Oil subsidy thieves must suffer — Jonathan

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61743

Vanguard covers US election With one week to the U.S Presidential election, Vanguard newspaper is fully represented in God’s own country to cover the procedures with reports from the Deputy Chairman of the Editorial Board. Mr Nnanna Ochereome and Political Affairs reporter, Gbenga Oke

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Chelsea stars swear ref racially •P 55 abused Mikel

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Ajimobi denies wife's arrest •P.10

Oil subsidy thieves must suffer — Jonathan •Says they must refund stolen money and be punished •Pressure mounts on senators to drop probe •Reps back Ribadu's findings

BY EMMA UJAH, OKEY NDIRIBE, EMMAN OVUAKPORIE, HENRY UMORU & EMMA ELEBEKE BUJA—PRESI DENT Goodluck Jonathan vowed, yesterday, that all those found culpable in the fuel subsidy scam would be severely punished after being made to refund the public funds they ille-

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Continues on page 6

Un-Due Process•P.17 DEAR BUNMI •P. 38

ROTIMI FASAN •P.19

Mr & Mrs

SUPERSTORM—

Emergency workers rescue residents of Little Ferry, New Jersey, from flood waters brought by Superstorm Sandy. Photo: Reuters.

Third Mainland Bridge re-opens

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2 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—5

ALSCON SALE:

3RD MAINLAND BRIDGE REOPENS

US govt writes Presidency, declares interest in BFIG To invest $200m in Imo River dredging

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

BUJA — FOR the first time since the sale of Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, ALSCON, was marred by controversy, the United States Government has openly declared its interest in the matter, saying it wants the Nigerian Government to hand over the aluminium plant to the American company, BFI Group Divino Corporation, which won the bid to purchase the firm since 2004.

The Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, indicated last week that it was ready to allow BFI Group to move into the plant after the RUSAL might have named the amount of compensation to be paid to it following a Supreme Court order that the firm should vacate the plant immediately.

However, as the government continues to delay the handing over of ALSCON to BFI Group, the American Government has said it wanted the matter sorted out once and for all in the interest of the two countries.

A letter by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Terrence McCulley, to Vice President Namadi Sambo, who heads the National Privatisation Council of Nigeria, recalled the processes, which the American firm had painfully gone through to emerge as the preferred winner of the bid but was not allowed to complete the purchase.

The ambassador also drew Sambo’s attention to the meeting between the BFI Group and American Charge d’ Affaires, Lisa

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Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos opened by Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, yesterday. Photo: Diran Oshe.

Anyaoku calls for restructuring of Nigeria Says restructuring key to cutting huge recurrent expenditure

BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF & EMMA ELEBEKE

BUJA — FORMER Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has advocated a major restructuring of nation’s current political arrangement, pointing out that the desired rapid development and stability would not be achieved without true federalism or regional autonomy.

Anyaoku spoke, yesterday, in Abuja, at the launch of a book entitled: “Reforming the Unreformable,” written by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala He described the current structure of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as administratively too expensive, with huge recurrent expenditure and leaving only a meagre percentage for the badly needed capital development and that the current constitution review should form a basis for returning Nigeria to true federalism.

He said: “It is my view that the country ’s chances of re-living its d e v e l o p m e n t opportunities will be greatly enhanced if it does a major restructuring of its political architecture.

Without doing so, one

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can’t reduce the recurrent expenditure.

“When you look around, especially among developing countries, you will discover that their recurrent expenditure is far less than their capital.

In Nigeria, what we have been spending on recurrent leaves us with too little for capital development which we need.

“The existing structure of 36 states and federal capital territory with all the paraphernalia and institutions of administration, as long as we continue with that, we are not likely to achieve the level of reduction of cost of administration that will enable us to develop as we ought to.”

Canvasses stronger regions Anyaoku, who called for stronger regions as was the case in the preindependence era, said the inordinate struggle for power at the centre had been mainly responsible for the ethno-religious violence that has engulfed the nation.

His words: “I do not believe that the present structure we have will not address the destructive competition for the control of power at the centre, while we sustain the largely non-viable states.

We have become accustomed to the notion and practice of sharing the national cake from the centre.

“It is this destructive control of power at the centre that exacerbates the primordial instinct in our people and also fans religious and ethnic differences with the result that rather than being a source of strength, our pluralism has become a harbinger for discrimination and disunity.”

The chairman maintained that the nation witnessed a more accelerated development when it was made up of the then semiautonomous regions, which later became four.

But that steady progress was aborted with the military intervention of January 1966 and the later creation of states.

His words: “There can’t be no doubt in my view that Nigeria was making a steadier progress in development, when it was a federation of three regions and subsequently four federating units, called regions at the time.

“This progress was reversed by the military intervention in our politics beginning from January 1966 because it was the military intervention that has done the erosion on true federalism to what we now described as unitary federalism.

“I believe that we must return to true federalism if we are to achieve stability and the level of development that we aspire to.

We can achieve all these with

the current effort to review the 1999 constitution.”

OkonjoIweala,Nigeria’s most cherished adverts to outside world On the book, Anyaoku said it “confirms why Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is one of Nigeria’s most cherished adverts to the outside world,” adding that it “gives a most incisive analysis of the reforms needed to turn the economy round.”

He added that the book was a candid and a brave narrative of the impediments the Economic Management Team under former President Olusegun Obasanjo had to battle as it battled to reform the civil service and the Nigeria Customs Service, among others.

Reviewing the book, Prof. Paul Collier of Oxford University warned against the temptation of returning to the old path of utilising a depleting resources, oil money, without investing in the future.

“Oil revenue is extremely volatile. We have seen it fall from $143 per barrel in 2008 to $40 per barrel,” he observed and stressed that Nigeria’s public expenditure “ will be chaotic” if the nation relied entirely on a volatile revenue.

Piascik, and late President Shehu Yar’Adua on the matter in November 2007 and how the former President promised to review and resolve the matter.

The envoy noted in the letter, which Vanguard sighted last night, that it was intriguing that more than five years after the meeting, the matter was still not resolved.

He made it clear that even with the passage of time, the American firm was ready with the needed resources and technical facilities to undertake the rehabilitation of ALSCON as well as the dredging of Imo River as contained in the Shares Purchase Agreement, SPA. The ambassador also declared that the firm was prepared to commit between $180 million to $200 million towards the dredging of the river and had secured the services of Port of Los Angeles, one of America’s busiest ports, to do the job without delay.

Vanguard learnt last night that the American government was even ready to guarantee more support and funding for the BFI group following the resolution Nigerian Supreme Court ruling giving the ownership of ALSCON to the firm.

A source said, yesterday, that a delegation from the US would soon arrive Nigeria in preparation for the formal handing over of ALSSON to BFI Group, as ordered by the apex court.

The management of RUSAL, which is yet to vacate the Akwa Ibom State-based plant, declined to comment on their exit date, when contacted last night.

90 ships expected in Lagos ports AGOS — THE Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said 90 ships were expected to arrive in various terminals in Lagos ports between October 30 and November 24.

The NPA disclosed this in its daily publication, “Shipping Position,” made available to newsmen

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yesterday in Lagos. It indicated that the ships contained fish, bulk wheat, rice, petroleum products, new and used vehicles, steel products, base oil, bulk sugar and bulk malt.

The document indicated that 18 of the ships would sail in with petrol, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel.

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

POCKET CARTOON

Oil subsidy thieves must suffer — Jonathan Continues from page 1 gally collected.

Speaking through Vice President Namadi Sambo, at the launching of ‘Reforming the Unreformable,’ a book written by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the president said that those found to have been involved in corruption and other economic crimes must be punished.

President Jonathan spoke as Senators came under intense pressure to stop discussions on the fuel subsidy probe and a member of the House of Representatives concurred with the findings of the Nuhu Ribadu’s panel of mega graft in the oil industry in the last decade.

Said President Jonathan: “Nigerian and African leaders must begin to write their own experiences. It deals with the challenges of creating jobs, fighting corruption and other important sartorial reforms that need urgent attention, which are crucial to the transformation agenda of this administration.

“Let me assure you that my administration is not only committed to reform, we are building on some of the reform agents. Specifically, we

are consolidating on macro-economic reforms. We are going to focus on the various sectorial reforms, which will create jobs in our economy. On the government front, we are going after those who committed various economic and corrupt practices with impunity.

“As you may be aware, government is taking every legal measure to ensure that those, who defraud the government in the petroleum subsidy scheme are made to return the money stolen and punished for their crimes”.

Hope for Nigeria He described the book as a demonstration of Okonjo-Iweala’s patriotism, particularly given the fact that “the central message of this important book is hope, hope that Nigeria can reform and grow to become one of the world’s most dynamic economies”.

According to the president, “in the past, there was a lot of cynicism about Nigeria.

Many people claimed that the political and

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

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OU have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else – Albert Einstein. Take time to learn and learn the appropriate way.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

“Happiness means different things for different people and the habit of being happy is catching. Sometimes, life with all its challenges can be over bearing, but if we can just pause in the middle of everything and find something to be grateful for, it may be as simple as looking into the eyes of your child or someone you love. - E. R. Randle.N the midst of the toils and challenges of eve ryday life, if we can be still and remember to breathe deeply, we can surrender our pain in that moment and this could bring a profound knowing that what may seem beyond our capability at the moment is only temporal.

We are never alone, and we are loved beyond belief and expectations, in the mist of crisis, when the heart is in a tight knot from the pain of disappointments, it is okay to be sad but try not to dwell in this energy for long because, sometimes, it is hard to feel that we loved unconditionally. If your heart can know and feel this love, it will illuminate right through the clouds and when the rain is over, the colours of love will bring the rainbow in to shine for you. Never give up, it is never too late to start on that dream.

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public institutions in this country could not be reformed. It clearly argued convincingly that gradually, Nigeria is undergoing reform.”

He said that one of his objectives was to build strong institutions; with the kind of policies and reforms that would consolidate on current reform efforts that could achieve credible development.

The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring an atmosphere of democracy and freedom and assured that he would “continue to work to ensure that sound democratic principles are applied in this country.

“Ever since the 2011 elections, adjudged to be the freest and fairest in our nation’s history, we have also conducted local and state government elections, which have been locally and internationally applauded. This is a new dawn in our initiative to achieve electoral reform. In all successful democracies, leadership tends to take on certain changes, changes that are tough”.

The president who gave his commitment to add value to all areas of the economy, aimed at generating employment and creating wealth, observed that the states and local governments must also key-into the federal government efforts. “The content of the book cannot only be implemented at the national level but also at the sub-national and local government levels”, he said.

In her remarks, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said she wrote the book to give hope to Nigerians on her conviction that Nigeria could be returned to the path of greatness and that all that is required is commitment of the people and political will on the part of leaders.

According to her, fighting corruption is a tough battle because, “ when you fight corruption, corruption fights you back” but she encouraged Nigerians never to give up the fight against corruption, as according to her, “corruption will never win”.

She added that she did not write the book to make money but to share her experiences with Nigerians and the global community on necessary reform decisions and actions needed to turnaround the economy for

the better.

Chief Sunny Odogwu, who was the Chief launcher encouraged young Nigerians to keep hope alive, as according to him, with commitment, the nation can reach the top 20 world economy goal it has set for itself. He said that Nigeria is in a transition and that with the current administration, there is hope that the economy will get better.

Senators under pressure to drop subsidy probe Meanwhile, more than a year after the Senate launched its investigations into the implementation of the fuel subsidy scheme, there are indications that the legislative chamber has come under pressure aimed at frustrating the outcome of the investigations.

The pressure, Vanguard learnt, is coming especially from interested stakeholders in the oil sector, who fear that the investigations could compound criminal investigations launched against them by the anti-graft agencies and the Police.

Remarkably, some of those pressing the Senate to drop the investigations include some who were not indicted by the investigations by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Implementation led by Rep. Farouk Lawan.

Like Lawan’s committee, Vanguard learnt, yesterday, that money and other inducements were dangled before the Senate to drop the report of its committee articulated by the Senator Magnus Abe-led Committee on Downstream Petroleum.

The House of Representatives investigations into the subsidy payments eventually became bogged down by allegations and counterallegations of inducements from interested marketers. Lawan who headed the House committee investigations and the committee clerk eventually admitted receiving $620,000 from Mr. Femi Otedola over the investigations forcing Lawan to step down from the committee.

The Senate committee’s report was presented to the Senate on October 9, nearly a year after the investigation was launched last November.

The Senate adjourned last week to resume November 6 when it is expected that the report would come up for consideration. However, hopes that the Senate will consider the report on resumption was last night put on probability as the upper legislative chamber is expected to step down plenary for rigorous committee work on the 2013 budget proposals.

The investigation was sparked by a motion presented before the Senate

by Senator Abubakar Saraki, PDP, Kwara Central, who drew the attention of the Senate and the nation to the fact that subsidy payments had multiplied more than 300 per cent over the budgeted amount as at August, 2011.

Vanguard gathered that ahead of the deliberation on the report, some marketers, importers and officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Petroleum Product Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), who may have been recommended for prosecution are leading the lobby effort to thwart consideration of the Senate report.

The Senator Abe-led Joint Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Appropriations and Finance was inaugurated in November 2011 to investigate the N1.3 trillion subsidy payments.

Several attempts to get Senator Abe on the developments were abor-

tive, yesterday.

Before now there were suggestions that even the committee report like the initial motion would not be received by the Senate due to pressures from interested stakeholders.

Confronted by journalists before the Senate proceeded on break, Senator Abe told reporters that the probe report had not been released because the committee was still analysing the tons of documents and oral presentations it received during its public hearings, which ended in February.

According to him, the Committee “ received bags and bags of documents from each of these subsidy participants and we needed to take our time to peruse these papers as dispassionately as possible. The committee is bound to take quite a bit of time,” adding that after the House of Representatives started its investigation, the Senate had to put its own on hold and the committee didn’t resume until the House finished everything it was doing.

He said: “Because we didn’t want to create a conflict between both chambers of the National Assembly since they had resumed on a Sunday and had taken off, we decided to hold on until they finished and that was what we did. So, it’s only proper that since they finished first, their report would naturally come in first before ours but we are taking our time to see that as much as possible, we do a thorough job that we ourselves would be ready to own up to.”

Continues on page 7

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—7

FG moves to reduce cancer deaths

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

AGOS—A NEW data from the National System of Cancer Registries has revealed that no fewer than 7,000 new cases of cancer were recorded across 11 Tertiary hospitals in the country, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has disclosed.

To this end, the Federal Government has begun the procurement of two mobile cancer screening vans, 10 radiotherapy and nuclear medicine equipment to drastically reduce rising number of cancer related deaths as well as ensure proper screening and treatment even in the local communities.

Reeling out the measures already mapped out by the Federal Government in his keynote address during the opening ceremony of the 4th International Cancer week in Nigeria, with the theme; “Together it is Possible to Fight Cancer,” Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu declared that the fight against cancer in the country was holistic.

Chukwu, who was represented by the Director of Procurement in the Federal Ministry of Health, Engineer Samson Opaluwah, said the 7,000 new cases documented in the new data carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, IHVN, corresponds with the average estimated 100,000 new cases of cancers reported in Nigeria annually.

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SUBMERGED—Submerged communities along the flooded Port Harcourt - Yenagoa Expressway, Bayelsa State. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Ribadu’s report tallies with Reps' findings Continues from page 6 Meantime, Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, has endorsed the leaked findings of the Nuhu Ribadu-led Petroleum Revenues Task Force as a true reflection of the huge corruption in the nation’s petroleum sector.

Although, Hon. Peterside said he had not yet seen the full report, he insisted in a chat with Vanguard that it was a confirmation of the earlier findings of the House of Representatives, which investigated the nation’s petroleum revenues last year.

According to him: “I have not seen or read the report, but going by stories published by newspapers concerning the content of the report, there is nothing the Ribadu-led Committee said in its report that has not been said before.

These include the fact that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was selling crude oil to itself below the international price; that NNPC was fixing exchange rates by itself; that it sells part of the 445,000 barrels of crude oil allocated to it because it refines at below 25 per cent of installed capacity.

He continued: “Corruption has become part of our body politic unless something is genuinely done about it. I don’t yet believe that we are serious about fighting corruption.”

He further explained that the House stumbled on the facts concerning the huge corruption prevailing in the nation’s petroleum sector last year when it set up a joint committee to probe the country ’s income through the petroleum industry.

Said he: “This actually happened after the state governors refused to collect their states’ allocations from the federation account on the ground that it was far less than what they expected. It was this committee that unearthed all these diversions of revenue from the federation account” .

It would be recalled that the leaked report of the Ribadu-led panel indicated that Nigeria lost about N4.64 trillion over the last decade from oil deals struck between multinational oil companies and government officials.

The Committee headed

by Former EFCC chairman Nuhu Ribadu was reported to have submitted its report last month.

It was set up by Petro-

leum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke last January to retrieve outstanding oil revenues payable to the Federal Government.

Reuters news agency had earlier reported that the committee produced a 146-page report covering the period 2002 to 2011, providing new details on long history of corruption in the oil sector.

The report concluded that oil companies made bumper profits from cutprice gas, while petroleum ministers handed out licences at their own discretion. This did not follow best practice of using open bids. The report also revealed that hundreds of millions of dollars in signature bonuses on those deals were also missing.

According to media report: “ The NNPC made N86.6 billion over the 10year period by using overly generous exchange rates in its declarations to the government. There was no sign of the money.”

The report showed that billions of dollars of revenue was missing in unpaid debts from signature bonuses and royalties. Several oil and gas companies were also indicted for paying the country for gas at cut-

down prices before exporting to international markets.

However, the report had also indicated that whereas there was no suggestion that the oil majors or traders had done anything illegal, it highlighted a lack of transparency in their dealings.

Already Allison Madueke has reportedly responded to media reports on the develop-

ment by insisting it is a draft.

According to her “there will be some areas where the government may have a slightly different opinion and will put its point of view to the committee.”

The Ribadu-led committee was among several set up following a week of nationwide strikes against a rise in fuel prices last January, which led to a campaign against oil corruption.

Okonjo-Iweala donates book proceeds to flood victims

BY EMMA UJAH BUJA—THE Coor dinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has pledged to donate some part of the proceeds from the public presentation of her book, Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria, to flood victims across the country.

The minister ’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and communication, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu in a statement quoted Dr. Ojkonjo-Iweala as saying that she was making the donation because

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“their plight reminds us that the work of improving the lives of our people is a never ending one”. The amount was, however, not stated.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala said time was ripe for the depoliticisation of oil price benchmarking, while calling for the establishment of a body of experts to determine the appropriate oil price benchmark in the formulation of national budgets, observing that the strategy has worked successfully for Chile which earns huge revenues from copper.

Those present at the

book launch include: Vice President Namadi Sambo; Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Governor Peter Obi, Anambra State; Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa; Chief Sunny Odogwu; Publisher, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka; Vanguard Editor-inChief, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye; Ministers of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu; Works, Mike Onolememen; Commerce, Dr. Segun Aganga; Minister of State FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide and Alh. Aliko Dangote.

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

THE RAGE OF FLOOD Three flood victims give birth at Bayelsa relief camp

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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E N A G O A — THREE women who were displaced by flood, yesterday, gave birth to three bouncing baby boys at the Samson Siasia Stadium, one of the many relief camps in Yenagoa the Bayelsa State capital.

The women, who delivered at separate times, were reportedly attended to by camp doctors before they were transferred to the Federal Medical Centre for better medical attention.

The women, who are reportedly doing well with their babies, expressed gratitude to God for safe delivery and also lauded the state government for providing them shelter.

One of the nursing mothers, Mrs. Irene Amos, 26, an indigene of Biseni, in Yenagoa Local Government Area, said she moved into the camp about a month ago when flood sacked her from her home and community, adding that she would name

her baby, “God is great” in appreciation of God’s intervention in her life.

Also speaking, one of the camp doctors who attended to the women, Dr. Raymond Duru, described insufficient drugs as a major challenge faced by the team of doctors in the relief camp and called on the state government to provide beds, drugs, chairs and other working materials at the treatment centres in the camp.

Meanwhile, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, leader of Salvation Ministry Church, has donated relief materials worth thousands of naira to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, in Bayelsa State.

The Yenagoa branch of the church donated 30 bags of rice, 18 bags of beans, six bags of garri and five gallons of palm oil to the flood victims at the Sports Complex, Y e n a g o a .

Relief Camp One Coordinator, Nikki Maworuya said the church also donated treated mosquito nets and blankets to the victims.

DEWORMING EXERCISE FOR FLOOD VICTIMS: Group Managing Director/CEO, Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Stella Okoli (3rd right) leading a deworming exercise for children at Father Joseph’s Secondary School, Aguleri, during the company’s visit to flood victims in Anambra State.

Flood: FG under pressure to declare state of emergency

BY SONI DANIEL

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has come un-

der pressure from interest groups to declare a state of emergency in the areas ravaged by flood, Vanguard learnt yesterday.

The pressure, according to informed sources, is coming from Nigerian-based international development agencies, which strongly believe that Nigeria does not have the capacity to cope with the devastation being caused by floods nationwide.

Vanguard investigations revealed that the agencies had already met in Abuja and have written a strongly worded letter to the Presidency advising that Nigeria should immediately declare a state of emergency following the unprecedented level of flooding that has hit the country this year.

They contended that it was only through the declaration of the state of emergency that the United Nations and other international aid agencies could see reason to come to the aid of Nigeria in containing the havoc wreaked by the floods.

The development agencies are said to have pointed to the fact that current flooding in Nigeria was the worst in recent history, having displaced over 1.3 million persons from 30 states in the country and caused untold hardship to the victims, most of them peasant farmers.

The agencies further drew the attention of the Nigerian government to the statistics from Nigerian Meteorological Management Agency that increased flooding in the month of October would add additional 431 deaths to the casualty figure and lead to the dis-

placement of 1,341,179 and injury to 29,689 persons while 610,806 houses would be destroyed and thousands of farmlands affected in 2,389 communities in 231 local government areas in the country.

One of the letters, which Vanguard sighted last night said: “In order for the United Nations and other agencies, including development partners and donors, to respond to this crisis, the procedure is that the Nigerian government needs to declare a state of emergency, and according to reliable sources, the government has been informed that this is what is required to draw international attention.

“The government has not declared the state of emergency for reasons best known to it and has also not been able to fully meet the needs of the affected persons. Reports coming from the field also suggest that Nigeria may be under threat of food crisis in 2013. Therefore, the international support required is both for the short and the long term.

"There is the need for Nigerians to demand that the government declares a state of emergency for the reasons above. Ideally, the government and the UN should lead in coordinating a rapid and effective relief operation.

“While we commend the government for the funds it has so far released and the efforts of NEMA in providing a rapid response, it is pertinent that the UN and other agencies step in to support the efforts of government as government does not have the full capacity to respond effectively to the demands of this emergency."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 9

BOAT MISHAP: Remaining missing bodies recovered

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FTER SEVERAL hours of thorough search of the Imude community lagoon, Otto -Awori Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Lagos, the remaining three bodies out of the 10 that drowned on Sunday, were finally recovered yesterday by the community search and recovery team.

Vanguard gathered that, one of the three missing bodies was recovered from the lagoon by the team at about 7:00 p.m. on Monday night.

The two other bodies were recovered from the lagoon yesterday.

It would be recalled that five bodies were recovered immediately after the incident occurred last Sunday.

And on Monday, two others were recovered.

Confirming the recovery, the Baale of Imude community, OtoAwori Local Council Development Area, (LCDA), Chief Ajayi Ashade said that the ten bodies have been recovered from the lagoon, adding “the last two were recovered from the lagoon at the early hours of today (yesterday).

The leader of the community search and recovery team, Apostle Kehinde Akerele said that they commenced their exercise as early as 6:00 a.m., which has been their practice since the ugly incident occurred in the community.

Akerele emphasised that the search and recovery of the three remaining bodies was done by his team late on Monday and at the early hours of Tuesday, commending the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi for

releasing the fund to secure the services of a speed boat to intensify the exercise.

...Rituals start Ashade said yesterday that the community would commence rituals to cleanse the community and to appeal to the gods of the land in order not to experience such an incident again.

According to him, “the rituals will take place at the river bank. Within the nine days of the rites, there will not be restriction of movement within in the community."

From left: Dr. Taofeeq Folami, Special Adviser on Environment; Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, Commissioner for Information and Strategy and Prince Adesegun Oniru, Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, during the press briefing on 'Awareness of Hurricane Sandy', in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

HURRICANE SANDY:

Ocean surge may hit Lagos in 7 days – LASG .It’s not possible – Prof. Anyadike, climate expert

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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AGOS - FOLLOWthe devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, currently ravaging some parts of the United States of America, the Lagos State Government, yesterday alerted residents of a possible ripple effect of the hurricane such as ocean surge on the state’s coastal areas within the next seven days.

The alert was given by the state Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Prince Segun Oniru; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba as well as Special Adviser to the Governor on

Environment, Mr. Taofeek Folami, at a joint media briefing in Alausa, Ikeja.

It would be recalled that an Ocean surge occurred on August 17 at Kuramo Beach, Victoria Island and claimed 15 lives.

However, a professor of climatology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Professor RNC Anyadike, countered that Nigeria could not suffer any ripple effect from the hurricane.

Asked if Lagos could suffer ripple effects from Hurricane Sandy, Anyadike said: “It is not possible. We don’t have hurricanes in West Africa.

"Meanwhile, Hurricane Sandy has already hit land, it will soon dissipate. What kind of ripple effect are they talking about? Do you

Teenager remanded in prison over alleged robbery

BY ONOZURE DANIA

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N IKEJA Magistrate court, yesterday, remanded a teenager in prison custody for an alleged robbery of phones and cash valued N145,500.

The defendant, Lukman Mohammed, who is 18

year old, is facing a three count charge of conspiracy, stealing and armed robbery.

The police prosecutor, Inspector, Samson Ekikere, told the court that the accused and others now at large, on September 28 2012, at

about 8:30p.m. at Ayoola Bus-stop, in Abesan Estate, Ipaja, in Lagos robbed Tunde and Tolulope Ashabi of their phones and cash.

Magistrate Akanni, then adjourned the case till December, 3, for DPP’s advice.

know how far we are from New York?

"The only thing we are likely to experience is heavy rainfall occasioned by climate change not hurricane.”

Oniru attributed the likely ripple effect of the Hurricane to the location of Lagos, lying parallel to the South America region.

His words: “We want to let Lagosians know what is going on, and what to expect, it is not to create panic, they should be careful around the ocean and lagoon. In the last five to six days, around the Caribbean, from Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and Hurricane Sandy has hit the east coast of America.

“Normally, when such happens, and the magnitude of it hits that part of the world, we always have a ripple effect in Lagos and around the West Coast.

Also speaking, Ibirogba urged residents to be vigilant, assuring that the state government’s emergency response squad was on alert to manage any likely surge caused by the Hurricane.

Special Adviser on Environment, Folami however, warned residents to refrain from dumping refuse in drainages and canals.

Subsidy scam: Ahmadu Ali’s son, others for trial Nov. 12

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH & ONOZURE DANIA

HE INABILITY of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to commence trial in the case against son of former PDP National Chairman, Ahmadu Ali – Mamman Nasir Ali and others accused of subsidy fraud, stalled their trial yesterday before an Ikeja High Court.

At the resumed hearing of the case before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, counsel representing the EFCC, Francis Usani told the court that the trial could not go on, because they were still expecting to join another defendant-Seun Ogunbambo.

Ali was charged before the court alongside others

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for alleged conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence, forgery and the use of false documents.

Others expected to face trial before Justice Onigbanjo alongside the former PDP National Chairman’s son, includes Nasaman Oil Services boss, Christian Taylor.

Responding, Mr. Toyin Pinheiro, SAN, who did not object to the submission of the EFCC said, “We would wait for the amendment of the charge to be effected.

Though I know the defendants have no case to answer.”

Mamman Nasir Ali as well as other directors of oil-marketing firms in the matter had earlier been arraigned and granted bail.

Michael Omolayole for Rotary’s forum in Lagos

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OREMOST INDUSTrialist and former Chairman, Lever Brothers Nigeria Plc, Dr. Michael Omolayole, will, this Friday, deliver the keynote address at the inauguration of Forum of Past Rotarian Presidents of 2009-10 Rotary Year.

According to a statement by Rotarian Past President, Oscar Ossai, the event, which holds at

Sheraton Lagos, will be chaired by former Executive ViceChairman, Texaco Africa, Engr. Dr. Olumide Phillips.

Dr. Kamoru Omotosho, District Governor, a number of past District Governors, as well as several Rotarians in Rotary International District 9110 Nigeria, are expected at the occasion.

10 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31,

2012

Ajimobi denies wife's arrest

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Agba Akin Kehinde Olaosebikan in the midst of the children of Oluyole Cheshire Home , celebrating his golden jubilee anniversary with the less privileged.

Why I exposed Salami, by ex-Gov Oni F

ORMER GOVERnor of Ekiti State and National Vice Chairman, S-West, of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Chief Segun Oni has told an Oyo State High Court at Ibadan why he petitioned against Justice Ayo Salami.

He said his petition to National Judicial Council, NJC, and The Presidency on the telephone interactions between the suspended Court of Appeal President, Justice Isa Ayo Salami and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, leaders and counsel was borne out of his patriotic duty to report judicial indiscretions to the rightful authorities.

Oni stated that it was the unethical behaviour, which he noticed in Justice Salami’s conduct in the handling of the appeal of the candidate of the ACN against him that informed his petition to the NJC, upon which, along with other unethical conducts, made the body to recommend the suspension of Justice Salami to the President.

This he said led to the recommendation of the suspension which the President upheld, and is still in force till now.

Oni’s aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka, who made this known in a statement yesterday said; “Oni, in his statement of defence filed before the court against a libel suit by Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, against him over his petition to NJC on

Justice Salami's telephone interaction with some ACN lawyers and chieftains during the pendency of the Ekiti election tribunal.

He stated that his investigation established a proven incontrovertible evidence of telephone contacts (both voice and

text messages) between Justice Salami and some chieftains of the ACN and their counsel.

In the statement of defence filed through his Counsel, Gani Faniyi Esq, Oni maintained that as a responsible Nigerian citizen, whose duty it is to assist in the maintenance of justice

and good governance, he petitioned NJC, a body empowered by the Constitution to invest igate and discipline erring judicial officers.

Oni also stated that in the exercise of his constitutional rights, he forwarded and communicated same petition to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Heavy downpour renders Ibadan residents homeless

BY OLA AJAYI

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BADAN — THE heavy downpour in some parts of Ibadan Monday evening has rendered scores of residents in Oyo State homeless while property worth millions of naira were destroyed.

Though, no life was lost in the incident at the time of filing this report, Vanguard gathered that over a hundred buildings had their roofs blown off.

Also the rainstorm ravaged Apata,

Alexander, Oke Ayo, Obafemi Awolowo road and parts of North West and South West Local Government areas of the state.

According to some sources, the rainstorm affected almost 11 local government areas within Ibadan.

Also, electric poles were felled by the heavy downpour.

As a result of the blockages on the roads, there was a serious holdup on major roads in the metropolis.

Commuters mostly

traders who closed late from their shops ended up trekking to their destinations.

However, as serious as the rain was in some places, there was not even a drizzle in some places like Ologuneru and in some outskirts of the city.

The Principal Public Relations Manager of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company of the PHCN, Mr. Jide Oyenuga said their staff were trying hard to restore the damaged electric poles.

ONTROVERSY SWIRLED around the Oyo State’s government yesterday when news filtered around the media that the governor ’s wife had been arrested in london.

The Government while denying the allegation promply slammed a N1billion suit against the evening newspaper.

The Governor's wife yesterday evening spoke from London denying that she had been arrested.

No mention was made, however, of when the suit was filed and who their lawyer is.

Special Adviser on Media to Governor, Dr. F e s t u s Adedayo.disclosed the filing of the suit yesterday According to the release, the government of Oyo State had the responsibility to ensure that the media does not become an instrument in the hands of blackmailers for such acts.

“We want to state unequivocally that this report is not only wicked, it is the figment of the imagination of the writers. Mrs. Ajimobi was never arrested for any offence whatsoever.

"Even though our investigations have shown that this is the work of some arrowheads of the opposition, it was done in such an amateurish way that beats the imagination of any responsible reader,” the release said.

The government said that though it had a lot of respect for the media, there was the need to drag the runners of these media to court to explain the details of their reports to the rest of the world.

Meanwhile the governor ’s wife

Nigerian envoy becomes Ekiti regent

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

DO EKITI —A f o r m e r Commissioner for Women Affairs in Ekiti State and Nigeria’s current Ambassador to the Republic of Congo, Princess Jolaade Onipede, was yesterday formally installed the Regent of Ilasa Ekiti in Ekiti East Local

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Government Area of Ekiti State, even as she has vowed to send criminals parking in her community Speaking with the newsmen after the installation yesterday, the regent said she was determined to work in tandem with the whole community and the next ruling house to instal a new monarch in the town

in the next six months Onipede who was clad in native apparel and other regalia as a symbol of her new status, used the opportunity to dispel the rumour that there was crisis over the choice of a regent in the town.

The ambassador used the opportunity to warn those selling hard drugs in the town to desist or

face the wrath of the law.

The stool became vacant following the demise of her father, Oba Abel Ajibola, a couple of months ago. He ruled the town for 63 years.

The Ambassador called on the king-makers in the Community to fasttrack the process of selecting a new monarch in the town.

reportedly spoke from London, saying the report was concocted by political opponents of her husband Mrs Ajimobi, said; “I don’t know what they are talking about; I don’t know where they got the information from. I left Nigeria on Sunday and I was not arrested. I don’t know where they got that information from.

“No, I was not arrested by police. I came back with my daughter on Sunday. Now I am getting ready to come back home. I had not been invited by the police and I don’t know what all this is about.”

Explaining further, She said, “I have a 14-yearold daughter who has been there for seven years. She has been here since 2007. She came to Nigeria for two weeks; we left Nigeria Sunday morning. That is my mission here”.

Asked if she knew about the story, she answered in affirmative.

“I read the report here in England. I was shocked. I read it but there is no iota of truth in everything they wrote.

I’m sure it is opposition and I am surprised that some people can descend so low to write falsehood.”

According to her, the writer of the story pandered to the dictates of some people and allowed himself to be used.

She also denied the allegation that her current trip was the 52nd time she traveled since her husband assumed office as the governor of the state.

She responded, saying, “It then means I am not living in Nigeria then.

Maybe, when I travel back, I will show you my passport to count how many times I have traveled,” she said .

“I have an underage daughter that has been schooling in London since 2007. If you look at my passport since 2007 and compare the way I traveled then with the way I travel now, you will discover that I travel less now ”, she explained.

“My daughter is complaining that I am not regular there. I make her come to Nigeria more because I can’t afford to spend 10 days or more over there.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—11

Group warns against calls for Petroleum Minister's sack ARRI—THE Ni ger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change, NDIMRC, has warned all those rooting for the sack of Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, as a result of the oil sector probe, to desist or be ready for unpleasant consequences.

The group said: “The call for the removal of the Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, is unacceptable to us and those at the forefront of the campaign should desist now. She has brought pride to the people of the Niger Delta in particular and the country in general and we will mobilize for her to retain that position till 2020.”

The group noted that those calling for AlisonMadueke's removal accused Ministers of Petroleum Resources between 2008 and 2011 of allegedly handing out seven discretionary oil licences, while $183 million in signature bonuses was

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VISIT: President Goodluck Jonathan (left) being welcomed by Nigerian women and children at the Nigerian High Commission in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monday.

Crisis brews in Edo ACN over dissolution of LG caretaker c'ttees

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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ENIN—CRISIS is brewing in Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Edo State, following the dissolution of caretaker committees in the 18 local government councils of the state by the State House of Assembly.

The lawmakers announced the dissolution of the committees after the House declared that the caretaker committees' continued stay in office would amount to illegality.

They also described the tenure of chairmen of the councils as a “child of circumstance.”

Vanguard learnt that the leadership of the ACN met at the residence of a top party leader in the state, where the issue of dissolution of the councils was discussed and it was agreed that the House could only dissolve the councils when the issue of Electoral Act and cases in court were resolved.

It was also agreed at the meeting that a date for elections into the 18 local government councils would be announced by the lawmakers after the dissolution of the House.

But, contrary to the agreement reached at the meeting, the lawmakers dissolved the councils without declaring a date for elections into the coun-

cils.

A chieftain of the party who craved anonymity, described the dissolution as senseless and an attempt to cause unnecessary crisis in the party.

He said: “The agreement was that we had to sort out the suit which the former Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, filed against the state government on the constitution of a new EDSIEC by the

governor, then the issue of Electoral Act which will guide the conduct of the election.

“But these things have not been done and they went on to dissolve the councils. The lawmakers were supposed to announce a date for election at once.

“What they have done now is to put a lot of people out of job without putting in place a date for election.”

Reconstituted Edo guber elections tribunal begins sitting today

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE ENIN—THE re constituted Edo State Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal, h e a d e d

by Mr. Justice Muhammed Pindiga, will be inaugurated today in Benin.

Other members of the tribunal are Justices C. M. A. Olotoregun Ishola and A. I. Kutigi.

Vanguard gathered that the reconstituted tribunal is expected to hear the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the July 14, governorship election, Major Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd), challenging the reelection of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

It would be recalled

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that the former tribunal, headed by Mr. Justice Suleiman Ambrusa, with Justices Esor Teetito and Danlami Senchi as members, was dissolved by the National Judicial Commission, following lack of confidence expressed by the PDP governorship candidate.

General Arhiavbere is challenging the outcome of the July 2012 election on two major grounds, namely the academic qualification of Governor Oshiomhole and alleged irregularities in the election which he claimed was a contravention of the Electoral Act 2010.

The Justice Suleiman Ambrusa led tribunal had in its first ruling, held that the tribunal had no jurisdiction to adjudicate on the PDP governorship candidate’s petition.

missing from the deals.

It said they further alleged that three of the oil licences were awarded since the current minister came into office in 2010.

But NDIMRC, in a statement by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer, Mukoro Stanley, made a case for Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and kicked against calls for her sack.

Describing Mrs. Alison-Madueke as the best Petroleum Minister ever to emerge in the country, the group said she must not be sacked by the Presidency, saying the Ribadu report was not being fair to her.

“The Petroleum Minister should be commended for her transparency in the industry and encouragement of indigenous companies. She has brought sanity into the oil industry since she came on board as Petroleum Minister, the group said.”

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

‘Bayelsa not planning to annex five oil-rich Kalabari communities' ...as Presidency absolves Jonathan

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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E N A G O A — BAYELSA State Government, yesterday, described as misleading, claims that it was planning to annex five oil rich communities in Kalabari Kingdom in Rivers State and called on the latter to tender an unreserved apology to her and President Goodluck Jonathan over the unguarded, and mischievous statements, aimed at disparaging the Presidency and inciting violence between the sister states.

This came as the Presidency, also last night, dissociated President Goodluck Jonathan from the border dispute between both states.

Kalabari National Forum had, Monday, protested alleged surreptitious moves by some federal government officials to excise 5 oil producing Kalabari communities of Rivers States and give them to Bayelsa State for political reasons.

Bayelsa dismisses claims But the Bayelsa State Government, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, dismissed the alleged move to forcefully annex any territory or people into Bayelsa, saying that Ijaw strategic interest demanded that Ijaws wherever they were, should be supported and strengthened and not forced into Bayelsa State.

It described the purported claim as an attempt by detractors of the Ijaw nation to create unnecessary strife and hostility within the Ijaw ethnic family to Ijaw nation’s collective disadvantage.

The statement which was issued last night in Yenagoa, read: “The attention of Bayelsa State Government has been drawn to media reports credited to chiefs and elders of some Ijaw clans of Kalabari extraction in Rivers State, alleging attempts by some persons to forcefully annex communities and ancestral lands as well as oil facilities and installations in Kalabariland to Bayelsa State for the purpose of claiming derivation entitlements.

No such move ”The government of Bayelsa State wishes to react as follows: Firstly, we assure our Ijaw kith and kin in the Kalabari clan of Rivers State that there is no such move to forcefully annex any territory or people into Bayelsa State. We further wish to state that the Ijaw strategic interest demands that Ijaws wherever they are should be supported and strengthened and not to be forced into Bayelsa State.

“That the purported claim is an attempt by detractors of the Ijaw nation to create unnecessary strife and hostility within the Ijaw ethnic family to our collective disadvantage.

Presidency dissociates Jonathan from imbroglio Meanwhile, the Presidency has dissociated President Goodluck Jonathan from the imbroglio, saying attempt to involve him smacked of irresponsibility.

The Presidency said in a statement: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication in some newspapers today about a protest staged by the Kalabari National Forum and some monarchs in Abuja, in which the so-called pro-

testers accused President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of interfering in a boundary dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa states.

“The protesters alleged directly and through innuendoes, that there are plans to 'cede five Rivers State oil communities to Bayelsa with the connivance of various Federal Government agencies under the watchful eyes and supervision of his Excellency, Mr. President whose home state, most ingloriously, is the direct beneficiary.'

“We consider these allegations irresponsible and most unfortunate considering the status of the persons who reportedly championed the protest.

The statutory agencies being referred to by the protesters do not take orders from the President; they are independent bodies. Besides, there are laid down procedures for resolving inter-state boundary disputes.

“In this particular case, the dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa states predates the Jonathan administration, and has been a matter for consideration by the National Boundary Commission, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and other relevant agencies, long before now."

C-River budgets N151.4 bn for 2013 ...as FDI hits $1.5bn

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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ALABAR—CROSS River State Government has budgeted N151.37 billion for 2013 fiscal year, and put its Foreign Direct Investment at $1.5bn (N232.5bn).

Governor Liyel Imoke, who stated this while presenting the 2013 budget proposal tagged ‘Budget of Commitment’, to the state House of Assembly for approval, said the FDI portfolio was expanded from $750 million to $1.5 billion in 2012.

The budget, tagged “Budget of Commitment”, is a five percent improvement on last year ’s estimate of

N144.62 billion.

A breakdown of the budget shows that money allocated for capital expenditure fell slightly from N84.62 to N80.23 billion, while N71.14 billion was earmarked for recurrent expenditure against the N60.04 billion for 2012.

Imoke said: “In this budgetary circle, we are committed to intensifying our efforts at meeting our recurrent obligations by exploring the vast potential available for Internal Revenue Generation, ensuring that we leverage on the comparative advantage we enjoy in agriculture and tourism to create job opportunities for our growing youth population.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—13

DR. NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA'S BOOK PRESENTATION IN ABUJA, YESTERDAY. PIX: GBEMIGA OLAMIKAN.

From right: Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Gbenga From left: Professor of Economics, Oxford University, Paul Collier; Minister of FiAdefaye; Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Publisher, Vanguard Newspanance, South Africa, Pavin Gordhan; Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku (chairman of event), and Vice per, Sam Amuka and Chief Onyema Ugochukwu.

President Namadi Sambo.

From left, Mr Tony Elumelu, Adamawa State Gov- Presidential Adviser on National Assembly ernor, Murtala Nyako; former Minister of Informa- Matters, Senator Joy Emodi (right) and Ms. Comtion, Frank Nweke, and former Minister of Indus- fort Obi. try, Chief Kola Jamodu.

From right: Managing Director, Access Bank, AigImoukhude; President, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Aliko Dangote and Deputy Governor of CBN, Mr. Tunde Lemo.

Chief Sunny Odogwu launching the book Re- Former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji From left: Former Minister of Information and Com(left) and Minister of Labour and Productivity, munication, Prof. Dora Akunyili; Director-General, forming the Unreformable –Lessons from Nigeria. Chief Emeka Wogu.

SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh and Chairman, Visafone, Mr. Jim Ovia.

The author, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala fieldDirector-General, DMO, Dr Abraham Nwankwo, From left: Mr. Jide Adeniyi, former NDDC Managing ing questions from reporters. (left) and Accountant-General, Jonah Otunla.

Director, Hon. Emmanuel Aguariawodo and Mr. Segun Awolowo.

14—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

FG begins repair of EnuguPort Harcourt Expressway

BY TONY EDIKE

NUGU—THE Fed eral government through the Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, has commenced major repairs on the long abandoned 200 km Enugu/ Port-Harcourt Expressway to make the ever-busy road motorable before the festive period.

Four contractors have been engaged to handle different sections of the road

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BRIEFING: From left: Director: Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Emeka Oparah; Director: Regulatory Affairs & Special Projects, Osondu Nwokoro and Chief Technical Officer, Awadhesh Kalia at a briefing by the firm on recent developments that impact Telecoms operations in Nigeria in Lagos, yesterday.

Abia govt shuts 100 illegal schools Threatens exam administrators

BY ANAYO OKOLI

MUAHIA—IN its determined effort to improve the standard of education, Abia State government has closed down over 100 illegal nursery, primary and secondary schools across the state.

To show its seriousness over the matter, the government announced that the premises of all the illegal school had been sealed off and that a tribunal would be set up to try the operators of the schools.

Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Monica Philips, who disclosed this to newsmen at a briefing in Umuahia yesterday, said the illegal schools were used to perpetrate examination malpractices in the state.

She said despite previous warnings to illegal private schools and advice that their operators upgrade them, they refused hence the decision to closed them.

Philips did not, however,

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disclose the exact number of schools affected by the closure, but noted that they were hundreds.

She said officials of the ministry were still going round the state to identify other illegal schools.

The commissioner also said only teachers or examination administrators who undergo training on examination ethics will be allowed to participate in the conduct

of examinations in the state.

Philips said only those who participated and passed the examination administration Integrity and technical certificate workshop held recently in the state by the ministry, in conjunction with Exam Ethics Marshal International, would be involved in the conduct of school examinations in the state.

According to her, the measures are part of government’s effort to ensure that the standard of education in Abia remains high.

She said Governor Theodore Orji was in support of the ministry’s effort to ensure that examinations conducted in the state were credible and reliable, adding that the governor wanted the policy of zero tolerance for examination malpractices maintained in the state.

....Insists on demolition of illegal structures in Aba

BY ANAYO OKOLI

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MUAHIA—ABIA State government has said there was no going back on on its plans to demolish illegal structures in Aba. According to the government, no less than 1800 illegal structures will be demolished in the commercial city.

Chief Press Secretary to

the Governor, Ugochukwu Emezue, dismissed insinuations that the government had jettisoned the idea, saying structures marked for demolition were built on drainage channels.

He said the government would want to properly monitor the demolition to ensure unscrupulous elements

did not take advantage of the exercise to get at their enemies.

Emezue said Aba was dear to the heart of Governor Orji, explaining that as the reason he wouldn’t abandon the city.

He quoted the governor as desirous of leaving legacies in the state, including Aba, before leaving office in 2015.

Why we inaugurated Itsekiri Education Trust — WNC ARRI—CHAIR MAN of Warri National Council, WNC, Chief Brown Mene, has said that the Itsekiri Education Trust was inaugurated to create a solid platform that would not only have the capacity for providing quality education, but also outlive the present generation and still be relevant for successive generations.

Chief Mene, who is the Ogwa-Olusan of Warri, said this at the inauguration of Itsekiri Education Trust at the Olu of Warri Palace in Warri, Delta State.

He said the Itsekiri Education Trust “has the man-

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date to acquire, build, equip and run institutions of learning at all levels in such places as available resources would allow.”

Mene said the trust was saddled with the responsibility of assisting indigent Itsekiri children in their academic pursuit,noting that doors will be opened for non-Itsekiri children to be enrolled into the institutions that will be acquired by the trust.

In a message, Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, described the initiative as one which would reduce burden from the state government. The governor, who was repre-

sented by Commissioner for Basic Education, Prof.

Patrick Muoboghare, expressed optimism that the project would be a success “because of what Itsekiri are known for.”

Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, who was Chairman of the ocassion, described the Itsekiri ethnic nationality as one of the first to embrace Western education and pledged to be part of the trust.

The Olu of Warri, Ogiama Atuwatse II, who administered oath to the 10-man Education Trust, noted that with their inau-

guration, no child would henceforth be left untouched in their quest for education and prayed for members of the trust to succeed in their assignment.

The 10-member working committee which is chaired

by Dr. Mark Ogharaerumi has former Vice-Chancellor, University of Benin, Prof.

Grace Alele-Williams, Prof.

Doris Afejuku, Chief Nelson Utieyione, Prof. J.N Omatseye, Mr. William Kpere Daibo, Prof. Gabriel Yomere, Mr. Gbesimi Akperi, Mr. Alex Neyin as members, while Mr. Lawrence Ukubeyinje will serve as Secretary.

with a mandate to carry out thorough repair of the failed portions, and not total reconstruction of the road which had been under deplorable condition and causing nightmare for road users.

Managing Director of FERMA, Mr. Gabriel Amuchi, who inspected the on-going maintenance job on the road, yesterday, noted that it had had challenges for over four years.

Ekwunife urges politicians to embrace spirit of sportsmanship

BY VINCENT UJUMADU WKA—THE member representing Anaocha/Njikoka/ Dunukofia federal constituency, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, has urged politicians to learn to display spirit of sportsmanship whenever they were rejected by the electorate.

According to her, the idea of wasting resources to pursue unrealistic legal battle

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after an election is not good for democracy.

Reacting to the judgment of the Court of Appeal which dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. Dozie Nwankwo, candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Ekwunife, who was elected on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA,, observed that unnecessary legal battle often distracted the person who was elected.

Uduaghan gets AMALGUN official of the continental award body, Comrade David

BY EMMAARUBI A R R I — G OV E R NOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, will on November 8, be conferred with the award of Grand Patron of Africa Municipal and Local Government Workers Union’s Network, AMALGUN. President of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Delta State Chapter and a senior

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Ofoeyeno, disclosed this at briefing in Warri, yesterday.

He said the honour is in recognition of Uduaghan's strong advocacy for financial autonomy for local government system in the country.

Comrade Ofoeyeno said AMALGUN will be officially inducted on Thursday, November 8, when the governor is billed to receive his award as the Grand Patron of the body.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—15

FCTA pays local contractors N43.4bn

BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

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BUJA—FEDERAL Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has paid local contractors N43.4 billion for jobs executed in the FCT, between January and September 2012.

FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, explained in Abuja that the gesture was in line with the cardinal principles of the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Mohammed, who recalled that the FCT Statutory Budget was only approved in May 2012, disclosed that the payments were for second and third quarters.

He also revealed that the administration paid N21,413,885,417.16 in the second quarter, while N21,981,877,314.77 was paid for the third quarter, t o t a l i n g N43,395,762,731.93.

The Minister explained that some of the jobs done

by the local contractors include provision of infrastructure, building of classrooms, supply of furniture to schools, hospital equipment and other sundry services.

Mohammed specifically noted that all contractors owed N50 million and below with matured bills were paid June 2012.

According to him, FCTA was awaiting matured certificate to effect any required payment as the government is more than ever determined not to allow any local contractor face undue hardship.

He reiterated that FCTA was desirous of changing the face of contract administration in the country and encouraged local contractors to take the lead.

Mohammed assured that his administration was ready to settle local contractors to support them to take on bigger developmental projects, thereby effectively competing with foreign contractors, both in funding and expertise.

Constitution review: NBA insists on referendum

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA—NIGERIAN Bar Association, NBA, yesterday, expressed its reservations about the ongoing process for amendment of the 1999 Constitution, stressing the need for a referendum to be conducted across the federation.

The legal body, which equally described plans by the House of Representatives to hold public hearing simultaneously in all the 360 Federal Constituencies in the country on November 10, as a ‘ wild goose chase,’ insisted that “ referendum is the ultimate consultation with the people of Nigeria, not a oneday gathering in Federal Constituencies.”

NBA, through its National President, Chief Okey Wali, SAN, told newsmen in Abuja yesterday: “The ongoing

process does not appear to be very orderly. There is no clear agenda or known methodology.

“Various government structures like the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the Constitution, the Hon. Justice Belgore’s Presidential Committee on the Review of the Constitution (whose White Paper is yet to be released), the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and so on, are all working towards the said amendment.

“In fact, the House of Reps will be holding a public hearing simultaneously in all the 360 Federal constituencies on Saturday, November 10.

“Our first instinct was not to be a part of this because we did not think

that a one day gathering in 360 Federal Constituencies would be productive towards reasonable amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

“But on a second thought, we decided to attend but without prejudice to our reservations on the inadequacy of the process and on any attempt to any claim to legitimacy if Nigerians are not given opportunities in the future to effectively participate in the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

“We will continue to call for a referendum, at the final stage of the process, thereby giving the average Nigerian, a say in the amendment.

Only then could any legitimate claim be made to it being a constitution by ‘ we the people of Nigeria’.

“Nigeria is currently at this crucial trajectory.

The NBA is of the view that the 1999 Constitution, as it is, cannot sustain our present democracy. The 1999 Constitution contains good provisions; however, it also contains weak and obnoxious provisions and equally admits of several lacunae.”

Meanwhile, NBA, yesterday, inaugurated two committees on constitution review and law reform, as well as committee of the NBA rule of law action group.

Inaugurating the committees, Wali said: “For us in NBA, the challenge is to move from conceptual definition or notion of Rule of Law, to practical implementation of the components; a move from concept to reality.

“It was no surprise that the 2007 Brookings Report classified Nigeria as ‘critically weak’.”

Orubebe threatens Melaye with court action over N29bn

BY CHRIS OCHAYI BUJA—MINISTER of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, has threatened to drag a former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, to court over allegations that the ministry awarded

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fictitious contracts to the tune of N29 billion.

Melaye, Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network, had at a press briefing in Abuja, Monday, alleged that over N29 billion had been siphoned through fictitious contracts by the ministry.

He said the contracts include land reclamation/shoreline protection and canalisation.

He alleged further that the ministry was involved in payments for phantom projects, overbudgeting and violation of Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, guidelines for the award of contracts.

However, in a reaction to the allegations, yesterday, Elder Orubebe described the allegations as false, a fallacy and unfounded and an attempt to bring to disrepute the good image he had built for himself over the years.

He said: “I have also consulted my lawyers and I hope that Dino Melaye will also be ready to meet me in court because I am heading to the court.”

Orubebe, who said the projects in question were located in communities and could be verified at anytime, listed the contracts to include Canalisation/River Training of Foupolo-Bulou Ndoro Creek in Burutu; canalisation at Odoubou, OgbaBagbene Burutu and Land Reclamation/Shoreline Protection Project at Ogbobagbene, Burutu.

16—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Survivors of Kaduna blast recount ordeal

BY LUKA BINNIYAT ADUNA—WITH more victims of Sunday bomb attack on St. Rita’s Catholic Church, Badarwa, Kaduna, being treated and discharged from hospitals, survivors are still haunted by the experience with one saying the sound of explosion denies him of sleep.

Security was tight at the 44 Army Referral Hospital, Kaduna, where 35 members of the church, among them 21 children, were being treated. But a nurse at the hospital, who did not want to be mentioned, informed Vanguard that six victims were treated and certified fit to go home.

She said: “Many of them will be discharged by tomorrow. Only a few may stay here longer than a week. They are responding wonderfully.”

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daddy. He eats, speaks and walks.

“I wish he gets out of here so that we can put this thing behind us. I have not slept for four hours since last Sunday.”

At the St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, where 14 wounded worshippers are receiving treatment, some unconfirmed number of the wounded had been allowed to return home. Mrs Rita Ejiro and her four children, all below the age of eight, were among the victims being treated at the hospital.

‘I can't sleep' Mathew Kayit, a 21-yearold student of Kaduna Poly, told Vanguard: “I still hear the sound of the blast each

‘Can man do this to humans?'

Father of one of the vic-

tims, who said his name should not be mentioned, told Vanguard that he was shocked that a human being would want to kill people he did not know and had no issues with.

He said: “I thank God that my daughter is alive and is responding to treatment. May God show us the wisdom to live with one another.”

At the Multi-Clinics Hospital, where Rev. Father Mike Bonni was being treated, a horde of sympathisers gathered but were barred from seeing him by a policeman, who said he was acting on instruction.

It was, however, confirmed that he was fast recovering and may be discharged before weekend.

Bauchi civil servant docked over Facebook comments

BY SUZAN EDEH

‘I want to forget this' A wife of one of the victims, Mrs Sarah Shindong, who spoke to Vanguard outside the ward, where her husband was being treated, said he had lacerations on his head, but that the man wanted to go home.

She said: “My husband is not happy staying here. I believe that if they allow him to go home and be returning for treatment, he will get better. The children are getting sick without him and the family is never the same if he is not at home.

“They restrict visits here, and the children are so close to their

time I try to close my eyes and sleep.

“I think my chest still hurts. But I feel safe and better here with the doctors always coming around to see and talk to me. The nurses and everyone are just good.

“Yesterday, the governor came and we shook hands.

They care about us here very well. I am very grateful.”

At Garkuwa Hospital, Vanguard gathered that out of the 16 receiving treatment, four were discharged.

However, most of the survivors treated at the hospital did not speak to newsmen and the Medical Director was not on seat when Vanguard visited.

30-year old civil servant, Abbas Faggo, detained by Bauchi State Government for allegedly posting a Facebook account of alleged monumental corruption in the state, was yesterday arraigned before a magistrate court over alleged injurious falsehood and defamation.

The prosecution accused Faggo of using his mobile telephone number to forward a message on his Facebook profile on September 4, alleging that the state funded the wedding of the state governor ’s son, which took place at the Azare area

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of the state on September 8.

Faggo had commented on his Facebook on the alleged extravagant funding of Governor Yuguda’s son, Idris’ wedding. The case generated comments from over 500 people, including politicians, the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, prompting the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to indicated interest in defending the accused person.

In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, Adamu Madaki granted bail to Faggo.

According to the bail conditions, Faggo must produce two sureties, who must sign a bond of

N500,000 each and then adjourned the case to November 15, to enable the prosecution get lawyer to address the issues raised by the defence that had obviously rendered the charges on the First Information Report, FIR defective.

Police prosecutor, Sergeant Mohammed Gaba, had earlier told the Court III, that the state Police Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, received a request from the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Al-Mustapha Suleiman, to investigate the offence against Faggo, which was contrary to Sections 393 and 394 of the Penal Code.

Pope appoints Kukah into Pontifical Council BUJA, barely a week after the appointment of Archbishop John Onaiyekan as fourth Nigerian Cardinal after late Cardinal Dominic Ekandem, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, as a member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Vatican City.

The 13-member Council is the highest decision and policy-making body for the Council for the Holy Father.

In May, the President of the Conference of Bishops of English and French Speaking West

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RCCG sets up vocational training for flood victims ARRI—THE Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Delta Province 5, has concluded plans to set up vocational training centres in all resettlement camps in Delta State with a view to engaging the flood victims to enable them start up businesses.

Head of I Care for Flood Victims— Flooded but not defeated, Mr. George Orogun, made the disclosure at Okwagbe, Ughelli South Local Government Area before leading other members of the I Care Unit of the church to donate consumables and other basic amenities to the internally-displaced persons.

Items donated include 30 bags of rice, two bags of beans, 25 cartons of

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PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

Africa, announced Kukah’s appointment as the Chairman of the Commission on Culture, Inter-religious Dialogue and Ecumenism.

In February, he was elected Chairman of the Commission on Inter-religious Dialogue for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

Bishop Kukah had earlier served the Council in a five-year tenure, when His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Arinze, served as the President of the Council.

He was a delegate at the just-concluded Synod of Bishops for the New Evangelisation in the Vatican.

Gala, 350 buckets, 400 pairs of slippers, 450 drinking cups, 50 cartons of Indomie noodles, two bags of sugar, two bags of salt, insecticide, drugs, disinfectants, three bags of garri, yam, plastic mats and 30 bags of new and fairly-used clothes.

According to Mr. Orogun, who is also an aide to Delta State governor, the donation was made possible with the support of corporate organisations like United Bank for Africa and an anonymous Muslim, who contributed N2 million.

13,835 flood victims at the Oleh resettlement camp, including 40 nursing mothers, also received relief materials worth millions of naira from the unit last Saturday.

By Bartholomew Madukwe (nwamad@yahoo.com)

On the recent Kaduna bomb attack

T is devastating to hear about such at tacks despite the supposed level of security in these places. Why are they bombing Christians and their places of worship? This is one question that we need to ask.

We need God’s intervention.— Miss Bunmi Balogun, Student.

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UCH an act is barbaric and against the Islamic religion. The Federal Government should set up a committee, so as to find a lasting solution to these attacks. Religious fanatics should adhere to the teaching of the Quran or Bible.— Mr. Daniel Anyibema, Student.

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ELL, last Sunday’s genocide carried out by extremists’ sect against Christians shows that the issue transcends culture or religion. This is why I think the government should address the issue with intense seriousness.— Chief Morah Ekwunoh, Lawyer.

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HESE bombings are more political than religious. At this point, I expect the National Assembly to use the constitution to check the executive arm and ensure that lives and property of Nigerians are protected. It is important.— Mr. Qudus Mumuni, Lawyer.

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F government cannot provide security for Christians in the North, then they should start looking elsewhere for residence. Only the living can shout “Praise the Lord.” There are other parts of the country that still respect Christians.— Mr. Emmanuel Iyoke, Businessman.

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think government should do something quickly to stop the rising cases of bombing.

One of the things government can do is to improve on their intelligence gathering. The government needs to be proactive on situations like this.— Mr. Ralph Nwoke, Lawyer.

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012— 17

HE nation is being reminded that the interests of politicians is superior to all institutions, rules and processes, including the public service and procurement processes. Events are unfolding which explain why our politics in Nigeria is so anti-people, and how politicians are running our economy aground. Just when you thought that the murky waters that swallowed former Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji may have receded to reveal slightly more level grounds, very powerful Governors are opening up a new front in a fight involving poorlymasked personal interests. By the time this drama is concluded, the vital interests of Nigerian citizens in the pivotal privatisation of the power sector may have been further compromised. The integrity of the exercise will be questioned, and it is very likely that other quarrels over the process of selecting firms would be heard in the near future.

The crown jewel in the reform process is in danger of being plucked by a dispute over what is the most appropriate process to follow in privatising distribution companies. Governors of Edo, Delta and Ekiti last week complained that the company they have backed, Southern Electricity Distribution Company, which lost at a critical stage of the bidding process, has been unfairly assessed.

Therefore, it is in danger of losing out in the final analysis to Vigeo Power Consortium, which emerged as leading bidder. Although the process was at that stage incomplete, the Governors came, guns ablaze, to denounce the entire exercise, and threaten that they will prevent Vigeo from taking over power distribution in their areas.

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They insisted that they had invested heavily in generating infrastructure, and they would rather have the company they preferred, which has extensive knowledge and, presumably, their clout to operate in the zone.

Nigerians took note of “area boys” mentality among state governors, and were sadly reminded of the intimate linkages between political power, corruption and violence.

Un-Due Process

Weighty accusations

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tung by weighty accusations that the entire ongoing processes of privatising the power sector was fraught with corruption, Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, Mr. Atedo Peterside, with the mandate of the Vice President who is chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, followed up on the Bureau for Public Enterprises’ repudiation of the claims of the Governors with a detailed rebuttal. He blasted the Governors for crying foul over an in complete process, perhaps because they feared that their preferred company will lose. But he said more.

The appearance of a “preemptive” strike by the Governors may have been a ploy to cover what Mr. Peterside said was evidence of abuse of the process by the governors’ preferred company which may lead to its disqualification.

Mr. Peterside insists the entire process is being informed by the highest possible standards of openness, technical competence and transparency.

The governors do not agree.

They say they have evidence that Southern beat Vigeo in evaluation scores, and the method being adopted by the NCP is untested and not transparent. The nation took note of the foundations for widespread disputes over the entire eleven distribution companies scattered all over the country.

These disputes over

Gov. Fayemi of Ekiti

Gov. Oshiomole of Edo

Gov . Uduaghan of Delta

Gov. Mimiko of Ondo

power distribution companies are severely damaging for an administration which puts out power sector reforms as its flagship, and about the only area in which Nigerians desperately hope the administration’s words would be kept. It has not been without a whole cupboard full of skeletons either. It suffered loss of credibility in the dismissal of the former Minister of Power; on questions raised over the divestment proceeds (N400 billion); over the high profile nature of the Nigerians backing investors; on concerns over politics and the process; over pronounced regional sentiments and

persistent claims that even those who oversee the process have deep personal interests in key outcomes.

Bellicious demands

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hese questions around the process, genuine or contrived, may have informed the bellicous demands of the governors to have their own company, qualified or not.

Will they get what they want in the end, as a capitulating political concession, and out of the fear that they will make life difficult for any other company to operate in the area? If one the one hand the process refuses to yield to the demand of the

governors, and stands its ground to operate above political interests, it could very well award the Disco covering Edo, Ekiti, Delta and Ondo to Vigeo. What then would the governors do? If on the other hand, the process is stampeded by political pressure, compromises key indices and hands over the Benin Disco to Southern, it could very well open the floodgates to similar demands from other geopolitical units which will demand that they have preferred bidders of their own. It will taint the entire process, and leave only one conclusion: political muscle and barely-concealed personal interests are still

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“Price, (n). value, plus a reasonal sum for the wear and tear of conscience in demanding it.” -Ambrose Bierce.

As things stand now, it is difficult to see how confidence over this process can be sustained.

The governors of the states appear to have dealt a very serious blow to it

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vital elements of the procurement process in Nigeria. This will not be

new in Nigeria, but it will sink the entire power sector privatisation programme.

As things stand now, it is difficult to see how confidence over this process can be sustained.

The governors of the states appear to have dealt a very serious blow to it. If their weighty allegations are false, it will take more than Mr .Peterside or even the Vice president to discredit them effectively.

This has to be done by President Jonathan himself, or his flagship will be torpedoed by powerful governors in a region which is his strongest political constituency.

Will President Jonathan take on the governors of Edo, Ekiti, Delta and Ondo, and will they blink first?

In the event that the entire process cannot be salvaged by the presidency owing to overpowering political pressures, the House of Representatives should step in and conduct a thorough and open investigation over the entire privatisation process.

Dispute over appropriate process

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he disputes over what is the appropriate process to follow in matters where vital public interest is involved and massive resources are at stake is central to the quality of governance.

Isolating the process from very narrow interests which compromise it and deprive the people of huge benefits is one of the most important ways to fight corruption. The world over, this is not easy to achieve; but in Nigeria, it has never been more necessary. The on-going privatisation of the power sector is a key test over whether President Jonathan has the political will to push through difficult, but ultimately rewarding policies.

Nigerians should watch the outcome of the dispute over the Benin Disco with keen interest.

OPINION

BY SOLA FASURE IVEN the circumstances, it is very tempting to have a complete misreading of the outcome of the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State in which the incumbent, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, was declared the winner. More foreboding, the significance on Yoruba politics and democracy in general could easily be lost.

Some people have erroneously proposed the election as a direct contest between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his lieutenants like Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on one hand and Governor Mimiko on the other.

To begin with, neither Asiwaju Tinubu nor Ogbeni Aregbesola was a candidate in the election. Rotimi Akeredolu was the candidate of their party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. What they did was to deploy their political and campaign skills into Akeredolu’s governorship project. It was the same way Edward Kennedy poured himself into the Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential

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Mimiko’s victory in perspective campaign. What they did for Akeredolu was no different from what they did for Adams Oshiomhole in Edo, Abubakar Audu in Kogi, James Akpandohehe in AkwaIbom and Steve Ugbah in Benue State. It’s the same intensity, panache and wits. There is nothing unusual and nothing to be ashamed of.

If Aregbesola threatened that he was going to drive out Mimiko from office prior to the October 20 election, it was a legitimate political statement consistent with his standing as a leader in ACN. What would have been bizarre would have been for him to promise to support Mimiko for a second term when his party was going to field a candidate for that election.

The first duty of a political party is to contest electoral offices by fielding candidates and seeking to win. A political party stands for something in terms of ideology, values, tradition, programmes, development agenda, etc. When people vote for a candidate of a political party, they are

indeed buying into these. The ACN, for instance, stands for progressivism. This is the tradition directly descended from Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the father of progressive politics in Nigeria. It is a tradition of Fabian socialism with its hallmark of egalitarianism, human development and social welfare. In contrast, a party like Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is descended from a tradition of hierarchy, big money, plutocracy and neo-feudalism.

When these parties campaign, this is what they try to sell and those who vote for them have wittingly or unwittingly bought these products, assuming that the election is free and fair. The tendency though is that a party like PDP will see democracy as a system of power, rather than a platform for providing choice for the people and would therefore not have the slightest compunction in rigging and manipulating election as long as it serves the purpose of either getting its members into power or keeping them in it.

Nevertheless, it is the raison d’etre of a political party to contest elections, seek to win where it was excluded from power and consolidate on where it holds sway.

This point is very important in light of the negative campaign of the Mimiko campaign team and a section of the media who either don’t know what democracy is about or have conveniently forgotten that parties seek to win election and were accusing ACN of seeking to extend its influence to Ondo State.To put the records straight, ACN had sought to expand its reaches to other places and narrowly lost in places like Anambra and other aforementioned states where its governorship candidate is now a senator of the Federal Republic.

It simply beggars belief how supposedly

Continues on pg. 18 *Mr. Fasure, a political analyst, wrote from Osogbo, Osun State.

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 SENATE President David Bonaventure Alechenu Mark makes sure he says things importantly. States would be created, he said. It sounds like a fait accompli. He must have figured it out, the States and added the political cost of creating them.

“Creation of additional States can only make government closer to the people contrary to the view in certain quarters that we do not need additional States in the federation,” Mark said in Ijebu-Ode, where he was attending a festival.

His thesis is wrong. States do not make governments closer to the people.

Governments are not close to the people even in the state capitals where governments are located. Are the local governments close to the people?

Closeness of governments to the people derives from a decision of those in charge to relate to their people, notice their challenges and tackle them. It is not an issue related to number of States. If 774 local governments are not close to the people what difference would more States make?

Many governors and legislators (even in the local governments) live in Abuja. They

States, States, More States occasionally visit their States. Members of the National Assembly ignore their constituency offices in the States. Everyone thinks of operating from Abuja, as if the people and their challenges must be shunned.

How would the creation of new States solve these problems? How would it address marginalisation, when new States throw up new minorities? Most importantly, would creation of States consider the increasing costs of governments?

New States come with new capitals, bureaucracies that replicate poverty of the former State, new layers of wastes. Are they affordable? For an economy in distress, how

would new States enhance its recovery?

Politicians are wonderful people. They have answers without the questions. If they need States, they would create them to satisfy prospective governors, new godfathers and expand the political sphere for appointments and elections. New States would serve the interests of politicians, who are anxious about their future.

There are implications from new States.

Cost of governance would rise at the National Assembly which could see increase in membership to reflect the circumstances.

We are complaining of too many Ministers, we would have to appoint more, since each State should have a Minister. We may have to create more Ministries to accommodate them. There would be senior special assistants and ministerial aides. The contest for power at the centre would become more unwieldy.

There were more than 66 requests for States. How many would be created to make governments closer to the people?

State creation would be an expensive decision. There are better options, before the National Assembly, which it should explore.

OPINION

BY CLEMENT UDEGBE Continued from yesterday's pg.17 ILL now,they violate every known traffic law with impunity.Police attempts to curb their excesses made little or no impact.They became ungovernable.Try Mile 2 to LASU along Badagry Express way, and the Isolo to Ejigbo road, to see how unruly they have become. They take no notice of LASTMA along these and other roads!

Men and even boys who came down from north of Africa in pursuit of security jobs which we call “Meguard” joined the Okada riders. People from Niger, Sudan, Somalia, and other troubled nations of North Africa, became Okada riders, and introduced more violence, crime, and abuse into the business, leading to the increasing outcry against the business. We, with our open eyes created the monster which we must learn to tame and manage. Now that the party with their political fathers is over, the politicians have woken up, and can see more clearly now and they want to flush out a business and source of livelihood of millions of Nigerians without providing a carefully thought out plan and programme to give these ones another means to sustain their livelihood.

We need to sieve the wheat from the chaff in stopping the Okada. It is estimated that over five million families depend on riding Okada and Keke NAPEP for livelihood, which in essence means that over a conservative 10 million Nigerians live on Okada. Okada

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Okada riders are Nigerians not animals (2) riding accounts for up to N20 billion business in this country. In Imo State, university and tertiary institution graduates, own and ride Okada as their means of lively hood. This applies to many other states, including Lagos. A half-hazard ban on the operation of Okada, therefore, will push these persons who are living on the edge of life into crime. This can be so wrong and illadvised at this time when national security and crime management have become monumental challenges. We, as a nation and people, must change our attitude towards one another; we must begin to attach values to the lives and livelihood of Nigerians. Some of these bans and restrictions are just politicallymotivated because the leaders of the Okada group are relating with the opposition party in a state .No state government is known to have carried out a study in which the impact of the ban and the attendant income displacement have been critically assessed.

His Excellencies may want us to believe that the bans on Okada are in the over all interest of all, and we agree. But in states like Lagos and Imo, for example, where over three million people commute to work daily on Okada, how many can 700 taxis carry per day? If each taxi moves four persons in 30 runs per day, you have a total of only 84,000 persons moved per day.

How will the remaining over two million people move? Where are buses to help and how many are provided by the states governments?

What is the plan for movement from villages to cities and vice versa ? We must accept that in a democracy, our leaders are not to see themselves as rulers but servants of the people and that our overall welfare and care are squarely their responsibilities.

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hy, for example, can two ACN states not come together to power the establishment of an assembly plant for small buses like the Suzuki 6 Seater bus, or the Dahaitsu Small buses given the huge market for commuting within towns in Nigeria.The Suzuki buses are effective in Festac Town, while Dahaitsu buses are popular in Ondo and Ekiti states.

Why will any two PDP states not work together to manufacture small buses, especially in the South South and South East states where the funding seem to be available?

These buses could be introduced in other states and across the nation, as a more dignifying means of moving or transporting persons from one point to the other. In a country where our national transport policy seems to be dying, and confused, what is the offer on the table for the ordinary man?

The intra-city transport plans of some states cannot easily be noticed among the people.

There are no plans for trams, or better and safer means of mass movement within the cities.

Even in Lagos State where such a surface train

plan seems to be in the pipeline from Orile into Lagos Island, the slow pace of construction along the Lagos Badagry expressway is killing life and business along the Badagry axis. A careful look at the railway plans offers nothing to the people. If properly planned, these small buses should be used to replace Okada and Keke which to me are grave representatives of extreme poverty.

On the eve of the elections in Ondo State recently, newspapers reported Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu as saying that he invested billions of Naira in Ondo State election campaigns. I plead with ACN to deploy part of these huge funds in providing means of commuting from the villages to the cities and within the cities to the people from henceforth. Our governors should replace Okada and Keke with small buses, thereby upgrade the life and living standards of their fellow country men. What is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and that is why the time has come for buses to replace Okada all over Nigeria.The Federal Government may even provide the lead in this direction. But until they come up with an alternative plan, governments should bear in mind that Okada riders are humans, Nigerians, and have their right to care, concern and provisions from their leaders. We really cannot wish them away, but must give them a better life.

Concluded *Mr. Udegbe, a lawyer, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—19

, HINGS seem to be h a p p e n i n g in our country at such pace as makes it difficult to keep track of them all. The best one can do is to select from a wide range of issues and hope that what one doesn’t see others would see. But a few issues wouldn’t just keep and so I decided to take a quick trip, metaphorically, around Nigeria in an attempt to look at some of the things making these times some of the most harrowing for our country people. My journey takes me first to the floodravaged parts of the homeland.

From up North where all we were used to hearing are cases of drought and the encroaching desert, people, literally hundreds of thousands, are being sacked from their homes by floods. Not just the Niger and Benue rivers are flooding their banks; smaller rivers are doing their bit to bring bitter tears into many homes.

From Taraba to Benue, Kogi to Kwara states people are wringing their hands in agony. As if that was not enough in a region already held prostrate by terrorist onslaughts of different kinds, the

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floods have simultaneously found their way to different parts of the South. Worst hit are the SouthSouth states in the Niger-Delta and other parts of the South East/ South West. Farmlands are washed away and homes are devastated in the manner of the despoliation caused by the mindless prospecting for oil that has made this part of Nigeria the environmental nightmare that caused some to heed the call to arms. Suddenly we see vast wilderness of waters in places where people once had their homes. Reptiles and other creatures of the wilds now share space with human beings. Surely, this is timely warning for the authorities to prepare for worse seasons ahead. The fact of global weather change and its adverse effects might be coming home to us tragically and no matter how overwhelming the situation might be for us now, things could be much worse next time. Let those used to stealing what should be used in the development of the country know that times are getting more desperate and it’s a matter of

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enlightened self interest for those who lead to lead right. Or there would be no peace for them in their assumed havens.

And while Nigerians might be living down the euphoria of the last Eid celebrations after the long holidays, they couldn’t have forgotten and must not forget the case of one of the alleged terrorist kings that was arrested in the home of a top shot- one of those who make laws that their family members make no effort to respect. Shuaibu Bama, one of the cowards running amok in different parts of the North, killing hundreds of innocent people under the aegis of the foolish terrorist group that claims to hate Western education, was picked up in the home of Khalifa Ahmad Zanna, a senator of the Nigerian state.

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anna admits Bama is a nephew of his, a drugcrazed fiend who, according to him, used to live with him during which time he turned his children into punching bags and threatened everybody in the

Bola Tinubu’s ‘Millions of Pounds’ bid to buy Mimiko T

ILLIONS of pounds sterling.

Mhow h a t ’ s much Bola Tinubu, former

senator, former governor of Lagos State, former democrat of NADECO fame(I will explainat the end of this column), says he “spent on” OlusegunMimiko, governor of Ondo State. Note, his preferred currency: pounds, not naira. He did not specify the exact figure but we can assume a minimum of two million pounds.

Which, at the rate of N250 to a pound, is about N500 million spent on an “ungrateful” and traitorous “godson.”How much did he spend on all the governors, senators, representatives and assemblymen in the states where his Action Congress is in power or a player in the grand casino game called politics in Nigeria?

Let us assume a conservative one million pounds for each of the current AC governors and not bother with the cash he doled out for legislators’ races. Simple arithmetic suggests that, all told, Tinubu has spent around N1.8 trillion on governors, excluding himself since all of this began after he became a political godfather;a status he justifies with scripture: “god fatherism is biblical,” he says, which is “why Christians refer to God as their father.” Oh, the man has another flourishing career waiting if ever the ingratitude of political godchildren were to make him quit politics. He could become a Man of God, trade Asiwaju for Daddy Bishop, and continue to talk in millions of pounds. After all, what essential difference between prosperity churches and come-chop parties?

I will not ask the obvious questions: How did Tinubu come about the millions of pounds he claims to have spent on C M Y K

Mimiko? Could Senator Tinubu have boasted of spending millions of naira, never mind pounds, even on his own gubernatorial candidacy? He may have an answer to both questions, more credible than the one he gave in defence of his claim to have earned a certified public accountant’scertificate from Chicago State University.

To be fair, Tinubu sees himself as a holy godfather, though not the less beholden to mammon if he spends millions of pounds for just one governorship race.

“I play god-fatherism… for the good of our people,” he says. And what better occasion to declare such selflessness than a campaign rally. Strangely, however, he spoke entirely in the first person, his pronouns only “I,” “me” and “my”: “Mimiko claimed that I did not spend money when he had problems with his mandate … He came to me and begged me to support him, rolling on the ground. … He collected money from me. I spent millions of pounds sterling but he betrayed me. … I play god-fatherism in the South-West for the good of our people. My godfatherism is for progress ... I have brought development to Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Lagos, Edo and Ogun,” and on and on in absolute selfregard. Ever heard of narcissism and egomania writ larger?

But Tinubu’sgodfatherismis no selfsacrificing endeavour. His words reveal a rather questionable reason forthe astronomical sums he spent to elect a governor only to turn fiercely against him.

He had been warned,he says, that Mimiko was “a serial traitor.”So why did he not heed the counsel? Obviously, Tinubu is both the party and the people, and

the people and the party Tinubu.

Which is why he did not care to disclose the nature of the betrayal to the people he rallied to sweep Mimiko out of the governor’s lodge and to

,

Desperate times...desperate measures

The fact of global weather change and its adverse effects might be coming home to us tragically and no matter how overwhelming the situation might be for us now, things could be much worse next time

house, including the senator. But there is no record anywhere to suggest that Senator Zanna made any report concerning his observation of his wayward and, perhaps, murderous nephew.

This fellow was let loose to prowl unobserved while the land groans under the heavy hand of his terror group. Mr. Zanna claims the house in which Bama, who probably knew his was a life not worth living anyway and so sought to destroy others- was not caught in his house but in the house of former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff who he goes on to say is working with the Joint Task Force personnel that arrested Bama to frame him.

Well, frame up or not, what this arrest confirms is the long held suspicion that the seeming invincibility of the terrorist group Bama belongs in resides in the support it gets from influential members of the Northern ruling class. Those who have criticised these leaders for their silence in the face of this group’s activities surely know what they are saying.

The same people protecting the likes of Bama were the ones who provided the leg room for Kabiru Sokoto to escape from custody before he was re-arrested. What should be our concern now is what Abuja intends to do about Bama and others arrested before him; the top shots trading accusation and indeed the larger group to which Bama belonged. All should be made accountable...

One wouldn’t know if there has been any confirmation of that report that former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has confiscated a couple of BRT buses in retaliation for the seizure of an SUV vehicle belonging to his farm. According to this report, the former head of state took this unprecedented step after his effort to get his own vehicle released yielded no result. There’s no

I call him a former democrat; by his own admission, Tinubu is now a plutocrat, the proper name for one who believes in the power of money and not of the people

,

install his hand-picked replacement instead. Makes me long for the brutal honesty of Lamidi Adedibu, the late doyen of godfathers: it is “amala politics,” he said. Translated as unfettered access to the state’s treasury; specifically, a guaranteed portion of the security vote. And preferential treatment in the award of contracts. Above all, blind loyalty. The only way to replenish the staggering sums invested in elections. For no person would wager a fortune earned through hard and honest labour on an election unless it was understood as a high-yield venture with guaranteed returns. It is why all hell is let loose when a godson tries to break his fetters; why Adedibu and Chris Uba would unleash

doubt that some of those uniformwearing officials one finds all over Lagos- from KAI to LAWMA and LASTMA- have morals hardly better than those of common miscreants. Many times a few of them behave like uniformed thugs, former jail inmates that are yet to be fully rehabilitated into society. But then, a former president would hardly be doing his former office or his present status in society any good when he resorts to selfhelp in the manner reported.

While such action might be accommodated in a common agitator or activist out to make a point, it is a stain on the person of a ruler- past or present...

We may not know who is learning from whom but like the Obasanjo case, Okada riders also went on rampage in Lagos as they barricaded roads and set BRT buses alight in protest against the new Lagos State traffic law banning them from some roads or parts of the State.

It’s been really tough times for the Okada riders whose means of survival is no longer guaranteed as they now have to watch their backs against arrest as they traverse sections of the city from which they have been banned.

The law banning the Okada operators from the roads seems in order when viewed from the point of safety. But in terms of convenience for certain categories of road users, it looks like a bad law, especially when the whole thing is presented like a revenuemaking strategy for the State.

Perhaps, it’s the way state officials have gone about the laws that gives this impression. But in its drive to make Lagos a liveable place, the state authorities must be careful not to give the impression that only the rich and economically buoyant deserve to live/work in Lagos.

fire and brimstone on Oyo and Anambra states. Forget what William Congreve said about scorned women;hell, I say, hath no fury like a Nigerian political godfather scorned!

As it happened, Tinubu, despite playing the strongest hand in this brand of politics—that armed with bags and bags of money — lost his second bid to buy the Ondo State governorship and a political slave. Tinubu tried to boost his ego by publicizing his attendance in the United States at the convention of the Democratic Party that took place last month. The lie and ridicule of his claim that President Barack Obama had personally invited him to the event aside, he no doubt heard of the progress Karl Rove and the Republican Party oligarchs are making in their bid to buy the US presidency. I can’t help thinking that this encouraged Tinubu, onhis return home, to boast of spending millions of pounds to buy a governorship.Which is why I call him a former democrat.By his own admission, Tinubu is now a plutocrat, the proper name for one who believes in the power of money and not of the people; in government by and for the highest bidder. In the name of the people,Mimiko must prove that he is not “a liar,” or if he really received millions of pounds from Tinubu, say how the price of the Ondo governorship was set and what the great good was that he betrayed.

20—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Debate of the masses

Much ado about Okada ban

BY EBELE ORAKPO

“AH,all ah!thisI thought okada

*AChief Ogoro’s house surrounded by flood. INSET: Aki and Pawpaw being welcomed to the camp by displaced persons

Lamentations of ex-Senator: Help, my elder brother still in the morgue •No land to bury him, no church to conduct funeral service

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA, Asaba HE disturbing issue of flooding in the country, especially in the coastal areas of Delta State, has curiously been engendering mixed feelings of sadness and joy in some quarters.

Whilst some of the flood victims are counting their losses, for some others, it is an opportunity to hug the limelight as they get to meet certain important personalities they have long nursed the expectations to encounter in more auspicious circumstances.

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ICE camp comes alive, courtesy of Aki and Paw Paw: A typical example occurred on Monday when displaced persons at the ICE rehabilitation camp in Asaba had cause to cheer in theatrical fashion when two renowned Nollywood actors, Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme popularly known as Aki and Paw Paw, respectively appeared at the camp to stir up their spirit. Their arrival at the camp created a lot of excitement, with both young and old, especially children visibly over joyous as the two actors thrilled them.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan had, while inaugurating the Justice France Tabai-led Post-flooding Rehabilitation Committee, explained that when he personally visited the ICE camp at about 11 pm few days before inviting the TV actors. The displaced persons were at the time engrossed on the television programme which incidentally featured Aki and Paw Paw. “I tried to to attract their attention . Some looked at me (Governor) and greeted me but they C M Y K

turned to continue watching the television. When I looked at the television, I saw it was Aki and Paw Paw and Ibu that they were watching. That was why I invited them (Aki and Paw Paw) to go to the different camps as motivational speakers because the victims require a lot of motivation”.

Uduaghan had a week ago celebrated his 58th birthday with the displaced persons at the camp which elicited similar joyous outpouring.

Why my elder brother cannot be buried: But while there seems to be a temporary, even dramatic relief for the displaced persons to ease tension, the traumatic experience of the flooding is one which a former Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Stella Omu is yet to come to terms with. She told Vanguard Metro, VM, that “as we are talking about flood victims there are some people who have lost loved ones. And as I am talking to you now my elder brother, my brother Chris Ogoro, a giant in electrical engineering, is still in the mortuary because there is no land to bury him; even no church to take him to as everywhere is submerged. But we are still praying that as the flood recedes so that we will be able to give him a befitting burial”.

We are in a dilemma: Stella Omu further said that: “In all these areas there are a lot of youths. Remember during the amnesty thing, most of the Isoko youths were not benefitting from this high profile amnesty because they are law abiding citizens; they were not in the arms struggle and

you know if you are not registered with your arms, you will not benefit from the amnesty thing. And we had a lot of them who were going around saying, ‘Oh, you mean it is because we did not carry arms that is why we are not being taken care of. So, some of us have to go into appealing to them. Take for example now like General (her husband).

“He is into fishery, piggery and so on. He produces a lot of fingerlings. We have to encourage these youths and said okay instead of going into arms and so on, start a fish pond, start your poultry. A lot of them are into fishery, poultry, piggery. Unfortunately, all these are gone because the flood wiped all their poultry, fish farms; wiped away all their piggery along with the fingerlings and hatchery; everything has been wiped out.

“So, we are even in a dilemma now. It means we are going to begin again. How to assist these youths again to come up. Unfortunately, if the flood did not come this is the time the activities would be in high gear because they have to start growing fish, chicken, piggery for the Christmas. But now there is nothing, so we are going to be in trouble. We now have to sit down to re-calculate on how to handle these youths. As I said, we are farmers, all the cassavas are gone and I wonder what will happen to the women and the people from that area when the flood recedes while we should now try to look at how to get seedlings, cassava stems, fingerlings, piglets . All these things have to be put in place which means there is a lot of work from the Ministry of Agriculture in order to get our youths back into action, in order to get the women back into action. It’s a lot of work and we are worried” .

madness has stopped,” exclaimed Mercy at the Mile two Bus-stop when about 15 okada riders rode at their usual maddening speed despite riding against traffic, an offence in Lagos State.

“Yes, they were banned from major roads,” replied Kachi.

“So Oshodi-Apapa Expressway is not a major road?” asked Mercy aghast.

“Maybe these ones are the untouchables. Almost on daily basis, they knock down innocent passersby because they take the wrong lane and on very high speed. And when you dare complain aloud, they abuse you thoroughly as if you were the one breaking the law. The whole thing is just crazy!” said Tunde.

“But why are they complaining if they were only banned from plying major roads? That is the right thing to do. They are too reckless,” noted Izzy.

“Honestly I thought they were banned from operating completely in Lagos State,” said Mercy. So what is their problem?”

“No, just from the major roads. But even if they were banned completely, is it a crime? After all, they have been banned in so many states and they all trooped down to Lagos to continue their business. It would have been okay if they operated by the rules, but no, they are a law unto themselves.

Just visit Igbobi and see the havoc they have wreaked on the people they are supposed to serve,” stated Tony.

“Ehn, no problem.

When they send all their customers to the orthopaedic hospital, then their business will end,” said Kachi, tongue-incheek.

Reported Henry: “I saw about 50 Hausa Okada riders loading their motorcycles into a trailer at Mile 12. I asked one of them where they were

going and he said; “We dey go home. Gaskiya, you, I don tire por Lagos.

Wahala e too much.

Haba! Eberyday, dem go distop us. E don do gaskiya.”

“No mind dem jare.

Dem go return very soon when hunger wire them,” said Tunde.

Said Kachi: “But on a more serious note, why should they be banned from the lucrative routes?

After all, the Governor used them during his campaign and secured their votes. So it is unethical on his part to just destroy their means of livelihood.”

“Grammar! I don’t see any wrongdoing on the part of the Governor. He is just protecting the citizenry,” said Izzy.

“The problem with our governments is that they do not provide alternatives. Banning them is good but what plans did he put in place for them?

If we are not careful, armed robbery will increase and it will be penny wise, pound foolish because it is the same citizens he is trying to protect that will suffer,” said TJ. “You are right. At least they should provide them with Keke Napep.

“Dat one no be okada too? Glorified okada. In fact, they are becoming as notorious as okada riders,” stated Mercy.

“Keke Napap can never take the place of okada in Lagos. Okada is faster in the usual Lagos traffic,” said Jude.

“The only solution is for government and people to provide enough vehicles for the people and good roads and rails,” said Mercy.

“Agreed. But no matter the number of vehicles and the quality of roads, nothing will change if we don’t change our mindsets,” said Tunde.

“Many of these okada riders don’t know jack about motorcycles or traffic rules so what do you expect? Let government provide them with alternatives,” said TJ, adding: “But the roads they are allowed to ply are still many so what’s really their grouse?”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 21

From left: Mr. Seni Adetu, MD/CEO; Mr. Babatunde Savage, Chairman, Guinness Nigeria Plc and Mr. Sesan Sobowale, Corporate Relations Director, during the Guinness Nigeria Plc PreAnnual General meeting press briefing in Lagos.

Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Seven firms bid for re-development of BoI building

BY MIKE EFFIONG

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even firms are bidding for the re-development of the former Bank of Industry building at Broad Street, Lagos; that was gutted by fire some years ago and subsequently demolished.

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos State, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, who disclosed this, noted that proposal from different architects have been submitted to the authority.

He said the firms, who are members of the Association of Consulting Architects of Nigeria (ACAN), are bidding for the re-development of the site.

According to him, the proposed ultra- modern complex would befit the site and add value to the city centre, adding that the proposed building is to be carried out through a Private Partnership Participation (PPP) scheme.

H

e said, “On completion of the complex, it would house luxury apartment, offices and shops of different categories because of the peculiarity of location. It will accommodate parking space of not less than 100 vehicles at a given time while it would also put into consideration, all necessary infrastructures.

Ayinde explained that at the completion of the project, it would give a befitting design to the aesthetics of the area, the Commissioner noted.

He went further to sat that the state government has carried out series of projects in the state among which is the completion of the first phase of the Oluwole market,

re-designing of existing roads, as well as drainages.

He noted that Tinubu square and Balogun market were completed few years ago, he stressed, whilst saying, “ what

we are waiting for is to see their design and financial models, this would convince government of their level of seriousness, competence and financial capability.

BRACED states target agric sector devt, to tackle pollution

BY MICHAEL EBOH

HE six South-South States of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta, under the auspices of the BRACED Commission, have commissioned a team of environmental experts to visit the six states to conduct impact assessment of pollution on the communities, in a move designed to tackle the issue of environmental degradation and improve their agricultural sector.

According to Director-General of the Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, the team would for 10 days collate information and under ation of sites as well as proffer solution on how to mitigate these impacts. take, where possible, an on-the-spot assessment of the level of environmental degrad He explained the research would form a reference document on the environment and a guide to potential investors.

According to Keshi, the 10- day environmental impact assessment study would take the experts to the BRACED states to assess and compile data on the state of the flora and fauna in the region.

He said, “They will also assess and compile data on the human environment and the bio-diversity of the region taking into cognisance the lakes, fresh and brackish water bodies, forest reserve (mangrove and rain forest), wildlife

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(endangered, extinct and non-extinct species), wetlands (endangered and non-endangered), potable water sources/ saline water intrusion problems), ocean and coastal (fresh and brackish), industry and the environment (crude-oil, pollution impacted sites, industrial effluents sources, landfill, flood and erosion problems, environmental impact of quarrying activities, infrastructural development; roads, telecommunication, power amongst others.

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t is expected that this study would help the region to tackle its huge environmental problems and the attendant food security, persistent poverty, climate change adaptation and mitigation challenge, ecosystem and biodiversity degradation, all of which would help the BRACED states fast-track their quest for sustainable development.

Continuing, Keshi disclosed that in a bid to address the issue of food security, the BRACED Commission would from October 31 to November 2, 2012 hold a three-day meeting of agriculture experts and commissioners for agriculture to consider potential areas of cooperation in agriculture particularly, in the cultivation and production of oil palm, rice, cassava, rubber, banana/plantain and aquaculture. The meeting would hold at Songhai Farms in Rivers State.

Lottery, key to economic empowerment, job creation — Lottery Board HE Lagos State Government has stated that organizations engaging in lottery operations with official permits from the State Lottery Board will directly increase the economic power of the people and create thousands of jobs in the state.

Chairman of the State Lottery Board, Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila made this assertion at the opening ceremony of ISIS Gaming while urging other entrepreneurs to contact the Board which encourages everyone.

Gbajambiamila also noted that ISIS has been approved by the Board and will be closely monitored which will have a lot positive impact in the lives of Lagosians.

According to the Executive Director, ISIS Gaming, Mr. Kofi Sagoe, the lives of people will change for good with the emergence of the Lottery because its in a technical partnership with a company that has a combined experience of over 80 years in the gaming industry.

He said, “All over the world, Lottery is been used to improve the economy as well as better the lives of people, so we at ISIS Gaming want to empower the government to provide more quality basic amenities, from Transportation, Education and other infrastructures.

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157.35

-0.40

2,385.00

+2.00

19.31

-0.04

109.10

-0.45

85.54

-0.74

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.76 248.4517 199.5785 165.0597 1.943 0.2855 236.9205 24.7841 41.2649 26.7543 237.6804

155.26 249.2544 200.2233 165.593 1.9493 0.2955 237.686 24.8646 41.3983 26.8407 238.4483

155.76 250.0571 200.8681 166.1263 1.9556 0.3055 238.4514 24.9451 41.5316 26.9721 239.2162

CBN Exchange rate as at 30/10/2012

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Over N1trn pension fund invested in govt securities —PenCom

By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

VER N1.74 trillion pen sion funds has been invested by operators in Federal Government securities the National Pension Commission, PenCom has said.

Head, Research and Corporate Strategy, PenCom, Dr. Farouk Aminu, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the amount represents over 61 per cent of the N2.9 trillion so far contributed by workers.

He noted that over N370 billion (13 per cent) has been

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invested in money market, while N335 billion (12 per cent) was invested in ordinary share and real estate got N167.89 billion (six per cent).

Aminu said state government securities got N109.24 (four per cent), corporate debt security got N72.10 billion (two per cent), unquoted securities N24.67 billion (one per cent) and other investment portfolio N23.49 billion (one per cent).

He noted that the regulation on investment of pension fund assets was revised to expand

the allowable investment outlets to include alternative asset classes such as private equity funds, infrastructure financing (Debt instruments and funds), supranational bonds, amongst others.

He said the commission would continue to review investment regulations, adding that multiple funds would be established and ethical fund introduced. He noted that guidelines on offshore investment being worked out to encourage operators explore foreign investment windows.

From left: Mrs Gloria Young , guest; Mr. Alex Goma, Managing Director, Family Care PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc and Mr. Edward Bamidele, Customer Marketing Director at the unveiling of the New Morning Fresh with the Zest Lemon variant, in Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe.

Guinness outlook positive despite fall in PAT — MD

BY LAZARUS ABUCHI

IBE-

HE management of Guinness Nigeria Plc said that not withstanding a decline in profit after tax, PAT, in its 2012 full financial year, the company’s outlook remains very positive.

In a press briefing heralding its forthcoming Annual General Meeting slated for Friday, the company said it could have achieved a better performance if it had the same enabling capacity in its second half financial period compared to its second half period.

The company’s revenue grew by 2.1 per cent to N126.288 billion in 2012 from N123.663 billion in its 2011 financial year; while its profit after tax fell by 18 per cent to N14.671 billion in 2012 compared to N17.928 billion in the previous year.

Mr. Seni Adetu, Managing

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Director of the company, said that the on-going N52 billion expansion projects would assist in materially improving the company’s capacity.

He said, “While the result we just announce suggest a decline, we believe so much in our business strategies and we will ensure a competitive root to market, ensure a right talent in place, and embedding the right controls and compliance in the market. We believe that all of these together will position us to win year in year out. We are very confident in our business model.

“On the N52 billion expansions we announced two years ago, we are half way into completion which will materially improve our capacity. A lot of that will go into plant expansion and improving packaging capacity. In the end, we will have between fifty-six to sixty per cent expansion compared to what we have today.”

“We believe we could have done better if we had the ca-

pacity in the first half of the year. In the second half of our financial year, the economy slowed down. Obviously, the fuel subsidy struggle paralyzed the economy for about two weeks, and our business is a business of daily consumption. So, it negatively impacted on performance of our financial year.

On capacity building, Mr. Seni said the company experienced capacity shortfall in the first half of the year.

“We were stripping down some few things in the 1st half to continue the investment we announced two years ago. You would recall we invested N52 billion two years ago in capacity building. The capacity building started in the 1st half of the last financial year; that means we have to strip down on few things to work on the expansion. So, in the context of that, it is a nice performance.

“Ours is a business which fundamental is very strong.

The outlook for Guinness Nigeria Plc is very positive.”

FCMB records N12.1bn profit in Q3 IRST City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc has recorded a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of N12.1 billion in its unaudited International Financial Reporting Standard-compliant group financial results for the nine-months ended September 30, 2012.

The bank, also announced the completion of its merger with FinBank, a wholly owned subsidiary it acquired on February 9, 2012.

According to a press statement from the bank, the unaudited Group results for the nine-months showed steady improvement in year-on-year performance of the bank. The Bank’s profit before tax went up by 23 per cent to N12.1 billion, with annualized Return on Equity (ROE) also rising by 45 per cent in September 2012 to 11.0 per cent from 7.6 per cent for the corresponding period of 2011. This was enabled by the improved balance sheet leverage.

The Group Net Revenues for the same period went up by 36 per cent (year-on-year) to close at N34.5 billion while net revenue grew by 11 per cent (quarter-on-quarter) coming from better margins that saw net interest income rising by 13 percent in the third quarter 2012. Non- interest revenue stood at N6.6 billion indicating an eight percent growth.

The Group’s operational expenses (year-on-year) went up by 60 per cent. The growth in operating expenses, according to the bank was due to the consolidation of FinBank numbers for the first time in 2012 though it witnessed a decline by seven percent (quarter-to-quarter) coming primarily from the realization of cost savings from the premerger rationalization exercise conducted in the first half of the year.

The bank also recorded loan loss provisions of N1.3billion in the third quarter period against the write-back of N0.8billion it recorded in the second quarter. This, it said came from a recovery of previously-provisioned assets from both FinBank and FCMB.On the balance sheet side, the bank’s capital adequacy and liquidity ratios remain strong in spite of risk asset growth at 22 per cent and 56 percent respectively. Low cost deposit mix was 58 percent, representing an improvement of four percent (year-on-year) and 14 percent (quarter-on-quarter).

The growing liquidity of the bank was evidenced by the 14 per cent (quarter-on-quarter) growth in balances with other banks to N126.4 billion. Net interest margin also improved to 7.6 percent in third quarter from 6.8 percent in the corresponding period, enabled by a better deposit mix and continued growth in retail loans.

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Unity Bank rewards PH customers

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

S part of efforts to further encourage the culture of sav ings, Unity Bank Plc has rewarded its customers in the South, Port Harcourt in Rivers State.

The bank rewarded its customers during the third zonal draw of its “Aim, Save and Win” promotion.

Coordinator of the Unity Bank promo and host of the event, Mr. Dominic Chukwurah beckoned on the un-banked and those willing to participate in the draw, without a Unity Bank account, to go ahead and keep saving hence they stand a chance of winning in the soon coming National Draw.

Chukwurah commended the customers, saying, “The Aim, Save and Win Promo which started on the 22nd March 2012, had so far given out over three hundred gifts at the first zonal draw, first national draw, second zonal draw, second national draw, which took place in Lagos, final zonal draw and the final national draw will be giving out three brand new cars to three lucky winners, one million naira to five kids and many other consolation prizes.”

Earlier in her welcome address, Zonal Director of Unity Bank, South Region, Pat Iwaiwu explained that the promo is an opportunity for the bank to show appreciation to its numerous customers, pointing out that it is not a gambling affair but to appreciate and reward customers.

The promo divided into two categories A and B, category A for those who have saved N5, 000 for forty-five days, comprising of a star prize of an LCD 32 inches TV, two generators for first and second runner ups, three bicycles for third, fourth and fifth runner ups, and ten mobile phones for sixth to fifteenth runner ups.

The second category B was for those who have saved N75000 for forty-five days. It comprised of a star prize of a motor-cycle, two generators, three refrigerators and ten mobile phones.

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—23

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya ISPON NATIONAL SOFTWARE CONFERENCE & COMPETITION:

DIARY Select ICT events LTE North America 2012. Holds 14-15 November 2012 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

From left: Dr Chris Uwajem, ISPON President; CEO, Main One, Ms Funke Opeke; NCS President, Sir Demola Aladekomo; Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke; NITDA boss, Prof.

Cleopas Angaye; ComTech Minister, Mrs Omobola Johnson, and former EVC of NCC and Chairman of Openmedia Group, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, and others at ISPON's National Software Conference & Exhibition at Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar, Cross River State. Cross River State Government is host and sponsor of the software event. Photo: Emeka Aginam.

Advancing Innovation & Profitability for a Digital Africa. Holds 14 15 November 2012 @ CTICC Cape Town, South Africa.

AfricaCom 2012.

Holds 14-15 Nov 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Opportunities in the Evolving Cloud Dynamics. Holds 4-5 December 2012 @ Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE. Digital TV Summit 2012. Holds 4th – 5th December 2012 in London UK.

C L O U D C O M P U T I N G:

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Preview New inventions shaping life and living

Kinetic charger turns motion to power

Worry over data security, infrastructure at ISPON meet

BY EMEKA AGINAM

NLESS issues around data se curity, infrastructure, jurisdiction and legislation, compliance, ownership of data, among others were resolved urgently, Nigeria’s quest for the adoption of cloud computing in the 21st century knowledge society may remain fjust that — a quest.

These were the fears expressed by participants at the just concluded Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, (ISPON) national conference and competition held at Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar, Cross R Major concerns of the stakeholders was who owns the data in the cloud, even as policy implications of the new technology may appear

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The Kinetic Charger turns mechanical movement into electricity, letting you power your phone by taking a walk.

Designed by Toby Blake, the concept device features a microfluidic device that moves nano-droplets of liquid through channels embedded in a thin film, which produces an electric current. It clips to a belt or pocket where it harnesses the motion of the wearer to generate and store up to 4 watts of energy, and connecting the devices together will increase the charging capacity.

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Back to policing Nigeria with ICT

endless but given the potential impact of cloud computing, these questions, according to the participants will not remain unanswered. The question, according to the participants is when and how.

Although cloud computing offers enormous storage with improved scala-

bility and elasticity with much cheaper solutions to deploy IT services, speaker after speaker during panel session at the event with the theme, ‘the cloud and future of software Nigeria’ that attracted capacity audience especially from the student community noted that the country must be well prepared before adopting the new technology which is

The cloud economy is fast becoming a reality and future generations will experience its awesome power when the emerging design and architecture of our planetary digital spider-wed is complete

Microsoft joins hardware biz with Surface tablet

becoming the toast of IT community.

ISPON President, Chris Uwaje, earlier in his welcome address told the gathering cloud computing was here even with many challenges.

Cloud as battle field The solution distributed on the internet, according to Uwaje may be the beginning of the great shape of things to come and indeed the basis of the very interactive web 2.0. According to him, as these tools become more powerful, they were playing an increasingly important role in our lives.

This he said, makes the cloud perhaps the most critical knowledge battle field and survivability strategy for mankind in the 21st century.

“The cloud economy is fast becoming a reality and future generations

Symantec warns of growing cyber threats in Nigeria

will experience its awesome power when the emerging design and architecture of our planetary digital spider-wed is complete. And by extension, the interfacing links to universal intercloud of planetary information system activated and put in motion. It is something we must embrace as time is running out,” he said.

In his remarks, Governor of Cross River State, Senator, Liyel Imoke restated his commitment to building capacity for students, adding that adequate regulatory framework must be put in place to ensure safe adoption of the new technology. According to Imoke who assured that the state will host the software competition for five years running, regulatory frame Continues on page 26

NITDA says YES to Youth ICT empowerment

24—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 ICROSOFT will be releasing its own tablet computer for the first time when the new version of Windows comes out Friday, as the software company tries to challenge Apple Inc. and its dominant iPad. The initial version of Surface will run a modified version of Windows 8 called RT. That means Surface won't run standard Windows programs, only apps designed for it and obtained through Microsoft's new online store.

The device will start at $499, the same as the most recent, full-sized iPads. The display is 10.6 inches diagonally, slightly larger than the iPad's.

The Surface goes on sale Friday. The only place to get them is at Microsoft's retail stores and its website. The earliest shipment for new online orders is now one to two weeks away.

A Surface with Windows 8 Pro and the ability to run regular Windows programs will come a few months later. Microsoft hasn't disclosed the price.

At the launch event last Thursday, Microsoft described Surface as an extension of Windows, though the company noted that it's about extending other Microsoft products, too. Panos Panay, general manager of the Surface team, demonstrated watching movies and listening to music on the Surface. He also streamed audio and video from the Surface to a nearby Xbox.

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Back to policing Nigeria with ICT ARLY this year, a area for transport to the change was ef event centre, I picked a fected in the lead- copy of Gulf News, one of ership of the Nigeria Po- the few English language lice Force; Alhaji Hafiz newspapers the hotel had Ringim stepped aside for for its guests, and browsAlhaji M.D. Abubakar. In ing through, my eyes fell this column, I welcomed on a headline: Dubai Pothe new IG and indeed lice launch new app to commended a paradigm report crime.

I settled down to read, shift in policing to him, which the opportunity of and here is an extract from his ascension afforded the story: “ ‘Al Ameen service of then. In a two-part column police has headlined ICT Challeng- Dubai es for new IGP, I wrote, launched on Monday a new smartphone applicainter alia: “Cyber Platform salutes tion that allows residents and welcomes IGP MD to report cases that can Abubakar to the onerous threaten the safety and task of policing Nigeria security of the society and with all its complexities the country and also to make queries and espeon police recially, related issues. cent chalIf we have “ ‘The free lenges. app will allow H o w e v e r, ICT services users to conour people units in our tact Al say new Police comAmeen servbrooms s w e e p mands, regular ice who will deal with clean, more public comthan their policing will plaints, make worn pred- become easier, queries, reecessors. port criminal MD’s as- and the Comcases and cension af- munity Policaccess differfords the ent services chance for ing project of of Al Ameen. a new the NPF will “ ‘We are breath of encouraging fresh air re- succeed faster public to comgarding municate management of security opera- with our service, Al Ameen to report serious tions.

The fresh air I am writ- cases that could affect the ing about has to do with security of the country,” massive infusion of ICT Brigadier Mohammad into Police operations in Saeed Bakhit, Director of Nigeria, and MD can use Electronic Services Dethe opportunity of his fresh partment at Dubai ascension to bring about Police,told Gulf News.....”

That is what brought me a paradigm shift that will effectively bring Nigeria back to the issue of ICT Police into the 21st centu- in policing. If we have ICT services units in our ry.”

Not being privy too the Police commands, regular inner workings of the Po- policing will become easlice but its external mani- ier, and the Community festations, I must say that Policing project of the NPF after eight months in of- will succeed faster. These fice, I am yet to see signs days, more people are that ICT will be infused using smart phones and into Police operations in as they move about, can the near future, but I stand use their devices to report what they see as abnorto be corrected I am forced to return to mal in civilized societies. this issue because of what I will not bother to report I saw in an emerging mar- what I saw of how the ket like ours, but one that Dubai Police do their is far more realistic in its work; evidence is in the developmental efforts. ability of people to move Mid month, from October about at any hour of day 14-18, the International or night. People who have Telecommunications Un- been to Dubai will agree ion (ITU) convened the it has a robust, boisterous ITU Telecom World in Du- night life, something that bai, United Arab Emir- is almost extinguished ates. I was a media dele- here. Nigeria is ours, let’s do all we can to make it gate to the event.

Monday morning, as I secure as we seek foreign waited in the lobby of my investors to help us dehotel in the Bur Dubai velop.

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Microsoft joins hardware biz with Surface tablet

Mike Angiulo, Corporate Vice President of the Planning and PC Ecosystem team at Microsoft, displays the Surface tablet computer, and detachable keyboard, at the launch of Microsoft Windows 8, in New York last Thursday. With Angiulo is Microsoft Vice President Julie Larson-Green. AP Photo.

In a gimmick to demonstrate the tablet's durability, Panay dropped the device from shoulder height to the stage to show how tough its glass and magnesium case was.

He also displayed a photo of Windows chief Steven Sinofsky standing on a Surface outfitted with wheels to make a skateboard.

The Surface has a kickstand and its back camera is angled in such a way that when it's leaning on

the stand, it shoots straight out, not toward the table.

The cover for the Surface costs $100 extra for the basic, $499 device. It comes free with the $699 version. On the inside of the cover are printed "keys" for typing. Panay noted that the cover is pressure-sensing, so if you just rest your hands on it, it's not going to start erratically typing.

The cover also folds back and can act as a support

for the device's kickstand if you're placing it on your lap, although using it this way appeared to make it difficult to type.

As previously disclosed, the Surface will come with fully functioning versions of Office 2013 software for word processing, spreadsheets and other business tasks. Other tablets running Windows RT, the lightweight version of the operating system, will also come with a version of Office for free. — AP

Howzit MSN, Ad Dynamo partner for low cost ads

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

N African web por tal, Howzit MSN is partnering with Ad Dynamo, a South African adserving firm to help monetize the growing web traffic in Nigeria.

The company said the partnership is aiming to sell premium advertising inventory that reaches Howzit MSN users in Nigeria and to brands looking to address the country’s dynamic and fast growing consumer market.

Speaking at the official launch of the solution, the General Manager, Howzit MSN, Mr. Marcus Stephens, said since launching a dedicated African channel at the beginning of the year, the portal has amassed more than 1million unique users and northwards of 18mllion page views across the continent outside of South Africa. A substantial portion of the user base comes from Nigeria with a healthy portion from Kenya.

“Since launching our

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From left, Nicole Harding, Sean Riley, and Wayne Olwagen, all of Ad Dynamo during the event.

African channel, we have found a thirst for local content among users in East and West Africa, as well as other parts of the continent. As pleased as we are with the first year’s growth, we are only just getting started.

“With 46 million internet users in Nigeria and 10 million in Kenya – numbers that are growing all the time – there is huge potential to expand in Africa and to provide a platform for brands that want to market their products and services to the continent's fast-growing mid-

dle-class. We are looking forward to growing this footprint with Ad Dynamo in the months to come, he said.”

Also speaking, the Global Business Development Manager of the company, Nicole Harding, said that Ad Dynamo has been expanding globally, with offices in South Africa, Nigeria, UK, Netherlands and Brazil, and is partnering with MSN to be its premium sales hub in Nigeria, adding Ad Dynamo uses its contextual advertising platform serving more

than a billion ads per month across over 28 websites – to target users with display advertising that benefits brands, with profit ranging from exposure to relevant African, Nigerian and MSN content portal which include a transparent, cost effective and measurable way of reaching the market.

Howzit MSN is owned

by Kagiso New Media, one of South Africa's largest web portals and the official South African partner for Microsoft's MSN. According to Harding the brand is aiming to quickly establish itself with presence in the African digital publishing space and now reaches English-speaking readers and advertisers across the continent.

With this solution, Hardling said Microsoft is redirecting African traffic from its global MSN property to the Howzit MSN African channel which allows users to find localised content in business, news, travel, lifestyle and technology.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 25

Symantec warns of growing cyber threats in Nigeria …. Charges businesses on modernised data protection STORIES BY PRINCE OSUAGWU S a growing and vibrant economy, Nigeria is on the spotlight in the world market.

This also makes businesses from the country primary targets for both supports and collaborations.

However, these do not come without a price, as Symantec’s regional director for Africa, Mr Gordon Love, at the weekend warned Nigeria businesses to adopt strict security measures and best practices or face the consequences of vulnerability to cyber attacks.

Love who visited the country weekend and interacted with major Nigerian ICT media professionals said that Nigerian businesses are on the radar of cyber criminals due to the fast pace the Nigerian economy is growing.

He warned that the alarming rate with which malicious cyber attacks are increasing and the sophistication the attackers are giving to their trade, any company that compromises on security will face dare consequences.

According to him, “between 2010 and 2011, the number of malicious attacks increased with about 81 percent and alarmingly, it is becoming very advanced in style. In the last twelve months, over 20 million threats were released and the more these are released, the more vulnerable, systems become worldwide.

“Credit card information in most developed economies are sold cheaper than a bottle of soft drink, meaning that attack on personal information is becoming as easy as anything. But the real danger, however, is that cyber attack is fast approaching the espionage era. Attackers are devising means of getting information and escaping without anybody noticing their actions. So for growing economies like Nigeria, security should be a priority” he added.

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Best practice

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owever, Love pointed the way

out for any serious business. He advised that businesses must always strive to create an Internal Corporate Security Task Team to work with a trusted security vendor to mobilize a team of security specialists and perform a detailed analysis of the current risk. *Review security oper-

ations process and infrastructure, and design and implement an industry compliant Security Operation Center. *Integrate a breach prevention and response plan into the day-to-day operations of the security team. Run Vulnerability and Malicious Activity Assessments in addi-

tion to penetration tests to determine current weakness for external and internal exposure. *Procure products and services for all required software and infrastructure to implement critical recommendations and deploy optimized protection to secure all business environments.

From left: The Symantec Territory Manager for Ocean Islands, West, East & Central Africa, Mr. Sheldon Hand; the Symantec Regional Director for Africa, Mr. Gordon Love and the Symantec Territory Manager for West Africa, Mr. Oseme Osobase during the Symantec Breakfast Media Roundtable at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

TN has struck a deal with Microsoft to become one of the key providers of top range phones powered by its windows 8 operating system in Africa.

By that alliance, MTN will deliver Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 devices to its customers in South Africa in November and Nigeria, Ghana in December.

This will give its subscribers in these countries the opportunity to be among the first users in the world to experience the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 operating systems. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 provide users with a unified experience across the PC, phone and tablet. CEO, MTN Nigeria, Mr Brett Goschen, said the launch of the operating systems in MTN markets is integral to MTN’s aim to offer customers a rich and dynamic digital services user experience.

He said: “MTN is particularly excited about the alliance with Microsoft as it ties in perfectly with our customer-centricity approach. Our customers have become

*Implement a Managed Security Service (MSS), supplemented by senior resident resources. Part of the MSS will be the implementation of a 24/7 global intelligence monitoring service. *Ensure infrastructure security across all endpoints including mobile devices, ensure security products are up to date and avoid pirated software. *Have a disaster recovery plan in place; it is important to have data backed up, encrypted and secure. *Protect and educate users with identity and access control, two-factor authentication and conduct security awareness training.

Backup appliances for Nigeria

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ove also announced that his company has decided to release its new backup appliances -

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MTN strikes Microsoft Windows Phone devices deal in Nigeria, other African markets dynamic consumers of digital services and want immediacy. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 allow us to offer them just that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Senior Director,

Operator Channels, for Middle East and Africa Oran Dror, said that “Microsoft is delighted to collaborate with MTN to make Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 available in Africa. With Windows

8 and Windows Phone 8, MTN customers will have a fast and fluid experience that comes to life with exciting hardware and applications and interoperability with the cloud.”

From left: Omotayo Ojutalayo, Senior Regional Manager, MTN, presenting a prize to Akiti Charles, one of the lucky winners of MTN SME Bonanza and Sharafadeen Mohammed, Manager SME Segment, MTN at the prize presentation to winners of MTN SME Bonanza.

NetBackup 5220 and Backup Exec 3600 to Nigeria to help businesses stay afloat and healthy.

These backup appliances will help midsized and large enterprise organizations, remote offices and data centers to modernise their backup infrastructures and accelerate new initiatives around virtualisation with greater ease and reliability. Touted with easy deployment of just about few minutes, Symantec appliances enables organisations to protect information, in physical or virtual environments, and to de-duplicate data across the board to improve efficiency while reducing costs.

According to Love, “for the first time in Nigeria, Symantec will be offering an all-in-one, scalable backup appliance for midsized to enterprise organizations. These innovative solutions include Symantec’s content-aware deduplication, which can decrease backup storage up to 50 times and bandwidth consumption up to 99 percent, eliminating backup window problems and enabling cost-effective replication of data to other sites for business continuity.”

For many customers, the challenges with protecting virtual and physical servers have been heightened by the proliferation of different backup solutions in a single environment and the integration problems between the hardware and software. Symantec’s backup appliances deliver an end-to-end integrated backup device for servers, storage, and software.

“While many solutions require the IT team to integrate multiple solutions for tape, disk, dedupe, physical, virtual snapshots and backup, Symantec appliances are typically installed in less than 30 minutes and deliver integrated hardware, software and dedupe storage, providing customers with simplicity and performance from one vendor. Appliances offer a modern approach to backup,” continued Love.

26 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 31, 2012

Worry over data security, infrastructure, at ISPON meet Continues from Page 23

NITDA says YES to Youth ICT empowerment Stories by PRINCE OSUAGWU VER TIME, the criticism of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has been that as an agency of government empowered in 2007 to develop parameters for ICT growth in Nigeria, it has been lacking on the duty.

The agency’s Director General, Prof Cleopas Angaye, has always tried to fault these criticisms with the explanation that the agency was rolling out different development programmes tailored at not only boosting the Nigerian economy but also enhancing the use of ICT for positive changes in the society, without making so much noise about them.

Last week, however, the agency took its development projects to the youth, rolling out a youth development programme tagged ICT Youth Empowerment Scheme, YES. The ICT youth sensitization programme is aimed at sensitizing Nigerian youths on ICT career opportunities as well as developing ICT human capital and entrepreneurship skill among youths.

The programme has the objectives of exposing Nigerian youths to employment and economic opportunities in formal and informal jobs while catering for global and local demand; developing globally competitive youth population through human capital development in niche area of ICT; break barriers to human knowledge and socio-economic development; creating high potential for entrepreneurship; empowering best students during the training programme by providing them with tools to practice what they have been trained and supporting the growth of indigenous ICT industry to facilitate the production, and distribution of IT products, goods and services in all the sectors of the economy.

The training which was flagged off simultaneously at the Digital Bridge Institute in Abuja and Lagos penulti-

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mate Monday has over 200 participants shared equally between the two centers Abuja and Lagos.

NITDA targets to create about 3,700 jobs every year from the programme, even as it plans to replicate the training in the six geo-political zones of the country after this pilot phase.

At the end of the training programme, about 30 trainees who performed excellently would be empowered with seed money and some digital equipment to start their own entrepreneurship.

NITDA says the idea behind the training was to disabuse the mind of Nigerian youths that the only way to survive was to take up paid employment. According to the agency, in other climes, wealth is created by people who take their destiny in their own hands and those who move from conceptualisation to execution of their heart desires. The YES programme was to create that concept and as we’ll the platform to execute it.

Declaring the training open, Angaye, who was represented by his Executive Director, Dr Emeka Ezekwesili, said that

*Angaye: DG NITDA the deployment of the best ICT infrastructures in any society does not necessarily or automatically translate to achievement of the desired result without adequately equipping the Nigerian youths who constitute the largest percentage of our population on the use of technologies For him, “it has therefore become highly imperative to fully integrate ICT in our educational system in order to empower them for the chal-

lenges of the global information’ society driven by technologies. It is expected that knowledge management in the country will lead to an environment where knowledge creation is encouraged, nurtured, rewarded and exploited in order to achieve youth empowerment, value reorientation, employment generation, wealth creation and improvement in the sub-region’s economic indicators”.

ICT stakeholders to discuss NigComSat bill in Lagos are stakeholders from

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Y the first week of November, 2012, stakeholders in the Nigerian ICT sector would gather in Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, to brainstorm on the NigComSat Bill now before the National Assembly.

The one day forum slated for November 8, is at the auspices of the ICT Publishers Alliance – a group made up of foremost Nigerian ICT trade journal publishers.

The forum is designed to create awareness on the Bill among all stakeholders and the general public with a view to raising public awareness on the formation of the law on NigComSat as conceived by the Bill.

The Bill which seeks to establish NigComSat as a Corporation has been received by the House of Representatives as at March 2012. The Bill is now set for deliberation

at the Senate before it will eventually be sent to the President for assent.

If the bill eventually becomes an Act, all assets and liabilities of Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) will be inherited by the new corporation.

NigComSat Limited is a government owned company with the mandate to launch and manage Nigerian Communication Satellites. The company already has a Communication Satellite, NigComSat 1R in orbit and plans to launch two other Satellites, NigComSat 2 and 3.

NigComSat 1R is Africa’s first communication satellite in space with footprints over the entire continent. It is designed to provide backbone connectivity bandwidth for Nigeria and African countries.

Expected at the Forum

the private and public sectors of the economy including heads of MDAs, CEOs of ICT companies, telecom analysts, lawyers, the media, trade industry associations and members of the academic community.

work must meet international standards so as to protect security of data.

He said that Cross River was determined to be the ICT hub of Nigeria, adding that necessary infrastructures were being put in place to make this work. According to him, his government is committed to building a credible and sustainable framework for software development in Nigeria.

Challenges Acknowledging that the conference will help to discover local software talents among the students, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson in her address during the event said that the Nigerian software industry has grown over the years to produce local and regional brands like HumanManager, Xceed, Progenis and Symbols among others.

She was optimistic that with proper legislation, infrastructure among others, Nigeria will join the rest of other economies to reap the benefits of cloud computing but added that there should be IT governance model to ensure a secured computing environment.

Jurisdiction and regulation For the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA), Professor Cleopas Angaye, cloud computing could not have come at a better time than now when the Nigerian ICT sector is growing at a rate of 30% but noted that since the technology transcends location of both processing and storage, many questions abound on where the boundary is between cloud and users and how do we regulate. According to the NITDA boss, cloud privacy and security law must be put in place, otherwise user data

*Ahmed Rufai: MD, NigComSat

may fall into hands of their enemies. He told the gathering that the technology is good for Nigeria just like other countries are adopting it but expressed concerns over the dangers associated with it.

Ownership of data The cloud model, according to Angaye, has been criticized by some privacy advocate companies hosting the cloud services control.

“Instances such as secret NASA program working with AT&T and which recorded over 10 million phone calls between American citizens, causes uncertainty among privacy advocates and the greater powers it gives to telecommunication companies to monitor user security” he said, adding that using a cloud service prover can complicate virtualization for cloud processing and cloud storage used to implement.

Compliance: In order to comply with regulations, Angaye further informed that cloud computing users may have to adopt community or hybrid deployment models that were typically more expensive and may offer more restricted benefits.

Infrastructure: While students at the conference raised issue of lack of internet facilities at their campuses, the Chairman of the panel session, Dr Ernest Ndukwe who is also the Nigeria software ambassador raised alarm saying that there was need for every Nigerian institution of higher learning to have broadband infrastructure for a better cloud computing environment.

According to Ndukwe, the future of cloud computing lies with the younger generations, whom he believed are the leaders of tomorrow.

Noting that that the technology represents a breakthrough development strategies which has the potential of revolution, Ndukwe who is passionate about youth empowerment told the gathering cloud computing must start with the student community. Any government that fails to make broadband access as a priority may not survive the knowledge economy, he added.

According to Ndukwe, the cloud environment can only be sustained if broadband internet facilities were deployed across the country especially, in the institutions of higher learning.

As the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on broadband, he assured that Nigeria will overcome the challenges associated with broadband.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 27

Opeke emerges CNBC Africa Businesswoman of the year

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

EO of Main One Cable Company, Ms. Funke Opeke, has been adjudged the 2012 CNBC All Africa Businesswoman of the Year Award (AABLA) winner.

Opeke received the award amid thunderous ovation at a ceremony that held at the Vodadome in Midrand, South Africa at the weekend.

The event in South Africa was the grand finale of the annual award, which features regional winners across Africa who had been previously se-

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lected. The AABLA is an initiative of CNBC Africa which serves as a platform to discover business leaders that are creating a culture of entrepreneurship, developing best practices and carving powerful and sustainable business models in the African and global economy.

Ms. Opeke was the only Nigerian winner on the night as she edged out Jeniffer Barassa, CEO of Top Image Ltd, Kenya for the coveted award.

Speaking on the award, she described the recog-

nition as a reflection of the pioneering work that Main One has done towards transforming the Nigerian and African broadband landscape since it commenced operations.

According to her, “Main One Cable company was founded five years ago with a passion to bridge the digital divide by improving Internet access and reducing cost in West Africa, especially for young people. Since our cable was launched in 2010, we have started making tremendous im-

sure it will make for a better tomorrow’, she noted.

She however dedicated the award to her shareholders, particularly the seed investors in the development company, Main Street Technologies, whom she described as writing the cheques when the company had nothing.

NCC: A whistle blower puts the system in peril pact on businesses and communications in Nigeria, Ghana and other markets. However, we are not there yet and we will keep working towards realizing our vision of a betterconnected Africa. We are

BY ZOGBOBIA NATHANIEL

ARLY this month, tales shot up in the media about the regulator of the telecommunications sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, alleging corruption in the sales of frequency. Pursuing the angle of corruption further, the tale bearers told of a waiver given by President Goodluck Jonathan to an organization where the man at the head of the regulatory commission, Dr Eugene Juwah once had interest, but not failing to add however, that the President had no powers to give such waivers as the money which should have been paid into the Federation account could only be approved for withdrawal by the National Assembly.

The regulator, unable to persuade the tale bearers to reflect its point of view, had to publish advertorials in several dailies, explaining point by point the various steps that went into awarding the contentious frequency band. When the anarchy expected to befall the regulator did not happen the real tale-teller unmasked himself in several newspapers and some online publications. hat is very dis cernible in the interview and in the several publications is the attitude of an individual player on the prowl, disdaining the ability of others and the institution and arrogating every speck of achievement of an organization to his own self, who is very self-righteous and clothed away in white, far from the mire of others reeking with maggots. This individual knows the Nigerian story and the kind of insalubrious tale that would fascinate the people. Sampler: Efforts by the federal government to rein in the activities of the Boko Haram sect and curtail other crimes across the country have been thwarted because the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has sold the frequency spectrum belonging to the Nigeria Police Force to a private compa-

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CNBC Africa, organisers of the award congratulated Opeke and other award winners, saying that it was important to recognise business leaders across Africa who are making giant strides in their respective areas towards achieving economic development and empowerment of Africa.

ny, Open Skys Ltd…..

Getting tangled in some very technical issues which it least understood but fueled by fraudulent submissions from the tale teller, the media alleged NCC was under-valuing the band and giving it out cheaply because the regulator failed to do an auction which would have attracted higher prices.

Finally responding in advertorials, the regulator explained that there was no cast-iron method of carrying out frequency sales, explaining that several methods are available — First Come First Served, Auction, Beauty Contest/Comparative, Administrative/Fixed Price, or a combination of two or some of the above.

In one of the tale teller’s concoctions concerning the ITU, he said it is unfortunate that he was being persecuted for bringing benefits to Nigeria — adding he was able to deliver results for Nigeria which has not been matched by anyone in the 145-year history of the ITU. He further said that his interventions have resulted in Nigeria getting spectrum that should generate billions of dollars in revenue (part of which is now being sold at ridiculous prices). He capped it by saying he worked to ensure that Nigerians were elected to ITU positions that we merit as a country. his is the hubris of a tale teller who is ready to pull everybody down, including institutions only if his name can be glorified. Even if he were superhuman he should give little credit to the institution that sends him out and the individuals that make up his team. Pray, what is the connection between the ITU and the Ministry of Communication Technology because this writer is knowledgeable enough to know that the ITU recognizes ministries and not regulators and that in fact countries are represented by teams which include and headed by the Communication Ministry, government agencies, and in the Nigerian situation, the NCC, NBC, National Continues on Page 30

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28— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Mikel vs Clattenburg:

Ramires ready to testify C

helsea midfielder, Ramires will be the key witness in the John Obi Mikel and referee Mark Clattenburg racial abuse saga, currently rocking the English premier league.

Ramires and fellow Brazilian Luiz were said to have heard Clattenburg call Mikel “Monkey” after the Nigerian star confronted him on the sending of Fernando Torres in the vexed match between Chelsea and Manchester United at the Stamford Bridge.

According to reports Mikel had confronted the referee who booked him for dissent.

Ramires and Liuz heard him call Mikel “Monkey”. Mikel who did not hear the referee make the remark, was later told about the racial slur by Clattenburg and Mikel reported the matter to Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo.

After the final whistle

Falcao doubts future at A. Marid R

adamel Falcao’s future at Atletico Madrid depends on factors outside his control, the in-form Colombia striker said in a Spanish television interview on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old is one of the hottest properties in European football and has made a prolific start to the season scoring in 11 consecutive matches for club and country helping unbeaten Atletico to join Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow.” Falcao, who is nicknamed ‘el tigre’ (the tiger), said when asked what he was going to do at the end of the season.

“I am happy here and enjoying things at present. I am not thinking about leaving, only in playing this season and I hope everything goes well.”

Falcao, who was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday, has put himself on the radar of many of Europe’s top clubs after scoring a brace when Atletico won the Europa League final in May. C M Y K

He also netted a hat-trick in their victory over Chelsea in the European Super Cup back in August.

“The club has needs and it depends on certain results,” he said. “There are many factors. The economy of the club, entering the Champions League.

“Later, Atletico and the

responsible people will decide what to do with my future.

Many times the players are the last to know.”

Atletico finished fifth in Spain last season to re-enter the Europa League, but currently lie second in the standings behind Barca on goal difference with 25 points from nine games.

Clattenburg and his assistants were confronted in the officials’ dressing room by a Chelsea delegation of chief executive Ron Gourlay, Di Matteo, his assistant Eddie Newton and Mikel and matters quickly became heated.

It was gathered that Chelsea apparently thought long and hard before making their allegations.

“It is understood that several senior players initially felt uncomfortable about the club making such a serious allegation, repeatedly asking Mikel if he was sure that Clattenburg had used the word he thought he had

heard, and even questioning whether their team-mate could understand the referee’s Durham accent.

“Mikel’s conviction and the strength of feeling among his team-mates won the day, however, leading Chelsea to conclude that they had no choice but to make a formal complaint.”

The referee, his assistants and fourth official are understood to have been stunned by the claims, with Michael McDonough, Simon Long and Michael Jones denying hearing anything of that nature over the officials’ microphone link-up.

...Police step into investigation

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ondon’s Metropolitan Police said yesterday they were investigating alleged racist comments made by the referee during last weekend’s Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Scotland Yard said they were looking into the allegations against Mark Clattenburg, who refereed Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge in west London. Visitors United won 3-2, with Chelsea having two players sent off.

“An investigation has been launched into alleged comments made during a football match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC at Stamford Bridge,” a police statement read.

Officers from the local borough were in touch with Chelsea and the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in England, it said, adding that neither party had made a complaint.

Scotland Yard said they were working with the Blues and the FA “in order to consider any allegation that is made in relation to the reported events”.

Clattenburg is alleged to have used “inappropriate language”, reportedly of a racist nature, towards Chelsea’s Nigeria and Spain midfielders John Mikel Obi and Juan Mata at the west London club’s Stamford Bridge ground on Sunday.

The 37-year-old official, who has vowed to co-operate fully with any probe and reportedly

denies the allegations, has been stood down from matches for a week, pending an FA investigation.

AWC: We won’t with kid gloves F alcons’ coach, Kadiri Ikhana has disclosed that his wards will play weeping girls of group B, Ethiopia with all seriousness as he is determined to seal his place in the final of the African Women Championship happening in Equatorial Guinea.

The Falcons emerged victorious Monday in a hard fought opening game against Cameroon, while Cote ‘d Ivoire battered Ethiopia 5-0. The Super Falcons are currently second placed in the group and Ikhana stated that nothing short of generous win will do for his team.

“We have now seen the competition and we know how tight it is. No

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 29

Messi dismisses PSG link L

ionel Messi has made it clear that he is not interested in joining Paris SaintGermain and says he is happy with life at Barcelona.

The Argentina international stated on Monday that he dreams of staying at the Blaugrana until the end of his career, and not even a lucrative offer from the Ligue 1 giants would tempt him to move on.

“Paris Saint-Germain’s project tempting?

No, no! I have the best teammates in the world at Barcelona. We fight for trophies every season,” Messi was quoted as saying

by France Football.

“Barcelona is a beautiful city and Barca are the club where I was raised. I can honestly not even imagine leaving Barcelona.”

PSG lured players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Gregory van der Wiel to the French capital in the summer transfer window, but Messi is unsure whether the team can compete with the big teams in Europe this term.

“I don’t know whether PSG already have the means to challenge the big teams in the Champions League this season,” he explained.”I think that they can win the Ligue 1 title with all the players who can be decisive. But it takes time to build a team.

He added, “Their situation reminds me a

bit of Manchester City. It’s not easy to build a team when you have players coming from all corners of the world.”

Les Parisiens currently sit atop of the Ligue 1 table and second in their Champions League group.

Efe Ambrose worth every penny, says Celtic coach

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eltic of Scotland coach, Neil Lennon said that Efe Amborse was money well spent as he praised the contributions of the Super Eagles defender to Celtic.

The 25-year-old Ambrose arrived from Israeli side FC Ashdod in August for 800, 000 euros (about N168m) and has immediately made an impact at his new club.

He recently scored his first goal for them in their 5-0 victory at St Mirren. But it’s at the other end of the pitch where he has really shown his quality, most notably starring in their Champions League tie at Barcelona last week.

“We were delighted to get him. As soon as Johan Mjallby and I looked at him we decided to bring him in. At 800,000 Euros or so, it was a no-brainer. Money well spent,” gushed a delighted Lennon.

“Efe has hit the ground running. He is a hungry boy from humble surroundings and is very mature for his age.

Defensively he makes the game look easy. He is a huge asset.”

Chasing Barcelona keeps Real going — Ramos S ergio Ramos insists Real Madrid has not given up

t treat Ethiopia Musa tops award list of junior players — Ikhana A games will be easy and we will approach the game against Ethiopia like we did with Cameroon. We must win that game to book our place in the semifinals,” said the coach.

The Falcons on a waterlogged pitch out played Cameroon, the team that punctuated their long standing tradition of representing Africa at the Olympics. Nigeria opened scoring in the first half through defender, Ohadugha Oyinnyechi. Cameroon drew level from the spot just after the break, before Perpetua Nkwocha rounded off proceedings with a diving header five minutes to full time.

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hmed Musa is up for nomination as one of the best footballing talents in the world under the age of 21 to succeed Mario Gotze - the Borussia Dortmund playmaker.

The CSKA Moscow attacker is on the list for the second consecutive year and his exploits with the Russian team coupled with his goals for the national team would have helped him into the list of the contenders given by Tuttosport.

The winger originally from Kano Pillars has scored goals at whatever club he has joined. He was the leading scorer in the Nigeria Premier

League with 16 goals in 2009, before joining VVV Venlo of the Netherlands where he also excelled scoring 10 goals in 37 matches in two seasons, primarily as a winger before getting his big move to the former UEFA Cup champions.

This season, he has been asked to play further forward after Serge Doumbia picked an injury and has been scoring frequently since.

Musa, 21, is considered as one of Nigeria’s brightest football talents and he is expected to be a part of the Super Eagles that will compete at the next Africa Cup of Nations tournament that is coming up in South

Africa next year.

Other notable nominees are David Alaba of Bayern Munich, Thibaut Courtois from Atletico Madrid, Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan, Stephan El Shaarawy from AC Milan, Christian Eriksen from Ajax, Mario Gotze from Borussia Dortmund, Ola John from Benfica, Iker Muniain from Athletic Bilbao and Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling from Liverpool.

The award will be given out in Turin in December and the winner will be picked by the votes of respected journalists from some of Europe’s most respected newspapers.

on the Liga title just yet, and has made it clear that the club is determined to catch Barcelona.

Los Blancos currently sit fourth in the league table, trailing joint leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by eight points, but Ramos has insisted that the title race is by no means over yet.

“We are motivated by the challenge to catch up with Barcelona. We’re going to fight for the league title right to the end and we expect to be in with a shout,” Ramos was quoted as saying by Marca.

He added, “Right now there are two teams on top of their game, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but if we keep winning our games we’ll put them under a lot of pressure.

30 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 31, 2012

InternetSpeech debuts voice internet browser technology

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

Olufuye seeks enhanced cooperation on internet governance

BY EMEKA AGINAM

HAIRMAN, Africa ICT Alliance, (AfICTA), Dr. Jimson Olufuye at the just concluded United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) open consultation on enhanced cooperation on public policy pertaining to the Internet held in Geneva, Switzerland has said that enhanced cooperation on internet governance would encourage digital inclusion of Nigeria and rest of the African sub-region.

According to the former President of Information Technology Association of Nigeria, (ITAN), enhanced cooperation (EC) was about encouraging, deepening and enriching cooperation and collaboration through dialogue on diverse public policy issues pertaining to the Internet.

Enhanced cooperation With enhanced cooperation, developing economies like Nigeria, he said will be able to climb up the ladder of development through a stable, predictable, secure and sustainable Internet governance made possible by increased North–South, South-South and NorthNorth cooperation in many areas including removal of bottlenecks to access through increased dialogues with all stakeholders on for example IPv6 adoption, encouragement of innovation by promoting reward system, plugging gaps in the security of the Internet through increased Research and Development, enthroning the rule of law on the Internet thereby mitigating increasing crime waves on the Inter-

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Olufuye net through collaborative enforcement and administration of justice, creation of Internet based jobs to tackle massive unemployment in the developingworld through increased adoption of eApplications, eGovernment, eHealth, eBusiness, among others.

According to him, EC

should have ramifications not only at the regional and international level but most importantly at the national level where law and policy issues emanate in tandem with the bottom up, multi-stakeholder approach to Internet Governance.

Mandate He told the gathering

Windows 8 available in 140 countries

BY EMEKA AGINAM

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ICROSOFT has announced the global availability of the next version of its bestselling Windows operating system, Windows 8.

The new solution, Microsoft assured offers customers a no compromise computing solution that best fits their needs, on the device that works for them and with the features they want, Windows 8 is now available for purchase.

Already, Windows 8 starting from the weekend is now available for

consumers in more than 140 markets and 37 languages in two primary versions including Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro, as well as Windows 8 Enterprise for large organizations.

Also available is Windows RT, including Surface for Windows RT. Designed for ARM-based tablets, Windows RT will be available pre-installed on new devices. In addition to the wide range of new Windows devices, existing Windows 7 users can upgrade their devices in more than 140 markets.

that the his submissionsc above were premised on the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Tunis agenda paragraph 34, 35 and 70.

“The WSIS Tunis Agenda directs that the enhanced cooperation process should include participation by relevant international organizations, including inter-governmental, multistakeholder and private-sector led organizations.

“It is the position of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), (the voice of the global ICT industry) that dialogue among all stakeholders takes place continuously to sustain the momentous impact of the Internet on the global economy” he added.

Implementation He said that so far, at least 10 international organizations handling Internet Policy issues have been playing leading roles in demonstrating enhanced cooperation in their operations and policy making as facilitated by the Under-SecretaryGeneral for Economic and Social Affairs and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs through its Division for Public Administration and Development Management The ten organizations he said are not limited to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), ITU, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Council of Europe, Internet Society (ISOC), OECD, UNESCO, WIPO, Number Resource Organization (NRO) and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

NCC: When a whistle blower puts the system in peril Continues from Page 27 Maritime Authority, among others and security agencies? What is the contribution of these other organizations?

An occurence will help shape the portrait of this individual in question, who unilaterally reopened operators illegally using frequencies not allocated to them, and justifying it by saying that NCC took no decision to shut down any company, saying it is the case of a junior staff of the commission going on rampage, shutting down companies without recourse to the provision of the Nigerian C M Y K

Communications Act 2003 and License Conditions, as well as Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Again this character had to step in to save the Commission and Country some embarrassment!

In response to another question about being on the side of mobile operators when they were sanctioned for poor quality of service, this character said he opposed the sanctions against the operators paying a penalty of N1.17bn, because he believed that the way and manner the fines were applied was

not in conformity with the QoS Regulations. This character, the tale teller, doesn’t seem to have any idea what it takes to work in a system where he is not in charge. Even among friends there is seniority, among lawmakers voted into office the same day there is seniority, hence there is the Senate President and the House Speaker, as examples.

In pursuit of ambition, every chief executive has been the foe of this tale teller, but it is time he realized that he still needs more education in democratic processes and col-

lective responsibility. Trying to sell himself as a latter-day telecoms messiah won't wash either, because the real heroes of the country’s telecommunications industry are Nigerian media practitioners who virtually wrote the industry into existence and maintained faith in the system when most people didn’t. They are the real curators of the country’s telecommunications sector, not any tale teller working hard to pull down his own house in a myopic bid to attain heights for which he is just not equipped.

Nathaniel writes from Lagos.

ETERMINED to bridge the digital and language gap in the Nigerian telecom industry, InternetSpeech Inc and Adamu Consulting in collaboration with ICT University of Baton Rouge, Lousiana last week introduced an audio/voice internet phone technology into Nigeria.

Unveiling the technology, Dr. Emdad Khan of InternetSpeech Inc said the technology involves deploying the voice internet technology and service infrastructure to Nigerian consumers, businesses and governments.

On how the web browser phone works, he said ‘‘access is provided via any phone to information on any website, whether or not that site has been voice-enabled.’’

According to him, InternetSpeech uses an intelligent agent that performs key tasks which include automating communication between a telephone and the internet and thereby extracting key information from a web

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page.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Adamu Consulting, Dr. Harouna Adamu described the innovation as a mile stone that will effectively bridge the digital and language divides in Nigeria. ‘’The company focuses in three rapidly growing broadband segments, consumers, businesses and governments. Our strategy is to remain the leader in this rapidly growing voice internet market, provide voice internet infrastructure technology and deploy the technology through channel partners,’’ he added.

The patent Voice Internet technology uses an Intelligent Agent, that performs the task of automating communication between a telephone and the Internet, extracts key information from a web page and excludes nonessential information, interprets the contents of a web page and renders visual website contents to very user friendly, concise, easily navigable and meaningful audio contents.

New Horizons is Microsoft's 2012 Valued Partner

BY EMEKA AGINAM

EW Horizons Ni geria, a franchise of New Horizons Worldwide, the world’s largest independent IT Training organisation with offices in 80 countries and six continents of the world has emerged Microsoft 2012 Valued Partner, putting the organization in the top five per cent of Microsoft’s ecosystem globally.

The Microsoft competency differentiates organizations such as New Horizons in the business world and enables the organization to capitalist on market opportunity with tailored benefits such as eligibility for a direct relationship with Microsoft, customer technical sales and advisory services, and prioritized exposure on the Microsoft customer marketplace.

The MD/CEO of New Horizons, Nigeria, Mr Tim Akano, said this partnership is an added advantage to New Horizons, which is a fast growing organization with strong interest in the growth and development of the information technology and Ebusiness aspect of Nigeria’s economy, as it will increase the Nation’s

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MD/CEO,New Horizons, Nigeria, Mr Tim Akano. opportunity to have more Microsoft Certified Professionals.

Furthermore, he said New Horizons will continually use its unparalleled knowledge gathered in its 30 years of operations in 80 Countries and six continents of the world to ensure the best IT and E-business trainings for Nigerians.

New Horizons Nigeria empowers about 50,000 Nigerians yearly in Universities, Schools, Military, and Corporate Organizations. Akano said “With our robust relationships with Microsoft, EC-Council, Oracle,Cisco, Certiport, CBP, Linux and SAP the future is bright for the Nigerian IT Professionals”.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—31

FOCUS

Peter Tosh didn't fight against Jamaican govt —Son

BY FREDRICK OKOPIE

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HE youngest son of Jamaican reggae legend, Winston Hubert McIntosh, AKA Peter Tosh, Jawara McIntosh, chatted with Vanguard Newspapers on his musical career and an insight of the Tosh’s family including the mysteries surrounding his father’s death.

What is your position in Peter Tosh’s family?

My father had 10 children, five boys and five girls, I am the 9th and my younger sister is his last.

Your father is known for militant and revolutionary songs, are you taking after him?

Yes.

do it professionally.

I will also be collaborating with Andrew on the Album “Death to the Shistem” Recently, your father was given a posthumous award of the Order of Merit from the Jamaican government he fought against why he

Jawara McIntosh, the last son of Peter Tosh.

How many singles or albums have you released since you started music?

I have only officially released “get up stand up” which is a single...as we have been working on building up the capital and putting a team together so that the music can be properly promoted and marketed.

Otherwise the music falls on deft ears.

Are your songs accepted in Jamaica?

Yeah, Jamaica loves that I incorporate hip-

The late Winston Hubert McIntosh, aka, Peter Tosh. testament to his Great Works. So is this betrayal, absolutely not!

What was the relationship between Bob Marley and Peter Tosh before Marley’s death?

Don’t know. I was too young, Marley died when I was a year old.

Peter Tosh children and grand children after receiving the posthumous award of Order of Merit from the Jamaican government.

hop in my songs as well keeping the tradition of my father alive by also performing his songs. I have been told many times, that when they see me they see my father!

Are all your siblings into music?

Yes, but only myself and my elder brother Andrew

was alive, is that not a betrayal from the family to receive such award on his behalf?

Peter did not fight against the Jamaican Government, he fought against injustice all over the world. For him to be honoured with the Order of Merit by the Jamaican Government is simply

Lastly, tell us the where about of Dennis Lepo Lobban, the killer of your father and other circumstances surrounding his death?

Dennis Leppo Lobban is in prison in Jamaica, sentenced to life. To this day, he denies killing my Father, although there are witnesses that survived the atrocity. My father was a true Soldier for Jah Rastafari and he gave his life for what he believed and I am here to see his words fulfilled.

The Blood of the saints cry out unto JAH for vengeance and the Lord will soon have his Fill.

Just a little while and the wicked shall be no more!

32—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Over 90% of borrowers give fictitious address —MfB CEO

By PROVIDENCE OBUH VER 90 per cent of borrowers in the microfinance banking segment give fictitious address, said George Adetokunbo, Managing Director, Ipman Satellite Microfinance Bank Delivering a lecture on ‘fraud and forgeries in Microfinance Banks (MfBs), he said this is done in collaboration with insiders in the bank.

He spoke at a capacity building programme organized by National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB) South West Zone to enlighten its members on the incidence of fraud and forgeries.

Adetokunbo described fraud as a conscious and deliberate action by a person or group of persons with the intension of altering the truth or fact for selfish personal gain.

Adetokunbo pointed out that fraud in the sub-sector cuts across the entire spectrum.

He warned staff of MfBS to desist from accepting free meals from customers who borrow from their banks as this can serve as an excuse when they default in paying back loans granted to them.

“The rate at which MfBs are dying today is higher than the days of community banks because everybody is flooding the sector,” he said.

The capacity building training is one of the seven point agenda of Mr. Olufemi Babajide, Chairman NAMB South West Zone.

Commenting on the training, Babajide said “We want to use this capacity building programme to educate our people about the incidences of fraud and forgeries. We want to remind them that this sector is highly regulated and if you commit fraud, you cannot move to anywhere in this country because as employees we have captured all your data, your hometown, birth-date, among others, so you cannot really move to anywhere in the world.”

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eanwhile, the CBN received about 10,845 mails on financial crime, particularly the advance free fraud in 2011.

Senior Examiner, OFSID, CBN, Mr. David Adelana disclosed this, stating that the number of forgeries and fraud which increased in value in 2010, declined in 2011.

Adelana identified opportunity as the basis for C M Y K

fraud, advising management of banks to limit circumstances that allow staff to carry cash without restrictions. ”Opportunity is created by weak internal control through the provision of fund by the internal auditor. Managing Directors’ should conduct proper checks by monitoring the activities of their employees

“You cannot change the motivation of a fraud perpetrator, but the only thing you can change is the opportunity, close every opportunity you fill can cause fraud, identify all the possible opportunities and beware of domineering staff,” he pointed out.

Microfinance Banks operating under the umbrella body of the National

Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB) South West Zone has embarked on training programmes to educate members on the dangers of indulging in fraudulent activities. The training identified as ‘capacity building programme’ to address the incidence of fraud among staff and operators of Microfinance Banks operating under the zone.

From left: Rosemary Allison-Anaba of Domestic Bank, Zone 4, Abuja; winner of the first monthly draw of the Win Big With Ecobank Promo, Bashir Musa Bashir and Branch Manager, Ecobank Hotoro, Kano, Hawa Musa, during the presentation of the prize to the winner at the Abuja Regional Office.

India’s central bank hints at rates freeze NDIA’S central bank has ruled out the possibility of cutting interest rates due to inflation, which remains on a sticky path.

The Reserve Bank of India is due to hold a monetary policy meeting on Tuesday and is under pressure from business leaders to cut rates, but a report released on the eve of its meeting suggested otherwise.

“Notwithstanding the growth concerns, inflation remains significantly above comfort levels,” the report said.

“Monetary policy needs to be cautious in the interim, focusing on inflation while using the available space to support growth to the degree it can.”

India’s inflation has accelerated to a 10-month high, hitting 7.81 percent in September, spurred by a rise in state-controlled diesel prices to reduce fuel subsidies.

While several central banks have slashed rates in recent months to spur growth in their economies, the RBI has kept its focus on fighting inflation.

The central bank cut rates in April to kick start growth — its first such move in three years — but has since kept monetary policy steady despite pressure from businesses.

The once-booming Indian economy grew just 5.5 percent from April to June, its slowest quarterly expansion in three years.

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IMF advises Gulf States to cut govt spending HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised the Gulf Arab oil exporting countries to cut government spending to make their budgets sustainable.

The Fund warned that the current level of spending, if sustained, might turn the combined surplus of the states in to deficit by 2017.

While expansionary fiscal policies helped the region weather the global financial crisis, given the healthy economic expansion currently underway, the need for continued fiscal stimulus is diminishing, the IMF said in its latest report. “Most GCC countries should therefore plan to reduce the growth rate in government expenditure in the period ahead,” the report cautioned.

“Along with continued increases in government spending, fiscal and external surpluses are, with

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AGENCY REPORT unchanged policies, projected to decline in 2013 and beyond, with the combined fiscal surplus turning to deficit around 2017,” the Washington-based Fund warned.

Under its baseline scenario, the GCC’s combined, public external assets are projected to exceed $3 trillion by 2017; in the downside scenario, they would be $2.2 trillion but still above a projected $1.9 trillion at end-2012, the IMF said.

In 2011 those assets, which include sovereign wealth fund holdings and central bank reserves, were estimated at about $1.6 trillion or over 110 per cent of GDP, the report showed.

Early this month, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde praised GCC

governments for helping to stabilise the global economy by managing crude exports.

In 2011, total state spending in the six GCC economies jumped by some 20 per cent in dollar terms, the IMF said.

Governments were responding to unrest in the Middle East by boosting social spending.

The fund estimated that the GCC’s combined fiscal surplus reached 13 per cent of gross domestic product last year. It is projected to remain at roughly that level this year.

But the leap in spending lifted the oil price levels needed to balance budgets to record highs, making the countries more vulnerable to a downturn. Oil export receipts account for over 80 per cent of government revenue in

the region.

“Along with continued increases in government spending, fiscal and external surpluses are, with unchanged policies, projected to decline in 2013 and beyond, with the combined fiscal surplus turning to deficit around 2017,” the IMF said.

Observing that the outlook for oil prices was extremely uncertain, the report said a rapid deterioration in the global economy could bring about developments similar to what the region experienced in 2009, including a sharp fall in oil prices and disruptions to capital flows. The IMF, in a downside scenario, assumed a $30 oil price drop that started in 2013 and lasted through the medium term. “The GCC in aggregate would under the downside scenario go into deficit by 2014, and all GCC economies would run fiscal deficits by 2017,” the report said.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 33

Pencom, IFC, World Bank plan capacity building for stakeholders

BY RITA OBODOECHINA ATIONAL Pension commission (PenCom) says it is planning capacity building with support from the International finance corporation, IFC, and World Bank for all stakeholders in the pension sector.

Head, Research and Corporate Strategy of PenCom, Mr. Farouk Aminu, who revealed this in Abuja, said the capacity building will also be done in conjunction with Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC,and the Nigeria Stock Exchange, NSE, to stimulate increased activities on corporate bond in the Nigerian capital market.

He pointed out that the commission is working on the regulation on investment of pension fund Assets which was revised to expand the allowable investment outlets to include alternative asset classes such as private equity funds, infrastructure financing (debt instruments and funds), as well as bonds.

Farouk said the industry has continued to consolidate as four marginal players have taken over other pension fund administrators, PFAs, the four marginal players include, PAL standard Alliance, SignaAmana, Evergreen and CribRoyal trust.

PFAs, IGI and CITI Trust were issued letters of intention to revoke their

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licenses for their inability to make up the capital requirements.

According to him, guideline for fund accounting has been issued in order to streamline record keeping in the industry, issued regulations on transfer of Retirement Savings Account, RSAs, already available on the industries website.

Under compliance and enforcement in the industry, he noted that the industry has commenced issuing of compliance certificate, and the industry has issued over

643 compliance certificates.

He added that framework had been developed and agents have been appointed to recover outstanding pension contributions with alongside penalties.

On the challenges faced by the industry, Farouk said delays in remittance of contributions occasioned by Non-submission of nominal rolls by the MDAs. “Non submission of updated and complete nominal rolls indicating changes in grades and levels resulting in non-remittance of

right contributions into RSAs” He added that low level of monthly pension is another challenge to the industry, substantial increases in salaries, especially with the introduction of consolidated salary after the enactment of Pension Reform Act, PRA’04.

Another challenge is the multiple registrations and lack of clear identification of RSA holders, lack of adequate knowledge about the workings of the contributory pension scheme, CPS, and poor service delivery by PFAs are militating factors facing by the industry.

From left: Michael Akinwale, FXTM PR Manager; Konstantin Zakharov, Head, Investment Support, FXTM Russia; Abiola Akinyele, FXTM Director and Adetomi Adekunle, FXTM Consultant at the FXTM Nigeria Electronic Traders conference in Abuja.

A&G pays NCAT plane crash claims

BY ROSEMARY ONUOHA HIEF Operating Officer, Alliance & General Insurance (A&G) Plc says the sum of N1.2 billion has been paid to Nigeria College of Aviation Technology ’s (NCAT)as claims for its aircraft that crashed in 2010.

It will be recalled that a plane belonging to NCAT crashed during the process of landing by a trainee pilot, however, there was no causality but the plane, a model, TAMPICO TB9 plane was wrecked with many of its components totally bruised, including the propeller, the engine, the sliding gear, the fartewells, the wings and the plane curling.

A&G also said it spent over N250 million on one of the Aviation College’s most prestigious aircraft, 5N-CAG that crash landed months ago

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to be ferried to Denmark for repairs.

He said that the aircraft is ready; that Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has gone to inspect and will soon issue a ferry-permit to allow the aircraft to be returned to Nigeria.

He noted that the crash is indeed pathetic but “We should give glory to God that no life was lost in the process.

Our company is ready to tackle this issue with high level of urgency required being the only training institute for pilot in Nigeria.”

He said “Our consistency in the payment of claims has strategically placed us as a well established and reputable insurance company with high level of integrity and whose word remains her bond.”

Onipede reaffirmed the company’s desire to settle claims, adding that the

aviation mishap that took place in NCAT, Zaria will be a thing of history as the company is on ground to fulfil all its commitment.

“It is in our character to face challenges of this nature as it can be seen in our records in

the insurance industry.”

He also announced that A&G is trying to restructure its business in line with the standards expected of them in the industry in accordance with regulatory provisions.

BRIEF CHI pays over N600m claims in Q3

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O N S O L I DAT E D Hallmark Insurance plc (CHI) has paid claims worth over 600 million, as at the end of third quarter its Managing Director Eddie Efekoha, has said.

He disclosed this at the official presentation of Group Accident Insurance Cover to members of the National Association of Insurance Correspondence (NAICO) in Lagos, adding that the company is committed to meeting policyholders’ expectation.

Efekoha said the company takes payment of claims as priority because of how much it values its clients. He noted that the company will always ensure that it’s underwriting is healthy and professionally handled.

Besides, he believes that the business of insurance is driven by referrals and customers’ recommendation.

He said: “For us as a company, we recognise that we are in business to pay claims. Therefore, we must operate and ensure we do not fail. When we do that, satisfied clients will recommend themselves and other people to us. So it’s a business that is built on referrals such that existing clients will refer you when you have done well and we will continue to do that in the mist of changing environment.”

He noted that despite the harsh business environment and challenging regulatory regime, the company has continued to witness upward movement in growth fundamentals.

He said the company is happy with where it is, having achieved a very modest growth, stressing that the key driver of its business from the start is its people including the staff and the board.

Brokers need smarter data processing — Kelly ROKERS and insurers must streamline their process of transmitting clients’ information, Steadfast Chairman Robert Kelly says.

He told the Finity niche insurer conference in Sydney that more automation is needed to let brokers respond to increasing cost pressures and changing market conditions. “We need to do business smarter and more efficiently but at the same time mitigate the risks,” he said.

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Kelly says better use of technology will cut the cost of business for brokers and insurers but automation will not replace relationships or discussion with clients.

“The role of the broker is to have a personal and direct relationship with the client and that would not change.

But the role of marketing the client’s information – the information required to place business – from client to broker and broker to underwriters who may bid for

the business needs to be automated.”

Kelly says data will become crucial over the longer term and US insurers make much better use of their data banks to select and price risk. He says Australian brokers’ staff costs are increasing rapidly.

When he started in insurance 40 years ago wages were 25 per cent of the cost of production compared with 55 per cent now, while commissions were 30 per cent but have fallen to 20 per cent.

34—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

NITA members may loose 10,000 jobs if…

By ESTHER ONYEGBULA IGERIA Independent Tobacco Association (NITA) has said that about 10,000 jobs will be at risk in Nigeria if the World Health Organisation (WHO) goes ahead with its proposal at the World Tobacco Growers’ Day. International Tobacco Growers Association, (ITGA) will be using the occasion to

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mark the first World Tobacco Growers’ Day to call on world governments to oppose proposals by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), that will threaten the livelihoods of more than 30 million tobacco growers worldwide. The proposals will be voted on in a forthnight at the WHO’s meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

Celebrating the World Tobac-

co Growers’ Day, in Iseyin, Oyo State, Rasheed Bakare, Chairman, NITA, in commemoration of the World Tobacco Growers’ Day requested world leaders to give the Association an opportunity to contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

According to Bakare, “Tobacco growers of the world will not stand idly and watch as their fates are sealed. Governments must understand that these

issues will have consequences not only for us, but for the communities we live in.” ”As we celebrate the benefit our farms bring to our communities, we are also asking our leaders to stand by us, hear our voices and to give us the opportunity to work together to protect our way of life,” said Bakare. ¡°Should these measures become law it will have a grave impact on the livelihoods of 800

growers in Nigeria and the over N500,000 million we contribute to the local economy annually. The Chairman stated that NITA supports the original intent of the FCTC¡¯s arti le 17 treaty, which was to provide ¡°technical and financial assistance to aid the economic transition of tobacco growers and workers¡± as a decline in tobacco production consumption resulted in lower demand for our crop.

Tropika boosts fruit juice market

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NEW fruit juice christened, Tropika from the stable of Clover industries has entered the Nigerian market.

Sona Group unveils new member, Techblow Nigeria Limited

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ONA Group of Companies has unveiled a new member christened Techblow Nigeria Limited.

Techblow is to cater for individuals and organisations in need of blow moulding plastic products.

The company is is situated at Ijako, Sango-Ota in Ogun State.

Techblow is formed from Shongai Packaging Industry Limited which specialises in plastic crate production, Injection moulding, crate printing and label printing.

The blow moulding division of Shongai Packaging was carved out to improve on product and service delivery and to ensure business growth.

Speaking on the company, Mr. Ajai Musaddi, Director of Industries, said the demand for blow moulding products like bottles and jerry cans for the lubricant industry has seen a very huge increase. Techblow is fully geared up to meet the demands from the lubricants companies and other manufacturing sectors such as food and pharmaceutical industries with new state of the art blow moulding machines from Europe that guarantee the production of up to 60,000 pieces of 4 litre capacity jerry cans per day.”

Techblow has recently procured four brand new machines from Uniloy, Italy to manufacture blow moulded products with each having a capacity to produce 15,000 pieces of 4 litre jerry cans per day in addition to nine other machines dedicated to the production of other blow moulding items.

C M Y K

The juice in orange, pine apple, mango peach, Coco pine and apple variants was unveiled at the Eleguishi Private beach in Lagos where the General Manager of Clover West Africa, Johan Voigt, said that the company introduced the drink into the Nigeria beverage market to enable consumers share a unique drinking experience unlike any other in the market currently.

“Tropika will become a part of life for a consumer who is looking for a smooth tasting healthy drink to relax and celebrate life ever y day, anywhere” he noted.

Tropika, he said was made from real dairy skimmed milk and fruit juices. “The uniquely smooth taste is sure to refresh and relax consumers.” He assured.

The General Manager, pointed out that the juice will become a part of life for a consumer who is looking for a smooth tasting healthy drink to relax and celebrate life.”

From left: General Manager, Nokia West-Africa, Mr. Chris Brown; Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Olu AKanmu and Head, Sales Operations, Nokia West Africa, Mr. Ladi Oyatayo, at the promotional launch of Airtel special consumer promo on the Nokia Lumia 900,710 & 610 Smartphones, in Lagos.

Samsung ranks 9th on Interbrand’s 2012 report Stories By PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

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AMSUNG has climbed the ranks in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands Report for 2012, ranking 9th among the top 10 brands for the first time in its history, rises 40 percent in brand value.

George Ferreira, Vice President/ COO for Samsung Electronics Africa, said “The market growth witnessed by Samsung over the year is underpinned by its ability to constantly re-invent its product offerings and its ability to innovate and adapt to the changing needs of the global and African market.

Being recognised as one of the Top 10 Best Global Brands is evidence of our success.”

Asked on what was responsible

...rises 40% in brand value for the leap, Ferreira said, “We have expanded our presence on the continent from 15 to 42 countries and we are working hard to build products and programmes for Africa’s unique needs, resources and conditions which to our mind have truly set the brand apart from our competitors. Our focus is one of community and commercial benefit, building both with equally significant importance,” adds Ferreira. “Our Built for Africa products are premium products that really speak to the understanding that Samsung have around the challenges our African consumers face – from limited resources, electricity and water for example, to needing true innovation that works with the geographical landscape.”

Continuing, he stated, “Samsung have and will continue to focus on successfully building products for the needs of Africans, from a Business to Business, Business to Government and Business to Consumer perspective. We are exceptionally proud of this recognition, which reinforces our brand strategy of mapping global brand equity to local outreach - demonstrating that Samsung are not Applauded as one of the biggest successes of 2012, marked by an impressive 40 percent rise in brand value, substantially higher than the industry average of 16 percent, Samsung have steadily climbed the Interbrand Best Global Brand ranking since 2002, jumping 8 places from 17 in 2011 to 9 in 2012.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012—35

MIDWEEK SERMON

with SAMEYOBOKA sameyoboka@yahoo.com

BRIEFLY...

Equip Police, there'll be peace, says Emmanuel THE name GodsElect Buchi Emmanuel may not be very familiar but the 43year old cleric pastors a church in Owerri, the capital of Imo State known as Angelhearts Christian Mission. In this interview with SAM EYOBOKA, he lent his voice to the certain happenins in the nation. Excerpts..... hat is your reaction to the spate of bombings of churches and other worship centres?

The incidents are most un-fortunate as they have jeo-pardized the work of evang-elism.

These incidents can be blamed on ignorance, a fall-out of a failed society. I call on all Christians to continually look up to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith and not be deterred by these events. We should encourage one another and build the bond of fellowship in love amongst ourselves and others of diverse faith where it is welcome. These are the challenges of our time, be they ethnic, political, religious or as a result of socio-economic malaise. We should as a church, continue in prayers for our safety and peace and for wisdom for our leaders. The Christians who lost their lives are the true martyrs of our faith and should be remembered for their eternal sacrifice while the churches, CAN or PFN should set up a body that will identify these victims with a view to immortalizing them and assisting their families and loved ones.

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re you satisfied with the reaction of CAN so far?

CAN’s reaction has always been spontaneous as one should expect. Honestly, CAN leadership has readily expressed its feelings and I am very satisfied with the concerns they have continued to show over this matter and at the levels they have expressed such. If one look at reactions in terms of assistance to victims and churches where these incidents have occurred, one will say, yes, CAN has responded with care and welfare even though more can be done. Then again, if you consider the utterances of CAN president, Papa Ayo Oritsejafor, one may say he has often been misunderstood or misquoted. I believe this senior man of God is not agitating for revenge as people have misinterpreted.

Papa is a very vibrant man who has brought this divine charismatic attitude into the character of the leadership of CAN and you need to have depth in the spirit to flow with him. I think through his bold and persuasive concern, CAN has really sensitized Christians in the North and elsewhere to be proactive in ensuring their safety and standing up in defence of their faith.

I believe his tenure is ordained for these trying times the Church is facing and if you look carefully, these incidences are taking a downward turn in spread, frequency and number of casualties. I would want to use this medium to congratulate this outstanding leader of our faith who still has so much

MGPN prays for Nigeria HE Ministers of God Prayer Network International, a nondenominational Christian organization recently held her annual “Lagos State Prayer Conference for Nigeria at 52” themed “The Glory of God” at Goodnews Bible Church, Alasia, Oshodi, Lagos.

The senior pastor of Trinity House, Victoria Island, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, co-ordinated the programme that paraded notable Christian leaders from across the country in attendance.

Highlights of the event included uplifting prayer for the forgiveness of our sins as a nation and God’s mercy for Lagos State, Nigeria and her leaders.

The first Bible reading was taken from Romans 13:1-6 and read

by Primate Akinsola on behalf of the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babtunde Raji Fashola.

In his brief charge, Bishop Bankole Jefferson, the presiding bishop of Mercy Tabernacle, Lagos said, “the ability to win and conquer is in the glory and if the glory is taken away, then instruction will be far from you”.

National co-ordinator of MGPN, Rev. (Mrs.) Bola Oyegbami said the future of Nigeria is in the hands of Nigerians and with fervent prayers, Nigeria will attain her desired glory.

She therefore appealed to Nigerians not to relent in praying for restoration and stability of Nigeria as a nation.

In his contribution, the senior pastor of Trinity Church, Lagos, Pastor Ighodalo assured that there is hope for the future generation, but enjoined youths to pursue righteousness.

He called on the Federal Government to improve on the security situation in Nigeria for sufficient protection of the Nigerian youth.

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*GodsElect Buchi Emmanuel vigour and vitality, in his 40 years of effective ministry as he celebrates Christ in him and go ahead to say, well done to CAN and to God be all glory. Amen!

W

ill you advise Christians to fight back or not?

The core life of every Christian is to show love and preach peace. Its from love we draw our strength to have mercy and forgive those who offend or hurt us so we can obtain grace to live a life of faith as overcomers we are. We are not in a war situation so I will continue to ask that we employ all measures for social or public security and mobilize ourselves to defend our faith and the institutions of our faith without having to fight back. It will take wisdom to do this and we certainly have this wisdom in Christ. Amen!

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ow can we tackle the security challenges in Nigeria?

I have always said that all challenges upon the face of this earth will answer to divine wisdom and instructive prayers. Our present case in Nigeria is not an exemption. All the securities agencies especially the Police and SSS must be well trained and constantly retrained to be responsive to their duties. They must be properly equipped with modern tools, gadgets and equipment for effective service and renumerated well enough to encoura-

I think through his bold and persuasive concern, CAN has really sensitised Christians in the North

ge them. Above all, we must be and remain a praying nation as this is the only way to get God’s attention over us.

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ome people are currently clamouring for a Sovereign National Conference.

What's your stand?

I ask: can you have a SNC when democratic institutions of government are still in place and functioning? I think not! We are not arguing our sovereignty with anyone except of course we are saying that the present democratic setting does not represent the common goodwill of all. here do you think Nigeria is heading?

It is not an issue of who is the president or his or her personality but an outcome of divine time. We are certainly heading for a better future under the pragmatic leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan. Most times people have associated his name “Goodluck” with what they hope to see but let me tell you that his name carries what challenge he will have to deal with!

But then again, look at it this way, what lies ahead of us? Oh sure, challenges, trials, temptations. If you watch very carefully, it is as if all the problems of Nigeria over the years are now being deposited on the present leadership. You can describe his administration as a major sewage channel---it smells awfully and has a lot of debris in it but yet its the only reason why the environment is clean, safe and healthy. This is his predicament but I would say, a good one at fulfilling God’s purpose. It is enormous but grace is available to triumph over these challenges and just this will Jonathan do.

W

From left: Bishop Bankole Jefferson, Primate Akinsola, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo and Rev. (Mrs.) Bola Oyegbami at the prayer conference for Nigeria.

Cleric tasks women on children’s upbringing

By OLAYINKA LATONA IRECTOR of Society for Vocation Support (SVS), Rev. Fr. Stephen Ogbe has urged Nigerian parents to give priority attention to the morally and spiritually upbringing of their children and wards.

Rev. Ogbe lamented that Nigerian youths easily engage in immoral acts because majority of such youths do not have solid foundations from their homes, noting that most parents do not inculcate good morals into their children.

The cleric spoke at the reunion of Society for Vocation Support benefactors, patrons and the launching of N50 million Dominican vocation endowment fund which took place at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos.

“Most problems we are facing as a nation come from the family. Most parents do not have time for their children. If children have a solid foundation from home the society will be a better place. If parents can train up their children in the way of the Lord there won’t be much challenge in the society. They should know that God will ask each to give account of how they train their children,” he said.

D

The reunion which is a yearly event was titled; “God’s Project 2012” attracted participants from various Catholic churches in the state who all recommitted their pledge in sponsoring and financing Dominican Province of St. Joseph the Worker (Nigeria and Ghana).

Corroborating the cleric's statement, the chairperson Organizing Committee of SVS, Dame Felicia Okoli encouraged mothers to inculcate discipline into their children at home right from childhood until they are grown up, stressing that child’s training not tied to God’s word will tantamount to wasted efforts.

Reminding mothers of their role as teachers in their homes, Dame Okoli said if they fail to play that role such mothers have failed. She also called on SVS members and publicspirited Nigerians to redouble their efforts in contributing to the work of God and towards the propagation of the gospel of the Lord.

In her words: “SVS members are wonderful people who have been committed to their call but I am calling them to renew their efforts in their partnership with God and I am very sure that God will reward them abundantly.”

36—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,

OCTOBER 31, 2012

Flaxseed prevents, treats hormone-associated cancers

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

OME call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes.

Flaxseed (Egusi) the tiny seed that’s been around for centuries: is found in all kinds of foods, from crackers to frozen waffles to oatmeal.

Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients. One is Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects.

Each tablespoon of ground flax-

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•Eating 4-10 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday helps reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.

seed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s. Another is Lignans, which have both plant oestrogen and antioxidant qualities.

Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods.

Third is fibre. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types. Studies have suggested that flaxseed may have a protective effect against cancer, particularly breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. At least two of the components in flaxseed seem to contribute.

In animal studies, the plant

Stroke management: Healthy eating is key

By CHIOMA OBINNA

OW bad is your stroke?

Do you know that eating well after a stroke is key to recovery? Experts say choosing healthy foods can help control blood pressure, body weight, reduce a person’s risk of having another stroke, and may help with the demands of stroke therapy and other daily activities.

A stroke happens when there is a disruption of blood flow and oxygen to the brain. There are different types of stroke, each defined by its root cause. Regardless of the root cause, stroke is an extremely serious condition that requires immediate attention.

Symptoms of stroke include: Difficulty talking or understanding, numbness on one side, extremely intense, painful headache and trouble seeing out of one or both eyes.

Thanks to science as amazing findings by researchers show that preventing another stroke and staying healthy can be achieved when an individual take appropriate steps to make healthy food choices, control weight and blood pressure.

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Dietitians say vegetables and fruits that contain antioxidants help stroke victims recover faster due to the antiinflammatory properties.

These anti-inflammatory properties can reduce nerve cell injury and death and may speed recovery time for stroke victims. Recent study showed that one way to start improving ones heart health immediately is to increase intake of vegetables and fruits.

Eating four to 10 servings every day may help reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.

Vegetables and fruit offer a host of heart-healthy nutrients.

Studies conducted on rats showed amazing findings.

These rats were divided into four groups and each group were fed respectively rat food supplemented with blueberries, spinach, spirulina and the last group was given plain rat food.

Four weeks after, the rats were induced to an ischemic stroke.

The stroke size of the rats who received the blueberry and spinach supplemented rat food were half the size as those receiving plain rat foods. Stroke lesions in rats receiving spirulina supplements were 75 percent

Beans, lentils balance blood sugar

VIDENCE has emerged that regularly eating beans, lentils, and other legumes can help effectively promote and sustain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels, suggesting that diet alone may be all that is needed for many diabetics to properly

E

manage and even cure their condition.

Legumes are good protein sources, and proteins tend to dampen the blood glucose response and they lower blood pressure," said Dr. David Jenkins, lead author of a study from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, noting that eating beans was enough to help diabetics drop their hemoglobin A1c levels into the healthy 6s range.

"They are also good sources of fibre and that tend to be associated with lower cholesterol."

Jenkins recommended that the public should be doing some preventive strategies using foods like legumes.

smaller than those who did not receive a supplement. These rats also recovered movement after the stroke faster than the nonsupplemented rats.

Experts have found that many vegetables and fruit are particularly rich in vitamin C and in betacarotene, which is a form of vitamin A. These work as antioxidants in the body, helping to slow down or prevent atherosclerosis by reducing the build-up of plaque from cholesterol and other substances in the arteries.

Since beta-carotene gives food a distinctive dark-orange, red or dark-green colour, you can easily spot the best sources, such as carrots, tomatoes, squash, pink grapefruit, sweet potatoes.

Benefits of tomatoes are enormous. Apart from containing high doses of Vitamin C, tomatoes also known to contain lycopene, an antioxidant that experts say can protect from stroke.

Study has found that tomatoes, a rich source of lycoprene may help reduce the risk of suffering a stroke by half or more.

omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseed, called ALA, inhibited tumor incidence and growth.

Further, the lignans in flaxseed may provide some protection against cancers that are sensitive to hormones without interfering with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Some studies have suggested that exposure to lignans during adolescence helps reduce the risk of breast cancer and may also increase the survival of breast cancer patients.

8 strategies to reduce risk of a stroke *EAT a variety of foods each day because no single food can provide the body with all of the nutrients it needs for good health. *Eat a rainbow of colourful foods at each meal. In order to reap the health-protective nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, it’s important to choose a variety of colorful foods at each meal. Go for a rainbow approach by choosing an array of fruits, vegetables and legumes – dark reds, oranges, vibrant yellows, deep greens, blues and purples. By choosing a rainbow of colour you will be sure to take in a wide range of nutrients. *Choose five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Research shows that the best way to reap the benefits of a healthy diet is to bump up your fruits and vegetables. So, in addition, make sure you eat a minimum of five servings each day.

Reading food labels is a great way to learn more about the foods you are eating. By law, most foods must have nutritional information listed in a standard way. When selecting foods for reducing your risk of stroke, focus on the following information on the food label for each serving; calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium etc.

Quick tips on dietary intervention: * The greatest dietary culprit in stroke causation is meat and dairy products. Consumption of these products result in excess production of mucus, plaque, and other hardened substances that obstruct arterial blood flow throughout the body in general, the brain in particular and resulting in ischemia. * A vegan diet and/or raw foods diet is best for healing and optimal health purposes. Vegetable juices will greatly help to remove accumulated arterial plaque and debris in the body. Juice plenty of green vegetables like Celery, Parsley, and Spinach.

The greatest single herb you can take for prevention or remedy of a stroke is “Periwinkle.” Periwinkle, botanically known as “vinca major,” is a plant that naturally improves the blood flow to the brain area. It helps to arrest all excess bleeding disorders and is useful for haemorrhaging, excess menstrual flow, nosebleed, bleeding gums, and all other bleeding disorders.

All circulatory enhancing herbs will help prevent or remedy a stroke. Calcium is very important in rectifying all circulatory diseases and disorders including stroke.

Because calcium is the most alkaline mineral in the mineral family, it helps to counteract acidity and bust up accumulated debris that stick to the arterial walls and thus open up clogged and obstructed arteries.

38—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

I want sex and not a stable girl

My girl's no longer interested in sex Dear Bunmi, I’M the general manager of a fairly big supermarket and I’m currently tempted to stray with some of my sales reps as sex with my girl is virtually nonexistent. We’ve been together for about three years and at the beginning, we couldn’t get enough of each other.

Much as I didn’t expect that kind of frenzy to last for ever; I didn’t bargain for it to be nearly extinct either. It looks as if I’m the one doing all the running and I get nothing in return.

When I try to get her in the mood, she’s full of excuses.

She’s either too tired or just doesn’t feel like it. Then we argue and she sulks.

We currently live together and I keep telling her I want

our relationship to be full of intimate moments. But there’s still no change. I get plenty of flirtatious remarks from my sales girls, so it would be easy to help myself. I must admit that I’m tempted to, purely for sex.

The fear of mixing business with pleasure is the current hindrance. Unfortunately, my girl doesn’t think we have a problem.

How can I make her realise I need intimacy in our relationship? I’m 30 and she is 27.

Dipo, by e-mail Dear Dipo, Your girl must know in her heart that things aren’t right with your sex life, especially

since it was once active. Her problem could be that she’s not sure of how to tackle the problem. Do you think she’s getting enough fun and satisfaction from sex with you?

Maybe it’s about time you put more efforts into pleasing her.

Have a talk with her that doesn’t result in a shouting match to see if this can be resolved.

On the other hand, it could also be that you’re focusing on the sex without realising that getting a girl in the mood starts with doing your share of things in the house.

You’re both too young to be having relationship problems, especially in the sex department.

Will he ever get over the loss of his wife?

Dear Bunmi, MY current boyfriend compares me to his late wife in everything even sex. I’m 29 and he’s 38 and he tragically lost his wife four years ago through a car accident. He has three children aged between four and 10. We met a year after he lost his wife and have been discussing marriage in the last six months. As a result, I virtually live with him though I still have my flat. I now help look after his children with the help of a relative of his, I thought he was over her death but it seems I’m wrong.

He’s talking about her more than ever.

The worst time is when we’ve just had sex. I find oral sex a bit off-putting but he talks about how she loved it and the things she used to do. It is awful. The trouble is I feel I can’t now complain since I’d kept quiet for a while now. As things are, I have to put up with a large picture of her in the bedroom too.

He says it’s for the kids and I’d feel guilty if I asked him to remove it. He’s told me that he still misses her and sometimes feel guilty for starting a relationship soon after her death.

I’m starting to feel like nothing but a glorified baby-sitter to his children.

Henrietta, by e-mail Dear Henrietta, This is a tricky problem but your man needs to separate his sense of loss from your relationship. It’s only natural he should have fond memories of a wife with whom he had three children. But you need to agree times when he can talk about C M Y K

his wife and times when he should focus on the two of you, especially during intimate moments in the bedroom.

If you find her picture in the bedroom intimidating, why not suggest he puts it in the chil-

dren’s room? You need to meet him half-way with his sexual preference.

If you find oral sex revolting, maybe you should encourage him to teach you how to be comfortable with it.

"The problem is that he has two sides, he’s loving, caring and a lot of fun to be with most of the time, but he’s also a skirt-chaser"

Will he hurt me a second time? gret it.

Jacqueline, by e-mail

Dear Bunmi, I’M a 28-year-old single mother of an adorable son. I’m currently involved with a man who is very nice to me and my son and I love him. The problem is that my ex has come back into my life. He was my first true love and we were together for over four years, we had the child together. Now he wants us to get back together and I’m afraid I might love him more than my current boyfriend.

The problem is that he has two sides, he’s loving, caring and a lot of fun to be with most of the time, but he’s also a skirt-chaser.

I’m really confused as I don’t want to make a mistake by getting back with him, only to re-

Dear Jacqueline, A woman in love with two men needs to be extremely careful.

Allow yourself to get to know this new man in your life better but encourage your ex to have a good rapport with his son.

As time goes on, it will become clear whether he can love you unconditionally or not. Just as you once had to accept that he’d played away with other women, he will need to accept that you continue to sleep with your man.

But is this what you really want? In the end, you might discover that you love neither of them in any way that will last.

Deep love is committing to only one person, unconditionally.

Dear Bunmi, I’M 32 and in-between girlfriends. My first girlfriend was so troublesome, it was a relief when she finally left even though we have a son.

She’s put me off a permanent relationship for now and I’m thinking of going to a prostitute whenever I need a quick fix. Like the saying goes: bodi no be wood!

A friend has promised to take me to a joint where you meet ‘decent’ girls and as long as I play safe by using a condom, and don’t get emotionally involved, what’s the harm? It’s become a bit of an obsession with me and the longer I put it off, the more it stays on my mind. My only fear is that if I start, I might be hooked to the point of not wanting a good relationship.

Patrick, by e-mail

Dear Patrick, You’re kidding yourself and you know it. If it is a quick fix you really need, the answer lies in your own hand.

Masturbating should do the job nicely but as you’re already obsessed with the idea of visiting a prostitute, there is a strong chance that after the first ‘fix' you might get hooked. Not to talk of the danger you might be exposing yourself to if your condom splits.

I would keep my distance from your type of friend if I were you.

In the meantime, give yourself time to get over your current resentment over women enough for you to appreciate the joys of a meaningful relationship.

"I was so fed up with her moaning that I asked if her failure to get pregnant didn’t have something to do with her past wild life and the abortions she had in the past"

I needed to humiliate my daughter style is cracking me up.

Chi, by e-mail DearBunmi, MY 30-year-old daughter has taken herself into the world of the high and mighty to such an extent that I hardly knew her any more. She’s married to a very successful car merchant and lives in a very big house on the Island in Lagos.

She has high-achieving friends and is talking like them. This was the same person who gave me hell when she was growing up.

By the time she was 20, she’s had a couple of abortions and was always hanging around men, drinking and smoking. She’s obviously brushed all these under the carpet now. The last time she was at my place, she went on and on about wanting more children.

She already has two and her husband wants more.

I was so fed up with her moaning that I asked if her failure to get pregnant didn’t have something to do with her past wild life and the abortions she had in the past. If looks could kill, I would have died instantly from the look she gave me. Now I’m very upset by the rift between us. She’s my daughter, but her phony life-

Dear Chi, Your problem definitely is different! Why shouldn’t your daughter leave her mistakes behind and start again?

Teenagers are sometimes tearaways who make mistakes because of their raging hormones.

Most of them quickly get over their wild days and tow the line.

Who then wants to be reminded of a mis-spent youth? Aren’t you proud she’s made something of herself? What’s so phony about being such a success?

Are you in any way jealous of your daughter’s achievements?

Why else would you even think of humiliating her to her face?

You need to get bigger than your resentment and be happy for your daughter and the wonderful grandchildren she’s given you. She hasn’t ended in the gutter where you were obviously expecting her to be. You need to be proud of who you are too.

If there are some things lacking in your life to make you feel this resentment about a daughter you gave life to, this is the time to put her right.

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos. or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Vanguard,

SCORPIO; Your intelligence, competence and level of concentration may today bring you envy, which you don’t deserve within your working arena in a negative form but.

SAGITTARIUS; The Moon highlights your Solar second house of money which is good but, if you try to buy true love with money, you’ll be disappointed CAPRICORN; The. Moon in your Star sign’ll gives you new confidence and with new supports from the powersthat-be, it’s like you are now un-stop-able. But be cautious, especially with the veterans within your base of operation AQUARIUS; Better days are ahead of you but, you will today need to do away with non-productive argument and/ or agreement. Try to be more diplomatic now.

— 39

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 LIBRA; If you back your financial plans with concrete and positive actions things’ll go according to your desire. If you fail to realise importance of your spouse you would work your way into avoidable trouble; aren’t you tired of crisis?

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

The sin of laziness — 1

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S laziness a sin?

If you are still doubting this, let me illustrate: Supposing you have a child and you spent all your resources on him. You trained him from primary school to the

university level and at the end he got his first degree. Thereafter, you send him back to read for his Masters and PhD (Doctor of

TERROR MUDA

Philosophy) degrees.

At the end of it all, you asked him to come and work in your firm.

Alternatively, you secured employment for

in “Never say goodbye”

him in the bank or in an oil company. Yet, he refused to work whether in your firm or any other one. Now has this son of yours not sinned against you? This is how we are to God, our creator.

By Lanre Kehinde

PISCES; If what you’re doing today ’ll depend on tomorrow’s event it’s better you’re more careful now. Even things may not go according to your personal plans today.

Yet it’s important you plan both your immediate and far future carefully now ARIES; If you take to aggression, your ego would be deflated by your superior colleagues, but your being cooperative in a civilised way’ll prevent trouble TAURUS; Those willing to put you to shame one way or the other’ll be disappointed with the turn of things today.

It’s good to secure support of your spouse.

GEMINI; You’ve had enough of fun in the recent times and it’s now time you settle down for hard work in order to prevent avoidable trouble. Be patient please.

CANCER; Your concentration level and determination are the pillars of your success today. Yet you’ll need to respect your senior colleagues and protect your image

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

LEO; It’s true you’re willing to work harder but you just have to drop both aggression and mental arrogance to allow things to roll accordingly. Then, you’re accident prone within your working arena. Respect the law and its agents today.

VIRGO; Serious thought may be giving to matters of the heart but it’s better you tarry a while. Joint ventures of short duration today may be an invitation to avoidable trouble

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send your date and place of birth to the Astrological Counselling, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos

Success for me?

Dear Joshua, I am interested in your Astrological counselling. Kindly tell me everything about myself, especially my finance and career; would I be rich eventually, if yes what should I do to make it happen quickly.

Rabiu Enugu.

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

Dear Rabiu, There are indications of financial success for you but you can not change what Almighty God Has designed for you talking about the timing (the quickness you talked in your letter) Certainly however no failure for you Mercury –the planet of education and Accountancy, together with mighty Sun at positive angle to planets in Virgo (another Accounting Star sign) attracted you to both Accountancy profession and the academic world. Truly you did not make wrong choice of career.

Money will eventually come along this line but it’ll not be as faster as if you take to OIL RELATED BUSINESS. Because Neptune (the planet of OIL) was very comfortable when you were born. It will not be out of place if you have filling stations as time goes by, because you are basically a GAS PERSON. Another money spinning vocation for you include writing either along your line or for film making industry; it is important you exhibit the higher quotient of creativity in your inner-self. Yes your dream of becoming A Professor will come to reality. Politics is another area you are not looking at now but will surely come. Do you say why? Because Aquarius is equally political Venus that was powerfully placed when you were born is all about MONEY. Thus you have special ability to make money.

And as it was at positive angle to disciplined Saturn, you are not giving to serious frivolity. One major challenge here is envy by others but you will eventually overcome. Another source of challenges is your love life which looks not totally balanced.

Basically you are a family minded person. You are equally loving and caring. But sometimes your love of freedom get better off you to the resentment of your closer partner(s).Then some other times it is other party’s fault making love-business very interesting. And unless you are more careful and determined you may marry more than once.

Commen3

by Lawrence Akapa

40—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Ughelli monarch donates to flood victims

‘Tuodolor should be in Jonathan's team' OVEMENT for Ac tualisation of the Dreams of Niger Deltans, MADND, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to appoint Felix Tuodolor into his cabinet.

A statement by Mr. Josiah Oyakoghan, Chairman of MADND, said the call was imperative as Jonathan moves towards the second half of his tenure.

The statement read: “Some persons in President Jonathan’s cabinet from the Niger-Delta region had disappointed the people and need to be

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replaced with vibrant persons like Felix Toudolor.

“The only person who has distinguished himself in terms of performance is the presidential Adviser on Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, because he has made sure that the aims and objectives of the amnesty programme were achieved.

“If others from the Niger Delta region, who are in the cabinet, are working like Kuku, the region would be a better place, hence the call for Tuodolor to be in team.”

BY FESTUS AHON

MEDICAL CONFAB: Dr. Osahon Enabulele, President, Nigeria Medical Asociation (2nd left) and Dr. Jacob Akoh, Transplant Surgeon in UK, and others at the 23rd annual scientific conference of the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain, MANSAG, in Leeds, United Kingdom.

Benue needs N17bn for water project

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AKURDI—BENUE State government has said it requires N17 billion for the reticulation of water projects in Makurdi and its environs.

The state Commissioner for Water and Environment, Mr. John Ngbede, said this on Monday during the inspection tour of the Greater Makurdi Water Works project by the Good Governance Team.

He said the Makurdi water plant, which was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan in

March, had the capacity to pump 50,000 cubic metres of water daily.

He said the pumping capacity of the plant surpassed the actual water needs of the town, which was 47,000 cubic metres daily.

Ngbede said although the plant was built according to international standards and was one of the best in Africa, the state still needed to carry out reticulation of the pipelines to enable it to function according to design.

ICT expert tasks Nigerians on partnership with govt IGERIANS have been charged to partner with governments at all levels to invest in meaningful areas and create job opportunities.

This was said by a London-based Information Communication Technology, ICT, consultant, Mr. Olufemi Aluko, at the dedication of an ultramodern hospitality business in Lagos.

The ICT expert enjoined government at all tiers to create investment-friendly

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environment that will meaningfully assure the determined potential investors of a good return on their investment.

He charged leaders in position of authority to formulate policies that would promote and protect investment and interests to create pocketfriendly products and services that would facilitate and accelerate socioeconomic expansion and speedy growth of the economy.

Rotary makes case for beaches clean-up RESIDENT of Rotary Club of Ikoyi, Mr. Jimmy Evboumwan, has described as alarming the amount of debris and hazardous materials dumped in the nation’s beaches.

Evboumwan spoke in Lagos duirng the beach clean-up exercise carried out in collaboration with Clean Coast Nigeria Limited.

He said: “A continued

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clean-up exercise by all stakeholders is necessary to mitigate the dangers posed by the continued pollution of the sea.”

He lamented the poor state of the nation’s beaches and the dangers to the environment, pointing out that much needed to be done to ensure that the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and dangerous materials into the beach are prohibited.

GHELLI—OVIE of Ughelli kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Oharisi III, HRM, Wilson Ojakovo, yesterday, donated money, clothes and other clothing materials worth over N500,000 to flood victims in the area.

He made the donations after providing breakfast for the over 300 victims from the Ughelli camp, who visited his palace to protest against inadequate feeding arrangements in the camp.

He said he would liaise with the Commandant and other leaders of the camp in to resolve the matter.

He advised the flood victims to put security measures in place, in conjunction with security operatives, to ensure that vehicles leaving the camp do not carry away food and relief materials.

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EXHIBITION: From left— DG NTDC Otumba Runsewe; wife of Cross River State Governor, Mrs Obioma Liyel-Imoke; First Princess, Carnival Calabar Odera; Mr. and Mrs Ikechi Uko, Akwaaba initiators, and Mrs Ify Mega, GM Consumer Protection Unit of the NCAA, at the Akwaaba Travel Market exhibition in Lagos.

Economists fault Okada ban

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH NSTITUTE of Chartered Economists of Nigeria, ICEN, has described the ban of commercial motorcyclists, otherwise known as Okada or Achaba, by some state governments and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, as unjustified and unconscionable.

ICEN Coordinator in the South-South Zone, Friday Udoh, who said this in a statement yesterday, added that the reasons adduced for banning the operations of commercial motorcycles were untenable since various institutions were available to check such alleged illegalities.

ICEN said instead of outright ban, routes should have been assigned to reduce unemployment and frustration.

Udoh said: “Instead of resorting to blanket ban, the affected state governments should have assigned routes for commercial motorcycles operation.

“They can also set up operational standards and monitor same through various instruments of the state such as police, Federal Road Safety Commis-

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sion, FRSC; Lagos State Transports Management Agency, LASTMA, and Vehicle Inspection Officers, VIOs, among others.

“The ban by the Lagos

State government was the most scandalous because the ACN government gave out some of the motorcycles and helmets as electoral handouts.

“It appears that the government merely deceived them just to win their votes, hence the uproar being generated by the operators.”

Northern Brotherhood flays bombings, lauds CAN He said: “We need a new Leader of the group,

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI—BAUCHI State-based Northern Brotherhood Movement, NBM, has said the incessant bombings of some parts of the North were giving Islam a bad name as a religion of violence, which was not true in any form.

Alhaji Aminu Danmaliki, made this known in his Edel Kabir message to Nigerians across the country.

Danmiliki said both Christians and Muslims had demonstrated that the two religions can unite to fight against threats to peaceful co-existence of all Nigerians irrespective of religious affiliation.

3 fake soldiers nabbed BA—FORWARD Operation Base, FOB, 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Aba, Abia State, said on Monday that it had arrested three suspected fake soldiers, who stole NITEL underground cables.

Capt. Chris Nwogu, Officer-in-Charge of the base, told newsmen in Aba, that the suspects included a dismissed lance corporal from the Army Headquarters Garrison, Abuja, and a civilian.

Nwogu said the suspects paraded themselves as sol-

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diers.

He said a man, who claimed to be a cadet with a fake Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, identity card, was also arrested.

Nwogu said the suspects were part of the syndicate, which had been dragging the image of the military in the mud by their nefarious acts.

He said: “We are advising unsuspecting Nigerians to be at alert. These men would wear the military uniform to rob and perpetrate all sorts of crimes.”

beginning towards strengthening ties of kinship among the adherents of Islam and Christianity, which the spirit of sacrifice in Eid-el-Kabir symbolises.

“This has become necessary due to the security challenges facing Nigeria, particularly Northern region that has led to the loss of lives and property of both Muslims and Christians.

“NBM, having realised that the issue of ensuring peace, unity and security should not be left in the hands of the three tiers of governments alone, wishes to thank the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, for its responsible and Godly decision not to attack Muslims in retaliation of the bombings of churches in the North.

“This decision has not only shamed the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, who want the violence to escalate, but also portrays CAN as a peaceloving association.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 41

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42 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

US urges Algeria to support intervention in Mali S secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has urged Algeria to support an Africa-led military intervention in northern Mali.

Clinton’s visit to Algiers on Monday came amid mounting international pressure on Algeria over the crisis in Mali, where a March military coup was followed by a revolt that has seen Tuareg fighters, some linked to al-Qaeda, seize control of the northern two-thirds of the country.

A senior US official said after the talks, that Clinton argued strongly that counterterrorism efforts in Mali could not wait for a political resolution to Mali’s problems. “The secretary underscored ... that it is very clear that a political process and our counter-terrorism efforts in Mali need to work in parallel,” the official said.

“We have an awful lot at stake here, and an awful lot of common interests, and there’s a strong recognition that Algeria has to be a central part of the solution.” The US official’s remarks came before Clinton’s talks with Algerian Pres-

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ident Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Africa’s biggest country, and a top oil and gas exporter, Algeria shares a 2,000km border with Mali and sees itself as the major regional power, wary of any outside interference. It fears military action in Mali could push al-Qaeda back into southern Algeria as well as triggering a refugee and political crisis, especially among displaced Malian Tuaregs heading north to join tribes in Algeria.

Algeria repeatedly has advocated a diplomatic solution to the Mali crisis, and ruled out intervention itself. Although Algiers would not be able to veto an intervention operation by other countries, it would be diplomatically risky for African states backed by Western powers to intervene in Mali without its consent, especially as the conflict

S/Africa miners face another police fire OLICE in South Af rica say they have fired rubber bullets, teargas and stun grenades in clashes with hundreds of striking Anglo American platinum mine workers who barricaded roads outside Johannesburg.

About 12,000 Amplats workers in northwestern Rustenburg, who were dismissed early this month for going on an illegal strike, were given an option to return to work on Tuesday morning if they wanted their jobs back.

“Police used teargas, stun grenades as well as rubber bullets,” to disperse around 1,000 strikers, Dennis Adriao, said police spokesman, said.

He said the strikers had blocked fire engines from an Amplats mine power sub-station that was suspected of being set alight by striking workers in a pre-dawn attack.

The deal was brokered in negotiations last week by the main National Union of Mineworkers

Rebels kill Syrian air force general

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•President Zuma (NUM) in talks with Amplats last week.

But the workers refused to go back to work until their pay demands were met.

•Hillary Clinton meeting Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in Algiers. could drag on for many months.

Clinton’s visit to Algiers came after a high-level meeting in the Malian capital, Bamako, on October 19 that brought regional and international

players to the negotiating table, and after which French and Algerian sources said Algeria had “tacitly” agreed to intervention.

France, the region’s former colonial power,

how the Palestinian leader died, a French official said Tuesday.

The official said the team from France will arrive sometime between Nov. 24 and Nov. 26 in the West bank city of Ramallah.

Palestinian authorities confirmed the timetable and said a separate Swiss investigative team would also arrive in Ramallah at the same time. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

However, Darcy Christen, a spokeswoman for Switzerland’s Institute of Radiation Physics that is expected to conduct the autopsy for the Swiss team, said no date has been confirmed yet.

The push to re-examine circumstances surrounding Arafat’s November 2004 death came after a

drafted a UN Security Council resolution urging Mali to engage in dialogue with Tuareg Muslim rebels Ansar Dine if they cut links with radical groups, a move that satisfied Algeria’s calls for dialogue.

S/Africa’s census reveals continuing racial divide

Swiss lab recently discovered traces of polonium210, a deadly radioactive isotope, on clothes said to be his.

The discovery revived suspicions of poisoning.

The immediate cause of Arafat’s death was a stroke, but the underlying source of an illness he suffered in his final weeks has never been clear.

Investigators from

S Sandy causes havoc throughout the eastern US, the full extent of the storm’s damage is just beginning to emerge in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The UN is warning that flooding and unsanitary conditions could lead to a sharp increase in cases of cholera, while aid workers are worried that extensive crop damage

will mean that food prices will rise.

Extensive damage to crops throughout the southern third of the country, as well as the high potential for a surge in cases of cholera and other water-borne diseases, could mean Haiti will see the deadliest effects of Sandy in the coming days and weeks.

Haiti has reported the

highest death from Sandy so far, as swollen rivers and landslides claimed at least 52 lives, according to the country’s civil protection office. More than three days of constant rain left roads and bridges heavily damaged, cutting off access to several towns and a key border crossing with the Dominican Republic.

HE income of white South African households is six times higher than black ones, new census figures reveal. President Jacob Zuma said the census showed the black majority is still at the “bottom of the rung”, 18 years after white minority rule ended.

The statistics showed that while the income of black households had increased by nearly 170% in the last decade, they still earned the least.

The population now stands at nearly 52 million, 79% of whom are black people. It has risen by seven million since 2001. The 2011 census statistics showed that children below the age of five number nearly 11 million, making them the largest age group.

“It could be that HIV [infection] rates have levelled out and fertility has begun to recover,” said Statistics South Africa’s demographic analysis executive director, Diego Iturralde.

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•Late Yasser Arafat

Hurricane Sandy: Haiti faces food crisis

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senior Syrian air force general has been killed by rebels in central Damascus, state television reports.

Abdullah Mahmoud alKhalidi was shot dead late on Monday in the capital’s Rukn al-Din district, it said.

The attack appears to be the latest in a string of rebel attacks on high-level figures from President Bashar al-Assad’s administration.

In July, a bomb killed the country ’s defence minister and Mr Assad’s brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat.

“As part of their campaign to target national personalities and scientists, armed terrorist groups assassinated Air Force General Abdullah Mahmud al-Khalidi in the Damascus district of Rukn al-Din,” the broadcaster said.

It added that he was one of Syria’s foremost experts in aviation. He was also a member of the Syrian Air Force command, Agence France Presse reports.

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Arafat’s body to be exhumed next month C RIMINAL investi gators from France will exhume Yasser Arafat’s remains next month to try to find out

BRIEFS

France and Switzerland are to conduct parallel probes into Arafat’s death, acting separately on behalf of Arafat’s widow Suha Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, who each had misgivings about the other’s investigation. Suha Arafat formally asked for a French investigation into his death this summer.

While their probes are separate, the French and the Swiss are to visit the grave together and will only be allowed one chance to draw samples, according to Palestinian officials.

Earlier in October, the Palestinians said the process of digging out Arafat’s remains will be conducted privately.

But keeping the event a secret will likely be a challenge since Arafat lies in a giant mausoleum outside government headquarters in a central area of Ramallah.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 43

Obama’s lost message in sloppy campaign

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, with agency report Continued from yesterday

NNOUNCING a record $5.7 billion profit for the third quarter, JP Morgan Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon sounded unexpectedly upbeat about the U.S. housing market.

And increasingly, voters are not so sure which candidate would do the best job on economic issues.

But Obama’s recent rise in the polls suggests that Americans’ voting preference is based on a range of issues, not just the economy. And the pub-

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•Obama

•Romney

How Americans resolve electoral deadlock it is presently, the Republicans are in control of the House and an Electoral College tie automatically means a victory for Mitt Romney.

However, if there is also a tie in the House of Representatives which is not likely, Mitt Romney still becomes the President. In the case of who becomes the Vice-President, the US Senate would be the decider if there is a tie in the Presidential race. If a tie

happens eventually in the Presidential race, Joe Biden automatically becomes the Vice-President simply because the Democrats have the majority in the Senate.

The numbers of democrats in the Senate outnumbered Republicans and that would see Biden become the vice-President while Romney will be President by majority vote in the US House of Representatives.

US counts cost of Hurricane Sandy

BY DOTUN IBIWOYE EING the largest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, Hurricane Sandy has caused some of the largest industrial losses in a long while according to agency reports.

Over 70 people have been killed when the hurricane cut through the Caribbean earlier this week and 60 people are stranded in fire island close to NewYork.

It’s been extremely difficult to get an accurate number because of the distances and pandimouim caused by the hurricane.

The estimates include damages to residential property, commercial property, energy production and the interruption of business and modelling firm Eqecat expects insured losses to range between $5 and $10 billion and economic losses of $10 billion to $20 billion.

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So how could a tie occur? According to New York Times, one possible scenario that could give each candidate 269 votes would be if President Obama wins the following states; Washington DC, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, New Mexico, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Under this scenario, Mitt Romney will win all other states and win other battleground states as well which includes Florida, Iowa, Virginia, Colorado and Nevada to tie with President Obama.

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S Americans go to the polls in a week, there have been worries over what happens if the Presidential race between Obama and Romney ends in a dead lock.

There are 270 electoral votes for grabs and from all indications, the race ending in a tie cannot be overruled because the polls conducted so far have shown a very tight race even in swing states which President Obama won in 2008. From all indications, a Romney/ Biden running the White House for the next 4 years has been anticipated among Americans if there was a tie in the presidential race.

How does that come to play?

Investigations into what happens if a Presidential race ends in a dead lock show that the House of Representatives would be the one to decide who actually becomes the President of the United States while the Senate decides who becomes the VicePresident. Under the Article 2 of the United States Constitution, the US House of Representatives will be responsible for breaking the tie.

According to the investigation, each state delegation in the House would have one vote, so a candidate would need to get 26 votes to win. As

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. The rise beat economist’s expectations for a 0.6 percent increase last month. When adjusted for inflation, consumer spending rose 0.4 percent after edging up 0.1 percent in August. Apart from the predictions from local economists, the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Out look projects that the United States will be the strongest of the world’s rich economies.

U.S. growth is forecast to average 3 percent, much stronger than that of Germany or France (1.2 percent) or even Canada (2.3 percent). Increasingly, the evidence suggests

Obama has left the essential message he has to communicate and is busy reacting to shadows being chased by Romney

lic’s views of the personality traits of the two candidates may be every bit as important as the issues in choosing between Obama and Romney.

As stated earlier, Consumer spending rose strongly in September, putting the economy on a firmer footing heading into the fourth quarter even though households had to pull back on saving to fund purchases.

The Commerce Department said yesterday that consumer spending rose 0.8 percent, the largest increase since February, after an unrevised 0.5 percent gain in August.

Spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity and last month’s increase offered a strong hand off from the July-September period to the current quarter.

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that the United States has come out of the financial crisis of 2008 in better shape than its peers — because of the actions of its government. Ben Bernanke understood the depths of the problem early and responded energetically and creatively. Romney’s two most prominent academic advisers, Glenn Hubbard and Gregory Mankiw, seem to recognize this, but Romney apparently doesn’t. As recently as August the Republican presidential nominee repeated his criticisms of the Fed and promised to replace Bernanke at its helm.

Obama has left the essential message he has to communicate and is busy reacting to shadows being chased by Romney.

Obama issues emergency declaration RESIDENT Barack Obama said on yesterday the federal government would do all it could to help local authorities cope with damage caused by the massive storm Sandy.

The president, speaking at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross, said the storm, which slammed into some of the most densely populated areas of the eastern United States on Monday, was “not yet over” and that there were still risks.

“It is still moving north,” he said. “There are still communities that could be affected. So I want to emphasize there

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•Residents of New York.

Currently 2011’s Hurricane Irene is the tenth costliest at $4.3 billion.

Irene affected many of the same areas Sandy is expected to affect. However, Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm before it reached the Northeast. Sandy was expected to stay a Category 1 hurricane at landfall, with wind gusts up to 90mph.

If damage from Hurricane Sandy reaches the higher end of estimates, the storm would become

known as one of the five costliest US hurricanes ever. The estimate excludes flood damage.

Flooding is insured by the federal government and could push damage costs up to $20 billion or more, according to the analysis.

The report further stated that it is impossible to know ahead of time just how much destruction the storm will do, the potential is there for losses to exceed the $20 billion.

are still risks of flooding, there are still risks of downed power lines, risks of high winds.” The stock market was closed for a second straight day on Tuesday as cash equity trading was canceled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. yesterday’s shutdown was the first time weather had resulted in a two-day market shutdown since the Great Blizzard of 1888. Exchanges expect to reopen on today.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama will stay in Washington today to oversee the response to Hurricane Sandy, canceling another day of campaigning roughly a week before Election Day,

the White House said on yesterday. Obama will be in Washington to “monitor the response to Hurricane Sandy and ensure that all available federal resources continue to be provided to support ongoing state and local recovery efforts,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.

“As a result, the president will not participate in the campaign events that had been scheduled in Ohio tomorrow.”

Obama had already skipped political events on Monday and Tuesday to be in Washington for the storm and its aftermath.

44 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 45

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46 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31,

2012

Flood: Disturbing health challenges of communities cut-off by East-West Road ...RAHI to the rescue to meander through the flood on East-West Road before I found myself in Patani,” he said.

“An overnight flood completely dissected the EastWest Road and split the region.

People could not come in or out except by boat. By the time I arrived, some people were still commuting with mercedez benz trucks since cars were out of it. But now, no vehicle can access this area, except boat, or did you come by air,” he asked VM.

BY EMMA AMAIZE, Regional Editor, SouthSouth

NEMA yet to access Patani When VM last visited the relief camp, housing over 3,000 flood victims, located at New Town, Patani, along the East-West Road, the National Emergency Relief Agency, NEMA, had not been able to access the swamped communities in the area because of the submerged East-West Road. Officials of RAHI were, however, seen distributing waterproofs which double as roofing sheets for the makeshift homes that leaked in the rain of the previous night.

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*Displaced persons feeling at home in the camp

No road to bring relief materials It was gathered that desperate efforts had been made to reach NEMA, but the officials said there was no road to come to the camp, as East-West Road was cut off.

Neither the Delta nor the Bayelsa state governments have also been able to send food to the victims because of the same problem.

Communities in Bayelsa State affected by the flood, which could not access Yenagoa, the state capital, ran to the RAHI camp for succour.

In fact, Bayelsa is standing alone now, having been cutoff from Rivers, Cross River and Akwa-Ibom on one side and Edo/Delta states on the other side. Patani itself and other adjoining towns in Delta State are also cut-off from other parts of the state by the flood on the East-West Road.

Therefore, for medical care, there was no other body to run to, but RAHI. When VM got to the camp on October 23, after passing the “River Jordan” and “Red Sea” on the East-West Road with boat, it was discovered that the camp’s clinic has been converted to a sickbay for people in the area because there was no government hospital to turn to.

Even the dead were not spared

In fact, the General Hospital, Patani, which would have provided medical attention for the victims, was sacked by flood. The morgue was not spared either, as corpses were swept away. It took the sagacity of inventive morgue attendants to retrieve the corpses and create an emergency platform, between the ceiling and roof of the hospital, to stack the corpses.

was actually in New York, United States, when the flood started. I wanted RAHI to carry out its humanitarian work in Asaba because that was axis that was first hit in the state. Government had already set up a relief camp there.

“We had spoken with some government officials when it spread to Ndokwa area and we said our NGO would go

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A stitch in time BUT for the intervention of a non-governmental organisation, Rural Health Africa Initiative, RAHI, which set up a reprieve camp for flood victims in Patani and surrounding communities in Delta and Bayelsa states in particular, the Federal Government would have had a major health disaster in its hands because of improper management of the devastating flood.

The governments of Delta, Bayelsa and Anambra states also have the NGO to thank for its role in providing free healthcare and food for more than 3,000 internally displaced persons, IDPs, from the three states, who were cut-off from the rest of the country, by the ravaging flood, which turned the East-West Road into a river.

Vanguard Metro, VM, learnt that more than 100 persons would have lost their lives to more than a few health complications arising from the flood, but for the medical outreach programme of the group that placed doctors, nurses and food at the disposal of IDPs free- ofcharge.

Some of the flood victims are farmers from Anam community in Anambra State.

They are sheltered in RAHI’s Camp B. IDPs from Kaiama and other Bayelsa communities in Sagbama area are also in the RAHI Flood Victims Camp, more populated by victims from Patani axis of Delta State.

An overnight flood completely dissected the East-West Road and split the region; people could not come in or out except by boat; no vehicle can access this area, except boat

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ow we beat the EastWest Road ambush Coordinator of RAHI, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, a former national president of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, whose residence in Patani was also under water told VM that the NGO was able to beat the East-West Road conundrum because it mobilized early enough and moved into Patani.

“We moved in here on October 2 and set up the multi-purpose camp you are seeing here by October 5. I

to that area since there was nobody attending to them yet, but Patani was overrun at the same time. All what I am talking about are happening in a space of 48 hours.

“So, on the plane from New York to Nigeria, I directed that RAHI should move to Patani since I am already a victim. They were able to move in before I came in from Port-Harcourt end, where I was forced to strip to my trousers, abandoned my vehicle with my driver in Ahoada area of Rivers State,

ealth disaster forestalled Confirming our findings that there would have been a major health disaster if not for the intervention of RAHI, he said: “Yes, it is true, we attend to at least 100 persons daily in our clinic here in Patani camp for flood victims. It is not only people in the camp that we attend to, non-victims also come because there is no functioning clinic around they can go to, except here”.

Ekiyor added: “We have a functional clinic with a medical ambulance as you can see. RAHI mobilized to Patani with drugs worth N4 million, 70 bags of rice, 20 bags of beans, 3,000 blankets, 3,000 mosquito treated nets, which were all surplus from our projects of period years.

“We attend to the flood victims and outpatients from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm daily. We refer complicated cases to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, and even though there is no road, we use vehicle, motorcycle and boat, depending on the one that is applicable to the terrain to rush them.

“Initially, we had a very big challenge of water; there was no water here. My younger brother, Theo Ekiyor, an engineer, brought a trailer load of sachet water before my wife dug a borehole for the camp. We ran a soup kitchen in the first three days, but now, we ration food because the population has more than tripled and we do not have enough to go round.

“Ours is a stop-gap measure, it is not supposed to be permanent and that is why we are unhappy that having stayed here for over 22 days, Continues on page

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 —47

*A part of the 6000 hectares corporate quarters of the Songhai farms

Day Cross River met Songhai

BY ENUMA CHIGBO “You are not farmers; you are agricpreneurs.” -Obioma Liyel-Imoke, wife of the Cross River State Governor. t’s really interesting the way new words come out of different people and in different locations. In this case it was all the way in Port Novo, Republic of Benin.

Obioma was invited to cochair a three-day workshop, titled: “The Women and Youth as Catalyst in Agribusiness”,

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perhaps a first of its kind. So, accompanied by her Project Directors, Commissioner for Women Affairs and some other senior officials, all roads led to the Republic of Benin.

The journey was via the everbustling commercial city of Lagos, through Badagry known for its infamous slave route. The Seme Border, which is the boundary between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin is not far

off. It’s a tiny border but things happen there, trade in different commodities being the most prominent of them all, and that then marked the cross over into Benin Republic.

In this country, the roads look the same and so do the people. And then you wonder why there are two different countries and not one - until you speak and get blank stares in exchange. Indeed in this

near but faraway land, you get to realise that it is not business as usual. “Good morning,” somewhat finds its way to the back burner and is replaced with “Bonjour,” and “Que-est que ce” immediately replaces “What is this?” It goes on and on...

Fortunately at this landmark event interpreters were on hand for the linguistically challenged. That meeting could best be described as a melting pot of nations.

Thirteen African countries were represented, some of them being Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin, and The Gambia. They were there to address a very serious problem - women and youth unemployment.

“This is a serious problem,” said UNIDO’s Regional Director, Patrick Kormowa. “If not addressed there will be major problems in Africa.”

The UN systems offices came up with the idea of stakeholders to organise this forum, the project combines research on successful agribusiness enterprises such as the Songhai model with stakeholder consultations ultimately aimed at developing policy guidelines for formulating agribusiness programmes as well as national policies that are focused on improving employment opportunities for young people in the agricultural sector.

Venue for this event was the 6,000-hectare corporate headquarters of the Songhai farms, reminiscent of the ancient Songhai Empire which then extended to some parts of present day Republic of Benin and Nigeria. The Songhai Empire is a medieval civilization thought to have started in the ninth century as a small principality in West Africa, located on both banks of the Niger River. In the 16th

Flood: Disturbing health challenges Continued from page helping government to manage a very delicate situation, government, whose responsibility it is to do what we are doing, has not come to take over”.

Enlightenment campaign He asserted, “When the flood started, even with the corpses of drowned animals, human excrete and corpses from the General Hospital, Patani, that were initially washed away, people were still bathing, cooking and fishing in the body of contaminated waters, which they took as their normal river”.

“We had to carry out enlightenment on the dangers of such practices and the ailments that some are presenting are indicative of

such harmful practices. We have seen much of diarrhea, but in cases of cholera, we quarantined the victims and treated them. That has helped a lot in saving many lives, who had nowhere to turn to”, he added.

Overall, he disclosed that 10 babies were in the camp, while an 82-year- old man that was known to be sick before he was affected by the flood died a day before Vanguard Metro came to the camp.

According to him, “We fumigate the camp every three days against mosquitoes, reptiles and the sanitary condition is okay because we now have a functional borehole”.

“Some people, including

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Basil Ganagana, Niger-Delta activist, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, Setraco Company and Mr. Bribe Kebo have also donated drugs and other relief materials to the flood victims.

“We cannot run this place without electricity, we are spending an average of N10,000 daily to buy diesel to provide electricity here from 6.00 pm to 7.00 am daily and the police have also deployed eight policemen to take care of security in addition to the youths that are on patrol”, Ekiyor stated.

Call for aid

His words, “RAHI is right now doing her best to assist flood victims in the Niger Delta.”

In Patani, RAHI team has built a temporary camp and providing emergency relief materials to victims, RAHI is giving free health care services to displaced flood victims.

“At RAHI, we do what we can to stabilize the situation in emergencies, but today’s challenge is overwhelming, we are, therefore,. appealing to all well meaning individuals to support us. We are about setting up another camp for the Odi area and Bomadi axis, this can only be possible if we get support as we are already

century, it became the largest pre- colonial empire ever to be created in West Africa.

“The solution to unemployment is agriculture,” said Fr Godfrey Nzamujo, Director of the Songhai Centre in his welcome remarks. The organisers of the event note that a vibrant rural sector generates local demand for locally produced products and services.

Recognising smallholder farms as agribusinesses, irrespective of their size or scale, is an important first step in making the sub-region’s rural sector a viable choice for young people. The challenge is to create a vibrant rural economy by making agriculture more productive, efficient, remunerative and competitive with the view to creating employment for young people.

“This is a fantastic workshop,” said Obioma during her presentation on the first day. “I have an NGO and our first focus is on agriculture.

Of the state’s 3.2 million people, about 75% are subsistent farmers living in rural communities. However, the state like the rest of Nigeria and other countries in the world is facing the problem of rural urban migration and an aging farmer population. “It is therefore imperative that women who are the acknowledged mainstay of many families, and young people who are the ideal catalyst for significant change should be encouraged to adopt farming as a profession.”

However, there are challenges, she noted, some of which are poor transportation and power infrastructure, particularly in the rural areas; inadequate access to market and linkages; unfavourable price fixing by middlemen; perceived stigma attached to young farmers and their desire for white collar employment as opposed to a g r i c u l t u r a l entrepreneurship; low levels of financial literacy; competence, self esteem and negotiation skills, lack of education, particularly of the girl child, the challenge of collateral provision; gender gaps in land and other property ownership, thus limiting ability to secure borrowing, uncoordinated and/or ineffective Government support efforts; poor coordination between public sector, private sector and donor agencies.

Participants were then taken on a tour of the Songhai Centre amongst them was Cynthia Umoru, CEO of Farmshoppe also known as the “pretty farmer.” According to her, the world population is expected to grow from the current 6.5billion to 8 billion in 2050. “How do we feed the world then? Young people are migrating from Africa to greener pastures but Africa holds the potential to become the food belt of the world.

“Where there is a will there is a way,” Obioma concluded.

48—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

BY HENRY UMORU

BUJA — GOVERNORS of the 36 states under the aegis, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, will today meet ahead of tomorrow’s National Economic Council, NEC, meeting.

Vanguard gathered that President Goodluck Jonathan will attend the NEC meeting where he is expected to brainstorm with the governors especially on the 2013 budget NEC is always chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, but Jonathan, a source told Vanguard, may preside to push the governors to agree with the government on the controversial oil benchmark for next year.

The Federal Government

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had pegged it at $75 per barrel as benchmark for the 2013 budget, but the Senate raised it to a higher rate of $78 per barrel while the House of Representatives put it at $80 per barrel.

Also part of the agenda for today’s meeting is the security challenge in the country as well as deliberations on a final decision to withdraw or continue with the suit they instituted at the Supreme Court against the Federal Government on the excess crude controversy.

At the end of the meeting, the governors are expected to adopt a common position and then present it to NEC tomorrow.

A source also disclosed that governors of Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states

will present before other governors the unresolved case of the Benin Distribution Company (DISCO)to gather support from their colleagues ahead of tomorrow’s NEC meeting, which will ratify the privatisation of electricity distribution in the country.

The governors will also take a resolution on the excess crude issue which has for a long time now been generating heated debate between the governors and the Presidency. At the hearing of the suit instituted by the governors against the Federal Government at the Supreme Court, it was agreed that the matter should be settled out of court.

FG has not increased price of petrol —Okupe Warns those selling above N97 per litre BUJA — THE Federal Government, yesterday, decried the increase in pump price of petrol in many filling stations across the country, warning that any petrol station found to be selling above the normal pump price of N97 per litre would be tagged a saboteur and such station will be sealed.

In an interview with Vanguard, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, said government was doing everything to check the trend.

He was reacting to the sale of petrol in many filling stations above the official price of N97 per litre.

According to Okupe, “the official price is N97. Any one who sells above that is a sabotoeur. The Federal Government will continue to seal off outlets where such happens. Very soon the Federal Government will clamp down on those who hoard.

“We also appeal to those hiking prices and hoarding to stop. It is wrong and the interest of the masses should be considered. The Federal Government is doing everything to stop the trend. Nigerians are assured there is no hike in pump price any where.”

Explaining why some marketers sell above the official price, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Delta

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State, Mr. Akpoviri Edafevwotu, who spoke to Vanguard said: “We sell at government approved price of N97, but the problem at the moment is unavailability of the product.

“Sometimes, people buy from owners of private depots and the landing price is N110. By the time you put together all the logistics expended and under such a situation, it is difficult to sell below what you purchased.”

Edafevwotu, however, said filling stations that get supply at official price normally sell at N97, adding that in PPMC, they might programme that they would load 50 trucks, but at the end of the day, only five to six trucks are loaded and the scarcity remains.

The Delta IPMAN boss explained that on the average, an independent marketer spends about N3 million to buy a truck of fuel with a profit margin of between N5-N6 per litre allowed by the NNPC. “ He said: "His total profit on a truck of petrol is about N180,000 and he sells at N97 per liter because he bought at the official price, but when the petrol is sourced outside PPMC at higher price, it becomes difficult.

“That is where the problem is. If you go to some private depot owners, I do not want to mention names, but whatever

names I mention is verifiable, they sell at N100 per litre to independent marketers. Therefore, an independent marketer cannot buy at that price and sell at N97 after incurring other expenses. He then appealed to the government to ensure that more refineries come on stream to meet the demand for petrol in the country.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Matrix Energy, Warri, Mr. Abdulkabir Adisa Aliu, denied the allegation that, as a depot owner, his company was selling above N100 to independent marketers. His words, “We have not sold above government price to any person”.

He, however, made a disturbing revelation when he said: “Matrix has not sold petrol since August.

That was the last time we got product from PPMC." An industry source told Vanguard: “You can imagine what it means if a major depot owners got supply last in August."

Mr. Aliu said: “We sold our last product at N87 and the last time we imported petrol into the country was in May. We have stopped importation for now and the same goes for most other companies because of nonpayment of subsidy for the ones we purchased previously.”

Migration and its consequences

BY VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU

AN analysis of narratives by some deported Nigerians and that of those who are presently resident in different parts of South Africa, presents a statistic that shows over 85 per cent of Nigerians living in South Africa live a standard worse than what they had in Nigeria.

A spare parts dealer at ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex Lagos, who once made a trip to South Africa and came back home when he felt all hopes to make money in South Africa were lost has since found his feet and paints a picture of what life is like living in South Africa.

Mr. James' aim of travelling to South Africa was to join friends and business counterparts who left Nigeria to South Africa. His plan was to start sending money down to Nigeria to grow businesses they had left behind in Nigeria and at the same time, live in opulence.

Unfortunately for Mr. James, things never turned right as he was met with the rudest shock upon entry.

First, he was welcomed to an environment in South Africa that cannot in any way be compared to where he lived in Nigeria in terms of cleanliness and behavoural attitude of neighbours.

That was not all because he further explained that, “I was also introduced to other migrants from different nationality, including Nigerians and South Africans who were involved in all kinds of distasteful businesses which speak volume of the height of indecency and the fact that indeed, South Africa is the last place any spirit filled youth would ever consider migrating to for any reason at all.”

Continuing James said, “ Almost all of them told me that I cannot survive in South Africa, unless I am ready to join the wagon of drug dealers or armed robbers, and must visit the Home Affairs four times in a year in order to collect refugee paper so as to enable free movement on the streets of South Africa.”

He recalled the first time he went to Hill brow, South Africa, where there is a concentration of Nigerians, and how he shed tears on seeing some

Nigeria Nationals who are decent enough not to soil their hands with indecent businesses dying of hunger.

Many homeless ones sleep in clubs, because of lack of shelter, but at 4am in the morning when the clubs close business for the day, they drive them away to stand in cold till morning.

The worst case here he said is that most of them had squandered the little money with which they came to South Africa, thereby, making it almost impossible for them to return to Nigeria, since one must have about 1500 rand Travel Cost (TC) to be able to pay for flight back home.

A few other Nigerians had been robbed by South Africans while others were jilted by their women, who after sucking them dry under fake love prophecies, push them out to get ready their nest for another catch.

After being unable to deal with the dilemma he found himself in, James said “ I quickly made up my mind there and then that come what may, I shall never ever think or be part of any decision that will take a Nigeria

,

Govs meet today on security challenges, others

Migrating and nationalizing abroad is making us lose our identities in a swift, giving room for our children to take up foreign cultures, thereby losing the values to which we respect

,

national outside Nigeria, because what I saw in South Africa does not worth the mental action of envying an individual because he or she is making waves in monetary terms .

You never can tell the kind of businesses the situations in those Countries they have migrated to have made them venture into, in order to get daily food.

After serious study of the whole situation, I dusted my return ticket and entered plane back to Nigeria. That is the wisest decision I have ever taken in my life because I did

not want to become like one of those who out of nothing to live on, turned street boys, drug pushers, armed robbers in a foreign land and more so, a place like South Africa.”

There is a saying that when one has labored all day, home is the only place to go and rest, thus goes to all Nigerians in diaspora and so, from the experiences Mr. James have shared, we should be mindful of the things we intended to venture into. Not weighing the merits and demerits of your intended adventure might just be a matter of life and death.

Also, a senior bank Manager in one of Nigeria reputable banks, Benson( name with held), is of the opinion that fellow compatriots abroad, who for some personal, internal or external reasons are finding it difficult to return to Nigeria, is leaving behind the impression that they are cowards.

They do not want to leave comfortable and relatively convenient life in the foreign countries where they reside to enter into the harsh environment of their own country, but the fact remains that all those enjoyable amenities are obtainable if one begins to realise that he or she is most probably more useful to his or her people than foreigners.

Migrating and nationalizing abroad is making us lose our identities in a swift, giving room for our children to take up foreign cultures, thereby losing the values to which we respect.

In as much as James and others are entitled to their opinion, many Nigerians disagreed with them and argued that it is a global world, and that in this age and time, boundaries and barriers are breaking down, and people have the right to do as it suits them. They have the right to live where they choose, have right to take up any citizenship they dimmed fit, yet, the question is to what good will all that adventure bring to the Country because if all Nigerians in diaspora remain in the comfort of foreign lands who would bring back to Nigeria, all those fresh and innovative ideas, skills, knowledge, abilities, commitments, capabilities and honesty to make positive change.

To be continued

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 49

EXTRA

Third Mainland Bridge re-opened

BY KINGSLEY ADEGBOYE HE Federal Government yesterday formally reopened the Third Mainland Bridge barely three months after it was partially closed for intensive repair works at eight expansion joints on both sides of the longest bridge in Africa. It is11.8 kilometre-long. Sources said the repair gulped about N1.5 billion.

Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, an architect, in his address at the official reopening of the ever busy bridge noted that the federal government had kept faith with the promise that the repair works that commenced on August 10, 2012 would be completed about November 6, 2012, as it had come to pass.

Onolememen added that not only were the repair works completed about 10 days ahead of schedule, they were also completed at the awarded contract sum without variation.

He said at the commencement of the repairs on behalf of the federal government that everything possible would be done to cushion the frustration and

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inconveniences that would be caused to road users due to the partial closure of the bridge, pledging to complete the project ahead of schedule.

The Minister at yesterday's event thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for his support and sustained funding of the project, just as he commended Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State "for his wonderful cooperation and collaboration not just on this project, but on all federal projects in the state".

According to the Minister, “the project employed specialised technology which is not readily available in the country.

"The materials utilized, hydro-demolition machine, as well as technical expertise to execute the works were all imported.

"With the completion of the repair works on the three joints on the Lagos Island bound carriageway and five expansion joints on the Oworonshoki bound carriageway, the contract for the repair of the Third Mainland Bridge has been successfully completed. "The works have been completed before the sched-

•The repaired Third Mainland Bridge before re-opening. uled date of November 6, 2012”, Onolememen stated.

The longest bridge linking Lagos Island with the Mainland was partially closed to traffic on Sunday 8 July, 2012 while repair works commenced on it on Monday, 9 July, 2012.

Initially, commercial activities were almost paralysed at Idumota and many other parts of Lagos Island as the clo-

Traffic on the bridge after the re-opening ...yesterday. Photos: Diran Oshe.

sure of the bridge created a lot of hardship for commuters and motorists traveling from the Mainland to the Island.

At least 700 officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, were deployed to areas close to the bridge to ameliorate the plight of motorists and commuters.

Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, after yes-

terday’s re-opening said the repair was completed and the bridge was ready for use since Sunday.

Speaking further on the project, the Minister explained that the dynamic investigation report which was completed and submitted to his ministry indicated that one expansion joint with vertical gaps greater than 10 mm at Axis 10-11, 13-14,

16-17 and 25-26 along the Lagos bound carriageway were in very critical state and required immediate repairs, pointed out that seven joints at Axis 55-56, 57-58 and 64-1along the Lagos bound carriageway and 13-14, 22-23, 34-35 and 43-44 along Oworonshoki bound carriageway had vertical gaps between 4-10 mm which on border line.

He further noted that 16 joints on the inbound and 19 joints on the outbound carriageways equally required regular cleaning, stressing that FERMA would be directed to add this to their maintenance programme. He said joints at Axes 13-14, 19-20, 1617 and 25-26 were restored in an earlier contract executed in 2006 by the ministry using the same contractor.

The minister who stated that traffic diversion plans and programmes had been implemented with the relevant stakeholders to minimise traffic congestion and inconveniences to the populace during the period of partial closure of the bridge from July 6 to October 30, 2012, added that actual demolition of sections of the bridge deck affected at Axis 641 for the restoration of the joints had been completed and reinstated.

50—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

South eastern roads worst in the country — Rep Azubuike CHAIRMAN, House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions and member representing Aba Federal Constituency, Hon. Uzo Azubuike is sad over deplorable state of roads in the South-East and wants urgent action from the Federal Government, as he declares in this interview with journalists. Excerpts:

BY JOHN BULUS

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N state of infrastructure especially roads in South-East The state of road infrastructure in the SouthEast, which the Federal Government allowed to get to the sorry state it is now, is one of the major concerns we have, because it is affecting everything we do in that part of the country.

The South-East is the most commercialized region of this country. That alone should compel the Federal Government to always ensure that the infrastructure in that region are functional so that the people can go about their commercial activities without any inhibition and of course more revenue will be accruing to the government.

The state of road in the southeast is an issue that affects everybody.

On the Aba road challenge

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HE vacillation of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN to come to grips with its third place finishing in the Ondo State gubernatorial election is bewildering.

After the party shored up its votes from a miserly 30,000+ in 2007 to more than 145,000 votes penultimate Saturday, the party elders do not want to believe that they have achieved anything remarkable.

The leaders of the party after a formal review of the election last Monday said they would continue to review the conduct of the election and would file an election petition to review the outcome should they find a loophole. Meanwhile, it can be said that no smoking gun has been found to launch a petition.

The dithering of the party is not totally surprising. The ACN had set for itself what not a few considered as a ‘tall order ’ in its determination to sweep Governor Segun Mimiko away from office in the election.

At the end, the party came a respectable third in a very competitive election that has

and neglect by successive governments?

I represented Aba Central in the Abia State House of Assembly for eight years. Now I am representing Aba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. I am not an Abuja-based representative.

Anytime I have no business being in Abuja, I am in Aba with my people.

That means that I share in all the sufferings of Aba people and indeed Abia and SouthEast. I have been raising the issue of lack of, not just roads, but lack of federal presence in Aba, one of the major commercial nerves of Nigeria.

Most African countries buy from Aba. Aba-made goods are exported to other countries of the world. That means that Aba is a city that ordinarily should be important to the Federal Government.

If properly harnessed, Aba alone can drive the economy of Nigeria. In January this year, I raised a motion on the floor of the House on the state of the road at the entry point into Aba,

*Azubuike: The S/East is the most commercialized region of this country. particularly on the imminent collapse of Ogbor Hillwaterside on Aba/Ikot Ekpene

POLITICAL METABOLISM with

EMMANUEL AZIKEN

ACN’s vacillation on Ondo guber poll continued to puzzle many, including your correspondent.

Once the results came out penultimate Sunday, the first shock was that the ACN came third. Never mind that the distance between the ACN and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP which was second, was not much. It was not supposed to be.

The second shock for many was the amount and proportion of votes the incumbent governor, Dr. Segun Mimiko who flew the Labour Party, LP standard got.

Mimiko’s proportion of the votes fell from a respectable 55 per cent of the total votes

in 2007 to an estimated 40 percent. It was so shocking that when this correspondent called one of the foot soldiers of the Labour Party that night to tell him that his boss did not do as much as expected, he did not believe it.

Engrossed in the celebration, it seemed as if one was about to truncate a nice dream. Given the acclaimed achievements of Dr. Mimiko in his first term, was it that his supporters ever expected him to lose the election?

That is a hanging question one has been trying to grapple with.

On the other hand, many are

bridge, and the House took the matter so seriously that it mandated the committee on also asking whether the ACN and its supporters really believed the message that their leaders drummed up prior to the election that they were going to sweep Mimiko out of office? In analysing the election many, especially those in the ACN, gave the impression of having underestimated the experience of Dr. Mimiko in the Ondo political arena.

With the probable exception of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, many others deployed by the ACN in the contest were no political mates of Dr. Mimiko.

Dr. Mimiko, it is easily recalled, has devoted almost all his life to politics; more to it than his professional calling in the field of medicine.

Since he left medical school he is reported to have fully engaged in politics since the third republic and has a good political map of the length and breadth of his state.

Engaging him in his own backyard was never expected to be an easy task. That he did not win the majority of the votes cast is really shocking.

Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to immediately visit Aba to see the level of the deplorable state of the road.

The committee went to Aba with the former leadership of FERMA and they saw the state of the Aba-Ikot Ekpene road.

The Aba-Ikot Ekpene road is an international gate way into Nigeria from Cameroon. It leads to Akwa-Ibom, Cross River down to Cameroon, it is an international highway.

Everybody that went on that visit felt so bad on the state of the road and the House recommended that FERMA should immediately embark on rehabilitation of the bridge, and the chairman of the committee, Hon. Ofor, said that a good bridge on a bad road is useless.

He said it is necessary to fix the road together.

Before then, Hon. Uzoma Abonta also raised a motion on the state of road in Aba; he lamented on the bad state of the Aba-Port Harcourt road, AbaOweri road and Aba-Ikot Ekpene road, these all federal government roads, and urged the House to move that the roads be repaired.

It was adopted and up till now, nothing has happened.

I saw in the 2012 budget, where they provided for Owerri-Aba-Ikot Ekpene road dual carriage, this is a road of not less than 200 kilometers, they provided only N20 million for it, this is a project that will take about N5 billion, but the budgetary provision is just N20 million!

The ACN must congratulate itself for doing well in the election and articulate a more fitting response to match with the democratic inclinations it so much ventilates.

It is welcoming that the party has promised to establish a vibrant opposition machine to monitor and measure the actions of the Mimiko administration.

That is a welcome development. Indeed, the party must move beyond Ondo State and activate the same monitoring mechanism in every other state where it is in opposition.

The party has commendably won for itself adulation for its rigorous and robust check on the PDP Federal Government.

But it also must further endear itself to democracy enthusiasts by at least conceding victory to Labour in Ondo. There is no shame to it.

After all, the party fought a good fight.

Conceding today will win it the plaudits and positive public image it would need to enter the next battle. Ekiti and Osun coming next will be another story!

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 51

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52 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

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54 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LIVE IN LAGOS: Venus and Serena celebrate

Williams sisters in Nigeria for women’s rights

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN, with Agency Reports MERICAN tennis super-stars, Serena and Venus Williams have said that their visit to Lagos, as part of a twonation tour that will see them play exhibition matches and train kids, was to promote women’s rights.

The sisters are both counted among the world and United States’ most successful athletes, sharing 22 major women’s singles championships between them.

Their trip is aimed at promoting “the role that women play in shifting perceptions and e n c o u r a g i n g development at all levels across the African continent,” said a statement from the Breaking The Mould initiative they are representing.

Serena, 31, and Venus, 32, are to meet the Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state, hold a tennis clinic at the Ikoyi Club, visit a puberty education class for girls and play an exhibition match before heading to South Africa

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on November 2.

“They are coming to Lagos to encourage more women to break moulds that have stood between them and their potentials,” the statement said.

Gender disparity is an acute problem in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country of roughly 160 million people, with the most glaring divides existing in the mainly Muslim north.

Worldwide, Nigeria ranks 118 out of 134 countries on the Gender Equality Index, a British Council study released in May said.

Oracene: Greatest tennis mum of all time!

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•Oracene,

Always backs Williams Sisters tour LWAYS, a brand of Procter & Gamble Nigeria, is supporting the visiting Williams Sisters to empower women and young girls to believe in themselves in a bid to achieve their full potential in life.

On 1 November 2012, the duo will partner with feminine hygiene brand Always for a joint girls empowerment event at the Government Secondary School in Osborne, Ikoyi.

Together, Always and the Williams sisters aim to empower girls and

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RACENE, the mother of the famous tennis sisters is a very, very unique lady. Soft spoken and extremely articulate.

Oracene is the engine that drove and drives the success of all her daughters, especially the tennis megastars, Venus and Serena. She appears to always speak in whispers and on a scale of one to 10, I have never heard her voice raised above four. Oracene is a bundle of fun and mischief and at 60 can easily pass for her older daughters’ friend.

But she is also as tough as nails, discerning, very perceptive and always tries to be politically correct. She has been described by some tennis writers as “unflappable and calm.”

Oracene’s first marriage to the late Yussef A. K Rasheed, a full blooded American who like Cassius Clay (Mohamed Ali) adopted a muslim name, produced three daughters – Yetunde (1972 – 2003), Leandra and Isha. Her strength of character

inspire them to live their life to the fullest by: stressing the idea of sisterhood and that girls teaming up and supporting each other may achieve great things; teaching young girls the value of hard work, passion, determination and selfbelief and leading by best example that neither colour or gender shall be reason enough to hold girls back and keep them from wanting the best in life and succeed. . The William sisters

will attend an Always puberty education class and talk to the girls before performing with the schoolgirls the Always song “Little Big Steps” to empower them through a shared singing and dancing experience.

“Always’ strong brand awareness and established social media footprint will help to globally drive awareness for ‘Breaking The Mould’ and the message of girls’ empowerment”, says Temitope Iluyemi.

manifested in the naming of two of the first three daughters.

“It was my decision to give Yetunde and Isha African names because I wanted to stay connected to my roots.” The adorable tennis mum said. Late Rasheed, a lecturer at the Michigan University could not have agreed more.

With a degree from Western Michigan University and nursing qualifications, Oracene remarried to the now famous Richard Williams and had Venus and Serena that they “programmed to be Wimbledon champions.”

To achieve this goal,, she brought all her education, exposure and knowledge to impact on the girls’ tennis career. As a mother she kept the girls grounded and focused and disciplined. As a nurse she patched up the girls when they had injuries that had to be kept away from their opponents and the public domain and prepared them for matches.

•Source: Tennis Africa Magazine

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 — 55

Chelsea stars swear ref racially abused Mikel OUTRAGED Chelsea stars have given sworn statements claiming Nigerian star, John Obi Mikel WAS racially abused by ref Mark Clattenburg.

They are prepared to give evidence to the FA inquiry set up to investigate the accusations after the 32 defeat by Manchester United.

The statements were taken from several senior players at the club’s training ground yesterday when they reported for a warmdown. It is also alleged Clattenburg called Juan Mata ‘a Spanish t**t.’

The row took a further twist last night when the Metropolitan Police became involved after the Association of Black Lawyers reported the incident as a “raciallyaggravated offence” against Mikel and Mata. Police chiefs will now have to decide whether a criminal offence was committed

by Clattenburg.

FA chiefs are determined to deal with

the explosive allegations as a matter of urgency after being accused of

dragging their feet over the John Terry case.

Doping latest: Chukwuemeka faces life ban

BY BEN EFE

Shot Putter, Vivian Chukwuemeka is faced with a life ban after her B samples turned out positive.

The athlete was said to have failed a dope test at the All Nigeria/Cross River Championships last June, but she contested the result, suggesting that her B sample will prove otherwise, but that did not happen as analysis at the lab in South Africa confirmed that there was indeed dope in her system, when she made a famous comeback at the Calabar championship, after a twoyear dope related suspension.

“Well, they did the B sample and it tested the same thing. But I do not believe in Nigerian

•Vivian dope testing because it is corrupt.

“How is it that I tested positive in Nigeria and not at the African Championships in Benin after one week of retesting. I heard Dr. Ken Anugueje say the samples in Benin were not tested. He lied because one South African girl tested positive,” said Chukwuwemka.

She stated that she was represented by her

Super Eagles in camp.

cousin during the opening of the B sample adding that it took some eight hours before the test could be concluded and her cousin did not wait to get the result.

…Camp opens November 4 Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has invited 24 home-based players for the November 14 international friendly against Venezuela in Miami, United States .

The camp will open November 4. The game is one of the friendlies that has been lined up to toughen the Nigerian side for the Nations Cup championship.

Super Eagles

spokesman Ben Alaiya quotes Team Scribe Dayo Enebi Achor, as advising all invited players to resume at the Bolton White Apartment unfailingly on Sunday, November 4. They are to report with their international passports and two passport photographs (embassy size).

The list consist of two goalkeepers, nine defenders and 13 midfieders and strikers.

the arrival lounge of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.

Her sister, Serena, who has just clinched the WTA title which just ended in Istanbul, Turkey, was due to arrive last night From the airport, Venus was led straight to a waiting convoy of vehicles and driven to Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island where another group of

The present Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation is not in any way corrupt, as it has worked assiduously to reposition Nigeria football, according to the Chairman of NFF Media and Publicity Committee, High Chief Emeka Inyama.

“It is in line with the mission and determination to take our football to higher levels that drove the Board to the various reengineering processes that have yielded the results we are now witnessing in our Leagues and the different age-grade National Teams, as well as the Super Eagles.

“At this period, what

•Inyama. the Aminu Maigari-led Board needs is massive support from Nigerians, not distraction. We are not there yet, but we request for total support from Nigerians in all ramifications to take our football to greater heights,” Inyama said on Tuesday.

2013 Afcon: Eagles hit S/Africa Jan 4 NFF technical committee the home front, then have IGERIA have announced that the country ’s final preparation for the 2013 AFCON will be in South Africa from January 4.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) general secretary Musa Amadu disclosed that the Eagles final phase of Nations Cup camping will begin on January 4.

“It’s a known fact that clubs would not release players for the AFCON until two weeks to the tournament. What this means is that coach Stephen Keshi has at least two weeks for intensive training. So, with that in mind the Eagles would begin final preparation on January 4,” Amadu said.

N

Keshi invites 24 for Williams sisters in Lagos Venezuela friendly Continues from B/P

‘This NFF is not corrupt’

Journalists had also assembled to receive the tennis queen.

Looking visibly excited about her coming to Lagos, she was accompanied by her managers, who however, did not allow her to entertain any questions from the journalists saying, Venus and Serena will speak to the media elaborately on the purpose of their visit during a Media Conference, holding today.

chairman Chris Green, who is just back from South Africa where they inspected training sites and facilities ahead of next year ’s Africa Cup of Nations, disclosed that the federation plan to first set up a training camp in Europe before the team move to South Africa.

“We are thinking of assembling the players in Faro, Portugal, before proceeding to South Africa for the team’s final phase of camping. The idea is to begin the camp in Faro with players from

the foreign-based join up,” he said.

“We have put several factors into consideration one of which is weather.”

Nigeria are drawn in Group C in Nelspruit along with defending champions Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

The Eagles training camp opens this weekend in Abuja ahead of a friendly against Venezuela in Miami, United States of America, on November 14.

Throw sports festival open Continues from B/P children the opportunity to know our great athletes at a close range.”

Uduaghan stressed that the event was not a national event competing with the similar one held in Abuja last week but purely for the state to develop its athletes to national and international stars.

The summit was wellattended with the Jamaican athletics coach, Bertland Cameron and South African Rowing coach, Roger Barrow, as speakers.

A former international, Chief Adokie Amiesimaka, Olympic gold medallist, Eniofok Uduobong, Prof Emma

Ojeme, Mr Paul Bassey, Ejiro Omonode, and Ikeddy Iziguzo also presented papers at the event which also had a three work sessions.

Uduobong called for better funding of sports and wondered why Nigeria spent N2.8bn on London Olympic Games while Great Britain spent N68.9bn.

Governor Uduaghan presented a cheque of $20,000 to Delta swimmer Samson Opuakpo for his gallant efforts at London 2012 while it was also learnt that the governor gave an undisclosed sum of money to Blessing Okagbare as take off grant to prepare for the world Championship holding next year.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCT0BER 31, 2012

Throw sports festival open — Uduaghan

BY TONY Asaba

UBANI,

HE Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday at the Grand Hotel, Asaba, advocated an open system for the National Sports Festival in the

T

Chelsea stars swear ref racially abused Mikel — P.55 Keshi invites

24

— P.55

country.

Uduaghan was speaking at the one-day Delta Sports Summit titled “Developing the Nigerian sport potential.”

The governor stressed that it was better for the country to have her elite sports meet open to all Nigerians all over the world every year.

He said, “The sports festival should be an event we look up to yearly and not the All Nigeria

Track and field. If it is open every athlete will prepare for it and ensure they make a statement during the event. What we have now is almost a jamboree whereby the athlete there or the standard attained is not a true reflection of the potential the country can boast of.

“Sports festival will be more competitive and interesting if it is open to all. It will also afford our Continues on Page 55

Williams sisters in Lagos

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN History was made in Lagos yesterday as one of the Williams’ sisters, Venus Williams, finally arrived in Lagos, as widely expected. Venus, the older of the two world’s renowned tennis icons, arrived in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital about 3:35pm, aboard a Delta Airline flight.

She was welcomed to the hands of officials of Connect Marketing Services Ltd and scores of journalists, who had waited anxiously outside Mikel (r) with Clattenburg TODAY'S

PUZZLE

•Venus receives flowers on arrival in Lagos yesterday.

Continues on Page 55

YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Headdress (5) 5 Broadcasting (6) 8 Surpass (5) 10 Paint (6) 11 Tart (4) 14 Powerful (6) 15 Eat (7) 18 Girl (3) 19 Huge (3) 21 Gaelic (4) 23 Yielded (5) 24 Adroit (4) 27 Lair (3) 29 Ballad (3) 31 Renewed (7) 32 Stripped (6) 34 Too (4) 35 Thoroughfare (6) 38 Sound (5) 39 Appear (6) 40 Hillock (5)

DOWN 2 Tavern (3) 3 Careless (6) 4 Hatchet (3) 5 Smack (4) 6 Squirm (6) 7 Mild (6) 9 Ascended (7) 12 Lettuce (3) 13 Caribou (4) 16 Formerly (4) 17 Sea-duck (5) 20 Widespread (7) 22 Certain (4) 24 Oust (6) 25 Insect (4) 26 Higher (6) 28 Dinner-jacket (6) 30 Aye (3) 33 Bird (4) 36 Vigour (3) 37 Vase (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Scrape 5, Deal 8, Sited 9, Bet 10, Lees 11, Pick 12, Apart 13, Unfair 16, Dear 18, Save 20, Wed 22, Via 23, Spy 24, Wide 25, Edge 28, Expand 30, Rebel 32, Neat 33, Nice 34, Ewe 35, React 36, Bred 37, Stature.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 1, Subdue 2, Ratified 3, Pallid 4, Disparage 5, Depress 6, Edit 7, Like 8, Sea 14, Reverence 15, Ivy 17, Aid 19, Apparent 20, Win 21, Deleted 26, Expect 27, Adhere 29, Snub 30, Rare 31, Lit.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

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

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

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

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