complaints will alter their destiny in a clime where football is worshipped by the populace, giving the National Sports Commission the excuse to pitch camp in the football tent, forever. 2015 will not be an exception. The government of this country can, without batting an eye lid, produce N740 million to “solve a football problem” where most of the sports “ will do wonders” with N50 million, yes just fifty million naira. 2014 is a year that saw the eclipse of our sports as the various sports Federations went to sleep, resigned to their fate. In 2015, we must pray to be able to go back to the days of the Brai Ayonotes, ( Boxing) Raheem Adejumo, Chuka Momah (Tennis) Rev Moses Iloh (Cycling) Eddie Aderinokun (Volleyball)…….Men who put themselves and their means at the disposal of their sports. Who called the bluff of the National sports commission, courted sponsors and ran their Federations with dignity. Because there was nothing to write home about other sports, the football crisis was amplified. In all the years that the Bafana Bafana had nothing to offer their country men and women in the area of success, South Africans had alternatives to turn to as the country runs very lucrative and exciting Rugby and Cricket leagues. Pro and amateur boxing thrives in South Africa. Swimming is at world standard while hockey, tennis and netball (Yes netball) are not short of competitions all the year round. What about golf? About six South

A prayer for our sports in 2015 In 2015 we will pray for developmental programmes in all the sports, a bed rock that is neglected here Africans occupy the top twenty ladder of world’s golf over time. Thanks to Supersports on the DSTV bouquet we watch daily as thousands throng to see these other sports and revel in them. Unfortunately, that is not the situation here. 2015 should therefore be a year of the lesser sports picking up the gauntlet and encouraging themselves. In 2015 we will pray for developmental programmes in all the sports, a bed rock that is neglected here. Going back to football, one is aware that FIFA consciously budgets for the development of the game with emphasis on youth and women. Such funds should be applied for the purpose. I believe there are a lot of concerns in this country who will gladly jump at an opportunity of catching them young. Mobil Producing Nigeria, Nestle and Shell Producing are some of those companies that have remained faithful to the “catch them young “ initiative. Unfortunately, youth so discovered are not tracked and invested in. Next year our clubs in Africa will run after superstars in the league. The moment they qualify

for Africa, they raid other clubs for the so called established stars. If there is any league that brims with old players, that league is the Nigerian league. I will leave Emma Jemegah and Emeka Nwani with the assignment of compiling the list of those players who have spent 15 years in the league, yet are below 30 in age. Just this week, we woke up with the story of a young Nigerian Seyi Ojo 17, who made it to the bench of a phenomenal club like Liverpool in the Premiership. Dominic Iorfa at Wolves, Kenechukwu Uchenwa at Mallorca, Jordan Ibe plays for Derby…. they dot the globe, young Nigerians. Here 25 year olds angle for call ups by the Eaglets coach. What ever happened to that league clause that mandates clubs to establish Feeder Teams? Feeder teams as different from Reserve teams! Structured academies, home grown players, tutored and schooled for stardom with loyalty to their foundation in mind. In 2015, we will pray for a sports summit, driven perhaps by the Sports writers Association of Nigeria, where weekly, sports Presidents and Chairmen will be called upon to render stewardship, make an appearance in the court of public opinion with their lieutenants and convince us why they should be left in office. In 2015 we will pray for all the problems in the house of football to disappear, including internal wranglings that are threatening to explode in the new year. We will pray for the coaching drama to be resolved for us to move on. As we move into the new year we will pray that Coach Okon and his Falcons stop talking and get down to business. Whether they like it or not, the challenge that USA, Sweden and Australia will pose in Canada in June is real and daunting. Yes we are Africa Champions, yes we can qualify for the second round, but the task, believe me is daunting! In 2015 we will pray for our U17 and U20 teams as they go to Niger and Senegal respectively in search of World tickets. This is the year that we will pray for more “sports loving governors” men who will provide us with suitable infrastructure that will aid the development of sports at grass root level. 2015, the year of prayers. Let us pray.

French, German, Dutch Leagues, top clubs live on Montage cable Tv

S part of its drive to offer the Nigerian consumers a wider spectrum of entertainment and value for money, Montage cable Network is bringing to millions of Nigerians live football action from the MLS, the

French Champoinate, the Dutch league, Belgian league, Indian league among others. Speaking in Lagos, the Managing Director of Montage Cable Services Dele Adetunji said the company is providing a strong platform

ATTF boss tips Nigeria, Egypt to shine at Africa Senior Championships

RESIDENT, Africa Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled El-Salhy believes Nigeria and Egypt will be title contenders at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior Championships holding next month in Cairo. The ATTF boss, who is still thrilled with the singular effort of Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri this year,

believes the Portugalbased player has the quality to clinch the ITTF Star Awards. “I believe it is too much difficult for any country in Africa to dominate the tournament this year, owing to the high level of competition and close standard between the trio of Nigeria, Congo Brazzaville and Egypt”, said El-Salhy.

devoid of technical hitches associated with other service providers.” With just N3,500, our subscribers can enjoy the French, Belgian, Dutch, MLS, Indian league. Also,fans of Barcelona FC, Manchester City and others will have access to live matches of their favourite teams. In addition, they will have access to news, other sports and movies channels”

READY... Manny Pacquiao gears up for 2015.

Pacquiao gears up for busy 2015 F

ILIPINO boxing champion and Saragani Rep. Manny Pacquiao expects to have a busy 2015, as he already has a host of commitments lined up for January, including possibly judging the Miss Universe pageant. Top Rank chief execu-

tive Bob Arum revealed earlier this month that Pacquiao is set to judge a beauty pageant in Miami in January, referring to the Miss Universe contest. Pacquiao would not comment on his judging stint as he has yet to confirm it, only that he has

been invited and plans to bring his wife, Sarangani Vice-Governor Jinkee Pacquiao, to the United States. He is also excited to see the Philippines’ representative, MJ Lastimosa, who hails from Mindanao. Pacquiao also expects to receive an update on

the negotiations for his potential mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather in January. Meanwhile, Pacquiao and his family plan to welcome the New Year with a simple celebration in General Santos City.

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 — 63

Int’l friendlies: NFF gives Eagles A Tuesday deadline

LL invited home based stars for the now altered January 12 and 17 friendlies against Cote D’Ivoire and Sudan, have been told that they must report to the Bolton White Apartment, Zone 7, Abuja on Tuesday, December 30, 2014. Assistant Coach, Dan ‘the Bull’ Amokachi is expected to be in charge of the two friendlies. Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor, said he was making the clarifications as some of the players were still thinking that the team would converge December 28. “We have done a release from the NFF to that effect but we must again re-emphasis that the team will come together by January 30th and all players and officials must take note”, he said.

Ejike Uzoenyi (m) with his pretty wife, Chioma hugging his football mentor and co-ordinator, High Chief Edwin Eze.

Siasia calls for media support C

HIEF coach of the national U-23 men’s football team, Dream Team VI, Samson Siasia, has called on the sporting press to avail him or the media officer of the team any information on the players so far selected by him and his technical crew, so as to present a scandal free team. “This is our team, there is no way I and my technical staff will have all the information about the players we have selected from the screening exercise. I am appealing to the sporting press to feel free in giving us information on any player they think is not fit to be in the team” “Instead of going to the press to publish or

Keshi *Continues from BP

reputation he had. “Keshi should hide his face in shame and leave because even those who are close to him are asking him not to return. I’m happy people like his former boss, Shaibu Amodu and Christian Chukwu are beginning to tell him the truth.” Oduah said, “Keshi has abused the privileges he enjoys from high places. He has embarC M Y K

Ejike Uzoenyi weds

NUGU, the coal city was turned upside down yesterday, when Nigeria international, Ejike Uzoenyi took to the altar his heartthrob Chioma at the popular St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, Asata Enugu, in a mass service jointly celebrated by Monsignor Anthony Okafor and Rev. Fr Daniel Iloka. The reception held at the high profile Blue Island Hotel & Suites in Independence Layout, Enugu. The event attracted the “ who is who” in Enugu State and football circles in Nigeria. Enugu state chief of Staff, chief Victor Atuonwu, commissioner for commerce & industry Dr Jude Akubuilo , secretary of P.D.P, Barrister Steve Oruruo, member of Enugu state House, Hon. John-Bull Nwagu, former speaker of Enugu State House of As-

sembly, chief Abel Chukwu were among the political class that graced the occasion. Among top shots in the sports circles were the NFF president represented by Enugu FA chairman Offor Okenwa, Super Eagles coordinator Emmanuel Attah, Super Eagles secretary Dayo Elebi, Head of legal Dept, Okey Obi, former commissioner for Youth & Sports Barrister Ray Nnaji, a representative of Ejike’s club, Mamelodi Sundown of South Africa , C. E. O of Warri Wolves Davidson Owumi, the first captain of Pepsi Football Academy, Offor Jideofor, Sylvanus Okpala , Okey Emordi and former Sports Editor of the defunct Satellite Newspapers, Edwin Eze who discovered Ejike at the age of nine years when he cut his teeth in football with the Pepsi Football Academy. Enugu.

F/Eagles coaches get 10 months’ pay

*R-L: Siasia giving instruction to players. broadcast such stories, I am appealing to all stakeholders including club managers, whom these players must have played under to give us rassed his benefactors by failing to qualify Nigeria for the Nations Cup. He should just go.” He therefore called on the NFF to move ahead and appoint a new coach who will help reposition Nigerian football. “I don’t think there is anybody who will blame them if, at this stage, they ignore Keshi and appoint another coach for the national team. No individual is bigger than the country.”

credible information,I can assure you all that such information will be put to use” The former S/Eagles chief coach disclosed that just as he listened to some of them in the invitation of players

Emenike

*Continues from BP

Over the summer, the Nigeria international had been linked with teams in the English Premier League, but the Turkish agent now says those interested clubs did not launch an official bid for the attacker. “We have not received any formal proposals for Emenike. Even if they did, then Emanuel has

to the team during the screening exercise. It is work in progress and as such he still needs the support of the media in getting out a good team that will be the pride of all Nigerians.

no intention of leaving Fenerbahce. “He is very happy at the club and wants to win the title. Other teams can begin negotiations if they can pay compensation in the region of € 20 million,” Erdem Konyar told Hurriyet. The 27 - year - old has netted two goals (two assists) in the Super Lig this term.

T was a huge festive cheer for coaches of the Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles, as they were finally paid their salaries for the past 10 months. A top Nigeria Football Federation official informed that the coaches have received their long-awaited salaries. Head coach Manu Garba is on a million

Naira a month, while his assistants Nduka Ugbade and Fancy Ewulu are each on half that amount. However, efforts are now being made to improve the pay of the assistants. The F/Eagles are drawn against hosts Senegal, Congo and Cote d’Ivoire in the 2015 African Youth Championship, which kicks off in Dakar on March 8.

Lazio

Lille loanee Divock Origi. Onazi, who has been linked to move to the EPL, recently extended his contract at Lazio. It would be a return to Rome for the striker, but on the other side, as he previously played for Lazio’s arch rivals Roma. Ogenyi ‘Eddy ’ Onazi is 22 years old and already a firm fixture in the Nigeria squad. Borini is 23 and rejected numerous offers over the summer in order to fight for his place at Liverpool. However, after months on the bench, he too is considering a return to Italy.

*Continues from BP

help the Reds do well in the Premier League. The Nigeria international is a key man for the Serie A club, but Liverpool are looking to take advantage of Lazio’s long-term interest in Borini by offering the former Chelsea and Roma forward plus £8million for Onazi’s services. Borini has failed to impress this season alongside Liverpool’s other misfiring strikers, and Rodgers is ready to part ways with the Italian as he looks to engineer an early return for

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Lazio, Liverpool plan Onazi-Borini swap

IVERPOOL have reportedly offered Fabio Borini to Lazio in exchange for Nigeria midfielder Ogenyi Onazi. According to report in Italian and English

•Onazi

Keshi should hide his face in shame — Prince Oduah By Jacob Ajom

Emenike worth 20m euros — Agent E

former member of the board of the Nigeria Football Association (now Federation), Prince Isidore Oduah has reiterated his call on out-of-contract Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi to l forget about returning as national team coach. . In a chat with Sports Vanguard yesterday, Oduah insisted that Keshi had no business going to the NFF secretariat for the same job he failed in. For failing to qualify the country for the 2015 Afcon, the veteran sports administrator quipped, “he has only succeeded in destroying whatever

•Continues on page 63

TODAY'S

media, Onazi is a January transfer target for the Anfield giants and they have made a bold step to get him with a swap deal plus £8 million. According to Italian media, La Repubblica, the Biancocelesti have spotted Borini as the player they want in exchange for Onazi. ‘The Reds’ are desperate for more strength in the midfield and Brendan Rodgers has identified 22-yearold Onazi as the man to •Continues on page 63

RDEM Konyar, the agent of Emmanuel Emenike, has reacted to suggestions that his client could depart Fenerbahce in the winter transfer market, which opens for business next week.

•Continues on page 63

•Emenike

EPL Results

CELEBRATION: Danny Welbeck (2nd left) celebrates with team mates after his goal against West Ham in an EPL match yesterday. Arsenal beat West Ham 2-1 to climb to 5th in League Table.

Chelsea, Man City slump — Pg 61

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

Today’s match Liverpool v Swansea City 9:00 pm

Tottenham Southampton Aston Villa Hull City Man City QPR Stoke City West Ham Newcastle

0 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 3

Man United Chelsea Sunderland Leicester City Burnley Crystal Palace West Bromwich Arsenal Everton

0 1 0 1 2 0 0 2 2

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Complacent (4) 4 Groove (3) 6 Sharpen (4) 9 Wonder (3) 10 Emphasised (8) 11 Gull (4) 14 Era (3) 16 Appended (5) 19 Allied (8) 21 Deserve (5) 23 Calamity (8) 24 Relaxed (5) 27 Ovum (3) 31 Mail (4) 33 Idle (8) 34 Born (3) 35 Ale (4) 36 Untruth (3) 37 Manufactured (4)

DOWN: 2 Companion (4) 3 Increased (4) 4 Abdicated (8) 5 Neat (4) 6 Loathed (5) 7 Be indebted (3) 8 Courage (5) 12 Climb (5) 13 Gather (5) 14 Point (3) 15 Weird (5) 17 Demise (5) 18 Disparage (5) 20 Shame (8) 22 Label (3) 25 Unaccompanied (5) 26 Go in (5) 28 Invoice (4) 29 Staunch (4) 30 Greedy (4) 32 Observe (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Fabric 5, Breach 8, Question 9, Sure 10, Sea 12, Dense 15, Set 17, Foe 18, Nap 19, Rot 20, Miser 21, Inn 22, Emu 23, Out 24, Err 26, Royal 29, Ewe 33, Acid 34, Delegate 35, Greedy 36, Theory.

DOWN: 2 Amuse 3, Rush 4, Crime 5, Bonus 6, Easy 7, Curse 10, Surge 11, After 12, Demur 13, Nasty 14, Enrol 15, Spite 16, Tense 25, Recur 27, Oddly 28, Allot 30, Water 31, Idle 32, Ogre.

How to Play Sudoku

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number). Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row. No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 014544821; Abuja: 09-2341102, 09-2342704. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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