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Jonathan declares for Presidency today in Abuja, amidst tight security

Nigeria records $6.54bn capital inflow in Q3

PDP declares self best party

OBIORA IFOH AND OMEIZA AJAYI

Vol. 41 N0. 980 115

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resident Goodluck Jonathan will today in Abuja declare his intention to contest 2015 election in office and to steer

the ship of state for the next four years.

Already, men of the Guards Brigade, Nigerian CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

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Kale

Tuesday, Tuesday,June November 7, 2011 11, 2014

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Suicide bomber kills 53 students, injures 79 Yobe governor shuts schools in Potiskum, says we’re heartbroken Presidency commiserates with parents Again, military helicopter crashes in Adamawa P.4 INUSA NDAHI AND ROTIMI FADEYI

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suicide bomber yesterday killed 53 students and teachers leaving 79 others injured at the assembly ground of Government Comprehensive CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Myles Munroe, wife, others die in plane crash P.51 Some of the injured students after a suicide bomber attacked Government Comprehensive Senior Science Secondary School, Potiskum, Yobe State, yesterday.

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Protest in Lagos over PVC distribution

P.2 Irregularities, hiccups mar collection in Imo 370,000 pregnant women to access free HIV care –NACA Jega

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News

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Jonathan declares for Presidency today CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Army as well as other security agents have been deployed in strategic locations in the city to maintain foolproof security.

Consequently, the police has advised members of the public “to use alternative routes, as vehicular traffic will be diverted from most of the roads leading in and out of Eagle Square Central Business District, Abuja between 0500am and 0800pm of Tuesday, November 11, 2014.”

Spokesman of the Force, Emmanuel Ojukwu said the police regret any inconvenience the diversion of vehicular movements within the area may cause members of the public, saying it was one of the proactive security measures put in place to avoid break down of law and order in the area and Abuja at large.

Slated to commence by 10a.m, the event would be witnessed by the president’s ardent supporters as well as top hierarchy of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leadership and members of the National Assembly and other top government officials.

Jonathan had on Thursday, October 23 after a meeting with PDP leaders at the Presidential Villa, set up a 37-man Presidential declaration committee headed by former Minister of Defence, Bello Haliru, to make CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

President Goodluck Jonathan (left) receiving letters of Credence from the Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Angola, Mr. Eustaquio Janeiero Quibato at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Protest in Lagos over PVC distribution FRANCIS SUBERU AND CHRIS NJOKU

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esidents of Lagos yesterday took to the streets in different parts of the state to protest what they described as poor handling of the distribution of Permanent Voter Card, PVC, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Some of the protesters marched to the INEC headquarters at Yaba, Lagos, while some marched to the Governor’s Office at Alausa, Ikeja.

One of the groups under the auspices of The Nucleus Group, TNG, armed themselves with placards with

varying inscriptions such as “Fashola do not retreat, get out our PVC”, “INEC has failed us”; “Jega beware, don’t act FG script in Lagos”; “INEC, Agege needs more time for PVC collection”; “Is INEC an agent of PDP”, among others condemned the way INEC is handling the exercise.

Leader of the group, Prince Odunsanya Ademola, said the group was aggrieved and that they were, therefore, interested in telling the world that they were not pleased with the ongoing exercise.

“We are here because we are aggrieved, we want to tell the world that we are not pleased with the way the exercise is going on. On Fri-

day, when they said that the PVC distribution is going to begin, we went round but officials of INEC were not on ground. But today some of them are out but their performance is still below expectation, and again we want to appeal to INEC that 3 days are not enough”, leader of the group said.

Ademola said they are protesting because they don’t want to be disenfranchised in the 2015 general election.

“Lagos is a special place for us, it is our home, and there is no insurgence in Lagos, it is a peaceful place, so we don’t want our people to be disenfranchised. And it is going to affect our people in terms of performing

their civic duties. We want at least 2 weeks extension,” he said.

Ademola explained that some residents could not find their names and numbers in some polling units and were not able to collect their PVC, he said.

Earlier in the day, protesters had stormed INEC’s office in Yaba, Lagos, at 10am with placards protesting the attempt to disenfranchise Lagosians through hoarding of the PVCs from reaching the people. The protesters chant solidarity songs, vowing that they would never allow election to be rigged in the state.

There was tight security as scores of policemen armed with guns ensured

that the protest did not degenerate into an unruly situation, howbeit, the protesters were civil in their approach as hoodlums were not allowed to hijack it.

The protesters, under the aegis of Activists for Good Governance, were armed with series of placards and blocked the road leading to INEC’s office, with traffic gridlock experienced.

Some of the placards read: “We Lagosians detest rigging, give us our PVCs,” “Lagosians reaffirm one man, one woman, one vote, give us our PVCs, period,” “Jega, be warned, don’t act FG;s script in Lagos,” “We beg ‘una’ to give us our cards,” “The totality of CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

Suicide bomber kills 53 students, injures 79 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Senior Science Secondary School in Potiskum, Yobe State.

The male suicide bomber, dressed in the uniform of the school, detonated the bomb in the midst of the students about 7.30am.

Just last week, another suicide bomber blew himself during Sh’iite Muslim procession to mark Ashura, claiming about 30 lives with many injured.

An improvised explosive devices, IEDs planted within the premises of the all boys’ school was detected about three months ago and was later detonated by men of the anti-bomb squad.

The explosion ripped

through the assembly hall, according to police spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu.

“The students were at the assembly ground this morning (yesterday) at about 07:30am, then a suicide bomber who had disguised and dressed as student detonated a bomb.

“It was a devastating attack. Dozens of children lost their lives and many more were injured. Some had broken limbs,” according to a witness.

One student said he saw the mutilated bodies of fellow students at the scene.

A resident reported seeing parents wailing at the sight of their children’s bodies at the hospital.

Soldiers who went to the site of the explosion were met with fury by the crowds who pelted them with stones and accused them of not doing enough to halt Boko Haram’s insurgency.

A grieving relative said: “My brother, a student in the school, died in the blast.

He was about 16 years old.

We buried him at about 11:00am.

“The government needs to be more serious about the fight against Boko Haram because it is getting out of control,” he added.

Schools in Yobe State have been frequently attacked by Boko Haram militants.

The state is one of three

that have been placed under a state of emergency as a result of the group’s activities.

Potiskum, one of the largest towns in Yobe, has been targeted before by the sect.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam described the incident as heartbroken, even as he regretted that the emergency rule imposed on the state and two others have not been effective.

The governor has also ordered the closure of all schools in and around Potiskum until further notice.

The governor, in a statement by Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information, Abdullahi Bego, said that the emergency rule had failed to stop the terrorists,

adding that unfortunately, it was the people that were being killed and rendered homeless everyday.

The statement said: “This morning, our State woke up to a very sad and heartbreaking news of a bomb attack on our young students at Government Comprehensive School, Potiskum in which no fewer than 35 students were killed and many more injured.

“The thoughts of His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam and his prayers are with the parents, teachers and families of the innocent victims of this callous and reprehensible attack.

“The governor is heartbroken and words cannot

adequately convey the extent of his remorse and sadness.

“The governor has noted that this is the fifth time in a little over one year when our schools in Yobe State were brutally attacked and students killed. There was Government Secondary School, Damaturu; Government Secondary School Mamudo; College of Agriculture, Gujba; Federal Government College, Buni-Yadi; and now Government Comprehensive School, Potiskum.

“Governor Gaidam deeply regrets that all of these dastardly attacks took place under a climate of Emergency Rule declared in Yobe, CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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Photo News

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

L-R: National Coordinator, Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Assumpta Reginald; Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, Prof. John Idoko and UNAIDS Country Director, Dr. Bilal Camara, during a NACA News conference on the presidential launch of national operational plan for the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV in Nigeria, in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

L-R: National Coordinator, Stroke Care International, Mrs. Abigael Dokpesi; Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Gloria Ekeng and Programme Coordinator for Hypertension/Diabetes, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Abimbola Osinowo, during a fundraiser in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: Counter Narcotics Advisor, U.S. Consulate, Mr. Michael Bonner; Consular-General, Mr. Jeffery Hawkins and Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Alhaji Amadu Giade, during the donation of narcotic screening machines to the agency in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; Managing Director, Mr. Seyi Sijuwade and Eastern District Manager, Mr. Donatus Ogbodo, during the inspection of NRC Bridge 15 at Amoda-Akwunanu in Enugu, yesterday.

National News UBONG UKPONG AND HINDI LIVINUS

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military helicopter, conveying arms and ammunition and five foreigners yesterday crashed at Damare, a settlement, about15 kilometres from Yola, Adamawa State capital.

But the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, said the helicopter crash landed at the Yola International Airport, four minutes after takeoff at 9.30 am.

Our correspondent, however, learnt that the helicopter crashed into a swamp at Damare, few metres from a government camp for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, located at the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Orientation Camp.

Local residents, who witnessed the crash, said the helicopter had four boxes of ammunition and other military armament.

It was learnt that two out of the five foreigners on board sustained leg fractures.

One of the early responders to the distress call from the survivors of the

Military helicopter crashes in Adamawa with foreigners on board •NLC urges security forces to liberate territories occupied by insurgents crash, who simply gave his name as Sani, said that he saw the helicopter engulfed in black smoke, swirled in the air before crashing into the swamp.

He said a female and four other white male occupants, who spoke in American accent, had called on the villagers to come to their rescue as the pilot was trapped.

The eyewitness also disclosed that it was the locals who helped to evacuate the trapped pilot and the two injured passengers.

It was learnt that the passengers contemplated setting the wreckage of the aircraft along with its cargo on fire, but were dissuaded from doing so by the only female member.

Another witness, Hassan Alimu, said the chopper crashed and “was badly damaged, especially the wings”.

According to Alimu,

four other helicopters were dispatched to the crash site and the five foreigners were whisked away.

He said the helicopter’s cargo was loaded into military vans.

When our correspondent visited the crashed site, the area had been condoned off.

The DHQ, through its Director of Defence Information, DDI, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, however said that the helicopter was on a training operation.

He said that there was no casualty as all crew members are safe.

Olukolade said: “A Nigerian Air Force helicopter, with call sign Shark 23, on a training mission executed a controlled forced landing four minutes after take-off at the runway approach end of Yola International Airport today (yesterday) at about 9.30am.

“There was no casualty

recorded as all the crew members have been recovered back to the base.

“The Nigerian Air Force Headquarters has already set up an investigation panel to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.”

Asked to confirm the presence of foreigners on board the helicopter, Olukolade said that he could not speak on the matter beyond the military position that investigation into the crash was ongoing.

“Please, we’ve said that we are investigating. I don’t have one more word concerning the incident,” he said.

The military has suffered a series of air crashes in the region since it launched an offensive against Boko Haram in May last year.

The Islamists have claimed to have shot down a number of aircraft, in-

cluding an air force jet that went missing in September, again on a mission out of Yola airport.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has urged security forces to liberate and recover territories occupied by insurgents in Adamawa.

The call was contained in a statement signed by the NLC General Secretary, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, yesterday in Abuja.

Ozo-Eson said the union was alarmed by the rate at which the country was losing grounds in the war against the insurgents.

He said: “We stand by our security forces in these trying times in their engagement with Boko Haram insurgents.

“We believe in their capacity and resolve to get done the job of containing the insurgents.

“We acknowledge that this is not a regular war. We

appreciate other challenges of our security forces too, among which are logistics and numbers.’”

The NLC general secretary said the Congress was worried by the loss of some areas by troops that were supposed to be the pride of the nation, to insurgents.

The labour official said: “Our soldiers swore to an oath to maintain the territorial integrity and defend the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Today, that sanctity is being violated and the land is being desecrated and the blood of the innocent freely flowing.”

Ozo-Eson said the NLC was concerned about the preparedness of the country and its capacity to fight, adding that “we are worried about our vulnerability.”

He noted that those at the NLC were hurt and pained by what they were witnessing.

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News

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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Protest in Lagos over PVC distribution CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Agege Youth, women and men are demanding an extension for PVC collection,” “INEC, Agege demands more time for our PVC collection,” “Please, our 1.4 million PVC cards,” “ We want free and fair election,” and “All Nigerians are equal.”

Spokesman for the group protesters, Comrade Declam Ihekaire said Nigerians were afraid that INEC is planning to rig next year’s election, especially in states controlled by the All Progressive Congress, APC, which informed the hoarding of the PVCs from getting to the people.

“2015 is here already and any attempt to disenfranchise Nigerians will mark the beginning of action.

What we see is that INEC is short of staff and you are already being nicknamed as trying to rig the election next year,” he told the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Lagos State.

“INEC must ensure the PVCs get to the people and they should not attempt to rig the election. Those in power knows that there will

be protest votes in 2015 and that is why they are trying to rig the election,” he said.

Responding to the protesters, INEC’s REC, Lagos State, Mr Adekunle Ogunmola said that the body had been encountering problems in the distribution of the PVCs in Lagos, but assured that by the time it completed the exercise, every lagosians duly registered would get his or her PVC. “Our intention is to ensure all registered voters in Lagos State get their PVCs before the 2015 elections.

There have been hiccups; we are only distributing materials giving to us. On the 1.4 million voters removed from the list, we have reasons for that. ”In Mushin yesterday, we have distributed PVCs to 529 polling units.

By the time we complete the 11 Local Governments, all will be captured. We are also doing continuous voters registration to capture everybody,” he said In Imo State many could not collect their PVC during the three days exercise due to irregularities and hiccups noticed at many polling centres across the state.

They have therefore called for the extension of the exercise in the state..

Investigations showed that the three days exercise which began on Friday to Sunday witnessed irregularities such as late arrival of INEC officials to polling centres, names not found on voters’ list, unavailability of materials and in some areas outright absent of officials.

In some LGAs such as Owerri North, Owerri West, Njaba many people were stranded as there was no INEC official to distribute the cards.

Aside the complaints, many people interviewed blamed INEC for not creating enough awareness to sensitize the citizenry on the importance of the exercise.

Narrating his experience, Hon. Fidel Ahanonu from Alaeze Ogwa, Mberie,

in Mbano Local Government Area, said that “on the first day we experienced hiccups and unavailability of material and most of the people whose names were shortlisted could not found their names on the temporary voter’s card and there was no attestation form for them to fill.”

Also, he noted that was too cumbersome as some people could not pick all their cards because of time factor, saying it took more than 20 minutes before one person could be attended to.

Dr. James Elemuwa from Ikeduru LGA blamed INEC’s deficiency in planning for the shoddy distribution of the PVC cards. He therefore called for a week extension to enable the people to collect their cards.

For Macdonald Okwo from Obiakuru Mberie, the distribution of the PVC ran

short of expectation in the state as many people were deregistered in the exercise.

“In the polling centre where I registered, the first day of the exercise was wasted as it started around 3pm and ended 30 minutes later while in some areas in the community more than 300 people could not find their names on the register,” adding that but for the intervention of some well meaning members of the community, the situation could have degenerated as people protested.

He said what happened in the state generally was regrettable; adding that if necessary steps are not taken by INEC a lot of people in the state would be disenfranchised, advising the commission to remedy the anomaly by extending the exercise at least by three days.

Another complainant,

Alex Ekpo from World Bank in Owerri West LGA, observed that “as I speak to you more than 75 per cent of Imo citizens have not collected their cards. I am beginning to fear I don’t know if this problem is from INEC or some desperate politicians. If this exercise is not well conducted in Owerri because 90 per cent of voters are from Owerri, it is going to wreck havoc in 2015 general election.”

However, Mr. Kissinger from Ehime Mbano LGA, commended INEC for making it difficult for a person to collect the PVC on behalf of another person, “so let us commend them on that part so that no politician can easily hijack the exercise but I want the commission to embark on massive voters education for the continuous voters registration.”

Jonathan declares for Presidency today CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

adequate arrangement for tomorrow’s event.

Meanwhile, the PDP said today’s declaration by President Jonathan is an immeasurable boost on the collective aspiration of millions of members of the party for the greatness of Nigeria through the continuity of the quiet, all sector transformation of the nation.

The PDP said “the champion, the best of them all is on the stage”, inviting the opposition to a free, fair and non-violent contest.

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, Monday, said the unanimous endorsement of the President for a second term by the party, “a decision anchored firmly on the overriding necessity for an unmitigated protection of the national interest against the backdrop of sectional and selfish machinations squirming

from the ranks of opposition, “is a case for a total support from all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria.

It further said the acceptance of the offer made to him by the party after weeks of wide consultation and deep thought for national service, culminating in tomorrow’s declaration, is a significant fresh assurance of better days ahead from a President who does more and talks less.

“Here, therefore, we represent to Nigeria, a President who in 2011 promised “he would not win our affection by promises of things he would do “and has gone ahead to fulfill such through dynamic examples in humility, selflessness and re-engineering of the nation’s human and material infrastructures”.

“We present for re-election, the President who has achieved more in four years despite deliberate attempts CONTINUED ON PAGE 6>>

L-R: Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero; Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki; Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu and Managing Director, Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Dr. Shetima Ali, during the inauguration of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation building in Kaduna, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Suicide bomber kills 53 students, injures 79 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Borno and Adamawa States

by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“In theory, the Emergency Rule Declaration was a signal that more vigorous steps would be taken to protect the lives and property of people in the affected States and deploy the full might of the federal government to restore peace and security.

Unfortunately, this has not been fully the case. Instead of forcing insurgents and criminals to flee; the insurgents are forcing innocent people to flee and making life miserable for everyone.

“Governor Gaidam believes that President Goodluck Jonathan has a very

urgent responsibility to explain to the people of Yobe State and people all across the affected States why murderous and callous insurgent and criminal attacks are still on the rise despite the State of Emergency.

“The governor also believes that it is not just enough for the federal government to condemn the almost daily rounds of violence. He believes urgent action must be taken right now to restore a fast waning public confidence by doing whatever it takes to stop the escalating violence.

“Governor Gaidam has also ordered for the immediate closure of all public schools around the Potis-

kum area until a full review of the situation is undertaken.

“He assured members of the general public that despite the State of Emergency in place, he will continue to do everything within his powers to get the federal government to do more and also to continue to offer his administration’s support to all people affected.

“The governor has directed hospital authorities in Potiskum to provide immediate medical support to victims of the school attack free of charge. The Yobe State Government will also foot the medical bills of some of the victims who have been referred to

the Federal Medical Centres in Nguru and Azare.

“The governor has also directed the Commissioner of Health to undertake regular review of the conditions of victims and suggest what additional measures might be needed to help them recover.”

President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the suicide bombing.

A statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati said Jonathan extended heartfelt commiserations to the Government and people of the state Jonathan also conveyed CONTINUED ON PAGE 6>>

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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nigeria’s capital imports hit $6.54bn in Q3 TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

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apital imported into the country in the third quarter of 2014 was recorded at a value of $6.54bn, (N1.08trn) rising by about $738.7m or 12.73 per cent over the $5.8bn imported capital in the preceding quarter of this year.

The report on the imported capital imports value published by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, indicated that relative to the $4.42bn worth of capital imported in Q3 of 2013, the Q3 2014 figures reflected a growth of about $2.12bn or 48.06 per cent.

The statistical agency reported further that capital importation values post financial crisis were exhibiting a strong recovery throughout 2012, peaking at about $6.7bn in Q1 of 2013, noting however, that 2013 witnessed a steady decline in inflows, bottoming out at about $3.90 billion of capital imported in the opening quarter of 2014.

This, NBS stated that this represented a decline of about $2.7bn or 69.05 per cent from the peak recorded just one year earlier.

It added that despite the steady rises in inflows observed in the current year, the cumulative total

for the year of $16.25bn was still $385.9m or 2.32 per cent lower than the cumulative capital importation of about $16.6bn in 2013.

According to the NBS, when classified based on the three main investment types, namely Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, Portfolio Investment and Other Investments, the largest in the quarter stood at about $5.13bn, making up 78.38 per cent of the total. Its value however, represented a decline in its share of 6.35 per cent points from the 84.72 per cent it represented in the preceding quarter.

The second greatest

investment type was Other Investments, which, stand at $870.3m, made up 13.30 per cent of the imported capital value in the quarter under review, displacing Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, from the second place it occupied in Q2, 2014.11.10 The NBS stated that the FDI was the smallest sector at $544.2m or 8.32 per cent of the total capital importation for the quarter under review, marginally expanding its share from the 8.15 per cent representation in Q2.

The bureau reported that despite the decline in its share, the dominant sector of portfolio investment had increased by

$210.61m or 4.28 per cent from the $4.92bn recorded in Q2, and by $1.39bn or 37.27 per cent from the value recorded in Q3 of 2013.

Clarifying the capital importation by investment further, the agency reported that equity remained the largest contributor to capital imported in the Portfolio Investment sector with a value of $3.77bn, representing 57.63 per cent of all capital imported in the quarter.

It added that the main driver of portfolio sector growth was bonds, which

370,000 pregnant women to access free HIV tests — NACA MARCUS FATUNMOLE AND REGINA OTOKPA

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Heavy gridlock caused by a broken down tanker on Abuja-Kaduna highway at Zuba, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Only contractors in BPP database ‘ll get FG patronage — Jonathan ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

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resident Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, that from the 2015 financial year, any contractor not in its database should not be allowed to do contract business of any sort with the Federal Government.

Jonathan issued the directive yesterday when he declared open the first National Conference on Public Procurement, NACOPP, with the theme “Public Procurement: A tool for Good Governance.”

The directive followed BPP’s categorisation and classification of federal contractors and service providers into equal competences and capacity for bidding purposes.

Speaking through the Vice President Namadi Sambo, the president also said that any company debarred by the World Bank, Africa Development Bank and UNDP, as well as other development partners stands automatically barred from contracting processes in Nigeria.

“This action is intended to eliminate distortions in bidding costs that tend to

create the impression that project costs in Nigeria are higher than in other countries,” he said.

Jonathan, who noted that reforms in the procurement process had yielded positive results on the economy, said “being a good governance tool, procurement reform has enhanced the activities of other agencies of government.”

He also disclosed that as a first in the World “Nigeria is setting up the first International Procurement Platform to facilitate an interface between a regulatory authority and procuring entities and service provid-

ers.”

The president while reaffirming his commitment to further strengthen the BPP, commended the 24 states that have passed procurement laws, charging the remaining 12 to urgently follow suit, while also urging all the states to give adequate protection to the regulatory agencies to effectively discharge their duties.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in her remarks, said the BPP serves as a tool for fiscal saving and transparency.

at a value of about $1bn, grew by $268.53 billion or 36.70 per cent from the $731.7m recorded in the preceding quarter and by $968.6m or 3,061.84 per cent from the $31.64m of quarterly inflows recorded just one year earlier.

The statistical agency reported that when analysed on business type basis, with inflows representing about $4.5bn, shares continued to dominate capital importation by business type, representing 69.14 per cent of the total imported in the quarter.

s part efforts to control new rate of HIV infection among children in the country through mother to child transmission, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, has said that about 370,000 pregnant women would access free HIV counseling and testing(HCT).

This was disclosed during a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, on the forthcoming launch of the national plan for the Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (eMTCT) 2015-2016, which would progress into a week-long campaign for pregnant women.

The Director General NACA, Professor John

Idoko, told newsmen that part of activities to mark this year’s National Maternal Newborn and Child Health week, would be the formal launch of the National eMTCT plan 20152016 and the flag-off of the National HCT campaign for pregnant women which would run for a week.

He added that during the campaign, there would be free HCT services nationwide, saying, “our target is to test about 370,000 pregnant women”, to ascertain their status to enable adequate health care and treatment if found to be HIV positive.

The DG disclosed that Nigeria recorded as at the end of 2012, 30% of new HIV infections from a total of 60,000 infections amongst children across 21 priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

1999 Constitution Bill: 4th alteration passes second reading

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he Fourth Alteration to the 1999 Constitution has gone through the second reading at the Ondo State House of Assembly.

The House, which was presided over by Speaker Jumoke Akindele, said Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, sent a letter to the state parliament to deliberate.

The two arms of National Assembly, comprising the Senate and House of Representatives, had earlier discussed critical

areas of the constitution and made some amendments.

These included autonomy for local governments, separation of office of minister of justice and attorney general of the federation, establishment of House of Assembly Service Commission and independent candidacy.

After thorough deliberation for the proposed amendment, the house set up a five-man committee to look into the proposals and submit its report on November 25 for consideration.

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National News

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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Mubi: CDS never evacuated family members — DHQ UBONG UKPONG ABUJA

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he Defence Headquarters, DHQ, yesterday said the Chief of Defence Staff,

CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, never evacuated his family members from his home town, Mubi, Adamawa State, which was invaded and captured by Boko Haram

Substandard products crippling Nigeria’s economy — Odumodu

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he Director General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu, has said that influx of substandard foreign products into the country is gradually crippling the nation’s economy.

Odumodu stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday in Abuja.

According to him, the influx of substandard products from abroad has led to the collapse of many industries in the country, especially in the North-West.

He said the prevalence of such products, particularly those from China, was largely responsible for the collapse of most industries in Kano State, the economic hub of the North.

“As you are aware, substandard products have affected our economy. If you go to Kano today, you will discover that most companies there have collapsed because we have ignored standards and that is why we are suffering.

“In fact, some of these

foreign products being consumed in Nigeria are injurious to our health and poor people are dying and nobody is asking questions,” he said.

Odumodu stressed that the problem of substandard commodities made some companies to leave Nigeria for a more conducive environment, because they were losing money and no longer making profit.

According to him, no company currently produces tyre in Nigeria, citing Michelin which relocated to Ghana because of the harsh operating environment.

He said the menace of substandard products to the nation’s economy informed the seminar the organisation organised a few days ago to sensitise major stakeholders and the public on its target of eradicating substandard products in Nigeria.

He emphasised that the seminar, which was held in Abuja would be replicated in the six geopolitical zones, stressing that every Nigerian was expected to be part of the fight against substandard products.

Ogboye: Lagos police arrest 26 murder suspects DARE AKOGUN

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he Lagos State Police Command yesterday said it had arrested 26 suspects in connection with the murder of a 25-year-old man, Sikiru Ogboye.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed to newsmen in Lagos that Ogboye was killed on November 9 while reportedly monitoring the collection of Permanent Voter Card, PVC, in Ibeju-Lekki area of the

state.

The deceased was said to be monitoring the process in the area on behalf of the PDP. “Ogboye was killed in a suspected clash between supporters of different political parties.

“One pump action gun and a live cartridge were recovered,” Nwosu said.

The police image-maker also stated that investigation into the matter was in progress, adding that the political parties involved in the clash would be known after the process is concluded.

insurgents last week.

This is contrary to reports that said before the attack, the CDS sent in a helicopter and evacuated his family members from Mubi, leaving other citizens to fate.

However, in a post on its official blog yesterday, the DHQ described the claim as mischievous and wicked, stressing that such allegation never existed before, during or after the attack.

“The attention of the Defence Headquarters has been drawn to an article with the caption, ‘The Helicopters that evacuated CDS Badeh’s family from Mubi: A lesson for All Nigerians’ written by a certain Elvis Iyorngurum and posted in an online news outlet, NewsRescue.com on November 6, 2014.

“The said article which contained strings of deliberate falsehood

and spurious allegations claimed that few hours before the attack on Mubi by the terrorists, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal A.S. Badeh flew in helicopters and evacuated his family from the town and abandoned everyone else to their fate.

“While the DHQ remains at a loss as to the motive for these unconscionable fabrications, it is pertinent to quickly

repudiate the false claim and to state clearly that at no time did the CDS send any helicopter to evacuate any of his family members before, during or after the attack on his home town.

“Contrary to the claims by the author, the helicopter that flew to Mubi was on an operational mission to reinforce the ground troops in preparation of efforts to repel the attack.

Members of The Nucleus Group protesting INEC slow distribution of Permanents Voters Card in Lagos yesterday.

Suicide bomber kills 53 students, injures 79 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

his deepest sympathies to all parents who lost their beloved children in the attack on the Government Science Secondary School which appeared to have been carried out by a suicide bomber.

He assured the grieving parents and people of Yobe state that no matter how long it takes, the Federal Government would ensure that all those responsible for

the senseless murder of so many promising youngsters and the continuing acts of terrorism across the country are brought to justice and made to pay for their atrocious crimes.

The President also assured all Nigerians that in spite of seeming setbacks, his administration remained fully committed to winning the war against insurgency and terrorism.

He stated that the coun-

try would overcome the current security challenges imposed by domestic terrorists and their foreign allies, with the dedication of its Armed Forces and national security agencies, as well as the continued support and cooperation of all patriotic citizens.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday expressed outrage over the bombing.

Atiku said in a statement

by his media office in Abuja that the latest bombing which needlessly claimed the lives of 48 young and promising Nigerian school children is one too many and once again underscores the need for the government at all levels including our elders and opinion leaders to find a permanent solution to the problem of insurgency which has ravaged our country for the past five years.

Jonathan declares for Presidency today CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

to derail his focus, than any Nigerian leader, military or civilian has recorded in the same number of years”.

The statement added that the PDP was proud that the efforts of the President have been complemented at the state level by the brilliance of the PDP state governors whose dedication to the improvement of the lots

of the people has proved beyond all doubts, the merits of democracy as the best form of government.

It said the sterling performance of PDP governors abound in all PDP states citing Akwa Ibom and Jigawa states, where Governors Godswill Obot Akpabio and Sule Lamido respectively have turned hitherto insignificant spots on the map of Nigeria into national and international

destinations.

“In all these, we challenge the opposition to prove us wrong. We challenge that no Nigerian in good conscience will deny that the PDP has significantly taken the nation far away from the tethers of backwaters it was in fifteen years ago.

“We challenge that breaking away from the yoke of a pariah nation, from the stranglehold of a debtor nation- the noose

of Paris club and the opening up of Nigeria via an uninterrupted 15 years of democracy, the fresh air of freedom, the rule of law, transparency and due process, the magic of modern information and communication technology and above all, the centripetal pull on the unity of the nation by the PDP as the only truly national political party do not deserve continuity.”

8

South West

Businessman remanded for importing counterfeit cosmetics WALE IGBINTADE

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Federal High Court, Lagos has remanded a Lagos businessman, Olisaemeka Osefor in prison custody over illegal importation and counterfeiting of cosmetic products.

Osefor was arraigned before Justice James Tsoho by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on a four-count charge bordering on counterfeit drug deal.

The accused who resides at Number 15 Obidima Street, Iba Victory Estate, Zone 5 Iba, Lagos, was said to have sometime on April 26, 2013 at Plaza 2, International Trade Fair Complex, Lagos State found in possession of fake drug products, namely, Mycoten cream (Clotrimazole), DGF Neurogesic Greaseless ointment, Funbact A Triple Action Cream, Skineal Compound Ketoconazole Cream among others.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Counterfeit and Fake Drug and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap LFN C34 2004 and punishable under Section 3(1) (a) of the same Act.” The accused was said alleged to have imported the drugs without registration and thereby committed an offence which is contrary to section 1(1) of the Food, Drug and Related Products (Registration, etc) Act Cap F33 LFN2004 and punishable under section (1) (a)

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Court directs Caretaker C’ttee to run PMAN

WALE IGBINTADE

F Orhi, NAFDAC boss

and 8 (a) and (b) of the same Act. The accused was also said to have imported a medical device to wit: Rough Rider Studded (Condom) without registration.

The offence according to the prosecutor contravenes section 1(1) of the Food, Drug and Related Products (Registration, etc) Act Cap F33 of Law of Federation.

After the charges were read to the accused by the court registrar, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

As a result, the defence counsel, Ms. Funmi Adeogun pleaded with the court to grant bail to the accused, pledging that he will not jump bail, having honoured all invitations by NAFDAC. However, NAFDAC lawyer Umar Shamaki urged the court to remand the accused on the ground that NAFDAC detention facility is overstretched.

Consequently, Justice Tsoho ordered the accused to be remanded in Ikoyi Prison pending the hearing of his bail application and the case was consequently adjourned till Tuesday, November 11,2014.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ederal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered that the instrument of office and administration of Performing Musicians Employer's Association of Nigeria, PMAN, be handed over to an Interim Caretaker Committee.

Justice Okon Abang gave the order while delivering judgment in suit number FHC/L/CS/919/2012 filed

by PMAN against Acting President of PMAN, Mr. Ital

Bonny, PMAN's Acting Vice President; Olusegun Alade.

Other defendants in the suit with number FHC/L/ CS/919/2012 are, Mr. Kenny Ama George, and Mr. Perry Omas, PMAN's Acting Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General respectively.

The judge declared that the defendants continuous stay in office in acting capacity as the lawful representatives of PMAN for more than three months after the resignation of Admiral Dele Abiodun as president of PMAN on June

21, 2011, is illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, as such stay contravened the provision of Rule 8(3) of PMAN’s constitution 1991 (as amended).

Justice Abang further ordered as null, void and of no effect any step and decision taken, any gathering of people in the name of Peace Committee for the purpose of taking over the administration of PMAN or any election or purported election conducted by the defendants during the pendency of the suit and disobedience to the lawful order given by

INEC officials sorting materials for collection of permanent voters card, at Ijero Municipal School in Ebute Metta, Lagos, yesterday.

the court on October 10, 2012.

Those that the court ordered to be members of an Interim Caretaker Committee which is in line with the terms of settlement dated October 13, 2014, between the parties includes: Pretty Okafor, (leader, Interim President) Hariz Ibezim Oke’ilo, Baba Dee, Sunny Nneji and Tuface Idibia, Tolu Obey-Fabiyi, Dennis Baker and Dr. Kenny George.

Kenny Ama George, the new Secretary General of the Interim Caretaker Committee, while reacting to the order of the court in a release captioned “PMAN bounces back legitimately,” described the judgment of the court as a right decision.

He stated that the protracted rancour and crisis which had bedevilled the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria for ages have finally come to an end.

He also stated that with the judgment, the Interim Executive/Caretaker Committee has the right to coopt other credible members of PMAN into the committee if they so desire.

Adding that the interim Executive/Caretaker Committee shall manage and run the affairs of PMAN for a period of 18 months after which a National Delegates Conference shall be convened for all members to participate in the election of new national officers for the union.

Fani-Kayode: Court rules on no case submission Nov.17 WALE IGBINTADE

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Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, reserved ruling till November 17, on a no case submission filed by a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, facing criminal trial for alleged money laundering.

Fani-Kayode is standing trial on an amended 40 count charge, bordering on the alleged offence of money laundering filed by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC. At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday,

defence lawyer, Mr Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), informed the court of an application for a no case submission filed on behalf of the accused.

Adopting his submission, Adedipe urged the court to discharge the accused of all the 40 counts, on the grounds that no case has been made out against him, to warrant him to enter a defence.

"The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges against him before this court, and by so doing, he has joined issues with the prosecution, leaving them to prove their case beyond doubt,’’ defence

counsel said.

Adedipe also argued that even though the statement of account of the accused was put in evidence for which he was required by the prosecution to make explanations, such statement was not prima facie evidence of crime.

He therefore urged this court to discharge the accused of all counts in the charge.

In response, the prosecutor, Mr Festus Keyamo, urged the court to uphold his written submissions in opposition to the no case submission, and call on the accused to enter his defence.

“I will only correct one notion, and that is that the prosecution's case does not concern lodgement, but transactions which took place before the lodgement.

Transactions which are done without going through financial institutions, is what comes under the definition of money laundering" he said He therefore, urged the court to uphold the objection of prosecution, and call on the accused to enter his defence.

After listening to the submissions of counsels, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned the case to No-

vember 17 for ruling.

Fani-Kayode was first arraigned sometime in December 2008 before Justice Ramat Mohammed on a 47-count charge.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charge and Justice Mohammed had granted him bail in the sum of N200 Million with two sureties in like sum.

He was re-arraigned before Justice Binta MurtalaNyako, following the transfer of Mohammed from the Lagos Division.

The accused was again re-arraigned before Justice Ajumogobia on February 11, 2013 after the transfer of

Murtala-Nyako.

In the charge, the accused was alleged to have transacted with funds exceeding N500, 000 without going through a financial institution.

The accused was also alleged to have accepted cash payments in the tune of about N100 million, while he held sway as Minister of Aviation and Minister of Culture and Tourism respectively.

The offence is said to contravene the provisions of Sections 15(1) (a) (b) (c) (d) and 15 (2) (a) (b) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act, 2004.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

9

Ekiti charges residents to pay electricity bills ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

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Head, Securities Exchange Commission, Ibadan, Mr. Shaka Braimah (left), presenting the first prize to students of Graceland School during the National Quiz Competition on Capital Market for Secondary Schools in Oyo State, in Ibadan, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Ondo PDP aspirants accuse screening panel of compromise OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

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ifty three House of Assembly aspirants in Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have accused members of the party’s screening committee of compromising their consciences.

They accused the fiveman committee of conniving with Governor Olusegun Mimiko to disqualify them from the race.

The aspirants wondered why the committee cleared all those favoured

by Mimiko, who defected to the party less than a month ago, and disqualified those that have spent over a decade in the party.

The aspirants described the action of the committee as voodoo politics

aimed at circumventing a court ruling that sacked the caretaker committee purportedly appointed by the PDP National Working Committee, NWC. In a press statement issued yesterday and signed by all the aspirants, they vowed to fight the injustice.

The statement reads: “You will recall that our party is currently going through a trying period occasioned by the sudden defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko into PDP and his insistence on taking over almost every opportunity in the party.

“Following the pronouncement of the national body of the party and in compliance with the election guidelines as approved and published by the National Working

Committee of the party, a screening committee for the House of Assembly was appointed and the committee was given the mandate to screen every aspirant of the party.

“We filed in our documents and submitted all the necessary papers and credentials requested of us. We equally attended the screening exercise and provided them with every document that was demanded of us.

“To our dismay, the screening committee members checked out of their hotel rooms abruptly and left at the hotel lobby the Provisional Clearance Certificates for the 53 of us that participated in the screening.

“All of us that are on the side of the constitution

of the party were fraudulently denied clearance on the ground that we have no tax receipts and NYSC discharge certificate while all the people on the governor's list were expressly cleared. Even those that paraded Ordinary National Diploma among the governor’s list were cleared.

“Over 90 percent of us are university and polytechnic graduates with our NYSC discharge certificates or exemption certificates duly attached to our nomination forms and presented to the agents of this ignoble act.

“You are aware that through the authority of the court, the illegal caretaker committee fraudulently hired by those who wanted to hijack our party, has since left the state.

kiti State government has appealed to residents to pay their electricity bills to enable the power distribution company supply power to homes and institutions.

Governor Ayodele Fayose, who spoke in Ifaki Ekiti while addressing protesting members of the community, said electricity supply had not been free, hence the need for consumers to pay the tariff.

The people of Ifaki Ekiti had trooped out in their numbers to protest power outage for over nine months and in the protest disrupted transport and other activities in the nodal town.

Fayose, after discussing

with personnel of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, told the demonstrators the workers were ready to commence restoration of power to the community immediately.

The governor, who promised to pay N5 million out of the debt owed the power company by the consumers, urged the irate youths to allow the displaced BEDC officials return to work to fast-track action on the electricity work.

He said: “The BEDC said you attacked its officials and that was why they abandoned the town. Now that you have protested and we are about to settle the matter, I appeal that you allow them to return to this town to be able to do the work.

Poor representation, bane of Nigeria’s development — Ex-commissioner

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former AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice in Osun State, Chief Gbadegesin Adedeji, yesterday attributed what he called Nigeria’s appalling growth rate to poor representation at the highest levels of decision making.

Adedeji, who was also a delegate to the last National Conference from Osun State, said when Nigeria finally gets right the issue of adequate representation at the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly, the country would need to be structured along the lines of six regions or zones as federating units, each with a constitution and developing at its own pace.

The former Commissioner for Justice, who spoke at the state secretariat of the Osun chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, shortly after picking his form to vie for the Osun West senatorial district slot in the Senate, said over the years, Nigerians have suffered from poor representation as a result of lack of commitment to the goods of the people and inadequate knowledge of the dynamics of development.

Accompanied by a teeming crowd of supporters drawn from the West senatorial district in the state, the former Attorney General who is also the Asiwaju of Iwoland said,

Synagogue: Court to deliver judgment Nov 17 WALE IGBINTADE

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Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday fixed November 17 to deliver judgment in a suit filed a lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, seeking to halt the ongoing Coroner inquest into the collapse of a six-story building within the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

Justice Ibrahim Buba adjourned the matter after entertaining arguments from the applicant and the respondents.

The Lagos State govern-

ment had set up the inquest and appointed Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe to preside over it.

The applicant, Ogungbeje, had approached the court to stop the proceedings of the Coroner inquest.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, the applicant adopted his brief of arguments in support of the suit, and urged the court to grant the prayers sought.

Lagos State lawyer, Kamar Bakare, likewise adopted the counter-affidavit of the respondents in opposition to the suit.

In the counter-affidavit, Lagos State explained that

the inquest into the collapsed building was initiated due to public outcry on the need to investigate circumstances surrounding the death of about 116 people.

The government further argued that the inquest was also initiated pursuant to the provisions of Coroner System Law of Lagos State, 2007, duly passed into law by the state House of Assembly.

According to the government, the allegations in the suit were untrue as the inquest was not a regular court, but just on a fact-finding assignment to unravel what really went down.

The government further recalled that the preliminary investigation carried out by the Lagos State Building Control Agency revealed that the church never got approval for the additional structures on the collapsed building.

Besides, government argued that the applicant (Ogungbeje) lacked the locus standi to sustain the suit as he was neither a member of the Synagogue Church, nor was he personally affected by the inquest.

Adopting his brief of argument, the applicant urged the court to enter judgment against the respondents.

The applicant is contending that the composition of the coroner inquest was a negation of the principle of natural justice and Section 36 of the constitution, and as such is unconstitutional, null and void.

The lawyer recalled that the Coroner inquest was constituted by the Lagos State government after its agencies had indicted the founder of Synagogue Church, Prophet T.B. Joshua and his church of wrongdoing by additing structures on the building without approval.

He argued that if allowed to continue, the proceed-

ings of the inquest would seriously occasion miscarriage of justice, as the same coroner would base its decision on the testimonies of the same agencies of Lagos State, which had openly indicted Joshua and his church.

The lawyer is seeking an order nullifying the composition of the coroner inquest and the proceedings so far, as well as a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants jointly and severally from further proceeding, sitting, investigating, or taking any untoward action in any manner whatsoever on any facts connected to the case.

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South East

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Why I desire Imo gov’s seat –Ihedioha AFOLABI GAMBARI

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eputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has said the need to rescue Imo State people from ignorance is one of the reasons he is contesting the governorship seat in the state.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwart in a chat with National Mirror in Owerri at the weekend, contended that there was more to good governance than what currently obtains in the state.

“For me leadership is touching the lives of the people by highlighting the challenges facing them with a view to ameliorating if not eliminating these,” Ihedioha said.

“But what we have now is a situation where project building is being substituted for real development, even when such projects

give little or no value to the people for whom they are meant.”

According to Ihedioha, the major challenge confronting the state is inadequate power supply and wondered why improvement in power distribution is not emphasised and prioritised across the various communities.

“I cannot see any concrete planning on the ground as far as the incumbent administration is concerned. Everything seems to be done on the spur of the moment without recourse to its implications which could be far reaching.”

The federal lawmaker, who is looking ahead to the PDP primaries in the state from where he hopes to emerge the party’s governorship candidate, added: “Governance is more than all this and I will ensure that the people are alive to their responsibility in governance.”

EFCC recovers N5bn in oil subsidy claims DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

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he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has recovered over N5 billion allegedly stolen from the oil subsidy programme, with over 40 suspects to be prosecuted for their crimes.

Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, disclosed this yesterday in Enugu during a workshop organised for journalists working in the South East zone, with the theme: ‘Effective reporting on financial crimes.’

The chairman noted that EFCC owes its modest achievements in the last 11 years to the active support of the Nigerian media, urged it to act as whistle blowers by probing areas where corrupt practices thrive in the country.

According to him, "The anti-graft war cannot be won without the support of the media. We rely on you to help carry the message of anti-corruption to Nigerians and mobilise them to buy into the anti- corruption campaign as the anti-graft agencies alone cannot win the fight against corruption in the country."

The anti-graft boss also

revealed that the commission was investigating a case of fraud in an old generation bank in Port Harcourt, where a customer, in collusion with his wife that is a banker with a new generation bank, allegedly defrauded the bank of N855 million.

While noting that the other accomplices in the scam were at large, Larmorde said the suspect, one Uchenna Ogbonnaya Dike, cashed in on system glitches to perpetrate the scam over a period of five months, by transferring funds from the bank into accounts in the new generation bank.

Lamorde urged the media to be prepared to track the trial of corruption cases as that would not only help in putting such matters in public consciousness, but also act as a disincentive for compromise by "errant judicial officers".

The workshop captured topics such as New Media and Economic Crimes Reporting, Investigative Journalism and Financial Crimes Reporting, and Media Ethics and Financial Crimes Reporting delivered by media experts, Dotun Adekanmbi, Egbuchukwu Nwaja and Blessing Olaifa respectively.

Igbo leaders at the public presentation of Volume III of Prof. Ben Nwabueze's autobiography in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Ebonyi Assembly suspends chief whip, another member ALIUNA GODWIN ABAKALIKI

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bonyi State House of Assembly, EBSHA, yesterday suspended the chief whip, Ogbonnaya Ikoro representing Afikpo North/West constituency and Olivia Nwachukwu representing Abakaliki North constituency, for allegedly plotting to impeach Speaker of the House.

The motion for the suspension was moved by the House Acting Leader, Ogbonnaya Nwifuru,

who represents Izzi constituency, seconded by Nwaobasi Joseph, representative of Ezza North constituency.

Nwifuru said: "I move a motion that Hons. Ogbonnaya Ikoro and Oliva Nwachukwu be suspended from this House because of their activities in attempting to put the House in jeopardy,.. in the interest of the state and the people we represent in this hallowed chamber."

Another member who supported the motion, Chike Oguji, represent-

ing Ikwo constituency, condemned activities of the suspended members, adding: "Ebonyi State is known for peace and the activity of the suspended members is a threat to existing peace in the House.”

Obasi Odefa, who represents Onicha west constituency in the House, accused Ikoro and Nwachukwu of collecting bribe from politicians to destabilise the House.

However, the lawmaker moved a motion that the National Working Committee of the Peo-

ples Democratic Party, PDP, from Abuja be commended for conducting peaceful ward and local government congresses on November 1 and 8 in Ebonyi State.

The Speaker, Chukwuma Nwazunku, while calling for calm, ordered the clerk of the House to forward a memo to the suspended members on the decision of the House. He also advocated that the state governor, Martin Elechi, as a man of peace, should be allowed to round off his tenure in peace.

Okorocha flayed over Imo underdevelopment CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

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he Anglican Bishop of Ohaji/Egbema Diocese of Imo State, Rev Chidi Collins Oparaojiaku, has expressed disappointment with the Rochas Okorocha-led administration for underdevelopment of communities in the oilrich council area of Ohaji/Egbema.

The prelate, in his sermon marking the 6th Diocesan Men’s Christian Fellowship Conference at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter Umuokanne Ohaji, Imo State on Sunday, regretted the neglect of the area.

According to him, “Imo

is today an oil producing state because of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta LGAs, yet the people of the areas cannot boast of steady supply of electricity, clean drinking water and motorable roads.”

The cleric said the local government areas, given their position, generate billions of naira to the state as oil revenue yet government could not utilise the money to develop the areas, but concentrates on the development of non oil-producing communities in the state.

He accused the state government of depriving Ohaji/Egbema council of meaningful social amenities for the wellbeing of the

people. “I cannot doubt the achievement of the governor in Owerri the capital city, but in the communities, especially the oil producing areas, there is nothing on ground to show.”

Bishop Oparaojikau urged men of the diocese not to allow themselves to be intimidated by any politician, particularly as another election is around the corner.

He lamented that for 48 years now, the people of Ohaji/Egbema have been misled by politicians from Orlu, Oru West and Oguta, who after being elected into power turn around to give the people of Ohaji/ Egbema the position of Personal Assistant.

He stated that this was still the highest position that has gone to the people of Ohaji/Egbema from the Ikedi Ohakim-led administration till date.

Operaojikau advised the people of the area to choose only those that would give them quality representation to avoid past mistakes.

Okorocha

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Port charges: Court strikes out case against Shippers Council FRANCIS EZEM

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oves by private terminal owners operating in Nigeria under the aegis of Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria, STOAN, to stop the Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, the nation’s commercial regulator from slashing port charges suffered a temporary setback yesterday, as a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, struck out the suit on technical grounds.

The association had penultimate week secure an injunction restraining the NSC or its agents from implementing the reversal order by the council, which directed terminal operators to revert to the pre-2009 terminal and progressive charges pending determination of the substantive suit.

The presiding Judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, in a resumed hearing on the substantive suit, cited noncompliance with the rules

News

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

of the court, said that the parties which came by way of originating summons did not tell the court the issues for determination.

A representative of the counsel to the plaintiff, Mrs. Funke Agbor, had earlier told the court that it cannot not proceed with the matter; arguing that the issues for determination have yet to be explained.

The court consequently struck out the matter.

Justice Buba had while ruling on an ex-parte motion brought before the court last week by the association, granted an injunction restraining the NSC and or its agents from implementing the reversal order pending determination of the substantive suit.

The decision of the association to drag the council to court was sequel to the council’s decision directive a reversal of the progressive storage charges at the ports and that the terminal operators should also revert to the pre-may 2009 regime.

11

Oil producers must unite to check falling oil prices —Jonathan ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

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resident Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, said that oil producing countries must cooperate work together to overcome the current challenge of falling crude oil prices.

Speaking at an audience with Angola’s new Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Eustaquio Janeiero Quibato, Jonathan said that African oil producing countries particularly, needed to come together and strategise on

the best ways of protecting their domestic economies from the vagaries of fluctuating oil prices.

“We are blessed with oil and we must continue to do all that we possibly can to maximize its benefits for our countries and the African continent,” Jonathan told the new ambassador.

Noting that Nigeria and Angola have always had cordial bilateral relations, the president called for the expansion of trade, economic, cultural and political cooperation between the

two countries.

“For years, we have had a solid relationship. Historically, we have been together. So Nigeria and Angola should also work with greater synergy at continental and global fora,” President Jonathan said.

At another audience with Hungary’s new Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Ternak Gabor, the president called for greater international support and assistance for the West African countries that continue to be plagued by the Ebola Virus Disease,

EVD. Jonathan also received Letters of Credence from the new Ambassador of Burundi, Mr. Mathias Haranungarawe and the new Ambassador of Serbia, Professor Jovan Maric.

He wished the new ambassadors very successful tenures in the country, while assuring them that they would receive the full cooperation of the Federal Government as they work to enhance bilateral relations between their countries and Nigeria.

Ebola: FG approves 30 vehicles for border surveillance MARCUS FATUNMOLE AND JOEL AJAYI

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s part of mechanism put in place by the Federal Government to make sure it curtails the deadly Ebola Virus Diseases, EVD, in the country, the Supervising Minister of State for Health Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, yesterday, launched no fewer than 30 Port Health Service vehicles to take care of the border crossing in 36 state of the federation.

Speaking in Abuja, at the launch of the EVD containment Port Health Service vehicles, Alhassan explained that, despite the World Health Organization, WHO, declaration of Nigeria as free from Ebola, more alertness and preventive measure are still required to consolidate on the success recorded so far by Nigeria.

He said: "This is part of the exercise to ensure that adequate monitoring is done whenever it is necessary, we know that our borders used to be very outreach areas with difficult

terrain,that is why we are embarking on this distribution of Port Health Service to ensure none of the Ebola carrier have access to the country.

“We are going to have more vehicles; there will be more other logistic, more motorcycles and all the available means of transportation to ensure that we all reach the entire access border in Nigeria.”

While fielding the question from journalists on the cost implication of vehicles, the Minister said: “The cost implication cannot be ascertained, because the overall Ebola response is a package, covering 1.9billion comprises of transportation, mobile laboratories, upgrading, creating of the isolation units and others. So, transportation is just a small chunk of the exercise that Mr. President has approved which we are implementing.

“Proper watch over of our border crossing is very essential in the curtail of the Ebola diseases, the vehicles are going to be spread across the 36 state of the federation, our major priority is to make sure that our

L-R: Member, Delta State Universal Basic Education Board, Mrs. Mary Inijie; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and Chairman of the board, Mr. Elijah Ologe, after the inauguration in Asaba, yesterday.

FG pledges support for deployment of 200 base stations ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

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he Federal Government has pledged to support the deployment of 200 base stations across 300 communities in the country as part of efforts to bring telecommunications services closer to Nigeria.

The promise was made by the Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson at the commissioning of Base Transceiver Stations, BTS, deployed across the South West region by Odu’atel through subsidies provided by the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF, for 111 communities in Igbo Olodumare in Ondo State.

The minister, who made

the first voice call at the commissioning, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that unserved and underserved communities in Nigeria are connected to ICT services.

She disclosed that 200 BTS across the country are part of the next implementation phase of the USPF support for the deployment of base stations, noting that it will enable more than 300 communities with an estimated population of I.65m have access to ICTs when the phase is completed.

Johnson who is the Chairman of USPF, disclosed that the USPF is initiating various programmes and projects to facilitate the deployment of ICT infrastructure and services which are designed to extend ICT and

other telecommunications services to people living in rural areas, where operators are unlikely to provide services.

One of the programmes according to Johnson, is designed by the USPF to extend telecommunications services is the Accelerated Mobile Phone Expansion, AMPE, Programme which ensures the extension of mobile telephony services to unserved and underserved communities.

“The AMPE Programme is implemented in collaboration with network operators.

The Base Transceiver Station, BTS, is one project under the AMPE Programme through which the USPF provides subsidies to operators to extend telecommunications services to unserved

communities,” she said.

Johnson disclosed that while this contributes to the tremendous growth of the telecommunications industry witnessed in the last decade, the Federal Government, as part of the transformation agenda, would not lose focus on an estimated forty million Nigerians that still lack access to ICT services.

She further said that USPF is based on a Geographical Information System, GIS, study, created ICT Gap Clusters of areas that are unserved or underserved, urging the people to protect telecommunications installations located in their communities as vandalisation of such ICT infrastructure would result to lack of services.

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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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Why we deploy security agents at polls –NSA chief JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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ational Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), yesterday said security agents must continue to be deployed at polling stations during elections until Nigerians imbibe the tenets of true democratic culture.

Dasuki said this culture includes orderliness and the elimination of all types of thuggery and other electoral malpractice in Nigeria’s electoral system.

The NSA chief spoke in Jos yesterday during the

3rd Eminent Expert Group Meeting at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru near Jos. Entitled ‘’Elections and Security in Nigeria: Towards an Effective National Strategy,” the meeting which would end today had in attendance experts in electoral law, foremost traditional rulers, policy makers in security and political spheres as well as participants of the senior executive course of the institute.

Dasuki said elections are easier to conduct in societies where majority of the people are literate

and there is easy access to print and electronic media. He however added that the agency had introduced some changes at polling stations such as the elimination of guns at the centres to eliminate violence and related incidents.

He said, “Nigeria, many African countries and the Third World in general will continue to require the presence of security agencies to safeguard elections, to protect electoral materials, persons and even voters. This is based on our past experiences where hooligans, rented by politicians, were bent on creat-

ing confusion through ballot snatching or stuffing.”

He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, would continue to do everything within its power to ensure elections in Nigeria are free, fair and devoid of any violence.

Dasuki added, “Some commentators have argued that security agencies should have no role to play during elections, as in the case in more mature democracies such as USA, UK, India and Australia.

But these commentators tend to forget that the democratic culture is a learning

curve.”

Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Dakum Shown, bemoaned the scrapping of the Centre for Democratic Studies, CDS, saying the services of the centre are needed now more than ever.

He said the centre should have served to mentor all candidates seeking elections at all levels in a bid to orientate them on the true values of democracy.

Shown said that but for its deficiencies, the Option A4 adopted by the Ibrahim Babangida administration appeared to be the best form of election, regretting that it was used as a weapon of witch-hunting by desperate politicians.

He suggested that NIPSS take that as part of its

programme to train candidates in future elections.

Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Gyang Buba and the Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Adamu both said that what Nigerians needed is an attitudinal reorientation.

Col. Dasuki

NGOs to establish sickle cell centre in Kaduna

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L-R: AVM Tony Omenyi; Chairman, Sub-Committee on Data Collection under the Presidential Committee Victim Support Fund, Air Marshal Jonah Wuyep (rtd) and member, Sub-Committee on Data Collation, CP Salisu Fagge, during the committee’s visit to IDPs camp at Bajabure in Yola, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Kaduna guber: Buhari has not endorsed el-Rufai –Aspirant OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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member of the House of Representatives and one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, Shamsuddeen Ango Abdullahi, has refuted that at no time did the former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, endorse former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufa’i, to contest as governor in Kaduna State.

The lawmaker, who was at the APC national secretariat yesterday to submit

his form seeking the ticket of the party, said Buhari only raised el-Rufa’i hand at his declaration, which he believed was different from endorsing the former minister.

Speaking on his chances against stiff opposition, especially Mallam el-Rufa’i, he said: “Buhari did not endorse el-Rufa’i, he only raised his hand but it is the people that will decide who become the next Kaduna governor. Thank God I know we are with the people and we are out to serve the people; that is the bottom line.

“As the National Organising Secretary said, the party will ensure a level-playing

ground for all contestants.

Democracy starts from within the internal organs of the party, it is internal democracy that promotes true democracy, so we want all the contestants to have a level-playing ground, that is what we are asking and let the people decide.

“My vision is to have a united and developed Kaduna. I intend to drive development in the area of physical infrastructure and social aspects.”

He also said the economy of the state will receive his priority attention if he is elected governor of the state.

While receiving the aspirant, the APC National Or-

ganising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, assured that everything would be done to guarantee a level playing ground for all aspirants during primaries.

Gen. Buhari

wo non-governmental organisations, Ade Adebisi Sickle Cell Foundation and Sickle Cell Patients Health Promotion Centre have entered into partnership to establish a sickle cell centre in Kaduna State.

Mr Ade Adebisi, the Coordinator of the UK-based Adebisi Foundation, told News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Kaduna yesterday that the centre would be adequately equipped with modern facilities to combat sickle cell ailment.

“The need to provide proper medication, hope, support and succour for the people suffering from this disease is the brain behind the partnership,” he said.

Adebisi said the partnership would include the establishment of a mobile clinic that would offer medical support to sickle cell patients in rural areas.

He said if given adequate support, sickle cell patients would be able to overcome challenges caused by the ailment.

“What these people need is mental support and not pity; the society should support them to overcome their challenges by believing in their abilities,” he said.

Hajiya Badiya, the Founder of Sickle Cell Patients Health Promotion Centre, said the organisation had ca-

tered for over 3,000 patients across the country in the last seven years.

She said the centre had supported the patients with free drugs and other services.

Badiya said the partnership would enhance the centre’s outreach programme to the rural areas, where she said sickle cell patients are not getting the required medical support.

Dr Fatima Yahaya of the Paediatrics Unit of Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna, also said that the Kaduna State government had established three sickle cell clinics in Zaria, Kafanchan and Kaduna.

She called for the dissemination of right information on sickle cell as a means of curtailing its spread.

Dr Abbas Gwani, a researcher, said there was hope in the fight against sickle cell, stressing that “new grounds are being broken in the area of research and development on sickle cell.’’

He said a drug had been produced that could help sickle cell patients to manage the ailment.

“We have gone far in our research, we have been able to identify the cell membrane that is responsible for the sickle cell and a drug has been produced to tackle the challenge,’’ Gwani said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

SUPER TUESDAY

13

Politics

Challenges in this government must not be allowed to define the Nigerian character –Udenta

14, 43

It was expected that pegging the political offices nomination forms very high by the political parties will discourage aspirants, but that was not to be. However, WOLE OLADIMEJI and OMEIZA AJAYI think that such ‘extortion’ could have a backlash in the future.

2015: Party nominations and monetisation of elective offices

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s various political parties in the country prepare to have their candidates ready to contest in the 2015 general elections, there is crazy rush by politicians scrambling to ensure that they beat deadline set by their parties for collection and submission of nomination forms.

While the purchase of forms are very necessary in order to get the politicians committed to the party and also to prove that it is no child’s play, various parties put monetary commitment to the collection of the forms.

Beehive at PDP secretariats Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, headquarters at Abuja and the state capitals understandably recorded unprecedented crowd as aspirants and their supporters turn out in their numbers daily to purchase the forms. PDP had earlier fixed the presidential nomination fee at N20 million with a N2 million fee for Expression of Interest.

The governorship nomination form was fixed at N10 million while Expression of Interest Form was to be obtained at N1 million.

Nomination fees for the Senate and House of Representatives were fixed at N4 million and N2 million respectively while Expression of Interest Form was fixed at N400,000 for Senate and House of Representatives aspirants.

For state Houses of Assembly, nomination fee was N1million, while Expression of Interest was fixed at N200,000.

Though nomination fee for female aspirants was free, but they are to pay for the Expression of Interest form. This is to encourage women participation in politics because it is obvious that many women would be disenfranchised if they are to pay what their men counterparts are paying.

APC sets record of costliest forms If many had thought that the ruling PDP would use its nomination forms to raise funds for the party, one would not have been wrong.

Unfortunately, the one party that some Nigerians have come to say is the viable alternative to the PDP, the All Progressives Congress, APC, shocked many ana-

Adam Mua’zu, PDP National Chairman

TOP STORY lysts with the fees charged on its forms.

Although, it prides itself as the only credible alternative to the PDP, APC has often done many things in common with the PDP, which it continually accuses of corruption and every other vices.

APC’s fees for its nomination forms for all electives offices are fixed in such a manner as to separate the “boys from the men,” at least, that was what the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, was quoted as saying. The question is who are the boys and who are the men?

Should it be taken that the ordinary citizens of this country are the “boys” while the fiercely-capitalist ruling class, as exemplified by most of the leaders of this party are the “men”? If anything, this notion is terribly unfortunate.

The party in a special National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja, announced that its presidential aspirants are to cough out N27.5 million for presidential nomination form, the governorship aspirants are to pay N5.5 million for fresh governorship aspirants and N10.5 million for sitting governorship aspirants.

Sitting senators are to pay N5.3 million while fresh senatorial aspirants are to pay N3.3 million.

In the same vein, sitting members of the House of Representatives who want to contest are to pay N3.2 million and fresh aspirants are to pay N2.2 million, while incumbent members of the House of Assembly wishing to re-contest are to

Oyegun, APC National Chairman

Umeh, APGA National Chairman

THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

SHOULD NOT BE FOR THE HIGHEST BIDDER.

THE FEE IS OUTRAGEOUS AND WAY ABOVE WHAT ANY DECENT NIGERIAN CAN AFFORD pay N800,000, and N550,000 for fresh aspirants.

All female aspirants to any position, however, are to pay 50 percent of the prescribed fees.

Buhari kicks One of the frontline contenders for APC presidential ticket and former military dictator, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, could not hold back his reservations against fees.

He was so frustrated by the alleged refusal of the party leadership to review the fees downwards that he had to leverage on his “good personal relationship” with his bank’s local branch manager in Kaduna to get a facility to pay for the form and remain in the race.

Buhari said he had tried all he could to ensure that the fees were reversed but unfortunately, no one in the party shared his sentiments.

While buying the form, he said he felt heavily sorry for himself as he did not want to go and ask somebody to pay for his nomination forms, “because I always try to pay myself, at least for the nomination.

“N27 million is a big sum, thankfully, I

have personal relationship with the manager of my bank in Kaduna and I told him that very soon the forms are coming, so, ‘whether I am on red, or green or even black, please honour it otherwise I may lose the nomination’.”

Also, President of Human Rights Writers Association, HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwuniko, described the fee as not only outrageous, but targeted at Buhari.

He said: “The office of President of Nigeria should not be for the highest bidder. The fee is outrageous and way above what any decent Nigerian can afford. It will encourage money bags to hijack the party and the process. There are quite a number of decent Nigerians in APC and this amount of money will simply scare them away. I suspect that this outrageous amount of money is targeted against General Buhari, whom Nigerians know may not be able to afford this kind of money.”

Also, President of Public Interest Lawyers League, PILL, Barr Abdul Mahmud conceded that while it is within the legal rights of parties to impose fees on aspirants, the current fees leave some sour taste in the mouth.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

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Politics

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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We mustn’t allow challenges in governmen Dr. Udenta O. Udenta, a former University don, former National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy, AD and at present, Director of Communication of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria in this interview with OBIORA IFOH delves into the reason why President Goodluck Jonathan must be reelected in 2015 and why there is a vociferous attack on the person of the President by the opposition. Excerpts: How do you react to the criticism that has trailed TAN and its activities, especially from the opposition APC? I have addressed this issue in the past in a number of media outings but because of the persistence of the illconceived, ill-mannered and ill-informed attacks and unwarranted vituperations being poured on TAN and President Jonathan by some leading figures in the opposition APC, it is necessary to set the record right again. These unconscionable attacks on TAN and President Jonathan stem from a distorted mindset and a warped worldview laden with insensate animosity, pathological hatred and the cruel application of amoral political principles. The APC is embarrassed by TAN’S success and the effortless ease with which we deconstructed and delegitimated their false narratives about President Jonathan’s ability to govern the nation efficiently. If you examine the context and content of their wild and fanciful claims you will notice that it is nothing but a rehash of the pitiable falsehoods they have been peddling for sometime; claims that are rightly confined to the garbage heap of forgotten history where they belong.

In what sense?

In the sense that TAN has ran over one hundred television jingles broadcast over seven thousand times in four of Nigeria’s leading television stations, demonstrating, with verifiable facts and figures, that President Jonathan has performed very well in key national sectors. And in the sense that TAN organized seven major, well attended citizens democratic conversations without a single pushback or counter media programming by these very lazy armchair critics who are nothing but profoundly confused, wandering political souls. Take the case of Governor Fashola of Lagos state for example. His rising media profile may well stem from the fact that he may well be undergoing grooming for a major political assignment within his party. That is no skin off the nose of us in TAN, yet every time he opens his mouth to attack TAN, insult the person of President Jonathan and demean the office and institution of the Nigerian Presidency, he reveals the depth of his ignorance and portrays himself as a subject suffering from what I have previously described as the baffling disease of intellectual indolence. Apart from being a beneficiary of massive Central Government investments in Lagos state from the colonial times to about 1991, in the same way that if Abuja were to ever become a State in future, the inheritor government will benefit handsomely from the on-going investments in the FCT, Fashola should, without delay, publish all Lagos State’s revenue receipts since June 2007, both revenues from the Federation account, IGR, sale of bonds, loans, etc, in all leading newspapers in Nigeria. He surely has the money to do so. Nigerians will be shocked by the scandalous criminal looting of the people’s patrimony invidiously covered by high media propaganda, sanctimonious self-effusions and empty cant.

Why are you particular about Governor Fashola?

Precisely because Fashola is not just particular about TAN, he is obsessed by his mission to criminalize and demonize it as an entity. As he has embarked on this destruc-

tive course he must be reminded that TAN is not a faceless organization or an amorphous public advocacy platform.

TAN is rich with highly informed and very knowledgeable human resources who are spiritually, intellectually and strategically equipped with the right skills and tools to respond to the challenges we daily confront. He must be reminded that every time he attacks TAN he is attacking each and every single one of us, our integrity, our reputation and our very humanity. Every time he attacks TAN he attacks me as its spokesperson, its public face. He surely must be naive not to expect a strong rebuttal from TAN. Let me make it abundantly clear that from now hence not one single attack on TAN or President Jonathan will go without a robust response from us. Some of us have come a long way and do not need to blow our trumpet. You ask if I know Governor Fashola very well. No, I don’t. When I was the National Secretary of Alliance For Democracy (AD), he was an aide to Governor Tinubu, so our path never crossed. But as often happens in Nigeria with our style of leadership production and reproduction, he somehow became the darling of the Lagos political establishment that proceeded to foist him on the State as its governor. I don’t know where he was between 1993 and 1998, but surely not in the struggle for democracy or in political exile or detention because I would have known.

What is your take on Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s decamp?

Should he have resigned? Indeed, what is your candid view about the spate of decampments we are witnessing in Nigeria’s political space of late?

Let us deal with the moral element. The decision to resign or not, even in the context of the legal issues surrounding his audacious political move, rests squarely with him. It will be a test of his character and moral stature, his inner ethical impulses and his spiritual resolve.

Yes, I am very much aware that in fundamental terms, bourgeois political practice often times transgresses and subverts bourgeois political morality, meaning that as a member of Nigeria’s growing tribe of political nomads he may listen more to his cold political calculations than the constant intimations of his conscience. Having said this, my personal take on the matter is that he should take the narrow path of honour rather the highway that inexorably leads to political perdition and resign his position as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position he immorally occupies. Again, having joined the club of name-callers whose idle past time is to heap abuses on President Jonathan because they have very little to offer the nation in terms of governance ideas and empowering vision as he did recently at Ilorin, he should be reminded that there are those out there who have elected to protect the humanity of our President and defend the integrity of the institution of the Nigerian Presidency. Enough is enough even though he may have ran with his mouth, as the saying goes, to garner the accolades of his fellow travellers that foregathered with him.

And the spate of political decampments?

Let us take a cue from Prof Jega’s two potent statements of late on the matter. During the last All-Political Parties and Political Stakeholders Summit Prof Jega declared that political decampment across board is a form of crippling political nomadism that imposes unnecessary stress and strain on Nigeria’s democratic process, stultifies the growth of party infrastructure and damages

THESE UNCONSCIONABLE ATTACKS ON TAN AND PRESIDENT JONATHAN STEM FROM A DISTORTED MINDSET AND A WARPED WORLDVIEW

Udenta

the coherence of Nigeria’s political evolution. I cannot but agree with him that this trend is a curse on Nigeria’s democratic system and an eloquent testimony of the vacillating, opportunistic and amoral character of some Nigerian political elite. Again, just a week or so ago, Prof Jega also stressed that carpet-crossing is not a feature of the Nigerian constitution. I also agree with him. His first position is loaded with ethical issues, the second with legal principles. A while ago, Governor Amaechi of Rivers State celebrated the 7th anniversary of his Supreme Court triumph without telling the crowd that his name was not on the ballot box, that he did not contest any election and that indeed only the names and logos of political parties appear on Nigeria’s electoral ballot papers. He also forgot to add, carried away as he was with his obsession of running President Jonathan down- apparently his only known path to political stardom and glory- that part of the Supreme Court rulling is that governance mandates are conferred only on political parties and not on individuals, meaning that he is still carrying the mandate of the PDP, a mandate he cannot transfer as fancy possesses him.

I know this from experience because in 1999 Alliance For Democracy (AD) won the Oyo North Senatorial District but there was a doubt about who was the legitimate candidate of the party for the said election. Months after Peter Adeyemo was sworn-in as Senator the issues lingered on at the tribunal between him and Chief Mrs Ayoka Lawani. The AD eventually resolved to settle the matter out of court and literally awarded the seat to Peter Adeyemo. The Sen Joy Emordi situation in Anambra state, as painful and tragic as that was, and the situation with the then CPC’s candidates for Katsina state attest to

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

15

A PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPERS

L-R Director-General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr Mrs Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko; Mr A.B Ogaji; Director, procurement, ITF, Mr Dickson Onuoha, and Director, Technical and Vocational Skills Training, ITF , Mr Jonathan Akinlotan, during an Interactive Meeting of the Director-General of the ITF with Stakeholders in Port Harcourt, Rivers State recently.

Ogoni people threaten to boycott 2015 poll DENNIS NAKU,

PORT HARCOURT

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he people of Ogoni in Rivers State, yesterday said they would boycott the 2015 general elections, if political parties in the state fail to choose Ogoni candidates as their governorship standard bearer.

President, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Mr. Legborsi Pyagbara, stated this at the 19th anniversary memorial lecture of fallen Ogoni heroes held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

Pyagbara said, people of the Ogoni ethnic nationality spanning four local government areas of the state would no longer play second fiddle in the political life of Rivers State 47 years after.

He stated that no Ogoni indigene have been Governor, Speaker of the State House of Assembly or Chief Judge of the State since the state was created, saying it was sad for a people who have contributed immensely to the economic well being of the state and the country at large.

The MOSOP President further said, “ For more than a year, we have been involved in a campaign for political equality and representation in Rivers State.

This campaign is anchored on the third demand in the Ogoni Bill of Rights which stressed that Ogoni people need adequate and direct representation as a right of all Nigerians.

“Any failure by the political parties in the state to field Ogoni candidates as their political standard bearer, automatically means that the Ogoni people

will not participate in the 2015 general elections”.

While commending the Federal Government for its renewed interest in the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report, he urged the government to remove every obstacle that may impede the full implementation of the report and match its words with actions, pointing out that the people are tired of promises and shows without corresponding action.

Also responding to a question on why the federal Government

and Shell are now showing more interest in the implementation of the UNEP report after three years, Pyagbara said “I think it is safe to say that there are those in government and Shell who have finally looked into the future and admitted that we are now on the edge of a precipice.

“In the past years, we have come closer to disastrous chain of events than any would care to admit particularly, the massive protest on December 10, 2013 occasioning the shut - down of activities in some parts of Port Harcourt,”

he said.

The MOSOP President condemned what he termed clandestine attempt to divest Ogoni oil blocks without clear discussions with the Ogoni people, saying such moves portends may have negative consequencies.

He warned all prospective investors to steer clear of Ogoni until matters around the divestment are properly discussed with the Ogonis, adding that the people are not prepared to follow the fate of the amazon communities in Ecuador.

Erosion of cultural values, bane of Nigeria’s development –Minister TOLA AKINMUTIMI, ABUJA

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inister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, has blamed Nigeria’s multifarious challenges on the people’s disconnect from their culture.

The minister,who also believed that corruption was alien to the country’s culture, similarly stressed the need for effective funding of agencies

charged with propagating and promoting the nation’s culture to achieve the desired national rebirth.

He spoke when he received in his office the management team of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), led by its Executive Secretary/ CEO, Dr. Barclays F. Ayakoroma .Th e Minister said: “Culture is our root. Our culture is the totality of our value system, our attitude, the way we speak,

dress and our social life. Corruption is not in our culture, when you talk of social vices, it is not in our culture, terrorism is not in our culture, nudity is not in our culture.

“Where we are today as a people and a nation is a function of our culture. If we had gone by what our culture teaches us , all we are facing today would not have come up in the first place. If we got our culture right, all these myriads of problems would have

long gone”, he added.

While underscoring the important role of the agency in the nation’s cultural rebirth, the minister pledged the commission’s commitment to compliment NICO’s efforts in this direction by attracting donor agencies to NICO. Earlier in a presentation, Ayakoroma, highlighted some of the agency’s activities targeted at adding value to the nation’s rich culture, despite the funding challenge.

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‘World Bank assistance enhances FRSC capacity’ CHIDI UGWU, ABUJA

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he Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi has identified the World Bank assistance through the provision of patrol vehicles, ambulances, motor bikes and tow trucks under the safe corridor project, as responsible for the noticeable reduction in road crash fatalities in the country.

The Corps Marshal, who spoke at the formal commissioning of six pedestrian bridges in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) , also noted that logistic support from the World Bank has not only enhanced the Corps visibility on the highways but also enhanced the Corps’ capacity building through sponsorship of training programmes for FRSC staff within and outside the country.

He stated that the World Bank assistance has resulted to 11.7 percent reduction in road traffic crash fatalities in the second and third quarters of this year.

“Aside from patrol vehicles, tow trucks, ambulances, training programmes, the World Bank has also remained committed to the safe corridor project through the provision of items to enhance the Corps’ rescue services such as radar guns, breathalyzers, extricating machines and other devices to aid the FRSC in delivering on its mandate” he said Still on the pedestrian bridges, Oyeyemi expressed the Corps’ willingness to partner with the Federal Capital Territory to strictly enforce the compulsory usage of the bridges as part of measures to reduce preventable crashes associated with hit-and-run driving.

Earlier in his presentation, the Minister of Works, Arc Mike Onolememen, disclosed that the construction of the pedestrian bridges in the FCT was one of the main sub-components of the World Bank-funded Federal Road Development Project aimed at reducing passenger travel time, vehicle operating costs and traffic-related fatalities on targeted federal roads.

“To maximize the use of these bridges and ensure their sustainability, enforcement activities will be required. To this end, I implore the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration to set up enforcement activities around the vicinities of the bridges” the Minister said.

Cross section of the newly appointed Commissioner subscribing to oath of office during the swearing-in of 10 new Commissioners by the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State in Asaba, yesterday.

Don aspires to be Rivers’ governor DENNIS NAKU

PORT HARCOURT

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hose who hold the view that politics should only be for the politicians may need to have a rethink. In fact, someone had said that politics is too important to be left in the hands of politicians.To lend credence to the views of the latter school, even without mentioning names, society is replete with people who are not career politicians, but who performed better than those who are full time politician. One such individual who intend to change public perception of politics and make a difference in what is usually christened the murky waters of politics is Professor Donanale Mon Baridam.

Though his last position was Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, he has worked as a public servant, as a private citizen, even as he has crowned it all with academic degrees and qualifications within and outside Nigeria.

In 1980, soon after he returned from the United States where he went for studies, he took up appointment as a junior faculty member and by dint of hard work rose through the ranks to become a Professor in the faculty of Management. Years later; between 2005 to 2010 he was appointed the 6th Vice Chancellor of the same institution.

Don Batridam hails from Ogoniland, precisely from a village called Lumene Bangha in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Ogoni being an area believed to have suffered years of neglect and marginalization.

Though his father was a chief, a Customary Court Judge and a Chairman of a the National Council for Nigeria and the Cameroons, NCNC in his native area, at the demise of his father, he decided to outsource his father’s throne to his younger sibling to enable him concentrate on the royal priesthood, been a Christian.He rose to become a zonal pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God,[ RCCG] . While in public service, he had a stint with the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA. For anyone who sees this academic as a political neophyte, he has this to say, “I may not be an easily recognizable political gladiator and may not be adept at the game of political shadow-boxing, but I have learnt enough of the ways of politicians in our dear state (Rivers) and come to the conclusion that we need change that could be felt by the farmer in Oyigbo, Etche, Omoku and Mogho, the fisher folks in Buguma and Bonny, the artisans and big time business moguls in the city of Port Harcourt.”

The ex-Uniport VC stated further that “The greatest force is the force of a united people, speaking with one voice.

“I heard that divine voice a long time ago, when in the 2003 general elections, I concluded plans to contest the Rivers South East seat into the senate on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP. “I bought the form, but heard to drop the idea, when the Lord spoke to me to run for the post of Vice Chancellor of Uniport in 2005. I trusted and obeyed the

voice from above; and needless to say that I did not only win the contest, but also left indelible footprints for which I am still being remembered in that University today,” Baridam said.

Declaring his intention to contest the governorship position in Rivers State before a mammoth crowd of supporters at the Legacy Hall in the GRA axis of Port Harcourt, Baridam wetted the appetite of the people on why he is seeking to succeed incumbent Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and succinctly explains what the concept of democracy should be seen as.

According to him, “Democracy may be boring, slow-moving system that appears to get into the way of getting things done very quickly as many people would wish, but the beauty of our democracy is that it enables us to change our political direction when we are no longer comfortable with the status-quo.”

Continuing, he said, “I see politics as the realm in which we attempt to actualize some of our highest aspirations; our desire for social and economic freedom; our longing for justice and our hope for peace and security in a stable and prosperous environment. And it is very obvious today that we need a new direction in Rivers State if we hope to create a future for our children.

“We need to put our people back to work so that they can unleash their full potentials on the economic stage. We need to provide a brighter future for our youths. We need to fulfil their hopes and aspirations. We have talked politics for too long; it

is now time to join hands to fix our broken economic system on which our prosperity and continuous growth depends,” the university don posited.

The professor of management added that, “Our people have a right to be better off than they were before the present dispensation. They have the right to dream new dreams and ask new questions. The Rivers State seat of Government deserves a new face, a new vision, a new mandate and an entirely brand new way of doing things.

“Yesterday’s solutions can no longer be trusted in solving today’s multi-layered and complex problems,” he said, adding that “ the gospel of prosperity can only be preached by those who have the universal tool-kit to create wealth for our people.”

Most importantly, he listed the priority areas currently begging for attention in the state to include wealth creation, employment generation and decongestion of the city through the establishment of other cities ‘that can take the pressure of the once famous Garden city.”

Other areas he intends to tackle if elected Governor of the state are the issues of environmental degradation and pollution, which he said “have been with us for a long time now. We need to build a special business district outside Port Harcourt to enable first-time visitors distinguish between residential and business areas of the city.”

Among other things such as the need for the requisite infraCONTINUED ON PAGE 41

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Views

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

17

The Okotie-Oritsejafor fire fight ELOKA IBE

B

ut when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed-Gal

2: 11 Why some people think that making Rev. Chris Okotie, the founding pastor of the Household of God Church International Ministries, Lagos and one of Nigeria’s budding and most cerebral politicians, popular is some sort of divine calling they are appointed to fulfill to have a good standing with God, is still a mystery. We all know he is famous already. So far, he has maintained his usual calmed composure in the face of the Christian Association of Nigeria’s (CAN) insolent reaction to his article on its National President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s arms-for- cash scandal. When Mr. Sunday Oibe, the CAN’s Director of National Issues, recently questioned Rev. Okotie’s standing as a Christian, he needed to be reminded that the Reverend was once a guest speaker at Pastor Oritsejafor’s church!

If CAN also had such gross disbelief about Rev. Okotie’s faith, a bona fide member of the organisation, why didn’t they voice it until now? If Rev. Okotie is not a Christian as CAN charges, why did Pastor Ayo invite him to minister the gospel he (Okotie) does not subscribe to in his Word of Life Bible Church? It is these untutored and self-serving misrepresen-

tations of Christianity by jobbers like Mr. Oibe, which make Christians appear as intellectually bankrupt and gullible simpletons, who are incapable of engaging the world in lucid, cerebral debates.

Oibe’s visceral response lacks substance. His expectation that Rev. Okotie would hush-up has not been accomplished, and hoping Okotie discountenance issues which hamper the progress of Nigeria, is typical of Nigerian politics; it is the guilty who are afraid.

People who refuse to stand up and confront matters head-on until they get out of hand - like virtually every problem in Nigeria today, which was left unchecked as it unfolded – should be considered the enemies of the nation. That’s why Nigeria is the way it is. When things get out of hand, we are then called to embark on fervent prayers and hope for divine intervention, when all we needed to do was to act. “A stitch in time”, the saying goes, “saves nine”!

CAN officials are beneficiaries of the largesse of the ongoing President Jonathan-Oritsejafor’s liaison - a symbolic two-some, who will, therefore, resent anyone aiming at raising dust about it.

Like religious fundamentalists, these hybrid religious organizations seek to leverage on political alliances in their effort to use spiritualist influences for personal gains.

The reasons for the silence by many prominent Christian leaders at troubled times like we now have is mainly because

IRRESPECTIVE OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE, REV. OKOTIE HAS…A RIGHT TO QUESTION WHAT HE BELIEVES TO BE UNWHOLESOME IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE NATION they have made themselves cronies of politicians to whom they go cap in hand begging for money; oftentimes they are only interested in spiritualizing themselves, and lack the bravado to confront the excesses of the ruling political class.

What is most intriguing is the fact that Rev. Okotie had not even formed an opinion on Pastor Oritsejafor’s guilt or innocence; rather, he offered what could be construed as a frank and sincere admonition. His advice was to help him properly manage this crisis.

Rev. Okotie’s seeming excoriation was not vituperated in its presentation, neither was he virulent in his disposition toward Pastor Oritsejafor. What Rev. Okotie saliently suggests - that Pastor Oritsejafor should resign as President of CAN is perfectly logical in view of the implications of this scandal. So those seeking a pound of Okotie’s flesh should go back and read the commentary rather than assume a biased position, because whether Oritsejafor likes it or not, this

incident will be recalled in years to come. We do not need duplicity so much as honesty.

So, why would CAN, whose integrity is at stake, be the one lambasting Rev. Oktie and why is the organisation so narrowminded as to consider that the best line of action is to launch a verbal attack on him by using his domestic matters as a response to a national issue? The answer is simple: It is an un-curtailed eruption of bottled-up disdain against someone they consider to be a Pentecostal gadfly.

Irrespective of his personal life, Rev. Okotie has not broken any law, so he has a right to question what he believes to be unwholesome in the affairs of the nation. For CAN and Oibe, Christianity is based on what you do or don’t do, rather than your belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ’s cross. But who amongst them is guiltless? If God were to show the personal lives of Oibe and the other castigators of Okotie, can God confidently find them innocent?

Leaving matters open-ended is a ploy of politicians; and attacking Okotie rather than dealing with the questions arising from the arms-for-cash scandal only helps in thickening the lingering suspicions. Besides, dealing with issues under the table does not ensure discipline and probity. So, can CAN please redeem Oritsejafor’s image, because those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Eloka Ibe wrote from Owerri, Imo State.

Ethics of outgoing governors’ senatorial ambition ALEX O. ATAVWARE AKPODIETE

W

ith the primaries of the major political parties around the corner, the polity is assailed by serious political horse-trading; and the rumour mill is kept busy about who will get automatic tickets and who may not. The most discernible trend of the current politicking is the angling for senatorial seats by some of our out-going governors. I dare add that though a handful of this category of governors has not shown interest in going to the hallowed Red Chambers of the National Assembly, they however, want to select those who should go! In fact, it is only one of these governors that has come out to say that it is unbefitting of him as a former governor to take a step down to become a senator. For that ambitious and self respecting ex-governor, the only option will be to vie for the presidency.

In fact, political scientists have argued that ex-governors make better presidents. America has had Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and the Bushes, while locally, we had Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and now the incumbent president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Testing the hypothesis might not be difficult. Obama is the only current aberration in that American perpetuated theory. Anyway, there seems to be no vacancy in Aso Rock at least for members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until 2019. Therefore, while the taste of Abuja seems to be palatable

to several out-going governors, the political palate is the hallowed Red Chamber of NASS. The dilemma of these senate-bound governors is that they will have to contend with incumbent senators that are refusing to be “settled”. Some of the senate-bound governors include Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Gabriel Suswan (Benue); Liyel Imoke Cross River); Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom). Some are actually interested in continuous service to their constituents and not because they want to stay relevan™t in the corridors of power, as some detractors say. Some harsher critics even point out that some of these governors don’t have any real professions or that no profession can offer them the same prospects in politics.

Another compelling reason could be that unlike the governorship position which is constitutionally limited to two-terms of four years each, there is no tenure limit for senators, meaning one could be there for a life time like the American Senator James Kennedy, from Massachusetts.

Some governors are further faced with either choosing their successors or vying for the Senate in their respective senatorial zone. News filtering through is that the PDP, after a meeting with President Jonathan, offered automatic tickets to some of their returning senators.

Some months back, I wrote a piece titled “The incredulity of automatic tickets.” It is still my belief that this is antithetical to democracy. “The beauty

IMPOSITION OF ANY KIND ALSO DENIES THE PEOPLE A PLETHORA OF GREAT CANDIDATES FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE of democracy is the presentation of candidates to the electorate by each political party, who have gone through a credible election (not selection) process in their own respective parties. Unless a party involves just a husband and wife, then we should expect a spirited and keen contest for their party tickets. This will also aid the electorate in evaluating the flag bearers that emerge from the primaries”, I argued then. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is caught in this web, as it might possibly offer automatic ticket to their incumbent House of Representatives members to make sure they protect Speaker Aminu Tambuwal from impeachment.

Where is our democracy heading to?

Part of the rationale for offering automatic tickets to some senators is because our democracy will supposedly be enriched, at least the legislative arm, if we tap into their experience. The Senate President David Mark, who has been in the Senate since 1999, is one of the protagonists of this argument. However, the counter-argument is that it is an affront to democracy

to deny the out-going governors their constitutional right to contest for a seat to represent their respective Senatorial District. These governors are imminently qualified under Section 65 of the 1999 Constitution. This is exactly identical to the qualifications to be a governor under Section 177 of the same constitution.

Imposition of any kind also denies the people a plethora of great candidates from which to choose. We cannot on the one hand complain about governors imposing their successors and on the other hand political parties impose senators on the people. If what is good for the goose is also good for the gander, give the governors and everyone an opportunity to vie for the Senate. These can only deepen our democracy.

Restating the obvious, I unequivocally sat that giving automatic tickets to politicians denies people choices. Furthermore, it forecloses competition. More importantly, it is a clear violation of Section 87 of the 2010 Electoral Act. Think about it!

Rev. Akpodiete, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Asaba, Delta State and can be contacted via Profatawa@ gmail.com Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs.

Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

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ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

FG-Lagos tango on federal highways

T

he unsavoury relationship that pitted the Federal Government against Lagos State in 2004 was re-enacted a couple of days ago when hundreds of youths dressed in grey uniform and black t-shirts, described as members of a ‘Federal Task Force’, took over traffic control in the nation’s former capital and foremost commercial nerve centre. Reports said about 5,000 of such youths were recently recruited as members of the task force under the Subsidy Re-investment Programme (Sure-P). Recall that in 2004, former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe and the then Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government of Lagos State, had rough times when Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) officials swooped on Lagos and were bent on sacking officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), another agency owned by Lagos State, from some highways in Lagos metropolis. The latest disagreement is not in any way different from the experience in 2004.

Mr. Kayode Opeifa, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, said the Sure-P task force attempted to control traffic and usurp the primary duties of LASTMA. “These illegal traffic officers currently operat-

ing from the old (Lagos-Ibadan Expressway) toll gate area with unknown origin and unknown to the Lagos State Government have invaded the roadways with a view to causing public disturbance as they do not have the backing nor the support of the Lagos State Government…

The Lagos State Government is therefore using this medium to call on the handlers of this faceless group to withdraw them immediately so as not to breach the peace and tranquility the state currently enjoys,” Opeifa said.

It is obvious, therefore, that if nothing is urgently done to reconcile the activities of the agencies in charge of traffic management in Lagos State with what their Abuja counterparts are briefed to do in the state, the likelihood of a breakdown of law and order might be experienced in the state, especially when political meanings are being read into the curious federal presence in the opposition-held territory.

In 2004, for instance, the misunderstanding was believed to be the outcome of political manoeuvres between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented by the former Minister of Works, Senator Ogunlewe, on the one hand, and the defunct opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), then led by Tinubu.

Presently, however, the quarrel is believed to be between the ruling

November 11, 2001 Three journalists - Pierre Billaud (French), Johanne Sutton (French) and Volker Handloik (German) were killed in Afghanistan during a convoy attack. They were traveling on a Northern Alliance armoured personnel carrier when they came under attack by Taliban troops with machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Two other journalists in the convoy survived the attack.

IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT VIRTUALLY ALL FEDERAL FACILITIES

- ROADS, BRIDGES, BUILDINGS, ETC. IN LAGOS HAVE BEEN ABANDONED FOR YEARS

All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and the opposition PDP. And whereas the 2004 crisis was linked with preparations for the 2007 general elections, the ongoing feud is believed to have something to do with the 2015 general elections.

But as the FG and Lagos State engage themselves in their political battles, it is Lagosians that will suffer. It is common knowledge that virtually all federal facilities - roads, bridges, buildings, etc. in Lagos have been abandoned for years and are scarcely considered worthy of being maintained. Roads that link the nation’s ports in Apapa will help elucidate the official irresponsibility. For donkey’s years, the roads are being ‘rehabilitated’, while very frustrating gridlock and petty crimes have become the unflattering trademark of that axis. The menace

ON THIS DAY November 11, 2004 The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) confirmed the death of Yasser Arafat from unidentified causes; and Mahmoud Abbas was elected chairman of the PLO minutes later. Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa (August 24, 1929 – November 11, 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat, was a Palestinian leader. He was Chairman of the PLO and President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), etc.

of petroleum tanker drivers is also there to contend with.

Lagos State likewise has its grudges against the PresidentGoodluck Jonathan-led FG. Governor Babatunde Fashola complained recently, for instance, of remarks credited to the Federal Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, that the FG had plans to take over the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which the state government has been battling to fix with its own resources. Reports also claimed the FG is yet to refund the N51 billion that Lagos State claimed it spent on repairs of dilapidated abandoned federal roads; and that the FG is yet to act on the report of experts who assessed all bridges in Lagos and came to the conclusion that 39 bridges in the former nation’s capital were in bad shapes and needed urgent rehabilitation.

In the face of all these, therefore, we do not want to believe that the FG or Lagos State government would prefer to imperil the interest of Lagosians by choosing to play politics with the critical issues at hand, namely, road construction, reconstruction and maintenance in Lagos. Lagosians are not fooled by the in-fighting. It will be in the interest of both the FG and the state government to do the needful and save the future of the youths whose lives would most probably be cut short in the looming cross-fire.

November 11, 2012 A strong earthquake with the magnitude 6.8 struck northern Burma, killing at least 26 people and leaving many more.

The ‘Shwebo’ earthquake occurred at 07:42 local time (01:12 UTC) in Myanmar. It had a magnitude of 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The epicenter was near the town of Male.

Business Tuesday, November 11, 2014

BoI disburses N471bn to large scale enterprises, SMEs 21

Stakeholders disagree over planned privatisation of airports 31

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

19

Insurance sector’s contibution to economy below average –Experts 33

Accelerating economic growth through mechanised agric

FLIGHT

SCHEDULE Arik Air Lag-Abj:07.15, 09.15, 10.20, 13.05, 15.20, 16.20, 16.50,18.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun).

Abj-Lag: 07:15, 09.40, 10.20, 12.15, 15.15, 16.15, 17:10, (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun); 12.15, 15.15, 16.15 (Sun) Lag-PH: 07:15, 11.40, 14.00, 16.10, 17.15 (Mon-Fri); 07.30, 11.40, 15.50 (Sat) 11.50, 3.50, 17.05 Sun) Abj-PH: 07.15, 11.20, 15.30 (Mon-Fri) 07.15, 16.00 (Sat) 13.10, 16.00 Sun) PH-Abj: 08.45, 12.50, 17.00 (MonFri) 08.45, 17.30 (Sat) 14.40, 17.30 (Sun) Abv-Beni:08.00, 12.10 (MonFri/Sat)08.56, 12.10 (Sun) BeninAbj:09.55,13.30

Aero Contractors Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily

Med-View Airline The Federal Government’s decision to make available N50bn special fund for the provision agricultural equipment to farmers across the country in addition to other intervention programmes such as Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, CACS and Growth Enhancement Support, GES, among others are capable of kick starting mechanised agric. UDO ONYEKA reports.

L

ack of adequate investments and unfriendly environment for farmers and agric businesses to thrive have made many countries in Africa including Nigeria to depend heavily on importation of food for their citizens.

For instance, Africa spends $35bn importing food annually.

This amount, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said given abundant endowment in Africa, the continent should not be importing food.

Adesina who was in Nairobi, Kenya recently for the inauguration of Kenya-Nigeria Agribusiness Forum noted that with the unfolding global realities countries can only feed their citizens and even earn income when

agriculture is made a business.

It is known facts that where there are no concerted efforts by the Government and stakeholders to support agric such people or nation will have no option than to rely heavily on importation of food and also suffer the attendant effects of capital flight, unemployment and poverty.

However analysts say that to achieve food sufficiency mechanised agric is the only option.

They say close collaboration between the government and private sector has become even more imperative, in view of the increasing challenges of food security.

Analysts also say the efforts of Federal Government and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at encouraging mechanised agriculture as germane in

the drive for the country to feed its citizens and become exporter of food and other agric products. administration’s on-going efforts at transforming the economic and developing its non-oil potential, especially The nation’s drive towards enhancing full mechanisation of its agricultural sector received impetus as President Goodluck Jonathan recently directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to provide N50bn support fund for the provision agricultural equipment across the country.

President Jonathan who gave the directive during the commissioning of new 100,000mt silo complex and flag-off of the private sector driven Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises, in Abuja few months ago said the support fund

would allow full establishment of over 1200 private sector driven agriculture equipment enterprises across the states.

The president also disclosed plans by the federal government to commence the provision of mechanisation support grant to farmers, to allow them hire agricultural equipment, adding that the Growth Enhancement Scheme would be expanded to provide subsidised electronic mechanisation support scheme to farmers.

The scheme, he maintained, would enable farmers to pay for the agricultural hiring enterprises to provide mechanisation service for their farm and that the establishment of agricultural equipment hiring centre would go a long way in modCONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. AbujaYola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00.

Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50.

Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00.

Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-Lagos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

20

Business

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Accelerating economic growth through mechanised agric CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 ernising the nation’s agricultural sector.

Since mechanised agriculture would in turn bring about abundant harvest, National Mirror gathered that the Ministry of Agriculture would by December 2014, complete the construction of 625,000 metric tonne silo capacity in addition to 6 silos with 250,0000mt capacity completed since December 2013.

This would bring the total number of silo capacity in the country to 825,000mt.

It was equally gathered that there is plan to lease the silos to the private sector for the storage of grain, and support development agricultural exchange for Nigeria.

Buttressing the need for N50bn support fund for the provision agricultural equipment across the country, Dr. Adesina said the number of tractors per 100square kilometre in Nigeria was less than 10, compared to over 728 in the UK, 257 in America, 200 in India, 130 in Brazil, 125 in the Philippines, resulting in lower productivity per area.

He said one of the major challenges to agriculture in the country is the low level of mechanisation of the sector.

According to him farmers toil, day and night, working their fields, they do so with rudimentary implements.

“The high cost of land clearing is a major disincentive for the expansion of cultivated area, especially in the southern parts of the country due to the dense vegetation; while the high cost of mechanisation, from plowing to harvesting, pose great challenges to farmers across the country”, Adesina said.

He stated that the government was aggressively embarking on commercialisation and privatisation of agricultural machineries, noting that the government no longer buy or distribute tractors, rather it now supports the private sector to drive the mechanisation of Nigeria’s agriculture, hence the need for Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises.

Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, CACS As part of efforts to further enhance credit supply, which is vital to derive agric mechanisation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has approved the extension of the terminal date of the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, CACS, from September 30, 2016 to September 30, 2025.

This policy became effective from May 14, 2014. The CBN in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture had established the CACS for promoting commercial agricultural enterprises in Nigeria.

The CACS is a sub–component of the federal government’s Commercial Agriculture Development Programme, CADP. This fund complements other special initiatives of the central bank in providing concessionary funding for agriculture such as the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme, ACGS, which is mostly for small scale farmers, Interest Draw-back scheme, Agricultural Credit Support Scheme, among others.

The scheme is being financed from the proceeds of the N200bn three-year bond raised by the Debt Management Office, DMO. The fund is always made available to the participating banks to finance commercial agricultural enterprises.

In addition, each state government

Jonathan

Adeshina

Emefiele

can borrow up to N1bn for on-lending to farmers’ cooperative societies and other areas of agricultural development provided such initiatives/interventions are in line with the objectives of CACS. The key agricultural commodities to be covered under the scheme are cotton, oil palm, fruit trees, rice, wheat, cassava and maize/soya.

Some others include beans, millet, tomatoes, vegetables, poultry, eggs production, meat, dairy and piggery.

The scheme regards a commercial enterprise as any farm or agro-based enterprise with agricultural asset, excluding land, of not less than N100m for an integrated farm with prospects of growing the assets to N250m within the next three years and N50 million for non-integrated farms/agroenterprise with prospects of growing the assets to N150m, except in the case of onlending to farmers’ cooperative societies.

da, ATA. Our goal is to add 20 million MT of food to the domestic food supply and create 3.5 million jobs by 2015.

“Nigeria has about 84 million hectares of arable land of which only 40 per cent is cultivated. Indeed, no more than 10 per cent of the arable land is cultivated optimally, as the level of productivity is low. While government, through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, is accelerating access of farmers to improved seeds and fertilisers, a major challenge facing farmers is lack of adequate mechanisation services”, the minister had said last year when he visited NCAM. According to him, “FAO estimates that in sub-Saharan Africa, only 1 per cent of farm power is provided by mechanical means, with less than 10 per cent from draught animals and 89 per cent from human labour. Nigeria is not an exemption.

“The current level of mechanisation in Nigeria is estimated to be 0.03hp/ ha, as against the 1.5hp/ha recommended by FAO. The total number of tractors in the country is 30,000 of which over 50 per cent have broken down.

“The low level of mechanisation limits ability of farmers to expand cultivated areas, perform timely farm operations and achieve economies of scale in raising food production. Because farming is still done with rudimentary equipments, land and labour productivity is low, and this limits the interest of the youth in agriculture”. The minister however said the government as doing all it could to change the ugly trend.

“NCAM is one of the Agencies under my Ministry. NCAM was established by Decree No. 35 of 1990 (now an Act of the National Assembly) with the overall objective of accelerating the pace of mechanisation in the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy in order to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products in Nigeria.

“The main function of NCAM is to make sure that there is a reduction in drudgery, through the provision of simple, efficient and cost effective machines and processes

that will ensure food security and meet the industrial raw materials and export needs of the nation. This necessitates the urgent consideration for mechanisation and the use of appropriate technologies for crop production and post-harvest activities.

The minister “we must aggressively privatise the commercialisation of agricultural machinery in Nigeria. Private sector must play this lead role. Government has sunk several billions of naira in the past years into purchase of tractors and other mechanised equipment, but corruption and lack of maintenance culture have made these efforts unsuccessful.

“Government direct procurement and distribution of tractors was riddled with corruption, as old refurbished tractors were sold to government as new tractors.

That is why this government ended government procurement and distribution of tractors”, he said.

Local Farm Equipments Aside finance, availability of affordable farm equipments to drive mechanisation is another challenge facing farmers, however to address this problem Adesina last year launched farming equipment, locally made by the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation ,NCAM, Ilorin, Kwara State.

These equipment include; cassava peeling machine, cassava screw press, direct discharge multi-purpose milling machine, maize sheller, modified multi-crop thresher, melon sheller, oil palm processing line, melon washer mechanical horizontal cabinet dryer, cyclonel, and motorised groundnut decarticator, among others.

The minister said when he visited the NCAM that the support to the centre was a demonstration of the commitment of President Jonathan’s administration on agricultural mechanisation.

“Agriculture is an important sector of the country’s economy and has high potentials for employment generation, food security, wealth creation and industrialisation.

“That is why Mr. President launched the Agricultural Transformation Agen-

THE LOW LEVEL OF MECHANISATION LIMITS ABILITY OF FARMERS TO EXPAND CULTIVATED AREAS, PERFORM TIMELY FARM OPERATIONS AND ACHIEVE ECONOMIES OF SCALE IN RAISING FOOD PRODUCTION

The Growth Enhancement Support, GES The Growth Enhancement Support, GES, has been expanded beyond seeds and fertilisers, to provide subsidy to assist Nigerian farmers to access mechanisation services from the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises. Farmers would begin to receive their mechanisation support as electronic vouchers on their mobile phones which they will use to pay for mechanised services at the registered agric equipment hiring centres.

The GES scheme was introduced by the Federal Government to drive its Agricultural Transformation Agenda, ATA, and the process defines the mechanism that is farmer friendly, ensures real farmers get fertiliser and other inputs directly at substantially subsidised rates.

With the GES, the government withdrew from direct fertiliser purchase and the distribution, and introduced an alternative, transparent and efficient system of distribution built on the voucher system.

Under the scheme, registered farmers have been receiving e-wallet vouchers with which they redeem fertiliser and seeds from agro dealers.

Stakeholders have said that federal government which through the GES distribute over 20,000 metric tonnes of seeds to farmers had tremendously assisted the farmers to boost their production and appreciate in yields.

They therefore called for sustaining the GES, which according them have been very helpful to farmers in the country.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business News

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

BoI disburses N471bn to large scale enterprises, SMEs OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

T

he Bank of Industry, BOI, has put the total loan portfolio to enterprises in the country at N471billion.

The Managing Director of the development bank, Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa who released the figure during a two-day Media Workshop in Abuja, also disclosed that the bank was currently working with seventeen states in the country on SMEs development.

Organised by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the workshop avails the ministry and its agencies the opportunity to give an account of their performances as regard the development of the real sector of the Nigerian economy.

Olaoluwa said the N471bn, which was meant to encourage investment in the key areas of the Nigerian economy, covered the agro-allied, solid minerals and gas sectors.

The BoI boss also disclosed that the bank had put some measures in place to increase loan facility to the SME from 10 percent to 25 percent.

On why some loan applications are turned down by the bank, the BOI boss explained thatbsome of them were not target oriented, adding that the bank would always reject any loan application that floats the necessary guidelines.

In order to address this anomaly, Olaoluwa noted that the bank had begun the process of engagement with Nigerians with a view to view to enlightening them on the acceptable business model.

He added,”We are going to be organizing seminars to ensure a deep understanding of business model. In the technology world, there is something called, business model canvass that enables you reduce your business proposal to a page to ensure that you focus on the right thing.

Olaoluwa also stated that the bank had set up a loan monitoring department to help the bank keep track of its loan portfolio.

“One of the things we have discovered in our risk management process is that we do not have a loan monitoring department and that is not good for prudent loan management. In order to address this, we have set up the department.

Olaoluwa further noted that loan approval is not a measure of the size of the companies, but that of integrity.

He said that the BOI Board of Directors approved the establishment of the hall of fame into which exemplary and outstanding customers would be inducted.

“As a development bank, we derive our funding from government resources that are limited, finite and subject to competing demands,” he said.

He said that the effect of any loan default was severe, with certain socio-economic consequences capable of defeating government’s objectives of financing the strategic sectors of the economy.

“When customers default on loans, they deprive other Nigerian businesses of the much needed access to finance,” he said.

He said the bank is undergoing a number of reforms that would place it in a class for Direct foreign investment within the African continent.

According to him, “A number of reforms are going on in the Bank of Industry that will ensure that BoI compliance on standard takes another boost”.

L-R: Executive Director,Commercial Banking, Access Bank Plc, Roosevelt Ogbonna; Executive Director, Personal Banking, Victor Etuokwu; CEO, Verve Card International, Charles Ifedi; Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc Herbert Wigwe, and Head, Sales and Marketing, Epayplus ltd, Kola Ladejo, at the launch of PERSONA by Access Bank at the Bank’s head office in Lagos, recently.

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MTN takes lead on quest for M & A ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN WITH AGENCY REPORT

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obile Telephone Network seems to have taken the lead in calling for mergers and acquisition, M & A, in the ailing telecoms industry in Africa as a panacea for ending the death of growing numbers of telecos in the region.

Unfortunately, Nigeria seems to be the worst hit by the bug of financial misfortune as most CDMA operators in the country has closed shop. When the era of telecoms revolution began 10 years ago, major cities in Nigeria are beehives of activities from CDMA’s like MultiLinks, Starcomms Plc,MTS Wireless,MonaCom and VGC, however today only Visafone, the last all to get its license is struggling to survive.

Investigation showed that the volatile operating environment was responsible for the death of the CDMA as they could match the financial muscle with which

the GSM operators stormed the market.

Besides anti-competitive practices, double taxation, unfriendly government policies and high operational cost among others are said to be the major cause of the death of the CDMA. Although a merger or sort of acquisition seems to have translated the dead Starcomms Plc, MTS and Multi-links into CAPCOM, yet three years after its planned rollout nothing is heard of it.

Sensing futher danger for the existing ones, which had also acquired VGC some years ago is now calling for mergers and acquisition to salvage the industry.

MTN Group chief executive officer, Sifiso Dabengwa said at the GSMA Mobile 360 Africa conference in Cape Town, South Africa that consolidation of mobile operators in some markets will have to take place to ensure the sustainability of the telecoms industry.

‘Agriculture can generate 30 million jobs’ WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

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griculture has been described as a source capable of generating over 30 million jobs in the country and reduce unemployment rate if the sector is properly harnessed.

The National Treasurer of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN and immediate Past Chairman in Kogi State, Dr. Tunde Arosayin disclosed this at a book launch in Lokoja, Kogi State capital last weekend.

Arosanyin explained that agriculture when practised with modern technology will also increase food output which will in turn guarantee food security.

He pointed out that any nation that cannot feed her citizens cannot be described as sovereign nation with full independence status, stressing that agriculture

then is the only means of food sufficiency for the citizenry guaranteed food security.

He added that apart from the fact the agriculture guarantees food security for any nation that encourages production toward self sufficiency, it is also a major source of foreign revenue earner that is reliable and sustainable unlike oil.

“Agriculture also creates new materials for industrial growth which is in turn reduces unemployment. Primary production is capable of generating over 20 million jobs for Nigerians and secondary production, processing, through industries can generate additional 10 million jobs, a proviso is that infrastructures such as electricity, water road, railway and other means of transportation should be fully developed and stable,” he noted.

Aviation expert calls for abolition of VAT for local airlines OLUSEGUN KOIKI

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he Director, Research, Zenith Travels, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo has called for the abolition of Value Added Tax, VAT, for the Nigerian carriers.

Ohuanyo also tasked the government to reduce the charges being collected from the airlines at the moment.

Ohunayo speaking at the 20th Annual Seminar organized by the

League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents, LAAC, over the weekend in Lagos said that the obliteration of VAT for airline operators would further make Nigerian sector at par with other aviation industries around the world.

He mentioned that countries like United Kingdom, Ireland and some other European countries don’t charge VAT from their carriers and wondered why such could not be replicated in the country if the government truly wanted the

sector to grow.

Ohunayo also charged the government to stabilise aviation fuel for the carriers, but noted that this should not be solely left for the government alone to do, rather, he said fuel marketers and operators should work together to ensure its stability in the local market.

Ohunayo also opined that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, should change its policy on issuance of Air Operator’s Certificate, AOC, to intending air-

lines.

He insisted that instead of the minimum of two aircraft for the issuance of AOC, the industry’s regulation body could increase such to 10, arguing that with that, the sub-sector would be much stronger.

He said, “It is unfortunate that the fuel marketers have formed a cartel in this industry and they dictate the price of fuel even when it fluctuates in the international market. Personally, I think that

the airline operators should be the cartel and not the other way round because if they don’t buy this fuel, the oil marketers cannot sell.

“On the issuance of AOC to intending carriers, I want to suggest here that such should be increased from two to 10. In the last two years, NCAA had issued AOCs to about four carriers and as I am talking to you, one of the airlines that was issued AOC recently y the agency is already indebted to its staff.

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Business News

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

‘No controversy in Lagos govt’s equity in Lekki Deep Seaport’ FRANCIS EZEM

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he management of the Lekki Deep Seaport, which is expected to commence operations in 2018, barring any change in the programme of things has foreclosed any controversy over the equity participation of the Lagos State Government, which has an 18.5 per cent share holding in the entire project.

The Federal Executive Council had on December 4, 2013 approved the project with a shareholding structure, which allocated 20 per cent to the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, 18.5 per cent to the Lagos State Government while the private consortium of investors led by the Tolaram Group holds the remaining 61.8 per cent.

Chief finance officer of the port, Mr. Sandeep Parasramka, who spoke at the weekend during a media parley in Lagos, said that there was form of controversy in

the equity participation of the Lagos State Government, which also has a separate land transaction with the consortium of investors for the project.

He also disclosed that following the approval of the Federal Executive Council, a shareholders’ agreement has since been signed between the three principal parties consisting of NPA, the Lagos State Government and the Tolaram to that effect.

It was further gathered that the Lagos State Government has already made available its cash towards equity contribution, which has also been put into the accounts of the project designated to be utilised to pay the contractor after the start of construction activities on ground.

“There are no controversies whatsoever surrounding Lagos State’s equity participation because a shareholders’ agreement has already been signed between NPA, LASG and the

Tolaram Group to this effect.

In fact, cash towards LASG state’s equity contribution has already been put into the accounts of the project”, Parasramka insisted.

He also said: “There is no question of friction between the parties since the individual interests of the equity holders are completely aligned as shareholders of the project.”

The chief finance officer, who spoke against the backdrop of insinuations that the land transaction between the Lagos State Government and the Tolaram Group was part of the Lekki Deep Seaport project, said there was no iota of truth in such insinuations as bothwere separate and distinct transactions.

According to him, the sale of land transaction between the government of Lagos State and the promoters of the port project does not affect the deep sea port project in any way.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Minister charges airport managers on improved service OLUSEGUN KOIKI

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he Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka has charged managers of airports across the country to improve on service delivery in line with the transformation in the sector.

The Special Assistant to the Minister on Performance Monitoring, Bar Chidi Nkwonta, stated this at the opening of the Ministerial Performance Management System Orientation for Regional and Airport managers over the weekend in Lagos.

An online statement by the General Manager, Corporate Corporation, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati stated that the training was a follow up to the meeting held by the minister with Airport Managers where key performance indicators were introduced.

IITA, NAFDAC sensitise people on aflatoxin usage ABOLAJI ADEBAYO

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L-R: Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company, and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu; Manager, NGOs and Stakeholders Relations, Dr. Alice Ajeh, and General Manager, Shell Nigeria Content Development, Mr. Igo Weli, at the 2014 Social Enterprise Report and Awards Ceremony in Lagos on Saturday.

SON’s laboratories get certification for products testing OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

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he Federal Government quest to make Made-inNigeria products meet acceptable international standards has received a major boost with the certification of two laboratories of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria,SON, by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation The laboratories are accredited in accordance with the recognized international Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005 general requirement for competence of testing and calibration Some of the products which will now undergo local testing in

the laboratories before export include maize, beans, soya beans, rice, cassava, yam .

The certification also accommodates fresh fish, frozen fish and can foods Speaking while unveiling the certificate in Abuja at the weekend,the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr Olusegun Aganga, noted the approval would enable the laboratories carry out proper testing on some product categories.

The accreditation demonstrate technical competence for a defined scope and the operation of a laboratory quality management system in the country According to him, any product that is certified in the two labo-

ratories would be acceptable and will not be subjected to any further testing anywhere across the world.

Apart from that, Aganga stated that with the certification, some of the Nigerians products that were hitherto rejected by some countries for doubtful standards, would now be acceptable.

On the significance of the certification on the efforts of government to promote export, he said, “We are all making history here.

It’s the first time two of our laboratory will be accredited in Nigeria simultaneously. With the certification, we can now test in this laboratory and export anywhere without going through another testing.”

Dati stated that earlier, the Managing Director of FAAN, Engr. Saleh Dunoma commended the initiative and charged airport managers to improve on service delivery and performance.

Dunoma according to the statement also challenged managers to remain faithful to the vision and mission of the agency, charging them to pursue the agency’s mission of qualitative service delivery to all its clients.

He said that measures had been put in place to assess the performance of airport managers through their services to customers, maintaining that users of the country’s airports must be given priority in service delivery.

He stated, “To develop and profitably manage customer centric airport facilities for safe, secure and efficient carriage of passengers and goods at world class standards.”

he National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA, Ibadan have embarked on a sensitisation campaign to educate the public on aflatoxin management in Nigeria.

Speaking at the second edition of the sensitisation workshop in the Southwest zone over the weekend, the Director General of the agency, Dr. Paul Orhii stated that the objective of the programme was to highlight and bring to the fore the extent of aflatoxin contamination in Nigeria’s stable food and export commodities.

Represented by Mrs. Stella

Denloye, he stated that this will enable the public to know the potential health implications of consuming aflatoxin to the population and the negative economic impact on trade and foreign exchange earnings.

Also, Dr. Debo Akande and Mr Joseph Atehnkeng, who both represented IITA at the workshop, said Aflatoxin is a potent carcinogen produced by some species of aspergillus fungi, most commonly found in maize and groundnut which contamination has harmful health effects for the consumers and negative economic consequences for the growers.

The duo said fungal growth and the presence of mycotoxins including aflatoxin has been implicated as serious food safety for human and animal health as well as trade interests.

Nigerian companies spend N30bn on CSR DAVID AUDU

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rom a meager N600m eight years ago, the combined company investments in Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, in Nigeria has climbed to about N30bn within the past few years, says the organizer of Social Enterprise Reporting Award, SERAs, Mr. Ken Egbas.

Egbas who disclosed this to news men at the weekend during the 2014 SERA award ceremony in Lagos, said in 2006 when he started the award, the total spend on CSR by companies in Nigeria was a little over N600m, “today, we are proud to note that over N30b was reported last year, and

between then and this reporting year, the total CSR investment is about N27.8b spent across the country, and we still have a few more months to go.

Speaking on the objectives of the CSR award, Egbas noted that the idea was to put together a project that would change the face and the way business behave in Nigeria. “We had in mind to change the perception and participation of corporate organisations in CSR in Nigeria “What we are promoting is that we want to let corporate organisation know that the more economically empowered they are the more they owe the responsibility to empower others, bearing in that the source of their empowerment is the communities they operate.’’

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Jobs & Career

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Experts harp on importance of regular career planning Career planning, according to experts, is not a one-off thing. Human resource professionals, are also of the opinion that career planning is an activity that should be done on a regular basis for productive and effective utilisation of skills, MESHACK IDEHEN writes.

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mployee’s Development Expert and Managing Director of Team Building Nigeria Limited, Mr. Yinka Olugbodi, said the inability of many workers to reach their full potential at work or in their chosen profession has a direct correlation to their lack of regular career planning.

Olugbodi said the inability of many workers to properly and regularly plan their career can have a downside effect on their growth and promotion. The failure to plan for a career, according to him, will have consequences on the employee or his organisation, and on the overall performance of the nation’s economy in the medium and long term.

Other analysts in the same vein told National Mirror that large part of growth and development challenges many companies in Nigeria and on the continent are grappling with can be effectively tackled if the human resource assets in such organisations are encouraged to regularly plan their careers.

Human Resource Management Consultant, Mr. Sunny Agboju, told our correspondentmany workers in Nigeria are unsure of where their career future lies that the question of even planning it (careers) regularly does not occur to them.

Agboju explained it is only when the inevitable in career growth issues like termination of appointment or relocation to a different industry occurs that the need to plan and re-plan career comes to mind.

Harping on the importance of planning careers, Agboju who is the Managing Director of Prot Consulting Group Limited said available data indicates that the average worker will change careers (not jobs) multiple times over his or her lifetime, and that career planning is not a hard activity, or something to be dreaded or put off.

According to him, “career planning should rather be an activity that is liberating and fulfilling; providing goals to achieve in current career or plans for beginning a transition to a new career. Career planning should be a rewarding and positive experience”.

Outlining successful career planning methods that could be applied to achieve success, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, CIPM, Mr. Sunday

Famuyibo

Olugbodi

Career planning should rather be an

activity that is liberating and fulfilling; providing goals to achieve in current career or plans for beginning a transition to a new career Adeyemi, said organisations should make career planning an annual event.

Adeyemi said workers often feel the need to plan their careers for a positive change but lack the will to do it. He noted however it was important that employees schedule a sort of retreat for themselves where they and then block out all distractions and then have the time to truly focus on areas of their careers, including what they really want out of it (career) and out of life.

The CIPM registrar explained by making career planning an annual event that such workers feel more secure in their career choice and direction, and thus become better prepared for the many uncertainties and difficulties that lie ahead in all of jobs and career.

According to him, it is crucial to map out a path. One of the first activities whenever you take on career planning as an employee is to spendtime mapping out a job and career path, while considering the last time you did any sort of career planning.

“While you should not dwell on your past, taking the time to review and reflect on the path, whether straight and narrow or one filled with any curves and deadends will help you plan for the future.

Once you’ve mapped your past, take the time to reflect on your course, and note why it looks the way it does.

“Ask yourself questions like are you happy with your path? Could you have done things better? What might you have done differently? What can you do differently in the future?” he explained.

On his part, Career Development Expert, Mr. Obi Obitunde, pointed out employees should reflect on their likes, dislikes, needs and wants when embarking on career planning. Describing change as a factor of life; he said a practical step is for workers to make a two-column list of major likes and dislikes, and then use the list to examine current job and career path.

Obitunde pointed out areas to consider when embarking on a career planning, sayingif your job and career still fall mostly in the like column, then you know you are still on the right path.However, if your job activities fall mostly in the dislike column, he said, now is the time to begin examining new jobs and new careers, he added.

The career development expert added taking the time to really think about what it is you as an employee want or need from your work makes all the difference, as it was imperative to decide if you as an employee must move forward.

“Career planning provides a great time to also examine the activities you like doing when you are not working. It may sound a bit odd, to examine non-work activities when doing career planning, but it’s not. Many time your hobbies and leisurely pursuits can give you great insight into future career paths”, he noted.

Insisting making notes of past accomplishments at work is a way to successfully engage in career planning, Human Resource Practitioner and Head of Purple Consult Limited, Mr. Tope Awosegba, said most people don’t keep a very good record of work accomplishments and then struggle with creating a powerful resume when it’s time to search for a new job.

He said making note of past accomplishments and keeping a record of them is not only useful for building resume, but also useful for career planning, adding reviewing past accomplishments will reveal forgotten successes, including those which may trigger researching and planning a career shift so that such can be in a job that allows you to accomplish the types of things that make you most happy and proud.

ASSBIFI reiterates call for implementation of industrial policy Meshack Idehen

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he President of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI,Mr Sunday Salako, has said the government and employers of labour must take advantage of the nation’s industrial policy to partner with workers to ensure sustainability of fair labour practices for the nation’s industrial sector to thrive in harmony.

Salako told National Mirror on Monday that the association is calling for the implementation of the nation’s industrial policy for peace and harmony to thrive in the in-

dustrial sector.

He said ASSIBIFI is also calling on stakeholders in the nation’s economy to work together for more and new investors to come into Nigeria, saying both the government and other employers of labour in the country must come together to partner workers through transparent implementation of Nigeria’s industrial policy to guarantee the sustainability of fair labour practices, as well as for foreign investors to invest in the nation’s industrial sector.

“Our call is necessary now, because interestingly, governments around the world are increasingly strengthening labour institutions to play a leading role in the promotion

of dialogue as an important reflex and to help raise the capacity of critical partners in national development agenda.

“We also call on both Government and employers of labour to embrace dialogue with workers as social dialogue is an important element in industrial peace and harmony in the workplace,” he affirmed Salako, who is the current first Deputy President of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, said the congress call on the three tiers of government to reduce poverty by 25 per cent in the nation’s economy by 2016 because Nigeria has all it takes to be one of the major leading economies in the world.

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Jobs & Career

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ways to keep your employees happy and working hard

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t doesn’t matter what you build, invent or sell; your organisation can’t move forward without people. CEOs, company founders and managers the world over know that keeping the teams beneath them moving forward together in harmony means the difference between winning and dying. Here are few tips for entrepreneurs and managers looking to keep their people smiling and producing.

Build ownership among your crewEmployees have to feel that they own the place, not just work there. One of the principles of self-managed teams is to organise around a whole service or product. In other words, make sure company personnel feel responsible for what the customer is buying.

One way to inspire that feeling is to have each member of a team become familiar with what other team members are doing, allowing them to bring their ideas for improvement to the table and have input in the whole process. If the roles are not too specialised, have your people rotate responsibilities from time to time. It all contributes to a feeling of ‘it’s mine,’ and most people, when it’s theirs, don’t want to fail, don’t want to build poor quality and don’t want to dissatisfy the customer.

Trust employees to leave their comfort zones-Few employees want to do one specific task over and over again until they quit or retire or die. Don’t be afraid to grant them new responsibilities—it will allow them to grow and become more confident in their abilities while making them feel more valuable to the organisation.

Though managers might feel allowing their people to try new things presents a risk to productivity or places workers outside of their established place, it heads off other issues. The bigger risk is having people get burnt out or bored.

Keep your team informed-Business leaders have a clearer perspective on the bigger picture than their employees do. It pays to tell those under you what’s going on. Things that managers take for common knowledge about how things are going or what challenges are down the road or what new products are coming… they often don’t take the time to share that with their employees. Spreading the Intel lets everyone in on the lay of theland and at the same time strengthens the feeling among workers that they are an important part of the organisation.

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onoil Plc leads the pack of available job vacancies for this week. The company said there are openings for sales executives; area engineers/project managers, accountants and lawyers.

All applications, according to Conoil, must be submitted online to vacancy@ conoilplc.com,while more details can be found on the website, www.conoilplc.com From a four star hospitality facility in Ogun state alsocome vacancies for an executive chef, a food and beverage manager, sales and marketing man-

Workers on duty

Your employees are adults—treat them like it-In any business there is going to be bad news. Whether it’s to do with the company as a whole or an individual within the organisation, employees need to be dealt with in a straightforward and respectable manner. They can handle it, usually. If you choose to keep your people in the dark about trying times or issues, the fallout could be a serious pain in the neck. The rumors are typically worse than reality. In the absence of knowledge

people make things up.

You’re the boss. You may have to act like it sometimes but be consistent-Though this issue is affected by an organisation’s overall culture, there are going to be times when you have to make a decision as a leader, despite whatever efforts you may have made to put yourself on equal footing with your personnel. Ideally they have an open relationship but not necessarily are peers of the manageremployee relationship. The worst thing is

to pretend you’re peer… it’s the inconsistency which is the bigger problem.

Money matters but not as much as you think)-Compensation packages are a big deal when employees are hired, but once a deal has been struck the source of motivation tends to shift. The motivation comes from other things -the challenge of the work, the purpose of the work, the opportunity to learn, and the opportunity to contribute.

When it comes to finding a salary that will allow your employees to feel they’re being paid fairly, don’t bend over backwards to lowball them. If you do, they will eventually find out and not be happy. If the salary were open, is it defensible?”

Perks matter but not as much as you think-Some companies have received attention for offering lavish perks to their personnel – massages, free gourmet lunches, ping pong tables, childcare facilities – but, like money, these things tend to be less powerful motivators for workers than in-job challenges and the feeling of being a valuable part of a quality team that will recognise their contribution. A manager needs to understand that though those perks are great and release burdens from employees’ shoulders, they are not a substitute for prime sources of professional inspiration.

People don’t work harder or work better because of those things. It may make it easier for them to come to work.

Source: Forbes.com

Withdrawal of security is peak of political insensitivity–TUC he Trade Union Congress of Nigeria is disturbed by all the political maneuvering and unnecessary overheating of the polity by politicians using security operatives as was the case in the recent withdrawal of security details of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, AlhajiAminuTambuwal for the simple reason of defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC. The development, to the Congress only shows the level of desperation of politicians in their quest for office in the 2015 general elections. The act is not only reprehensible, but also repugnant and lacks constitutional backing. Before now, we have had governors and several lawmakers defect to other political parties and all hell did not break loose. We wonder why

that of Tambuwal should be exceptional while others who defected before him are still enjoying their security paraphernalia.

It will be recalled that the Congress had bemoaned the underhandedness of the police in Rivers and the recent unnecessary arrest and interrogation of a journalist for using the word controversial in an interview with the former Rivers State Commissioner of Police who is now in the FCT as Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mbu. The police is wrong by removing security aides attached to the speaker because the police lacked jurisdictional competence to determine whether or not there had been a breach of the constitution in the defection of the speaker to the opposition party. The act is supposed to come after the verdict of a competent court order.

As a democratic nation we are sup-

ager, executivehousekeeper, a front office manager, CT administrator and a chief engineer. Interested and qualified candidates are to send their CV to hrrecruit307@gmail.com The British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC through its media action outfit is also recruiting. The group said there are vacancies for project managers, senior research officers, research officers and radio training officers in Hausa or English.

Interested and qualified candidates are to visit www.bbc.co.uk/jobs for the full

details of the job description. All applications must be sent latest August 1st, 2014.

There are hundreds of vacancies on offer at the Federal University, NdufuAlike in Ebonyi state. Academic and nonacademicstaff interested is urged to visit www.funai.ed.ng to obtain more derails on the jobs.

Enugu Electricity Distribution Company is also recruiting, with numerous positions up for grabs. Senior managers, billing managers, human resourcemanagers are some of the vacancies being of-

Meshack Idehen

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posed to be guided by law unfortunately politicians and thickly connected Nigerians and even foreigners flout our laws at will and no one appears to call anybody to order anymore. For instance, foreigners today causalise and dehumanize Nigerians whereas there are labour laws. In this case, Section 68 of the constitution states the procedure to be followed by the National Assembly when defections take place. Unless that procedure is followed the police lacks the requisite competence to say the aspect of our law that has been breached.

We are pained that the politicians never cease to surprise Nigerians. What is happening now if not checked will desecrate the office of the Speaker just for the singular reason of personal aggrandizement.

Those behind the move should bear in mind that it is not about the man Tambuwal, but about the office of the Speaker.

Job vacancies fered.

Applicants are urged to visit www.enugudisco.com to obtain more details of the application procedures.

Akintola William Deloitte is also offering jobs to top flight candidates in the areas of audit, accounting and financial advisory services, corporate finance, consulting, risk advisory and tax andregulatory matters. Candidates are urged to visit www.deloitte.com/about for more details of the job description.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

25

Real Estate & Environment

Mixed reactions trail cement price cut The sharp cut in the price of Dangote brands of cement has triggered-off mixed reactions from sandcrete and allied products manufacturers as well as real estate developers in the country.

SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE reports.

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ith the huge cut in the price of cement, Dangote has proved wrong, the soothsayers, who had postulated that anything that goes up in Nigeria does not come down.

Just last week, Dangote Cement Plc announced a sharp drop in the price of the all-important commodity meant for the construction of low and high-density structures.

This decision has triggered-off mixed

Jonathan links infrastructure deficits to population explosion 27

reactions from sandcrete and allied products manufacturers as well as other cement producers in the country.

National Mirror gathered that the move was in a bid to make cement products cheaper as it was in 2005, where a bag of the product was less than N800.

Group Managing Director (GMD), Dangote Cement, Mr. Devakumar Edwin while disclosing said with the cut, the price of Dangote’s 32.5 cement grade goes for

N1,000 per 50kg bag while its higher grade 42.5 sells for N1,150 per bag.

The new price regime, according to the GMD, is exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT), which represents about 40 per cent discount on the prevailing market price, currently selling at N1, 700, irrespective of the grade.

“We recognize the need for a rapid response to huge infrastructure and housing deficit in the country and one of the ways to address the issue is to bring down the price of building materials to make it affordable, especially cement, which is within our control. This is part of our contributions to the transformation agenda of the present administration”, he said.

Prior to this development, Dangote had adopted building collapse as part of its cor-

Is Ogun affordable housing scheme actually affordable?

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porate social responsibility, aimed at enlightening Nigerians on different grades of cement, geared towards forestalling future building collapse in the country.

Almost immediately, Dangote announced the cut in the price of its branded cement products, drawing mixed reactions from construction experts, cement producers as well as estate developers.

While some stakeholders described such decision as a right step in the right direction, others received the news with berthed breath, alleging ulterior motives behind the sudden reduction of cement price by Dangote.

Reacting to the new development, Bua Group, a major player in cement productions lauded Dangote’s gestures, describCONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Tips for creating a comfortable living room 29

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Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Mixed reactions trail cement price cut NIGERIA IS LIKELY TO GO BACK TO THE

2012 ERA, WHERE THE COUNTRY WAS ALMOST SELF-SUFFICIENT IN

CEMENT PRODUCTION, WHICH NECESSITATED THE BAN ON IMPORTATION OF THE Akon

CONTINUED FROM 25 ing it as not only commendable, but encouraging.

Chairman, Bua Group, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu said, he has been advocating for a sharp reduction in the unit cost of the product, to enable Nigerians realise their dreams of owning their own houses.

“It is against this background that I commend Alhaji Aliko Dangote for this patriotic initiative, which is long overdue”, Rabiu said while noting that, with the low price, more consumers would buy cement, which will not only shore-up its volume, but increases the market share of the stakeholders.

Continuing, he said, “I urge all cement producers to emulate Dangote and bring down the cost of cement. There is absolutely no reason for a bag of cement to cost so much”.

According to his statement, “while it is true that we have infrastructural challenges, it is not much as to make the cost of cement so expensive. On our part, I have already directed all our plants to follow suit and implement the new price regime”” Rabiu also noted that more should be done to bring down the price further for the sake of Nigerians, saying, “There is really no reason for cement to cost more than N1000 per bag, bearing in mind the massive success of the backward integration policy, which started 12 years ago with billions of dollars injected into the nation’s cement industry.

This, he said, led to the national productivity of cement rising from a mere 2.2 million tonnes to over 30 million tonnes.

BUA Group acquired Edo State Cement Company, where it injected over $500 million in its greenfield project; producing about 3 million tonnes per annum while deploying the latest technology in cement production.

The National President, Block Moulders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Rasidi Adebowale while reacting said, he received the news with a pinch of salt, especially on what the price reduction holds for his members as well as Nigerians.

Expressing optimism that the new price review would translate to reduction in the price of blocks, he urged other cement producers in the country to do the same in the interest of the nation.

In his own reaction, the Lagos State Chairman, Block Moulders, Alhaji Okunola Abegunde said he has been longing

Dangote

Abdusamad Rabiu, Chairman BUA group

to see a time like this when the price of cement would crash to allow low-income owners to own their houses.

In the same vein, the Chairman, Coalition against Building Collapse, Kola Ojewuyi chided Dangote critics, who had earlier condemned its campaign on the adoption of 42.5 grades of cement, which they described as a ploy to increase the price of the essential commodity.

President, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Mr. Bruno Niyi hailed the decision of Dangote Cement, urging the management of the company to sustain the new price regime and ensure that, it is not hijacked by profiteers.

A distributor of Dangote cement, Lucy Ogor told National Mirror, that distributors are not selling the product at N1, 000 as announced, saying “”If we are selling at N1, 000 , what it means that we should buy it at the distributors price of between N800 to N900 to be able to make a profit of at least N100 per bag, He said they are buying from the factory above N1, 000 and could not sell at the same price, considering the cost of transportation, loading and off-loading among other charges. “”We are expected to make profit of between N50 to N100, after all expenses. For now, we are buying at the unit cost of N1, 350 and when you add other expenses, we

should be selling at between N1,450 and N1,500, which is a far cry from the over N1, 750 price before the announcement””, he said.

While commending Dangote for the slash, he urged the company to ensure that the product is sold to the public at N1, 000 as announced, noting that such decision would go a long way to ameliorate the suffering of many Nigerians. “:If we are selling to the public at N1, 000, what it means is that we should buying directly from Dangote at N800 or N900 to be able to make our own profit”, he added.

An official of Lafarge WAMPCO, who pleaded for anonymity said, he does not comment on competitors’ price differentials. It is not our duty to do that. “”As a corporate entity, we don’t increase price because our competitors have done so. I am not allowed to comment on the issue of price slash or price increase.

We have our own internal strategy. The public will soon know our own strategy.

We cannot announce the price we cannot control. When we announce a price slash, we stand by it”, he stated A cement dealer, Mr Patrick Iyama while commending Dangote for taking such bold step, said his main challenge is how to dispose his old stock as customers no longer buy at the old price.

He however noted that his major regret

Distressed properties in the US selling 37% below market value –Report

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istressed residential properties in the United States sold for a median 37 per cent below market prices in September, according to the latest foreclosure report.

This was $130,000 nationwide compared to the median price of $205,000 for non-distressed homes during the month, according to the data from RealtyTrac’s report covering the third quarter of the year.

‘Even as the share of distressed sales decreases, the average discount on distressed properties continues to be substantial because the primary factors driving that discount are still in place,’ said Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac vice president.

‘Distressed properties are typically in poor condition and have a highly motivated seller whether that seller is the distressed homeowner in foreclosure or the bank that has repossessed the property

through foreclosure,’ he explained.

The major metropolitan areas were distressed homes were most heavily discounted were Pittsburgh and Milwaukee both at 67 per cent, Cleveland at 64 per cent and Memphis at 59 per cent , a breakdown of the data shows.

Overall, the median sales price of US residential properties, both distressed and non-distressed combined, was $195,000 in September, an increase of 1 per cent from August and 15 per cent from September 2013, the largest year on year increase since October 2005. September 2014 was also the 30th consecutive month in which the median home price increased annually.

‘Median home prices nationally in September were boosted by a new low in the share of distressed sales during the third quarter, resulting in fewer home sales on the lower end,’ Blomquist pointed out.

PRODUCT is that he ordered a trailer-load of the product almost the same time the announcement came, noting with dismay the inability of the company to give prior notice before the price reductions.

According to his statement, “”There is no doubt that Dangote has tried seriously to bring down the price of cement. It is a welcomed development, but I have a serious challenge, that is, how to dispose my old stock, which I bought at the old price. It would have been nice, if the company had given us earlier notice, so that we dealers would have prepared ahead of time”.

In his own view, a real estate developer, Femi Odusanya said this is the time the low-income owners have been waiting for to build their own houses.

He said before now, the cost of cement was hitting the rooftop, which has been very discouraging, saying, I am convinced that things will be better as against initial believe, that anything that goes up must definitely come down.

A block moulder, Tunde Balogun said with the new development, the cost of block will also come down, reassuring that the leadership of the association of block moulders would decide on the next line of action.

Investigations conducted by National Mirror revealed that since the implementation of the backward integration policy for cement about 12 years ago, the local production capacity of cement has risen from a meagre 2 million metric tonnes per annum to the current 38 million metric tonnes per annum.

Stakeholders have noted that in the last 12-years of the backward integration policy, over $20 billion has been directly and indirectly sunk into the nation’s cement subsector with Dangote Cement accounting for almost 60 per cent of the total expenses.

With this development, the nation’s cement market has entered a high demand phase; especially as dry season is setting in, which is the peak for increased construction activities in the country.

Nigeria is likely to go back to the 2012 era, where the country was almost self-sufficient in cement production, which necessitated the ban on importation of the product. There is no doubt that, cement sector is still plagued with so many challenges like infrastructural deficit, power problem and access to funds among others, but whether government would stem the tide of infrastructural facilities, only time will tell.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Real Estate & Environment

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Jonathan links infrastructure deficits to population explosion Femi Adeosun ABUJA

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resident Goodluck Jonathan has linked the current infrastructure deficit to population explosion; a situation he stated was putting serious strain on the existing infrastructure in the country.

Jonathan, while declaring open, the World Engineering Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure (WECSI), noted that rapid growth in population had undoubtedly put tremendous strain on the existing infrastructure in Nigeria.

The President, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen said, despite the constraints, his administration had commenced the process of upgrading existing infrastructure while building new ones to complement the current demands.

“Good and sustainable infrastructure is needed in Nigeria not only to serve as catalyst for economic growth, but also for the creative engagement of citizens and to generate national development.

It is in realisation of this truism, that my administration recently developed and approved the National Integrated Infrastructure

Master Plan (NIIMP) that will guide the development of critical national infrastructure in the next 40 years”, he explained While disclosing that Nigeria was currently at the threshold of developing infrastructure that would meet the needs of current and future generations in a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable manner, Jonathan agreed that existing public funding sources were no longer enough to provide the required infrastructure needed for rapid economic developments and wellbeing of the nation.

In order to expand the frontier of funding sources available for infrastructure development, the President said his administration had stepped up action in the area of creating enabling environment for Organised Private Sector, OPS, participation.

“The Nigerian government is ready to partner with local and foreign investors in the provision of sustainable infrastructure for the industrial and econ8mic development of our nation” the President added.

Stakeholders corroborated Jonathan’s view at the just-concluded WECSI hosted by the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, in Abuja.

According to Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, the country would not be able to attain the desired level of infrastructure to support its economic base, except the federal government adopt new and efficient policy framework as well as technical capacity and financing options.

The week-long forum provided a platform for over 5,000 participants, cut across engineering experts, policy makers, investors, technical and financial experts to examine various feasible and most effective options for the provision of basic physical infrastructure and organisational structure needed for economic developments in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.

In his opening address, the President of NSE, Engr. Ademola Olorunfemi, said, the enormous infrastructure challenge confronting African states, particularly Nigeria, calls for a new approach in terms of policy framework as well as funding structure.

Currently, Nigeria’s spending on infrastructure is about $6 billion while $14billion is required yearly, indicating a deficit of $8billion yearly. On a regional scale, he noted that Africa as a continent requires $93 billion yearly to achieve national development

An ongoing construction site in Asu, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

targets.

He said, “The Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD), the holistic study conducted recently by Development Agencies in partnership with the World Bank, recently commended some African countries for the efforts made so far on infrastructural developments.

“The conclusion of the report however noted that to achieve

national development targets in most African countries in a period of 10 years, an annual spending of $93 billion would be required. The implication of this for Nigeria and the rest of Africa is that there is an urgent need to develop new and efficient policy frameworks, technical capacity and financing option for the rapid achievement of our targets.”

FG spends N720m on Abuja pedestrian bridges

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n order to reduce the spate of road accidents, associated with crossing of expressways, the federal government said it has built and commissioned six pedestrian bridges in some strategic areas in Abuja.

The bridges, which cost N720million, were financed by the World Bank in conjunction with the federal government under the Federal Road Development Projects.

The six pedestrian bridges are located along Nnamdi Azikwe expressway by Ahmadu Bello Way, Banex Junction, Nnamdi Azikwe expressway by Shehu Shagari Way, NICON junction, Nnamdi Azikwe expressway by Olusegun Obasanjo Way (Wuye Junction), Nnamdi Azikwe expressway by Tafawa Balewa Way, Old Secretariat Junction, Shehu Yar’Adua Way by Okonjo Iweala Way (VIO Mabushi Junction) as well as Shehu Yar’Adua Way by Ladi Kwali Way (Sheraton Junction).

Speaking while commissioning one of the bridges in Abuja last week, the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen urged the transport department of the FCDA and the Federal Roads Safety Corps, FRSC, to set up enforcement teams around the vicinities of the bridges to

compel usage.

The Minister, who said the bridges were built as part of efforts towards achieving the key objectives of the FRDP, targeted at reducing accident-related fatalities on the nation’s highways.

He stated, the federal government’s intervention was not limited to construction of bridges alone; stressing that it also help in upgrading the existing traffic signals to solar-powered signals, provision of road markings and solar-powered road studs as well as provision of barricades for the six pedestrian bridges.

On the significance of the bridges, the Minister said, “The completion of these pedestrian bridges and associated barricades will help achieve the key objective of the road safety component of the Federal Road Development Programme and reduction of accident-related fatalities on our roads.

“The use of these pedestrian bridges to cross the highway by pedestrians will save them from avoidable deaths and potential conflict with vehicular traffic, thereby reducing accident-related fatalities. To maximise the use of these bridges and ensure sustainability, enforcement activities will be required.

Minister decries desertification of environment

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inister of Environment, Mrs. Lawrentia Mallam has decried continued desertification of the environment, saying the nation is now at a crossroad as a result of man’s unfair relationship with the Godgiven natural resources.

Mallam, who decried the situation during the 8th National Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja, warned that unsustainable exploration and exploitation of the country’s natural resources have continued to impact negatively on the environment, resulting in series of problems like biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, erosion as well as flood-

ing.

Organised by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, the forum was to enable key stakeholders in the environment subsector to evaluate the operational efficiencies of some regulations in the last eight years.

Lamenting the consequences of the increasing pressure on the environment, the Minister said, “Our environment is at a crossroad. We are dangerously approaching tipping point in some areas. The air we breathe is becoming more polluted than ever before from our indoor and

outdoor activities.

“The water we drink is also increasingly being polluted and fouled by domestic, industrial and agricultural activities. Our landscape is being degraded and suffocated with all sorts of wastes, including electrical/ electronic wastes and plastics of all sorts. The noise levels in our homes, work places and public areas have exceeded the acceptable levels””, she stated.

She also noted that, if the country must get out of the doldrums, triggered by unsustainable exploration and exploitation of the nation’s resources, all stakeholders across different

tiers of government must come together to discuss it.

According to her statement, “The state of our environment calls for active engagement and participation of all stakeholders from public and private sectors and at national, regional and global levels””.

She therefore said the theme of this year’s outing, which is ‘Stakeholders’ Engagement in Environmental Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement’ was timely.

“We created the problems for ourselves by absolute disregard and abuse of extant laws and regulations bearing on the envi-

ronment, we are also failing in our civic responsibility to be active watchdogs and vanguards against all forms of environmental crimes, by our actions and inactions. We are distancing ourselves from the attributes of a clean and healthy environment.”

She noted.

Earlier, the Director General, of the Agency Dr. Mrs Ngeri Benebo noted that over the years, the Agency had strived to live up to its expectations in terms of implementing its mandates with the cooperation and support of stakeholders from various sectors in and outside the nation’s country.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tips

Is Ogun affordable housing scheme actually affordable?

Sylva Emeka-Okereke

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ith the growing interests to establish many companies in Ogun State, many analysts have postulated that the new drive for housing projects as well as infrastructure development would be the best option to provide conducive environment for prospective investors.

At the last count, over 90 companies have shown readiness to locate their manufacturing outfits in the state with many of them on ground at different levels of operations, a move that spurred the state government to restructure its bureau of lands and survey for such activities.

Already, there is remarkable increase in economic activities in the state with a corresponding increase in the population density. This is not unconnected with the rapid infrastructural development, which has made the

state an investors’ destination of choice. This is not without its attendant challenges, especially as it concerns housing.

Perhaps, this might be the reason why the governor had mandated various relevant agencies to frontally tackle the housing challenges by providing affordable housing to the people.

Currently, the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation, OPIC, as well as the Ministry of Housing have swung into action to provide the affordable housing as promised by the state government.

But the questions begging for answer are how affordable the housing project of the state government is? Are those housing actually meant for the civil servants or big-time politicians in the state, giving the cost of the housing estates in the state.

A source, who pleaded for anonymity said the so-called affordable housing projects are strategies designed by the state

governments and by extension, the federal government to deceive the innocent electorate to vote for them for the second time.

Citing Ogun state as a case in point, the source said land alone in low-key areas in the state is going for between N700, 000 to N800, 000, disclosing by right, those areas cannot even go for N300, 000.

He said, if a plot of land, which is 120 by 60 could go for such exorbitant price, then the cost of a two-bedroom bungalow could go for over N5 million, heightening the disbelief that those affordable housing project may actually not be affordable.

For instance, he mentioned the Orange Valley estate, opposite the governor’s office in Abeokuta, which is currently going for N35 million, wondering how such costly housing estate could be said to be affordable.

He also noted that when OPIC’s Alamala Housing scheme under constructions, comes onboard, it will also be very costly, instead of

serving the lower and middle income earners as proposed.

Ditto to Plainfield Estate, which is designed for middleincome earners? From government’s vision, the Orange Valley Estate is designed for middle to upper income earners while the Ministry of Housing’s Three Hills Estate, Kobape is a new town, designed for ultra highincome earners with districts for more middle-income earners.

Citing the case of the Certificate of Occupancy, which Ogun state government designed to assist allottees in the state, he said government’s promise that the final payment of the C of O will not be more than N95, 000 is not tenable.

He disclosed that some subscribers of government’s Ownership Housing Scheme, who had received their bills got N300, 000 while others got either more or less, alleging that government is not sincere in its housing schemes.

Construction work in progress at Ogere water scheme Og

“”How sincere is government and how affordable is the housing schemes.

They should not deceive us with their empty promises. We are tired of their promises of affordable housing schemes. They are not actually affordable”, he stated.

Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation, OPIC, recently launched the first phase of the Orange Valley

estate, c room, se quarter commu squash and wa gardens Gove housing ment’s s

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

29

s for creating a comfortable living room A

comfortable living space is about layers, creating conversational seating, and building a sensible room that’s both visually and functionally stimulating. A perfect living room teases and pleases the eye in a manner that feels edgy and fun while simultaneously catering to one’s need to pile up or curl in in the most casual way. Here, ten tips to help you on your way.

Focus on the architecture first. If the envelope isn’t right, there’s no way you’ll ever get it furnished properly. Built-ins are a great trick for shoring up rooms into nice squares and rectangles. Follow the natural circulation of a space to understand how expanding or narrowing passages can create a more usable space as well. Study dead corners to figure out how you can utilize those spaces.

Personally, I think circular seating arrangements are the most inviting. They ebb and flow so easily and I love centering a room on a central axis. This creates movement, access, great sight lines and, most importantly, conversational seating.

A living room is about living, so make sure it acts as a good host!

Salon style art hanging is an easy trick for adding comfort and ridding yourself of clutter around the house. Choose a big wall and make a statement, then let the rest of the space breathe.

Books create warmth in every space.

They also show personality and add in-

tion for fine living). You can go in a million directions on rugs, but be interesting.

This is an opportunity to add a real sense of elegance to your living room. Don’t be boring. A bit of shimmer is great.

Dressing the windows should really be Rule #2 in my book. Everyone stops before they properly treat windows. Draperies make every room feel more amazing— especially living rooms. Bedrooms are the next most important room for draperies.

While they may be expensive, they’re also worth every penny. There are many affordable ways to treat your windows if the custom route is too daunting. Bottom line—do it. Clean Roman shades are always tasteful as well.

Containing clutter in boxes, trays, baskets, built-ins or cabinets is as much about self-discipline as it is about good design. Assess your living room and askyourself what’s lying about that needs to go into a tray.

What’s your bold statement? Where is your personality shining through in your living room? Sometimes people try so hard to design a perfect space that they lose sight of the charming sense of “home” that comes from the “perfectly imperfect.” Living rooms have an inherent right to be semi-casual, if not all the way. Let yourself shine in this room. Be yourself. Find a bold moment and go for it!

Source: www.dwell.com

We are financing Lagos rail projects –Infrastructure Bank official Sylva Emeka-Okereke

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gun State.

comprising 66 units of four-bedsemi-detached duplexes with boys r with the central facilities like unal club house, swimming pool, court, central gym, private power ater supply as well as landscaped s and fire hydrants. ernor Ibikunle Amosun said the g project was part of governstrategies to actualise the vision

trigue. Stack them, shelve them, sculpt with them—just make sure your living room has them by the dozen!

DMc-style requires that every room must have at least one mirror. Period, no question. It’s about light. It’s about creating a window in the space. It’s about vanity. It’s about reflections. It begs a question. Find a stunning mirror that offers both reflection and visual interest, then pay close attention to how you can use it to expand your space, or even to make it feel more intimate by creating even the smallest “moment.” I love large scale mirrors in living rooms because they simply act as “doors” and “windows” that make the space feel so much larger.

Over the fireplace, behind the sofa, wrap a corner—just be sure to pay attention to what’s being reflected and use that to your advantage!

Layers of light. Layers of light. Balance a central ceiling fixtures with wall washing art lights and a mix of lamplights all around. I love lamps. Big lamps on sofa sides are great. I also love large scale swing-arms on walls. Next to painting a room, adding the right lamp can create an instantly differentmood. Living rooms need different kinds of task lighting as well. Everyone forgets to drop reading lamps here and there. Assess your lamps and add, add, add.

Spend on rugs. A stunning carpet will transform your space (and your apprecia-

of the founding fathers of the state.

According to him, the state has witnessed remarkable increase in economic activities with attendant increase in human population in the last three and half years. “This is not unconnected with the rapid infrastructural development, which has made our state an investors’ destination of choice.

ontrary to speculations that the rail project of the Lagos State Government has been stalled due to ongoing electioneering campaigns in the state, a senior official of Infrastructure Bank, Mr ChIma Omeike said, the project is still on, disclosing that the bank is behind the Blue Line project.

The Blue Line starts from Okokomaiko to Marina while the Red Line links Agbado to Marina through Iddo and Muritala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA. In the same vein, the Green Line starts from Marina linking Lekki (Airport) while the Yellow Line linked Otta to Iddo with the Purple Line starting from Redeem to Ojo. The Orange Line links Redeem to Marina while the Brown Line starts from Mile 12 to Marina.

Omeike told National Mirror that Infrastructure Bank is a development finance institution that interfaces between the market for public sector lending and private sector infrastructure project financing for long term financial instruments and

securities.

Infrastructure Bank is formerly Urban Bank, which does not operate traditional commercial banking, but project financing As facilitator of the transformation of Nigerian infrastructure for enhanced productivity, he said the bank has financed several projects in the country, including the Blue line project of the Lagos state government.

According to him, the project when completed on scheduled would ensure easy access to the commercial nerve centre of the country.

The Blue Line, a 27 km rail road with 13 stations from Okokomaiko to Marina is currently undergoing construction right in the middle of Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which Lagos state government is currently expanding and redeveloping into a ten-lane international gateway.

It is designed to carry 400,000 passengers daily with capacity increased to 700,000 passengers daily when the rail route becomes fully operational.

Apart from rail, the infrastructure design also includes provision for BRT and multimode integration

with non-motorized transport such as pedestrian walkways and overhead bridges for safe access by passengers to rail and bus stations.

The project situated in the middle of Lagos-Badagry corridor, leading to neighbouring Benin Republic and other ECOWAS countries, started on August 2009 with the Blue Line rail infrastructure awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Company, CCECC, under design and build contract.

The company prepared the detailed plan, design and construction works for the rail infrastructure.

The works include stations, roadbed, bridges, permanent way (P-way) tracks works, pedestrian ways and other associated fixed infrastructure.

It would be recalled that the survey work on the rail project was completed between August 2009 and August 2010 while the actual construction works commenced on July 26, 2010. Construction works are still ongoing for the first phase section between National Theatre and Mile 2 and was expected to be completed within the first quarter of 2014, but was abandoned half-way.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Mortgages abroad are encouraging –Research A recent research has proved that people getting mortgage to buy a property abroad is very encouraging.

This is why more people are looking overseas for mortgages and it is likely they get a better deal. In France, for instance, the 20 year fixed rate now stands at 3 percent, an all-time low.

According to French Private Finance official, there has been a loosening of bank criteria to include increased loan to value levels as mortgage products open to local and foreign investors.

Presently, many banks are willing to accept borrowers, who simply work for a stock market listed companies. This will mean a greater number of non-residents been able to access a larger number of mortgage products.

While France is across the Channel with the possibility of commuting, British buyers, who would be willing to move abroad don’t have France at the top of their list.

The Go-Compare research found that 31percent would move to the United States, 29 percent to

Australia and 20 percent to New Zealand.

Even if they wouldn’t go as far as moving, there is still the opportunity to get a buy to let mortgage for an overseas property, thus gaining an income while owning a property that is likely to appreciate in the long term.

Some experts think the United States is an ideal place to do this.

Indeed, foreign investors spent $35 billion on US Mortgages from March 2013 to 2014, a 46 percent increase year on year, according to data from the National Asso-

An overview of an area in China

Climate change: IPCC allays fears

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ntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, has allayed fears that human influence on climate system is growing with impacts on all continents, but said no course for alarm as its effects can still be controlled.

IPCC in a report following the concluding instalment of the fifth assessment report noted that, if left unchecked, it will increase the likelihood of pervasive and irreversible impacts for people as well as the ecosystems.

According to the report, options are available to adapt to climate change while implementing stringent mitigation activities capable of ensuring that the impacts of climate change remain within a manageable range, creating a brighter and sustainable future.

The Synthesis Report distils and integrates the findings of the IPCC fifth assessment report produced by over 800 scientists and released in the last 13 months, which is the most comprehensive assessment of climate change ever undertaken in the world. “We have the means to limit climate change,” Rajendra Pachauri, the Chairman of the IPCC said.

“The solutions are many and

allow for continued economic and human developments. All we need is the will to change, which we trust will be motivated by knowledge and an understanding of the science of climate change,” she added.

The Synthesis Report confirmed that climate change is being registered around the world and warming of the climate system is unequivocal. Since the 1950s many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia.

“Our assessment finds that the atmosphere and oceans have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, sea level has risen and the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased to a level unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years,” said Thomas Stocker, Co-Chairman of IPCC Working Group.

The report expresses with greater certainty than in previous assessments, the fact that emissions of greenhouse gases and other anthropogenic rivers have been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid20th century.

The impacts of climate change have already been felt in recent decades on all continents and across the oceans. The more hu-

man activity disrupts the climate, the greater the risks.

Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of widespread and profound impacts affecting all levels of society and the natural world, the report finds.

The Synthesis Report made a clear case that many risks constitute particular challenges for the least developed countries and vulnerable communities, given their limited ability to cope.

People who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalised are especially vulnerable to climate change.

Indeed, limiting the effects of climate change raise issues of equity, justice, and fairness and is necessary to achieve sustainable development and poverty eradication. “Many of those most vulnerable to climate change have contributed and contribute little to greenhouse gas emissions,” Pachauri said.

“Addressing climate change will not be possible if individual agents advance their own interests independently; it can only be achieved.

ciation of Realtors.

According to a property firm, Brookes & Company, which has projects in Florida, the introduction of mortgage market review in the UK earlier this year, has made it harder to get a UK mortgage as many individuals are beginning to think creatively about how best to climb the property ladder.

It points out those rental properties in popular holiday destinations across the globe are highly desirable of any property portfolio, as they allow for receipt of monthly yields, thus providing the potential for capital growth.

With the UK system tightening up, many investors are looking overseas for such opportunities in order to make their money work harder for them as US are one market that is benefiting from this evolution.

In the US foreign national mortgage, products are encouraging to invest with banks offering access to credit for non-residents wishing to invest in holiday homes.

‘The American pool of borrowers is drying up. Middle class borrowers have flat-lined due to low income growth and domestic investors are finding it less- appetizing because the foreclosure inventory has dried up. So, who do you go to”, a Foreign investors, Anthony Sanders said.

According to the Managing Director of Brookes & Company,

Philip Button, US mortgages are straightforward to obtain and don’t require those applying to travel to the country, thus making international property investments achievable for a greater number of UK residents.

US banks typically ask for 30 percent or more as a down payment for foreigners taking out mortgages while others have set deposit limits such as HSBC Holdings $15,000 minimum requirement.

Button points out that with a favourable exchange rate and increasing restrictions on mortgages in the UK, many are finding out that it is both easier and more cost-effective to take out a mortgage in the US. US real estate price growth slows to more realistic level, says latest index Image Home value growth has peaked in the United States and the cooling real estate market has banished concerns about a property bubble, according to experts.

Home values are still rising in most markets, but the rate of appreciation has slowed considerably, making the housing market less competitive for buyers, according to the latest data from real estate firm Zillow.

It means that home buyers, who have been priced out of hot markets, will welcome the cooling off and the most recent data should further combat worry about another housing bubble.

Housing sales drop in China

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n the last nine months, sales of residential housing in China went down by 10.8 percent while sales of office buildings plummeted by 19.7 percent, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Recently, the housing prices dropped in 63 of 100 major cities in China compared to the last 3 months.

The weakening has been mainly felt in the eastern regions, where 9 out of 12 major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai saw reduced transaction volume in the latest quarter.

Financing for real estate developers has become more difficult, recording a growth rate of merely 2.3 percent for the first nine months of 2014, down from 28.7 percent for the same period last year.

China’s Central Bank recently issued new policies to loosen mortgage rules and increase funding for the construction of low-cost housing. But analysts remain skeptical about the policies’ effectiveness in boosting demand.

Against the chilling backdrop,

real estate tycoons contributed to just 16.8 percent of the total wealth of China’s richest 100 this year, down from 24 percent a year ago.

Most symbolic of the ebb is Wang Jianlin’s slip to fourth place from the top spot last year.

The lower value of commercial properties owned by his Dalian Wanda Group chopped nearly $1 billion from his fortune. Wang is aggressively seeking growth in other areas, including investment in overseas real estate and in offline to online retail.

China’s richest woman last year also suffered a heavy blow.

Yang Huiyan, the 33-year-old owner of Country Garden Holdings, lost $2.3 billion in her fortune from a year ago and slipped 12 notches to No.19. Shares of the property developer have fallen close to 40%.

By the third quarter, the company has met 63% of its sales target for 2014, lagging far behind last year’s 104%. Investors became concerned about the company’s liquidity when new shares were issued in August to refinance debt.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Aviation

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

31

Stakeholders disagree over planned privatisation of airports Privatisation or outright sale of government properties have been on the cards since 2000, but most of the efforts have been enmeshed in crises due to several reasons.

Aviation stakeholders and professionals in Nigeria however have divergent views over the impending privatisation of the nation’s airports by the government.

OLUSEGUN KOIKI writes.

J

ust recently, the Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprise, Mr. Benjamin Dikki in Abuja unveiled plans by the government to privatise federal airports in the country.

Dikki disclosed that federal government had made substantial investment in the aviation sector while a lot still remained to be done, adding that it was the reason why the government was considering privatising the airports.

He argued that the airports would be more efficient if the private sector is involved in their running, adding that the government was likely to grant concession of maybe 15 to 20 years, according to the business model agreed on, so that investors could make a reasonable return on the investment during the concession period.

Privatisation, concession or commercialisation is not new to the Nigerian aviation industry, but most of the private participations in the sector had ended up in controversies and in the court of law, which are yet to be resolved by the government.

Besides, towards the sunset of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, the government concessioned the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, NAA, Abuja to a private company, Aeroport Gateway for 25 years, but the agreement was annulled a couple of months later by late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua when he assumed leadership of the country in 2007.

However, stakeholders in the sector welcomed the recent pronouncement with mixed feelings, but pointed out that privatisation had been embraced in the sector since early 2000s.

The players explained that some aspects of the industry have already been privatised by the government since early 2000s, but lack of sound legal framework and faithful implementation of the policy by both the government and private investors had always put the effort into murky waters.

Commenting on the issue, the Director, Research, Zenith Travels Limited, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo cautioned the government

Kano Int. Airport. INSET: Osita Chidoka

against the “hasty” decision to privatise some of the airports in the country.

Rather, Ohunayo advised the government to handover the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to reputable airport companies to manage for a minimum of 10 years.

Ohunayo emphasised that the recent announcement by the Bureau of Public Enterprises and the confirmation by the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka may be counter-productive if not well handled.

He added, “Why the rush to privatise some airports just a few months after turning down the same advise in the Orosanye report ? Is the government looking for quick cash to reduce the over N150bn debt generated from the remodelling process? Can the privatisation of two viable airports out of over 20 be the solution to indebtedness and inefficiency?

“FAAN needs help as an institution; it can survive and generate funds for the treasury if we give reputable airport companies the contract to manage FAAN for a minimum of 10 years. During this period, the bid winner should be given a free hand to hire, manage, restructure and position the organisation for a Public Private Partnership, PPP, or partial privatisation. The management company will ensure compensations and adjustments are provided for all collaterals.”

Ohunayo however noted that Nigeria was not politically matured for privatisation and could not manage it, recalling that several privatisation exercises had failed in the sector in the past.

For instance, he noted that the concessioned Abuja airport was annulled by the same government before its General Aviation Terminal, GAT, was later “surreptitiously” handed over to another company in 2013 without due process.

Other failed PPPs in the country according to him included HIC, Maevis and BiCourtney Aviation Services, BASL, among others.

Besides, the former Director of Engineering and Managing Director of Amecon Maintenance Organisation, Engr. Godwin Jibodu said that the inability of the federal government to follow due process and lack of transparency in the past are some of the major reasons why privatisation or commercialisation exercise has failed in the sector.

Jibodu insisted that government was yet to follow proper procedure and method in the privatisation exercise, adding that government’s dealings had always been shrouded in secrecy.

He explained that before the privatisation of any government’s agency or assets, it was right for the government to repackage it, put it in the right perspective and

IF GOVERNMENT HAD MAINTAINED THAT POLICY IN ALL THE AIRPORTS TERMINALS, WHICH ARE GENERALLY SHOPPING MALLS, IT WOULD HAVE AT LEAST BEEN PRIVATISED AND GOVERNMENT WOULD ONLY HAVE TIME TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON MORE CRITICAL ISSUES SUCH AS SAFETY AND SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE

make it attractive to the public, stressing that the investors in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, are not making it today because proper evaluation of the company was not carried out by them before investing in the sector.

He said, “If proper procedure and proper method are adopted for the privatisation, it would work. If the process is transparent and not shrouded in mystery, it would work.

To privatize, you have to prepare the organisation to make it have value.

“Nobody will buy a rotten system. You have to prepare the organisation to a certain level that will attract the investors. You see what happened with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, privatisation, after buying it, the investors said they didn’t know that the level of rot in PHCN was so high and now, they are regretting and are not making progress.

Also, the former Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Lagos Airport Commandant, Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd), insisted privatisation of airports in the country was long overdue.

Ojikutu explained that it does not make economic sense for government to invest huge amount of money in the construction of airport terminals only to give them to private firms to manage.

He insisted that government, in line with the requirement of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, should concentrate on the core safety and security areas of airports administration and allow private firms to manage the terminal and commercial areas.

He said the option of airport concession if well-implemented was the best option for the country, stressing that this could also serve as a model for privatisation of airports in the continent.

He said, “Privatisation of airports has been in government policy since year 2000 and that was what gave birth to the concession model of the only private sector driven airport terminal in Lagos called the Murtala Mohammed Airport Two, MMA2.

“What derailed that policy is only known to politically appointed officers who have been in the saddle of leadership in the ministry of aviation. If government had maintained that policy in all the airports terminals, which are generally shopping malls, it would have at least been privatised and government would only have time to focus attention on more critical issues such as safety and security infrastructure.”

The President, Aviation Round Table, ART, Capt. Dele Ore said that the only way the country’s aviation industry could witness the expected growth is for the government to privatise some aspects of the sector.

Ore argued that governments all over the world had not performed well in business, but warned that the scheme would be a failure if it is just transferred from the public purview to the hands of the few favoured people in government.

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Aviation

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Airside shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273

Unions and endless ultimatums

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ust last week, Air Traffic Controllers, ATC, of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, under the auspices of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association, NATCA, issued the management of the agency a 21-day ultimatum over remunerations.

The association in its communiqué threatened to down tool if all its outstanding issues are not addressed immediately.

Some of the issues according to the communiqué included unresolved and/or pending issues regarding Air Traffic Controllers’ remuneration, professional allowances and promotion/advance-

ment in NAMA. Airside says it has become the character of unions and associations in the country’s aviation industry to threaten to down tool whenever they have any slight issue with helmsmen in the sector.

Airside insists consistent threats of ultimatums or strikes would not do the industry any good. Rather than threaten the Chief Executives with incessant strikes, unions and associations should embrace dialogue as encouraged by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and other affiliated unions before they are perceived as crying babies by players in the industry.

Multiple security agencies at Lagos international airports

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he Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos is the most viable airports in Nigeria and indeed in West Africa in terms of passenger and cargo traffics. This is definitely a source of joy to the country’s authorities, but the passengers are not comfortable.

At the Lagos Airport alone, there are no fewer than 10 security agencies like the State Security Service, SSS, Nigeria Immigration Services, NIS, the Nigerian Police, Quarantine, Nigeria Customs Services, NCS, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Army, National Civil Defence Corps, NCDC, and Aviation Security, AVSEC. Unfortunately, most of these security agencies are not there

to improve movement of passengers, but for their selfishness as they use the opportunity to make life more unbearable to the passengers who are already tensed coming to the airport to catch their flights.

Airside insists the airport and others within the country don’t need multiple security agencies for them to be safe and secure.

Rather than the current multifacet agencies, some of them can be collapsed into one uniform and ensure more coordination among them.

Airside says for the comfort of passengers and other users of our airports, we don’t need these multiple security agencies at our airports. This is the time for the government to make the needed change if we are to reach the set goals.

British Airways introduces free upgrades to First Class

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ne of the leading global carriers flying into Nigeria, British Airways, has announced an amazing offer featuring a free upgrade to First for Club World customers.

The airline in a statement by its media consultant in Nigeria stated that the offer covers outbound travel from Lagos or Abuja in Nigeria, to destinations in London, Europe and North America from October to December 31, 2014.

The Regional Commercial Manager, West Africa, British Airways, Mr. Kola Olayinka, in the statement stated that the new offer was created to reward the airline’s customers by providing access to its most exclusive products in the first class check-in areas and lounges, including a selection of the finest wines and a concierge service.

The airline however stated that

bookings upgrades on this latest offer were subject to availability, saying that tickets for the limited seats would be on sale until November 30, 2014 at travel agents and British Airways Offices nationwide.

He stated, “This is a great opportunity to thank and reward our customers this season. During the period of the offer, our Club World customers can experience the unparalleled luxury of our exclusive and prestigious First cabin service both on board and at the airport.”

Olayinka also added that apart from the free cabin upgrade for Club World customers, the airline was also offering fantastic Christmas fares on the World Traveller and World Traveller Plus services for trips to London and other European destinations, including Paris and Rome.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Expert predicts 5% growth in Nigerian aviation within 20 years Stories: Olusegun Koiki

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n expert in the Nigerian aviation industry has declared that the sector would grow by at least five per cent in the next two decades.

This is also as he estimated that the country’s airlines would contribute about $400m to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, and create 61,000 jobs.

The expert said these statistics are based on increased demands by air passengers.

Presenting a paper titled ‘Sustainable Aircraft Maintenance Hangar: The Imperative for the Nigerian Aviation Industry,’ recently in Akwa Ibom States at the annual seminar organized by the National Association of Aircraft

Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE, Special Resources Person at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, Dr. Titus Kehinde Olaniyi, noted that air transport industry in the continent generates and supports 6.7 million jobs and contributes $67.8bn to GDP. Olaniyi emphasized that air transport in Nigeria had been growing since mid-’80s ’90s with deregulation and emergence of domestic airlines.

He regretted that despite the forecasted growth, numbers of airlines in the country depreciated to the extent that most of the early starters no longer existed, adding that out of the 30 airlines operating in the 1990’s less than seven schedules flights operated till 2010.

Olaniyi explained that inconsistent regulatory policies, deteriorating infrastructure with obsolete facilities, negligence and managerial incompetence contributed to the failures of the carriers.

He said that airlines’ negligence of industry best practices in aircraft operations and maintenances had contributed to several aircraft cashes and folding up of the others while managerial incompetence led to fund misappropriations, manpower mismanagement and high indebtedness.

He added that lack of sustainable aircraft maintenance hangars and their inability to operate sustainable in an inherently complex and dynamic global air transport industry had negatively impacted on Nigerian airlines.

L-R: Chief Pilot, Arik Air, Capt. Adetokunbo Adeknubi; Deputy Managing Director, Capt. Ado Sanusi and Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue, at media briefing to mark the eighth year anniversary of the airline at the company’s Headquarters at Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Lagos recently.

40 air traffic controllers get advanced training in Egypt, Germany

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t least 40 Air Traffic Controllers, ATC, of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, are to embark on training this month on Performance Based Navigation, PBN, in Cairo, Egypt as part of efforts by the parastatal to enhance capacity of its critical manpower in operations.

The agency also disclosed that another five ATCs had been billed for Wind Shear Equipment training in Germany by December, 2014.

The Managing Director, NAMA, Engr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam in a statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Supo Atobatele stated that the training was part of the wider effort of management in ensuring the continuous training and retraining of personnel to keep pace with dynamics of evolving technology.

Abdulsalam stated this at this year’s Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association, NATCA,

Annual General Meeting, AGM, which took place in Kano recently.

The NAMA boss revealed that with the Mode ‘S’ Data link and Controller/Pilot Data Link, CPDLC, almost ready for takeoff, much of verbal communication between pilots and control tower would give way to digital/data communication, leading to less fatigue and increased flight precision.

Abdulsalam also expressed delight that management’s effort in staff training had boosted the area radar control service introduced last year with more ATCs, successfully obtaining ratings from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. In a related development, the NAMA boss has stated that the collective and harmonious collaboration of the Army, Navy, Air Force and NAMA in airspace coordination would guarantee the safety and security of both civil and mili-

tary users.

Abdulsalam who stated this during the 2014 Airspace Management Seminar held at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, noted that since the airspace was a single resource, the flexibility of its usage by both civil and military will make for more flight efficiency and economic air navigation, stressing that NAMA was committed to providing technical and operational support for the planned deployment of military radars in support of national security as well as ensuring the interoperability of civil/military components of TRACON. Earlier in his remarks, Air Commodore Bello Garba of Command Evaluation, Headquarters Command, Kaduna called for ‘’more concerted liaison between NAMA and the Nigerian Air Force at both strategic and unit levels to ensure effective airspace coordination.’’

Insurance

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

33

Insurance sector’s contribution to economy below average –Experts Stakeholders reforms and innovations to ginger the insurance industry to play a more significant role and contribute more towards Nigeria economic development, notwithstanding, insurance experts insist the sector’s contribution is still a far cry from the desireable,writes MESHACK IDEHEN writes.

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conomists said the insurance industry in any country is a major composite of the financial system anywhere in the world, Nigeria inclusive.

Experts in insurance business in the same vein, also insists the industry, though laced with lots of potentials and opportunities amidst surmountable challenges in Nigeria, is very much capable of contributing greater measures than the banking, manufacturing, real estate and oil and gas sectors contributes put together, if identified potential of the industry is fully tapped into by stakeholders in general and the operators in particular.

Over the years in that regard, the industry according to observers and practitioners, has moved from being an ill-perceived sector by current and potential clients to one that is beginning to acquire a dominant role within the purview of the Federal Government Vision 20:20:20 fn the country’s economy.

This shift of perception of the insurance sector other analysts pointed out, is due in large part to the series of reforms that have been initiated and implemented by the Federal Government through the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM. Inspite of these reforms, and despite to some extent, the positive signs emanating from the industry particularly in terms of investments inflow into the sector, concerned analysts told National Mirror the insurance industry contributions to the overall national economic growth is still a far cry from what is expected of the industry with such inviting potential.

Contending that the sector’s contributions to Nigeria’s economy is at best still lamentable, they added it was time stakeholders initiate sustainable moves that can raise the sector’s contributions to the country’s economic development and gross domestic product.

Laying the blame for the insurance industry lamentable contributions to Nigeria’s gross domestic product on the over concentration on non-life business by operators at the expense of life insurance business, Chairman of Insurance Awareness Group, Mr. Aderemi Olugbode, said in spite of having generated a total premium income of over N240bn the Nigerian insurance industry’s contribution to the GDP was less than 1 per cent.

While highlighting the scorecard of the industry to our correspondent in an interview, he said the industry’s contribution to the nation’s GDP was lamentable, saying while global life insurance premium was $2.62 trillion in 2012, accounting for almost 58 per cent of the overall market in terms of value, non-life business accounted for $1. 99 trillion income in 2012.

That robust situation for insurance business, according to him, is however different in Nigeria where motor vehicle has been the largest contributor to the premium income generated by the insurance companies, accounting for an average of 24 per cent of the industry’s

Adetimehin

Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel

In other instances, most multi-national companies have resorted to insuring their assets overseas as the capital base of local insurance companies are inadequate to carry the risks of insuring their assets gross premium income over the last five years.

This development, he noted, took place in spite of the recent confession by the NIA that only 1.5 million out of the estimated 12 million vehicles in the country have genuine insurance covers.

He agreed with some analysts that have consistently argued that insurance operators in the country would have to develop the life insurance market if insurance is to grow in Nigeria and make significant contributions towards the nation’s GDP as obtains in the advanced countries of the world where insurance has been making significant contributions to the economy.

In a recent world insurance market research conducted by Market Line, National Mirror observed that insurance is forecast to reach over $5.1 trillion in 2015,a development representing a 26 per cent increase in five years. While, the world motor insurance industry expanded by almost 3.5 per cent in 2010 to reach over $525 billion, the market is expected to be worth $614 billion in 2015, a 17 per cent increase in five years, a growth some analysts maintained is not reflected in the Nigeria insurance industry, its huge potential notwithstanding.

Insurance Expert, Mr. Joseph Adebayo, told our correspondent the Nigerian government is through the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, envisioning an insurance industry that will be ranked amongst the twenty largest insurance markets in the world by the year 2020, even though Nigeria, insurance wise, is currently ranked 60 in the world.

Pointing out however that the government has undertaken certain steps towards actualising this objective, particularly the strengthening

of the NAICOM he said it was important that legislations for the regulation of the insurance industry in Nigeria be adhered to by operators and regulators alike, so as to increase the level of confidence in the sector by ordinary Nigerians and the investing public.

The insurance industry, explained Insurance Practitioner, Mr Obasi Ngwuta, is closely linked to the general economic growth because over the same number of years both has operated side by side. The Nigeria economy, he said has equally been witnessing robust GDP growth; hence, it has also become imperative for the insurance sector to increase its capacity in order to be well positioned to tap into the Nigerian economic growth and development.

Ngwuta said as an industry, “insurance will continue to struggle to contribute meaningfully to national economic growth, as statistics continually reveal that insurance companies operating in the country are still losing the opportunity of earning more than N80bn in premiums annually from the oil and gas sector alone as a result of premium flight by many foreign based investors.

“In other instances, most multi-national companies have resorted to insuring their assets overseas as the capital base of local insurance companies are inadequate to carry the risks of insuring their assets”, he added, saying that practice is another while insurance firms are not living up to expectations as far as making tangible contributions to the nation’s overall economic development.

Former President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Dr. Wole Adetimehin, on his part, noted that the industry had

recorded some remarkable progress in the last five years, and that the progress has been tremendous in terms of gross premium income, training and development.

However, he said the insurance sector cannot not grow in isolation, because the alleged poor impact and contributions of the sector is a reflection of the happenings in the economy at large.

“If you look at the economy, Nigeria is growing at a slow pace due to lack of infrastructure.

Except the government of the day chooses to address this issue drastically, the growth of insurance will continue to be at a slower step.”

The insurance industry, according to the Assistant General Manager, Retail Business Division, Guaranty Trust Assurance Plc, Mr. Yomi Onifade, should have gone beyond its present level, noting many people were not yet taking insurance and that motorists, who felt compelled to, had been patronising fake certificate vendors.

“If you take motor insurance for example, which is compulsory, you will find people who take just any fake paper. It is because the belief is strong that they will not get free service delivery if and when they call on the policy they have paid for. That in its own way contributes to the poor effect insurance is making on the economy.”

He explained that insurance was beyond paying claims, saying paying it as at when due, and making sure the claim process did not pose a burden to the customer, amongst other things are ways to can make the sector have a more impactful outcome on the nation’s GDP. Managing Director of Crystalife Assurance Company Limited, Mrs. Seyi Ifaturoti, also emphasised the need for the country to have a strong and vibrant insurance sector in order to make more positive contributions to the overall economy of the country.

“We are too religious and cultural in Nigeria.

A lot of times when life insurance is mentioned, people start to say statements to reject death and things like that. Insurance is not only about paying claims on death, it is about planning for your future, ensuring that if you are there or not, your children will still have the level of education that you want them to have. With that kind of mindset, insurance becomes a burden rather than help, thereby affecting the ability of the industry to make significant GDP contributions” Group Managing Director of Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Mr. Akin Ogunbiyi, said insurance ordinarily should be the backbone of any national economy, saying insurance is a medium where you can put funds together and make it available for long term investment in other sectors.

“Today, there is no reason insurance should not be the mother of the national economy if we are able to mobilise up to 25 per cent of insurance potential in Nigeria,” Ogunbiyi said.

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Insurance

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

N268bn paid to pensioners so far –PenCom

Stories: Meshack Idehen

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he Director-General of the National Pension Commission, PenCom, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu has said that 111,210 Nigerian retired employees have received over N268bn as payout since the inception of the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS. Speaking in Lagos during an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the pension reform in Nigeria, Anohu-Amazu said the figures showed significant improvement in the Nigerian pensions industry following the reform process, which commenced in 2003 with the inauguration of the Mr Fola Adeola led Pension Reform Committee by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

She said the reform has also engendered a regime of regular payment of retirement benefits to all employees who retired under the scheme since 2007 without any delays as was the practice in the old system.

“Since inception, 111,210 retired employees have received payouts of over N268 billion. Also, through an enhanced compliance regime, 6.26 million contributors have so far been registered into the CPS,’” she said.

The PenCom DG noted that modest achievements represent a milestone of a journey which sought to break Nigeria away from an endless cycle of despair in its pension sector and launch it into a new era of blissful retirement for all employees.

Recalling that the Nigerian pension reform was envisioned as a result of government’s commitment to address a catalogue of challenges that impeded pension administration in the country, particularly the failure to deliver on a promise of consistent and timely income for workers at retirement, she added those developments came with negative consequences, foremost amongst which was untold hardship experienced by retirees especially in the public sector and the creation of estimated liabilities of over N2 trillion.

“Today, 10 years thereafter, the scorecard is somewhat self-explanatory. This emanated mainly from the fundamental structures upon which the Scheme was built. Indeed, the cardinal principle of separation of custody from management and supervision has resulted in a pension scheme with sound internal mechanism for transparency and accountability.

Anohu-Amazu

“Whereas the Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs, manage the pension funds, they do not have access to same as custody is vested in the Pension Fund Custodians, PFCs, and the commission ensures both parties adhere strictly to regulations governing the pension funds. The ring fencing of pension fund assets and regulatory non-interference has resulted in the consistent growth in a large pool of pension assets of over N4.5 trillion which are invested in structured and safe financial instruments. This is a remarkable growth when compared with huge estimated pension liabilities in the public sector prior to the reform in 2004,” she said.

Retired policemen accuses regulators of irregularities

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ome retired policemen have alleged irregularities against the National Pension Commission, PenCom, over what they described as “under-payment of their gratuities and monthly pensions”.

They alleged that they were being paid a step lower rather what they ought to be paid based on their ranks at retirement.

The ex-policemen who spoke at a one-day sensitisation workshop held by the Pension Transitional Agreement Directorate, PTAD, said that they registered under PenCom, while further complaining about some grey areas the commission’s operations, which they alleged run contrary to the pension guidelines.

They said this was not the case with their colleagues, who regis-

tered under PTAD, wondering why the police retirees are not registered under one pension administrator since they belong to one organisation.

Responding, the DirectorGeneral of PTAD, Mrs. Nellie Meshach, who spoke through her Director, Parastatal Pension, Mr. Taiwo Ogundipe, said they would direct questions to PenCom and feed the retirees back, since PTAD had no ground to respond or explain anything regarding PenCom. Meshach said PTAD had successfully facilitated the payment of the 33 per cent increase in pen-

Nigerians still suspicious of CPS, despite success

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PenCom Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu

sion allowance with some pensioners already enjoying it, saying her organisation was established four years ago with the mandate to correct all irregularities concerning the old pension administration system.

She urged the pensioners to always exercise patience. National Mirror gathered that pensioners of Nigeria Police, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, and Nigeria Prisons Service, NPS, have been taken over by PTAD and payment of pensions was said to be prompt and regular after the integration.

he Managing Director of ARM Pension Limited, a subsidiary of Asset & Resource Management Company, Mr. Sadiq Mohammed, said many Nigerians working or retired lack basic knowledge about Contributory Pension Scheme.

Mohammed said the CPS has being a phenomenal success beyond the wildest imagination of most people, saying there are a lot of people at the beginning that were not

sure including some multilateral institutions that have seen it in other jurisdiction of the world that were doubtful because they thought it will not be possible in Nigerian given the way things were done in the past.

According to him, the CPS journey is a pleasant surprise for everyone, because it virtually started from point zero in 2004, adding today the scheme is having over $26 billion in the industry which has been accumulated for the benefit of Nigerians or people that work in the country.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tips to shrink your car insurance bill

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part from zeroing down on the best car loan deal, it is equally important to choose an appropriate auto insurance policy.

Everyone knows that auto insurance is a mandatory legal requirement when a purchase of car is made.

But there are several ways by which you can lower the premium rates offered to your by your insurers. Earlier, the geographical zone, the engine capacity, the cost, and the age of the vehicle were the four parameters that were taken into consideration for deciding the premium amount that you needed to pay.

However, there have been various other requirements that have been taken into consideration so that the insured gets to pay lower premiums and avail maximum benefits in case of an accident.

Provide correct information: By providing your insurer the correct information, you can reduce your premiums by 10-30 per cent.

Model and make of your car: The decision regarding how much premium needs to be charged depends upon the make and model of your car. If your car’s make/model is more prone to accidents, as in the books of the insurer, you are likely to be entitled to higher discounts than those make/ models of cars which are less prone to accidents.

Gender and profession of the driver: The practice of dividing premium considerations on the basis of gender is commonly followed in the West, which is yet to catch up in India. However, some insurers consider female drivers better than male drivers, making the female drivers entitled to higher discounts than their counterparts. The driver’s profession too affects the insurance premium. If an office goer uses a car, it is obvious he uses it to commute between his home and office, rather than a sales person, who will use to commute in various cities on a wider basis.

Locality where the vehicle will be driven: Apart from the locality, the place where the vehicle is piled or registered is taken into consideration these days. Insurance companies calculate the claims depending upon the location. In congested cities, where bumper to bumper traffic is observed, claims for scratches and dents are more, whereas location highways carry a huge claim amount because they are prone to major accidents.

No claim bonus: No claim

bonus is a discount allowed as a percentage on the ‘own damage premium’ and the same is increased every year to the next slab if a claim for damage to the vehicle is not preferred and it is discounted if there was no claim preferred during the currency of the expiring policy. The discount may go up to 50 per cent and it is up to the insured to decide if he wants to transfer the same on another vehicle. If the customer sells his old vehicle, he can also be kept in abeyance and utilise it on a car bought at a later date.

Voluntary deductibles: A voluntary deductible discount is offered and the discounts can go up to 35 per cent of the premium for vehicle damage, an option that can be considered by a customer if he wants to opt out of small claims for minor damages and the insurance company will pay a claim only for the damages in excess of this limit of voluntary deductible. Your premium can be way reduced by this move.

Safety features: In order to attract 2-5 per cent discount on your premiums, it is necessary to install anti-theft or other safety features from an approved make by your insurer.

Therefore, you should provide full and exact details about your vehicle along with safety measures adopted by you in order to avail discounts.

Automobile Association member: If you are a member of any designated automobile association, then you can avail discounts on own damage premium, which is applicable for private car and motorized twowheeler policies. A discount of five per cent is given on the own damage premium.

Concession on your vehicle: If your vehicle was lying in the garage or was not in use for a minimum period of two months then upon notifying your insurance company the customer can avail a concession during renewal of the policy either by way of extending the period after expiry or a credit to the renewal premium.

Online purchase: When you buy or renew private car insurance online, some insurers offer a higher discount. The insurance company has a considerable saving on processing and distribution costs when the transaction is carried out online.

Since these parameters are constantly changing, it always advisable for car owners to get in touch with their insurance company for the latest benefits available.

Source: www.insure.net

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Money

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

35

Sustaining financial inclusion expansion through collaboration As the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, NDIC and other financial sector regulators harp on financial inclusion, experts say collaboration among stakeholders is required to achieve this goal, reports UDO ONYEKA

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he operations of financial system are crucial to people’s savings, credit, payment and risk management needs.

More importantly, the inclusiveness of this system tends to benefit the poor and other disadvantaged groups in the society.

The heightened interest in Financial Inclusion, FI, by Nigeria can be traced to its effect on financial development and economic growth.

For instance, many studies have shown that financial development tends to increase economic growth and reduce inequality and poverty. This is because improvement in the financial sector is expected to aid savings, capital formation and ease the external financing constraints that companies and entrepreneurs face which then lead to higher growth.

Increased savings can be engendered by including the poor and disadvantaged groups in the formal financial system, considering their large numbers.

Experts say stakeholders’ partnership has and will continue to expand financial services.

According them the ability of banks to introduce innovative and wide range of products has increased the number of persons patronising the banks and the number would continue to increase.

Dr. Afolabi Olowookere of African Centre for Shared Development Capacity, University of Ibadan, said that ability of banks to look towards small business owners has actually expanded financial inclusion.

He said this small saving group represents a means of financial diversification which can enhance financial stability and economic growth of a country.

According to him it has been shown that in countries with low levels of financial inclusion, households and small firms resort to informal financial services and these can be counterproductive.

Olowookere said considering the benefit of financial inclusion, many economies including Nigeria have come to recognise the potential of inclusive financial systems which is now becoming an important political issue to financial markets regulators and operators.

According many experts’ Nigerian financial sector has witnessed significant developments in recent years as both regulators and private operators in the sector have instituted policies and strategies for its expansion.

Although many of these efforts have always been targeted at financial inclusion, experts believe that what remains however is for the impact of the country’s financial sector development to reflect in the growth of the real sector.

For instance, former President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Mr Goodie Ibru, said over 80 per cent Nigerian enterprises still describe poor access to finance as the most difficult problem they face.

National Mirror gathered Nigeria ranks low in indicators of financial inclusion, even among its peers.

For instance, the World Bank Global Findex

NDIC MD, Ibrahim

First Bank GMD/CEO, Bisi Onasanya

The corporation also provides incentive for rural banking and prosecutes erring and reckless directors and management of banks data shows that less than per cent of Nigerian adults have accounts with formal financial institutions. This value is below those of Kenya and South Africa which have values of 50 per cent and 54 per cent respectively.

Therefore as parts of its efforts to address the problem of low level of financial inclusion, Nigeria has put together a National Financial Inclusion Strategy which is designed to increase the number of Nigerians that are included in the formal financial sector to 70 per cent by the year 2020.

However experts say Nigeria has made some progress in financial inclusion, a feat they attributed to collaboration among stakeholders.

Olowookere, advised that Nigeria should not ignore an important s part in this Strategy considers the issues of monitoring and evaluation, “adding that this is to measure and ensure that the Strategy has the desired impact by collecting a comprehensive data from financial industry stakeholders twice a year.

Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Godwin Emefiele said financial consumer protection efforts and financial literacy initiatives of the CBN are designed to bring people on board the formal financial system, especially when the financial system is sound.

He said the key mandate of the CBN is the promotion of a sound financial system, which would instil confidence in users of financial services.

Emefiele said “as regulators, we have a responsibility to maintain public confidence in the financial sector by addressing all factors that would undermine the sector’s long-term stability, without which it would lose its relevance as a medium of economic interaction and payments. Maintaining public confidence demands ensuring that the sector keeps up with all pertinent global developments to make sure

it remains relevant to the needs of the public from which it derives its mandate.

“A stable financial system is also a precondition for economic growth and development, hence financial inclusion especially when promoted in the broader context of economic inclusion, can raise financial conditions and improve the standards of lives of the poor and the disadvantaged. Access to affordable financial services would lead to increasing economic activities and employment opportunities for rural households with a possible multiplier effect on the economy”, Emefiele said.

He said the apex bank’s collaboration with other stakeholders has reduced adult exclusion, adding that the target of covering 70 per cent adult in 2020 would be achieved.

Managing Director, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, said financial exclusion retards economic growth as SMEs are denied credit, as only large corporate and guaranteed wage earners in the public and private sector have access to credit.

Ibrahim said appropriate regulations are being put in place to support financial inclusion, adding that “the ability of the market to respond to this demands depends not only on providers developing sustainable and low-cost ways to providing such services, but also on having an enabling regulatory and supervisory environment backed by an effective deposit insurance system”.

He said that the NDIC supports financial inclusion through guaranteeing deposits, especially small savers. “This is the direct link between deposit insurance and financial inclusion. Deposit insurance is vital to financial inclusion because the poor need assurance that the services of the depository institutions are safe and available at all time.

“NDIC is also a supervisor that enhances

CBN Dep Gov, Adebayo Adelabu

financial inclusion by providing consumer protection through supervision of banks, continuous education and trust and policy formulation and oversight.

“The corporation also provides incentive for rural banking and prosecutes erring and reckless directors and management of banks,” he said.

He said financial inclusion, consumer protection and financial literacy are complimentary to each other and that in order to attract the unbanked poor to the formal financial systems, there is a need to educate this segment of the society with regards to various financial products and services available from formal financial sector.

According the NDIC, boss, financial literacy is key for the attainment of National Financial Inclusion Strategy’s objectives, adding that to safeguard of the interest of consumers and sustain confidence in the formal financial sector, adequate consumer protection is necessary.

According to Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access, EFInA, a financial development organisation that tries to promote financial inclusion in Nigeria, in its survey of adults of 18 years and above in 2008, 2010 and 2012 shows that the level of financial inclusion in the country is low.

The outcome of the organisation’s 2012 survey shows that although 60.3 per cent of Nigerians are financially served, only 43 per cent are formally included and that males 47.4per cent are more financially included than females 38.3 per cent.

EFInA informed that for a large and developing society like Nigeria, it is crucial to ensure that measures of the extent of financial inclusion encompass different parameters that properly reflect the complexity and diversity of the country. For instance, although measures and data provided by international organisations have the advantages of providing standardised cross-country comparisons, they may not reflect the peculiarities of the local economy.

“Therefore, it is pertinent to keep on developing new kinds of identifiable indicators based on the evolving needs of the financial inclusion programme”, EFInA said.

36

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Taxation

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Federal, state revenue agencies intensify tax collection drive ....target erring traders, artisans for fines, fees Tola Akinmutimi ABUJA

A

gainst the backdrop of dwindling oil earnings and growing agitation by the citizenry for improved performance of governments in terms of social services delivery, Federal and States’ revenue and environmental regulatory agencies have begun massive raids to rake in more tax from the informal sector as the year inches to an end.

Specifically, the various agencies are now out on massive arrests of violators of tax or environment-related regulations, with hundreds of them being brought before mobile courts magistrates for trial on a daily basis in major commercial cities of the country.

With just two months to year end and huge funding gap in Federal and States’ budgetary system, the states’ agencies have since last month been directed to ensure enforcement of regulations, particularly in trading and artisanal productive areas, with a view to help in shoring up government finances at states and federal levels.

Investigations by National Mirror showed that the clamp down on traders and other informal business owners who display their wares or products in open spaces in most of the commercially active cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Onitsha, Aba, and Makurdi, amongst others, are really in for trouble as the law enforcement agencies’ raids have assumed unusual dimension.

A visit to some markets and trading points in Abuja and Lagos on Thursday showed massive arrests of traders by state officials whose primary agenda

is to secure their trial, conviction and payment of fines imposed by the mobile courts.

A victim of one of the raids by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, in Abuja told our Correspondent that she was arrested for the third time in the past three weeks for selling children wares at the Area 1 Shopping Complex, adding that the last one led to her trial and subsequent payment of the imposed fine of N1,500.

She said: “They have been coming to raid everybody around here now for the past three weeks. Before now, you may see them once a month and when you settle them they go. But now, they prefer to take you to court so that you can pay fines. We traders are tired of this hardship, especially when government is not providing us jobs.”

A vulcanizer who operates near the NNPC towers, Hakeem, recounted his own ordeal in the hands of the law enforcement officials in the past weeks, saying that “apart from AEPB you also have local government people who come here to take away our pumping machines just because they want to make money.

“Unlike before, they now take you directly to their offices and you will pay fines and receipt will be issued to you.

I have been tried and fined by the local government and AEPB officials twice in the past month. We are not making money at all now and this is not good for us at this time of the year when we are preparing to make money and travel home for Christmas”, Hakeem lamented.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had recently directed the revenue collection agencies, particularly the Federal Inland Revenue Service,

Okonjo-Iweala

FIRS Chairman, Mashi

FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to beef up their tax revenue collections in the face of the growing uncertainties at the international oil market and the potential revenue shortfalls for the country.

Interestingly, the two major revenue agencies have been commended by government for doing much in terms of revenue collections. About two weeks ago, the Minister of Finance, Dr OkonjoIweala, expressed her satisfaction with the performance of the agencies which, she disclosed, would surpass the additional revenue targets set for them by government.

CAPP, Christian Aid Nigeria partner on Community Tax Education project.

The Community Action for Popular Participation, CAPP, in partnership with Christian Aid Nigeria, on Thursday flagged off its “Improving Tax Justice and Equity for Pro-poor Development in Nigeria through Community Tax Education” project in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

The Executive Director of CAPP, Kyauta Giwa, said the project’s goal was to

raise awareness and enhance the capacity of the beneficiaries in the informal sector on issues of taxation and continued engagement to enhance development in the local government area.

Similarly, Giwa pointed out that it also aimed at bringing to the fore, the importance of taxation in development and the role citizens can play to ensure accountability in the society, adding that this is critical as citizens are charged multiple taxes and levies by different agents, with no one asking questions about the legal backing for the charges.

The civil society activist, who spoke during a community mobilisation rally and road show involving various groups committed to tax justice and equity in the country in Bwari, hinted that series of key activities including, rapid assessment, training activities, and radio discussion programme had been designed and implemented by the CAPP and its partners in furtherance of their efforts to enthrone transparency and accountability in tax administration in the country.

TAX LAWS AND ISSUES

EU seeks WTO mediation in tax disputes Labour calls for review of Cameron’s tax promises

T

he European Union, EU, has sought the World Trade Organisation’s, WTO’s, support to resolve trade tax disputes with Brazil and Russia.

The EU has requested that the WTO establish a panel of experts to rule on what it claims are discriminatory Brazilian tax measures. According to the EU, the bloc aims to re-establish a level playing field between Brazilian and European businesses and products.

At present, goods manufactured in the EU and sold in Brazil face higher taxes

than Brazilian products because domestic products can benefit from exemptions from or reductions in the internal taxes imposed in various sectors. For example, the EU says that the tax on imported vehicles can exceed that collected on Brazilianmade cars by 30 percent of a car’s value. When combined with the customs duties levied at the border and other charges, the tax can reach 80 percent of the import value.

The EU also claims its exporters are hurt by a requirement that Brazilian manufacturers must use domestic components in

order to qualify for tax advantages. The EU alleges that the measures help to shield uncompetitive Brazilian manufacturers from international competition and limit the choice of affordable quality products for consumers.

Consultations were held between the EU and Brazil earlier this year in an attempt to resolve the dispute. The talks failed, and Brazil has since extended and prolonged some of the contested tax breaks. The EU has therefore requested the creation of a panel.

T

he UK Statistics Authority has been asked by the Labour Party to investigate what it says are “highly misleading claims” on tax and spending from UK Prime Minister David Cameron as part of his race for reelection.

Chris Leslie, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has written to the Authority’s chairman, Sir Andrew Dilnot, to challenge an article written by Cameron in The Times, in which Cameron said the Govern-

ment intends to lower the tax burden after the general election.

Leslie has requested that Dilnot investigate Cameron’s claims that the Government “will have made GBP100bn of savings while cutting income tax by GBP10.5bn” over the course of the Government’s term in Parliament, which is to end in 2015-16. In his letter, Leslie draws attention to documents from the 2014 Budget that he says suggest that “taxes will be GBP25bn higher

by the end of the [Government’s term].”

Leslie also claims that Cameron’s comments concerning the personal income tax allowance are misleading. He has asked the Authority also to factor in the impact of changes to value-added tax and tax credits on those on low incomes, in considering whether Cameron’s claims that “most basic-rate taxpayers will pay GBP3,800 less in tax over the next parliament...” are misleading or not.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Capital Market

37

NSE in free fall, sheds N2.5trn in one month • Dangote Cement tops losers Stories: Johnson Okanlawon

T

he recent downtrend in the capital market has left investors doubting the strength of the Nigerian stock market, as the benchmark index of equities nosedived from 40,000 points to hit 33,000 points in one month.

The lead indicator plummeted 18.9 per cent to close at 33,216.31 points on Friday, November 7, from 40,995.02 points at which it closed on October 8, 2014. Market capitalisation depreciated to N11.001trn on Friday, from N13.536trn a month ago, representing a decline of N2.5trn.

Nigeria’s stock market rose 47 per cent last year, vastly outperforming emerging market peers which were down on average 4.9 per cent.

Shares of the companies under blue chips dropped most, except the alternative securities market, the sector for small and medium scale enterprises, which added 1.49 per cent due to the listing of N5bn shares of Omoluabi Savings & Loans in the month.

The insurance sector lost the least value in the month under review, shedding 3.49 per cent to close at 143.15 points last Friday, from 148.33 points on October 8, 2014.

According to indices obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange website, the Industrial Index dropped most, depreciating 25.2 per cent to 2,043.33 points, from 2,733.51 points, followed by the Oil and Gas Index with 22.7 per cent to 355.46 points, from 460.13 points a month ago.

The Islamic Lotus Index dipped 22.04 per cent to 2,097.93 points, while the Consumer Goods Index declined 20.9 per cent to 804.07 points. The NSE 30 and the Banking Indices fell 20.8 per cent and 19.8 per cent to close at 1,480.33 points and 346.30 points respectively.

Last week, shares of the three major cement companies dropped value on the Exchange, as news of slashing cement price hit the market. Dangote Cement had on Monday, November 3, pegged 32.5 cement grade at N1,000 per 50 kg bag,

NSE DG, Oscar Onyema

CIS President, Andy Okumagba

Shares in Dangote Cement, which

SEC DG, Aruma Oteh

while the higher 42.5 grade is now selling for N1,150 per bag.

BUA Group followed with the plan to reduce cost of cement, saying that there was absolutely no reason for a bag of cement to cost so much.

The new prices, exclusive of the Value Added Tax (VAT), represent about 40 per cent discount on the prevailing market price of the product, which currently sells for N1, 700 across the country irrespective of the grade.

Shares in Dangote Cement, which accounts for a third of the stock market’s total capitalisation and whose outlook is linked to the overall state of the economy, dropped 14.2 per cent in the month under review to N188.53 per share, from N219.80 per share on October 8.

Market analysts attributed the downtrend to the naira, which has come under pressure in the past two months from falling global oil prices, dampening appetite for assets in the economy.

The naira hit a new intra-day low of N170.5 against the dollar last week, falling 1.87 per cent as the stock market continued to slide.

Analysts at Meristem Securities Limited attributed the sell-offs in the market to losses sustained by large cap stocks and the run to safety by foreign investors due to concerns about tacit devalu-

accounts for a third of the stock

market’s total capitalisation and whose outlook is linked to the overall state of

the economy, dropped

14.2 per cent in the month under review to N188.53 per share, from N219.80 per share on October 8 ation of the Naira, as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, banned the sale of dollars at its RDAS auction to importers of telecoms equipment, power generators and finished products during the week.

This is happening amidst worsening oil prices in the global space and uncertainty about the 2015 election in the domestic economy.

The former commissioner of finance in Delta State, Chief Bernard Okumagba, had observed recently that, there is understandable concern in the country about the drop in crude oil prices over the last several weeks. From a figure of $104 per barrel on August 1, 2014, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, basket of prices collapsed to about $82 per barrel on October 28, 2014. The basket of prices used by the OPEC is the average price of all the varieties of crude sold in the international market.

According to him, the drop of over $20 per barrel in the three months between August and October has raised justifiable fear given our overwhelming dependence on oil and gas exports for over 90 per cent of our country’s foreign exchange earnings.

“The United States of America, USA, was Nigeria’s principal buyer until some months back. Nigeria’s sweet crude, Bonny Light, is sought in the USA for its ease of processing, but with the massive exploitation of Shale Oil, a lighter crude, in the USA, the demand for Nigeria’s crude has bottomed out.

Data from the Energy Information Administration division of the US Department of Energy shows that as against a peak demand of 41.76 million barrels of Nigerian crude by the USA in March 2007, only 1.48 million barrels was bought by from Nigeria in August this year.

Caverton posts N3.1bn pre-tax profit in nine months

C

averton Offshore Support Group, a provider of marine, aviation and logistics services to local and international oil and gas companies in the country has announced a profit before tax of N3.1bn for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, an increase of 19.4 per cent when compared to N2.5bn recorded in the same period of 2013.

The company’s revenue up 34 per cent to N18.7bn, while its operating margin rose 23 per cent from 10 per cent re-

corded in the corresponding period of 2013.

According to the result presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, total assets appreciated nine per cent year on year, while net debt/total capitalisation stood at 58 per cent in the review period, from 56 per cent in 2013.

Speaking on the result, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Bode Makanjuola said that the steady implementation of strategic plans is yielding good results.

He explained that the increase in the company’s revenue was driven by growing demand for helicopter charters that complemented our recurring revenues from fixed contracts.

“As part of our strategic plan to diversify our income base, our plan in partnership with CAE to build and operate the first aviation training centre and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul services in Nigeria remain on course.

“Furthermore, we shall continue to explore our options for opportunities to increase our market penetration in other sub-Saharan African countries. We continue to progress our fleet expansion plans in the marine sector with the aim of supporting local and international oil and gas companies as they take their exploration and production activities further into the deep offshore,” he added.

Makanjuola stressed that

the company is committed to achieving the National Content Development targets as more indigenous pilots, engineers and seafarers get the required training to enhance their competence.

He said, “We are confident that our cost control measures combined with the roll out of our strategic growth plan positions us to improve profitability thereby adding significant value to the Group and for our shareholders.”

38

Features

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

DURBAR: Celebrating age-long chivalry on horseback The Durbar celebration dates back hundreds of years to the period, when the Emirate (state) in the northern Nigeria used horses in waging war against enemies.

PRISCILLA DENNIS writes on this age long practice among the northern elites.

I

n those days, Durbar was also held to honour visiting heads of the state, where the rich culture and tradition in northern Nigeria are displayed. At that time each town, district, and nobility household was expected to contribute a regiment to the defense of the Emirate.

The Emirate military chiefs would invite the various regiments for a Durbar (military parade) for the Emir and his chiefs, once or twice a year, and each group would display their horsemanship, readiness for war, and even loyalty to the Emirate.

However, all that has changed, today, Durbar festival is organised in many states of the north of Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Niger, and Kebbi States among others, tied around the periods of the three main events in the Islamic calendar.

The Muslim year revolves around the Eid-el-Fitri, Eid-El-Kabir, and Id-Al-Maulud festivals. The main celebration is the festival that marks the conclusion of Ramadan a month-long observation of fasting.

In Niger State, durbar, the major cultural activity of the state started with the coming of the current administration of Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, a title holder in the Minna Emirate, known popularly known with as the ‘Talban Minna’ about 7 years ago.

Modern day Durbar in Niger State is organized with pomp at the Minna Polo Ground.The celebration commences, the next day after the main Eid prayers by processions along the streets of horsemen dressed drawn from across the 25 councils and others of other ethnic tribes in the state.

On arrival, for example, in the Minna Emirate, each village group, district, and noble house take their normal position in front of the palace, while they await the emergence of the Emir, Alhaji Farouk Bagaho to receive homage from his subjects.

After the arrival of the emir they take up their place in front of the palace to pay their homage or Jahi in Hausa Language, paying their loyaly to hima. Afterwards, he and his entourage on horses in another procession matched to the Government House, to be received by the State Executive Governor.

After the ceremony, they dispersed again to the Emirs’ for the continuation of the occasion. The road show with fanfare is intensified by drumming, dancing and singing, with small bands of performing a fascinating sideshow to behold.

This fanfare is intensified by drumming, dancing and singing, with small bands of performers, performing a fascinating sideshow to behold to the people. The festival commences with various group racing across the square at full gallop, wielding their swords in the sun to the excitement of

Men on horseback ready to show their horsemanship skills at the festival

Horses on display at the festival

the cheering crowd that came from various parts of the state and out of the shores of Nigeria are intensified by drumming, dancing’s and singing.

The horsemen from the 25 Local Governments are called upon in a five minutes brief presentation, raced across field in a fanfare to show their horsemanship with horses bedecked on colourful attires with bands of performers in a wonderful cultural display to the amazement of gathering.

Reaching the canopy of the Governor and Emir, they paid their homage and gave way to other groups. After each group had taken their turn to perform and series of goodwill messages from notable personalities, the Emir mounts the podium to deliver his Sallah homage, telling them the significance of the celebration to the people.

Shortly, after the State Governor, takes to the podium to offer his goodwill message, telling the people the importance of the occasion as a cultural activity that promotes peace co-existence between people of the state and other tribes.

Speaking on the Durbar, the Director General, Niger state Culture of Arts, Mrs. Deborah Dzunma Salawu in an interview said Durbar as a festive celebration has always been in existence, but now made popular by the Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyus’ administration.

Initially, she said the state government started organizing Durbar in Minna and Bida emirates, but as time goes on it was expended to Lapai and Borgu emirates, where the culture of the emirates were showcased.

Through Durbar, she said that many people have now come to know Niger State and

I AM SURE AFTER GOVERNOR ALIYU LEAVES OFFICE, HE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR THIS BECAUSE TODAY, YOU CAN’T

TALK OF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES WITHOUT MENTIONING

STATE.

NIGER

WE USUALLY

RANK AMONG THE

TOP THREE, IT IS ON RECORD

it has improved on its economic activities. “the Durbar has added to the economic value of the state.During the occasion, staff of the Ministry of Tourism used it to hunt for new talent from rural areas from various cultural displays by them.”

According to her, the new talents are used in various competitions, first within the state during NIFEST and later during various cultural festivals that had now ranked Niger state among the three top performing states in the federation.

“I am sure after Governor Aliyu leaves office, he will be remembered for this because today, you can’t talk of cultural activities without mentioning Niger state. We usually rank among the top three, it is on record.”

The immediate past chief of staff to the Governor Hon. Umar Nasko, a Governership aspirant under the People Democratic Party PDP in the 2015 election, said that before the coming of the present administration, durbar has always been there, but usually organized for visiting heads of states.

But, today, it is a cultural activity to mark the Eid-el-Kabir or Eid-el-fitir festivity. He explained that it started in 2007 and has gone a long way in showcasing the rich culture of the 8 emirates.

It would recall Durbar started, when Hon. Umar Nasko was the state Commissioner for Culture, Commerce and Tourism.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Features

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Fashola inspecting abandoned NRC yard in Lagos recently

39

The newly acquired air-conditioned coach launched recently

NRC: Blight of dilapidated and abandoned properties The Nigerian Railway Corporation is not only unique; it is also steeped in the country’s history. Recently, the organisation has been making efforts to re-invent its past glory.

FRANCIS SUBERU writes that in spite of the progress made, the corporation’s compounds are littered with abandoned properties.

N

igeria once boasts of being the giant of Africa and until it began to collapse and craw uncontrollably, it has many assets which put it well above many African countries.

One of such assets is the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC. The corporation historically is an inherited asset. The Nigerian Railway Corporation traces its history to the year 1898, when the first railroad in Nigeria was constructed by the British colonial government.

On October 3, 1912 the Lagos Government Railway and the Baro-Kano Railway were amalgamated starting nationwide rail service under the name Government Department of Railways. With the passing of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act of 1955, the company gained its current name as well as the exclusive legal right to construct and operate rail service in Nigeria.

The rail network reached its maximum extent shortly after Nigerian independence, in 1964. Shortly after that, the NRC entered a long period of decline, inept management, and eventually a complete lack of maintenance of rail and locomotive assets.

In 1988, NRC declared bankruptcy, and all rail traffic stopped for six months. After that, trains resumed, where the tracks were usable. By 2002, passenger service was again discontinued altogether only to resume in 2006. In December 2012 regular and scheduled passenger service was restored on the Lagos to Kano line.

However, despite the restoration of service in Nigeria railway, the infrastructural decadence in the corporation persists across its seven districts including the Lagos District, Northern District, Eastern District, Western District, North-East District, North-Central District and North-

West District.

From Ebute-Meta to Kano and from Enugu to Jos, across the seven districts to which the corporation has been divided, NRC has big yards, up to a size of mini town with lots of facilities.

As sparsely as land availability is in Lagos, Nigeria railway has a land space covering between Ebute-Meta to Yaba and from Yaba to Surulere area. A railway staff that has been with the corporation for over two decades and does not want his name in print told our correspondent that the land upon which the National Stadium in Surulere is built used to belong to the Nigeria railway.

Lagos District covers a distance of 43km on the mainline (Iddo - Ifo Junction), 87km on (Iddo - Idogo) and 48km on (Apapa - Ifo Junction). The District which covers Lagos state and southern part of Ogun state, has a total of 15 stations on the main line and 10 stations on the branch lines.

The Lagos District yard has all the needed facilities of a functioning and recognizable town, including a federal medical center, a police command, primary and secondary schools, relaxation spots and bars, football pitch and game centers, petrol stations, canteens, workshops, training schools, event centers, halls and so on.

These facilities are equally replicated in all the seven districts of the corporation.

The snag however is that the facilities are as old and as neglected as the corporation itself. Of great worry is the level of dilapidation of the corporations’ residential quarters and offices.

An instance look at the structures tells you they are old and weak. Walking into the NRC yard at Ebute Meta gives an ancient expression. You feel you are living in the 19th century in 21st century. Though about one quarter of the structures are

CONTRARY TO

REPORTS, ACTIVITIES HAVE SINCE COMMENCED ON THE REHABILITATION OF

NRC WORKSHOPS AND OTHERS

FACILITIES IN ALL THE SEVEN

DISTRICTS

THAT MAKE UP THE

CORPORATION

abandoned, majority of them are still very much in use, even though the ones occupied are barely better than those unoccupied.

You can imagine buildings with combination of bricks and planks. At the time of their construction, they would have been strong and firm but now, after being neglected for decades, they are now rustic and shaky.

NRC offices look more of museums than office. It would have been good for primary schools and secondary schools students’ excursions as you can find everything archaic in there. From the floors of the usually one story building to the 1950 model fans and office tables, you perceive the years of neglect as most of the buildings houses and offices have clearly not been touched for decades.

Investigations revealed that miscreants have started taking advantage of the neglect as there are many reported cases of gangsterism and rape by the residents. According to a resident, Ayodeji Daudu has witnessed many reported cases of rape and hemp smoking at various hideouts within the railway yard.

He said “female residents here are always in fear because stories of rape are rife in the yard. It is dangerous for a lady to move around abandoned buildings in the night because that is where the hoodlums perpetrate their evils.”

When contacted for comment of the security situation in the yard, Commissioner for Police, Nigeria Railway Command, Ebute-Meta, CP Yarz Jatau was said to be very busy and would not be able to attend to the press.

His information officer, a woman Deputy Superintendent of Police who declined letting out her name said she would need clarifications from the CP to be able to volunteer detailed information on crime rate in the compound. She however said crime rate in the yard is at a much reduced rate.

The management of the Nigeria railway corporation however took an exception to the claims that most of the structures in the yard are inhabitable. According to the Assistant Director of Public Relations, David Ndakotsu, the structures are old but they are strong and habitable, saying budgetary provisions are made yearly to renovate the buildings.

“Yes, they are old but they are habitable. Even the house that I occupy myself is old but very comfortable and habitable.

We renovate the buildings yearly because there are normally budgetary provisions to take care of that. Our staffs are very much happy with this because you don’t have to worry about accommodation if you are transferred from district to another.”

Responding to the allegations that miscreants have taken over the yards and that outsiders are illegally allowed to live in the buildings exclusively meant for staff, Ndakotsu said no outsider is allowed to live or trade in the compound adding that all the businesses in the yard are carried out by the Nigeria railway or concession out by the management.

Ndakotsu further said Nigeria railway has begun a nationwide exercise to modernize its facilities and infrastructures.

He said, “contrary to reports, activities have since commenced on the rehabilitation of NRC Workshops and others facilities in all the seven Districts that make up the Corporation, that is Ebute Metta, Lagos, Ibadan, Zaria, Bauchi, Enugu and Kafanchan. Our workshops are being retooled and modernized to compliment the entire railway rehabilitation and modernization programme currently going on in phases.”

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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Global Business

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

payrolls rise as jobless rate Pound drops most in 5 weeks U.S. drops to six-year low T A he pound declined the most in five weeks versus the dollar amid speculation growth in the U.S. is moving the Federal Reserve closer to raising interest rates, potentially before the Bank of England does.

Sterling touched a 13-month low yesterday against the U.S. currency as data showed U.S. employers added 214,000 workers last month and the unemployment rate fell to a six-year low. Bank of England officials kept borrowing costs at a record-low this week, while reports showed services and construction growth slowed as house prices declined last month.

“There’s more sterling weakness to come,” said Peter Kinsella, a senior foreign-exchange strategist at Commerzbank AG in London. U.S. jobs reports were “broadly solid data. The U.S. curve will start to be repriced to show a more aggressive pace of Fed hiking,” he said, referring to the U.S. Treasuries yield curve.

The pound declined 0.9 per cent last week to $1.5847, the biggest drop since the fiveday period ending October 3.

It reached $1.5791 Friday, the lowest level since September 2013. Sterling weakened 0.1 percent to 78.41 pence per euro.

The Bank of England is due to publish its quarterly Inflation Report, which includes economic forecasts, on November 12.

The pound may weaken to $1.55 next week, Kinsella said.

“We have BOE next week.

What hasn’t been priced in is any sort of tinkering with their growth forecasts toward a slightly lower growth level,” he said. “That being the case, you’ll see some of the market reprice their rate hike expectations for the BOE next year.”

Nomura International Plc pushed back its forecast for when the BOE would raise interest rates to August, strategists wrote in a note Friday.

They previously estimated February.

Forward contracts based on the sterling overnight interbank average, or Sonia, show investors have delayed bets on a 25 basis-point increase in U.K. borrowing costs to beyond October. As recently as August, the market was pricing a move by the central bank

David Cameron

in February.

The U.K. Debt Management Office auctioned 800 million pounds of index-linked bonds due in 2050 this week. It is scheduled to sell three billion pounds of 2024 gilts on November 13.

Data next week will show the unemployment rate declined in September, as wages increased, according to the median estimates of economists in Bloomberg surveys.

Ten-year gilt yields fell five basis points, or 0.05 percentage point, to 2.20 per cent.

The price of the 2.75 per cent bond due in September 2024 rose 0.415, or 4.15 pounds per 1,000-pound face amount, to 104.83.

Nissan widens recalls over potentially explosive air bags

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issan Motor Co. is expanding a recall in high-humidity regions of cars and SUVs suspected of having defective airbag inflators that can shoot metal shrapnel at passengers.

The recall now affects almost 53,000 models in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, as well as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the

Nissan car

U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Saturday on its website. About 30,000 of those vehicles were covered by previous actions.

The latest recall follows NHTSA’s call last month for motorists to quickly fix Honda Motor Co. cars in high-humidity states because of a similar

issue. Air bags made by Takata Corp. have been linked to four deaths involving defective inflators.

The Nissan recall affects 2003-2004 Pathfinder, 2004-2006 Sentra, 2003-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, and 2006 Infiniti M35 and M45 vehicles, according to the statement.

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air-bag inflator without charge.

NHTSA also disclosed Saturday that it’s begun a preliminary evaluation of Nissan’s 2008 Infiniti EX35 sport utility vehicles because of two complaints that the steering shaft may separate while operating the vehicle, resulting in a loss of steering control. About 17,000 SUVs potentially could be affected, the agency reported on its website.

merican labor market is powering past a global slowdown as unemployment decreased to a six-year low in October and 214,000 workers were added to payrolls.

The jobless rate fell to 5.8 per cent, the lowest since July 2008, from 5.9 per cent in September, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The increase in hiring last month followed a 256,000 advance that was larger than first estimated as job gains head for their best showing in 15 years.

The report probably keeps Federal Reserve policy makers on track to raise interest rates in 2015 even as wages continued to show little momentum. Disappointing average hourly earnings help explain the voter discontent that gave the Republican party control of the Senate in this week’s election.

“The labor market is firming,” Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said in a speech today. “Labor-market slack is definitely diminishing.” Evans has often warned of the dangers of raising interest rates too quickly.

Forecasts show central bankers view unemployment in the 5.2 per cent to 5.5 per cent range as consistent with full employment . The rate has dropped 1.4 percentage points since October 2013, matching the biggest 12-month retreat since 1984.

Evans said the drop in joblessness was “good news,” even as “we’ve got some distance to go.”

Stocks held at all-time highs and Treasury securities climbed. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose less than 0.1 per cent to 2,031.92 at the close in New York. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note, which moves inversely to prices, fell to 2.30 per cent from 2.39 per cent late Friday.

Obama

Citigroup to get bids for Japan retail bank

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umitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. is among Japanese banks that are preparing to make final bids for Citigroup Inc.’s local retail banking operations by a deadline today, said people with knowledge of the matter.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc., Resona Holdings Inc. and Shinsei Bank Ltd. may also participate, said the people, who asked not to be named, citing confidentiality. As well as provide a price, the banks are being asked to explain their plans for branding, due diligence and employees, one of the people said.

Bidders may offer about 50 billion yen ($430 million) for the Japanese retail bank and credit-card businesses, according to the person. Citigroup may give the right of

Shinzo Abe

first refusal to a candidate as soon as the end of the month, the person said.

Citigroup is exiting 11 consumerbanking markets with poor returns, including Costa Rica and El Salvador.

Sumitomo Mitsui, Japan’s secondbiggest bank by market value, and others are seeking to obtain business from wealthy clients and holders of the U.S. lender’s Diners Club cards.

Citigroup had 32 retail branches in Japan as of last month.

Elisa Fukui, a spokeswoman for Citigroup in Tokyo, declined to comment, as did spokesmen for the four banks. The Sankei newspaper reported the potential bidders on November 1.

Shinsei Bank President Shigeki Toma told reporters last week that his company is weighing a bid.

Citigroup is in “active discussions” with several potential buyers, the New York-based bank said on October 14. It decided to focus on corporate and investment banking, markets and transactions services in Japan, it said in a statement.

Years of deflation and monetary easing have left lenders in Japan with the lowest net interest margins in Asia. Citibank Japan Ltd. earned 1.34 billion yen in the year ended March, returning to profit from a net loss of 1.98 billion yen a year earlier, financial statements on its website show. It had 3.9 trillion yen in deposits as of June.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Don aspires to be Rivers’ governor CONTINUED FROM PAGE16

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) presenting an instrument of transfer for the sum of N1.5billion Naira to the Divisional Manager of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mr.Guido Abel (left) for the completion of some ongoing projects within the State, at Government House, Yenagoa, yesterday.

Whiskey rejects automatic tickets for PDP senators OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

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he Secretary of the SouthSouth Peoples Assembly (SSPA) and leader of the Bayelsa state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr. Ayakeme Whiskey, has called on the party and President, Goodluck Jonathan to review the decision of granting automatic tickets to some serving senators, saying that such if allowed will spell doom for the party.

Whiskey, who has indicated his interest to represent Bayelsa West senatorial district, carpeted President Goodluck Jonathan, and party leadership for the decision to grant automatic tickets, saying that the decision was unjust and undemocratic.

He therefore, urged the party leadership to review the decision in the interest of justice and democratic principles, adding that if the party failed to review the decision and allowed a level playing field for all aspirants, it would spell doom for the party.

He vowed that some of them who had sacrificed resources , time and money to reach out to their delegates and canvass their support would not take the party’s decision lightly.

He said, “the decision should be reviewed. It is an injustice to aspirants who have submitted themselves to provide effective representation to their people.

“Most of us have committed our money and have been doing underground work to actu-

alise our aspiration. I call on the leadership of the party to review the decision, otherwise, we will feel the party has done injustice to us and we will protest it. The decision is undemocratic and should be stopped forthwith.”

He advised the senators to do the needful, stop short cuts approach and submit themselves to the wishes of the people, whom he described as having the final say.

He said the resort to granting automatic tickets to some senators, most of whom, were not performing, was unfortunate and would divide the party.

He noted, “The decision is sure going to give the party some big problems. Election does not end at party prima-

ries. Candidates of parties will face the best from other parties and where the party decides to impose non-performing candidate in the eyes of the people, the outcome will be disastrous and this will cost the party fortunes.

“Let the senators come to the people they are representing and if they are accepted, the people will volunteer the mandate to them.

“But if the party decides to award party tickets to them, it will portend great danger for the party.

“It is my belief that where party members and electorate are not given the right to choose their representatives in the manner they want, the people are invariably alienated.”

Black Heritage festival set for Yenagoa in November says CBAAC boss

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he Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) says the Black Heritage festival, which will hold in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, is to keep alive the spirit of FECTAC 77.Sir Ferdinand Anikwe, the Director General of the agency made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.``The festival holding from Nov. 26 to Nov. 29 will show-case different cultures across the world and it is essentially to keep alive the spirit of FESTAC that was held in 1977 in Lagos,’’ he said.``This

year, we are assembling people from all over the world, particularly those who are interested in black and African culture.``We will come together in Yenagoa and we will do what we call cultural parade.``We will seek to organise activities from the different cultures across the world,” he said.

Anikwe said that the festival would not be another FESTAC, but a related event that would keep the spirit of FESTAC alive.In line with the festival, he said all the embassies that participated in FESTAC 1977

had been contacted and most of them were responding. Anikwe said that all culture stakeholders were also involved in the build up to the festival including Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood.``Its not going to be another FESTAC, because FESTAC was very big. ``But this time around, we are trying to see how we can keep the spirit of FESTAC going without arguing because we don’t have the money.``We want to do things to keep the spirit of FESTAC going.``We have called on all embassies that par-

ticipated in FESTAC and those who are interested and most of them are responding,’’ he said.

Anikwe said that he had contacted many Nollywood stars like Pete Edochie, Patience Ozokwor, Bob Maunel Udokwu and many others and ``they are very much ready to be part of the festival.’’

He said that the festival would witness cultural parade and dances, theatre and creative performances, durbar and many more from across the country and the entire black world.

structure and electricity to power the planned business operations, he expressed the need for the establishment of a dedicated Tourism Zone.

Given the opportunity to occupy Brick House, the seat of power in Rivers state, he will stand a better chance to hit the ground running in engaging the federal government with more aplomb to solve the problem of environmental pollution in Ogoniland, even years after the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP report have raised concerns and the danger which lay ahead in a comprehensive document which also recommended appropriate measures, including remediation and restoration of the Ogoni environment in line with international best practices.

Married with four children, Baridam, though is a professor of Management (Organizational Behaviour), he is now a politician, who started Primary school in his village, while he attended the famous Baptist High School, BHS in Port Harcourt for his secondary education.

He has Doctorate Degree, PHD in Management from the Laval University in Quebec, Canada, a Maters of Business Administration, MBA, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, USA and a B.SC in Management and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin, USA. He has won many awards, including a letter of commendation from the Committee of ViceChancellors of Nigerian Federal Universities, and Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities for excellent performance as the Chairman of both bodies.

Also, he was nominated for the award Great Scholars of the 21st Century by the Governing Body of Editors of the American Biographical Institute, Releigh, North Carolina, even as he is a member of the American Biographical Research Board of Advisors, among others.

Rev. Fr. Paul Obi

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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Youths key to electoral success –Minister TOLA AKINMUTIMI, ABUJA

A Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan (left) and President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, during World of life Bible Church 2014 Jubilee celebration in Warri.

C‘ River 2015: Imoke yet to find the right successor RICHARD NDOMA, CALABAR

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s the 2015 election is fast approaching and with few months left for the present administration to transit into a new dispensation,three politicians of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, are yet to be screened by the caucuses of the Cross River State PDP. The ones left are still aspiring to succeed Gov. Liyel Imoke despite rumour that the right candidate is still among the aspirants who is likely to take the mantle of leadership from incubent governor of the state.

Governor Imoke had at inception told all those wishing to succeed him including six members from his cabinet to resign their appointment if they are serious with furthering their guber ambition.

To prove to their principal that they weren`t jok-

ing, Imoke`s SA for Budget Monitoring and Evaluation Dr.Peter Oti,Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Mr.Pat Ugbe,Secretary to State Government, SSG, Mr. Mike Aniah,Commissioner for Works, Mr.Legor Idagbor, SA Investment Promotion, Mr. Gerald Adah, all resigned just to enable them pursue their ambition.As if it was not enough the current speaker for the Cross River State House of Assembly Mr. Larry Odey who is yet to complete his tenure as Speaker of the House also came out to test his popularity for the guber contest.

Out of 17 aspirants who appeared before the leaders of the party,twelve were screened out reducing the list of contestants to five before subsequently reducing the list to three. Among the three aspirants who made it was one of the governor’s loyalist, Barr.Legor Idagbor, who rumour mongers claimed provi-

dence had favoured despite the fact that he lacked international and national connection when compared to other contenders like the Manager Crude Marketing NNPC Mr. Godwin Jeddy Agba, whose guber ambition had been hanging on the balance because of the claim made by the state leadership of the party at the beginging of the race that he was not a card carrying member of the PDP and the pedigree of Mr. Fidelis Ugbo, Executive Secretary of National Planning Commission, and the track record of Chief Francis Bullem who had more than 22 years banking experience with over five modern generation banks.

Legor, however, still remained highly favoured by the incubent administration.

Just last week news spread round the town that Legor`s name was still in the list of three aspirants who survived another screening exercise carried out by

Striking Edo higher institution workers appeal to God SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN

BENIN

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enin City. Striking workers of four tertiary institutions owned by the Edo State Government on Monday said that they had resolved to take their protest to God for divine intervention in their demands.

The workers that held a peaceful protest and prayer session at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre in Benin City under the Coalition of Unions of State-owned Tertiary Institutions (COESU) said that they were not unaware that there might be forces responsible for the inability of the state government to meet their demands.

The President of the coalition, Mr. Fred Omonuwa, told our correspondent that staff of the affected institutions: College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi; College of Education, Ekiadolor; Institute of Management Technology, Usen and College of Education, Igueben, were yet to receive their 16-month salary arrears.He noted that although the state government had requested documented staff information from some of the affected institutions, such information had since been provided.

He therefore urged the state government to alleviate the plight of the workers by paying the regular salary, among other demands.

Omonuwa said, “If they pay our salary up to date, then we may put the other issues to agreement.

We have told them and they (government) quite understand our position.”

“If there are principalities and powers behind this ill treatment of workers in these institutions, we have decided to take our case to God, first. The status quo remains the same. We are on strike and we will remain on strike until our demands are met.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the state government through the Commissioner for Higher Education, Mr. Washington Usifo, proved abortive at the time of filing the report

the caucus of the party to enable them find the best aspirant who would in turn be the party’s flag bearer. Aspirants who lost out in the screening exercise are said to be very angry with the leadership of the party for not giving the tally to them to enable them run in the poll with the APC. They said the action of the party leaders was deceitful and a ploy to make their cash go off the drain in the name of contesting elections for guber position when the leadership of the party already know who their principal wants to hand over power to in 2015!

But a party stalwart, Chief Bassey Eteng , who reacted to the allegation accused the that”imoke had not done anything to these aspirants,if I may ask did they not know that vieing for the seat of governor was quite expensive?

Before this time it was believed that Imoke was going to hand over power to his political friend and ally Gershom Bassey because of the perceived agreement believed to have been reached with the erstwhile Gov.Mr.Donald Duke who ruled the state for 8years .

When Imoke made the pronouncement at different foras that he was going to hand over power to an indigene of the northern Senatorial district of the state no one believed him.

Critics of his adminisration insinuated that he was a mere joker and that such a pronouncement was never going to see the light of the day saying that the Gov. was merely buying time.

They added that it was a trick and a way to cajole the people of the north to remain supporters of his government.

gainst the backdrop of the huge youth composition in the nation’s demography, the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna, has identified the Nigerian youths as crucial to the success of the electoral process as the nation prepares for the next general elections in 2015.

The Minister disclosed this when he received the delegation of a Goodluck Support Group; Vibrant, Transformation, Awareness Leadership Development Initiative (VITALDI) led by its Deputy National Coordinator, Senator Stella Omu. The minister expressed the view that with the youth accounting for over 65 per cent of the population, they must be effectively mobilized to actively participate in the upcoming elections. He stated that there is no nation that would not give prominence to its youth population because of their link between the present and future development.

While therefore commending the organization for focusing on youth mobilization as a strategy for attaining success in next year’s election, the Minister pledged to work assiduously with any organization that would enhance the leadership capacity and overall economic and political development of the nation’s youth.

Haruna urged the group to join the campaign to raise awareness about the need to put in place necessary legislative mechanism that would ensure that internally displaced persons are not deprived of their civic responsibility during the elections in 2015.

He observed that though the Electoral Law only provided for individuals who relocated from his primary constituency to apply to vote, he canvassed the imperative of giving opportunity to those internally displaced people to be registered and to vote during the 2015 elections.

The minister expressed the belief that the oversight in the relevant instrument needed to be addressed in good time before the next elections, so as to avoid constitutional crisis arising from a situation where ratio of votes would be seriously lower than actual registered voters.

Citing the case of Adamawa, the Minister observed that if the last Adamawa governorship election had not been cancelled the scenario could have played out easily.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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nt to define Nigerian character –Udenta THE APC IS NOTHING BUT A PALE IMITATION OF THE PDP IN SPITE OF THE LOQUACIOUS CLAIMS AND FALSE NARRATIVES ABOUT ITS PROGRESSIVE CREDENTIALS

the PDP that has met and overcome different historic tests in the past fifteen or so years, there is no doubt that President will be re-elected handsomely in 2015. Need I add that as things now stand Nigeria has no viable political opposition in terms of a radically different and contradistinctionally located ontological, philosophical and ideological divergences of values and principles, meaning that the APC is nothing but a pale imitation of the PDP in spite of the loquacious claims and false narratives about its progressive credentials in the hands of its pseudo-demagogues. If anything the metaphysical space around which the post-1998 political infrastructure was constructed is substantially de-ideologized in consideration of pluralistic ideological categories. It permits only the operation of ideological singularity except for those social forces that attempt to de-legitimize this metaphysical construct.

And the APC is light ways away from apprehending and absorbing these tendencies as essential part of its being.

the veracity of this position. Governors Amaechi, Kwankwaso, Wamakko, etc are without doubt renegade members of the PDP who have decided to immorally transfer the party’s mandate to another through dubious legal parameters and political gamesmanship. The current Nigerian enterprise will benefit more from the clear provision in the 1979 constitution that stipulates that an elected office holder will relinquish his position if he or she decamps to another political party. The late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi towed this path of honour and resigned as Governor of Kano State when he decamped to the NPP from the PRP, paving way for his deputy, Alhaji Dawakin Tofa, to be sworn-in as Governor. The present generation of Nigerian politicians should tow this path of honour and not engage in reprehensible political conduct that bothers on ethical ataraxia when they wilfully transfer a collective mandate delivered to a political party to another, and thereafter proclaim their States new frontiers of their latest nomadic dwelling point as the Rivers Governor and co-travellers currently do.

How convinced or rather optimistic is TAN of a Jonathan victory come 2015?

Our optimism stems from the success of the on-going project of deepening Nigerian democratic system and human transformation prerogatives by the Jonathan administration in the context of the paradigm of national transformation. You are living witnesses to the revolution TAN has brought to the national advocacy space and the ground breaking multimedia strategies we have used to showcase the achievements of the Jonathan government.

When you add this to the massive political apparatus of

Lets take a look at Rotimi Amaechi’s Rivers State for example. What do you make of the remarks being made at the President from the Rivers governor incessantly?

I have tried to address this issue elsewhere. May be the Rivers Governor has lost interest in governing the people of Rivers state, so he finds morbid joy in attacking the President. May be he has a significantly reduced workload that frees enough space for him to indulge in the idle past time of demeaning the President and his office. Again, don’t forget that some individuals take pleasure in criticizing others to announce their social and political presence, to show that they have arrived and to assure their drumbeaters that they can take on just about anybody, any target, no matter how unjustified these attacks may be. You know he is always in the media so it won’t take you too long to ask him. May be I will be the next target of his insolent disdain of contrary views, but I doubt it as he may consider me too insignificant a subject to bother with!

How easy is it to sell the Jonathan brand in the midst of escalated insurgency in some parts of the country and the Chibok girls saga? Couldnt the President have done more?

WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

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group, the Concerned Stakeholders of All Progressives Congress, APC, Kogi State chapter, has kicked against the proposed adoption of consensus candidates ahead of 2015 general elections.

The group appealed to APC National Executive Council, NEC, to prevail on the party leader in state, Prince Abubarka Audu and former House of Representatives member, Dino Melaye, not to

As a patriot, I will first of all extend my condolences to the families of all those whose lives were cut short by these barbaric hordes, and deep sense of empathy with those who are either injured or displaced by these callous and shadowy forces of darkness and evil. I extend a hand of encouragement to the men and women of the nation’s armed and security forces who put their lives on the firing line that we may be safe, who confront an enemy the often times do not see and who are waging an asymmetrical war the art of which they were previously untrained for. I will most of all appreciate our President for the steady, mature and robust manner he is confronting this threat. President Jonathan is doing the right things, taking the right steps and co-ordinating well with our regional and international partners. Of course, there is always room for improvement in terms of intelligence gathering and sharing of data, community buy in into the war against terror and a holistic approach to peace enforcement and peace building as is to be expected in all new threat situations whose dynamic and elemental essence are previously unknown.

Yes, it is easy to sell the Jonathan brand in the context of the current situation in some states in the North East in the same way that it was easy to sell the George W Bush brand in 2004 in the midst of two wars and the Obama brand in 2012 while those war were still on-going, and are still on-going if I may add.

Lets come back to TAN once more. TAN has become highly visible in the polity, especially with your rallies and robust public advocacy methods. Is TAN a propaganda tool or a necessitated reality?

We are proud of our declaration that TAN is an idea whose time has come. We are not only proud of the accomplishments of President Jonathan in his first term in office, we are proud Nigerians who are intent in telling the Nigerian story in the Nigerian way. We admit that our nation, like most other societies, have deep challenges, but these challenges can never be allowed to define the Nigerian condition, the Nigerian character. In our public advocacy campaign we do not politicize the terrorist scourge in some parts of the country as some others do. We do not haul abuse at our President, demean his office and person as some others do. We do not travel abroad to desecrate the homestead for a mess of foreign accolades as some others do. We are not possessed by a narcissistic bent of mind nor are we citizens suffused with hubris, the tragic type that sees belligerent narratives and cesspit incantations as the fundamental essence that define one’s being as some others do.

Lets get your vision for 2015. What are your hopes for the elections?

My vision for 2015 is an electoral process that is efficient and an electoral practice that is credible, free, fair and transparent. Finally, my vision for 2015 is one in which every vote must be counted and in which every vote must count.

Kogi APC kicks against consensus destroy the foundation of the party and the interest of its members in the state.

This appeal came on the heel of a purported stakeholders’ meeting held at Prince Audu’s House in Lokoja on Sunday, where some members were allegedly handpicked to attend the meeting and mooted the idea of consensus against primary election.

Alleging that consensus candidacy will lead to crisis within the party and may lead to its ex-

tinction in Kogi State, the group said that as long as Audu and Melaye remain aspirants, they have no right to foist consensus arrangement on the party.

National Mirror investigation revealed that over 145 aspirants have already obtained intent and nomination forms for state and National Assemblies seats from the three senatorial districts of the state.

It was gathered the aspirants are waiting for the party primaries and any attempt to adopt consen-

sus will not augur well for the party.

They argued that it will be difficult to tell the aspirants who have paid N500,000 for intent and nomination form to go away like that, adding: “This is against the backdrop of laid down rules and regulations of the party from the national headquarters. Those who have obtained intent and nomination form must be allowed to participate in APC primaries in the state.”

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Politics

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

AHEAD 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS

Automatic tickets for senator’ll spell doom for PDP –SSPA secretary OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

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ecretary of the SouthSouth Peoples Assembly, SSPA and leader of Bayelsa State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Ayakeme Whiskey, has called on the party and President Goodluck Jonathan to review the decision of granting automatic tickets to some serving senators, saying that such, if allowed, will spell doom for the party.

Whiskey, who has indicated interest to represent Bayelsa West senatorial district at the Senate, carpeted President Jonathan and PDP leadership for the decision to grant automatic tickets, saying it was unjust and undemocratic.

Urging PDP leadership to review the decision in the interest of justice and democratic principles, Whiskey added that if the party failed to review the decision and allowed a level playing field for all aspirants, it would spell doom for the party.

He vowed that some of them who had sacrificed their resources of time and money to reach out to their delegates to canvass their support would not take the

party’s decision lightly.

He said: “The decision should be reviewed. It is an injustice to aspirants who have submitted themselves to provide effective representation to their people.

“Most of us have committed our money and have been doing underground work to actualise our aspiration. I call on the leadership of the party to review the decision, otherwise, we will feel the party has done injustice to us and we will protest it. The decision is undemocratic and should be stopped forthwith.”

He advised the senators to do the needful, stop short cuts approach and submit themselves to the wishes of the people, whom he described as having the final say, adding that resorting to grant automatic tickets to some senators, most of whom, were not performing, was unfortunate and would go a long way to divide the party.

He said: “Let the senators come to the people they are representing and if they are accepted, the people will volunteer the mandate to them.

“But if the party decides to award party tickets to them, it will portend great danger for the party.”

Ufomba to Abians: I’m on rescue mission EBERE NDUKWU

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bia State All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, gubernatorial aspirant, Ochiagha Regan Ufomba, said he is coming on rescue mission to liberate the state from the quagmire it has found itself as a result of bad governance in the last seven years, saying that 2015 is another opportunity for Abia electorate to support and ensure he emerges the governor of the state, in order to actualise the desired transformation the people of the state have been yearning for.

Ufomba, who alleged he won the 2011 governorship election in Abia, but was rigged out by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while speaking to journalists in Lagos, said his supporters in the state

should not be dismayed by what happened in 2011, assuring them that the mistake of 2011 will never happened again as he had learnt from the mistakes, adding: “This time, we will cross the ‘t’s and dot the ‘i’s. So, such things will never repeat itself in Abia in 2015.”

He said he decided to give another shot at the office of the governor in order to help rescue the abysmal situation the state is presently wallowing in, saying that he has a 12-point agenda for Aba, one of which is “to relocate government liaison office in Aba after May 29 to ensure that we bring Aba back to what it should be.”

He said: “We are going to clean up Aba because it is the economic life centre of not just Igbo land but Nigeria. If you get Aba right, you get Abia right.”

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Princess Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire (right) flanked by INEC officials while cross checking INEC list in the on - going PVC distribution exercise at Ojo Local Government Area on Sunday.

Ondo PDP aspirants kick against screening committee HAKEEM GBADAMOSI AKURE

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bout 50 aspirants under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State jostling for the state House of Assembly seats yesterday protested their disqualification from participating in the party’s primaries by a screening committee from the national secretariat of the party.

Speaking on behalf of the aspirants in Akure yesterday, the secretary of the group, Adegunloye Adewusi, accused the screening committee of being partial and compromised, saying the aspirants unanimously disowned and reject the report of the exercise being carried out by the committee.

The aspirants alleged that they were disqualified on spurious allegations which include non payment of tax, failure to provide NYSC certificates amongst others.

Adewusi said that after the committee failed to is-

sue them certificates after being screened, their certificates were dumped in an hotel in the state capital two days after stating spurious reasons for their disqualification.

Leadership of the party in the state also raised the alarm over the development alleging that both the screening and appeal committees which visited the state were hijacked by the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and members of the new PDP. In a statement by its Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, the PDP accused Governor Mimiko and his agents of compromising the committee members.

Fadaka alleged that after the committees members were taken “out of circulation and compromised, expectedly, their report disqualified all original members of the party over sundry and untenable reasons, which include failure of an OND holder to supply his NYSC discharge certificate.”

He said: “The national

secretariat sent a screening committee to screen aspirants wishing to contest for the House of Assembly, no sooner did members of that committee arrived the state than Governor Mimiko and his agents took them out of circulation and compromised them, expectedly, their report disqualified all original members of PDP for sundry and untenable reasons. ”The appeal committee that arrived after it, has since been taken out of circulation too, with a view to ratifying the injustice the screening committee perpetrated.

“This attitude is cheap and designed to remove from contention all those who have contributed immensely to the growth of the party to favour his cronies who decamped with him into the PDP.” Fadaka however called on the national secretariat to cancel the reports of the two committees and send fresh people to Ondo State to screen aspirants in the

interest of the party.

Adewusi said all aspirants from the old PDP were disqualified during the exercise while all the new entrants into the party aspiring for the state Assembly but failed to fulfil the provision of part six section 32 of the electoral guidelines for primary election were cleared.

He explained that names of those aspirants cleared by the committee were not in the party register and do not have membership card of the party saying they have not spent two years in the party as stipulated by the party constitution in section 32 sub section I, and J. He said: “We will resist any attempt to disqualify us on spurious reasons to prevent us from participating inthe primaries.

“We dissociate ourselves from the report of the screening committee because they have been compromised by not taking into consideration the requirement of the electoral guideline.”

Suswam says decision of Presidency to retain senators not binding on him HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

B

enue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, has said that the decision of the Presidency to endorse senators for automatic ticket ahead of 2015, is not binding on some of them as his constituents’ decision to choose a representative of their choice for the Senate

is sacrosanct come 2015.

Suswam made the declaration yesterday at Adikpo, headquarters of Kwande council area of Benue State while launching an appeal fund organised in his honour by St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Addressing the gathering in his honour, Suswam stated emphatically that the decision of the Presidency to endorse senators

to re-contest the 2015 general elections is not binding on him, adding that the decision may have been taken but the stakeholders had their preferred candidate, therefore it amount to exercise in futility.

He said: “I wish to reiterate here that the people of the seven local councils that made up Benue North-West senatorial district will not heed to this

arrangement and invariably when the chips are down the people will pick their choice for the Senate come 2015.”

He debunked the accusation of allegedly cornering delegates at the last delegates ward congresses in the state against him, describing it as completely unfounded, urging party supporters to dispel the insinuation.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

45

2015: Party nomination forms and monetization of elective offices CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 He said: “It is within the prerogative of parties to impose fees, there is nothing wrong with that. But there is a wider question. Is the party not indirectly monetising the elective offices? Because if somebody pays that kind of money and per chance is elected, the first thing he does is to recoup that money. It is too expensive and will not encourage poor Nigerians who have ideas to come forward.”

Indeed, if the APC could peg the price for its nomination form at this amount, then it does not take any soothsayer to tell Nigerians that the party does not have the interest of Nigerians at heart.

PDM’s outrageous fees Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, has often been viewed as constituting part of the political machinery of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, who, incidentally, is also a frontline presidential aspirant in the APC. The PDM, analysts believe is a second alternative for Abubakar, who has never hinted of his desire to retire from active politics anytime soon.

PDM, has recently released its time table, wherein it stated that collection of Expression of Interest and nomination forms for various offices will open on November 3 and close on November 10, while all collected forms must be returned to the National Secretariat by November.

The expression of interest and nomination forms for state House of Assembly are to cost N50,000 and N200,000 respectively; House of Representatives N150,000 and N350,000 while that of Senate go for N500,000 and N2 million.

For a party that is barely struggling to find its feet in the nation’s tough political turf, one would have expected the PDM to be more circumspect in pegging its fees rather than just blindly following its big brothers, but that was not the case.

The expression of interest and nomination forms for governor cost N1 million and N4 million; while presidential aspirants are to pay N5 million and N20 million respectively.

PDM National Publicity Secretary, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, said: “The party called on its members and the general public to take note of these events, dates and fees as no changes or review will be entertained.”

Since it has refused to review its outrageous fees, many of its potential candidates have even shunned the forms.

All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has also released guidelines for the conduct of its primaries to select candidates for the 2015 general elections with the pegging of its governorship form at N12 million, expression of interest form goes for N2 million, while nomination form is N10 million.

According to schedule of activities released after a meeting of APGA’s National Working Committee, NWC, and signed by its National Secretary, Dr. Abdulahi Sani Shinkafi, the purchase and return of the expression of interest forms and

Buhari

RATHER THAN SCREENING OUT POLITICIANS WITH SHADY

CHARACTERS, THEY PREFER TO GET MONEY FROM THEM THROUGH PURCHASE OF FORMS nomination begins on October 27 and ends on the November 4.

For state Houses of Assembly, expression of interest form goes for N200,000 while nomination form is N1 million, expression of interest form for House of Representatives aspirant is N500,000 and the nomination form is N2 million. For senatorial aspirants, expression of interest form sells at N500,000, while nomination form is N3 million.

APGA also said that women aspirants shall pay only 50 per cent of the fees for the nomination forms stipulated above.

State Assembly and National Assembly expression of interest forms and nomination forms are obtainable at the state

Abubakar

Bashir Ibrahim, PDM National Chairman

secretariats of the party.

Nigerians wondered that despite the high price of the nomination and expression of interest form by the parties, politicians seemed not to be bothered by this development, what they are after is to secure their ticket at all cost.

The question, however, is: would politicians actually serve the people or their pockets. The reason why politicians are not bothered could simply be due to the quest for power, a platform that is believed will aide them to corruptly enrich themselves at the detriment of Nigerians.

An individual paying N20 million or N12 million to purchase a form in order to be allowed to contest under a particular platform is to say the least outrageous and uncalled for because the policy could be counterproductive.

Despite the high prices placed on the form, APGA said that 204 nomination forms had been sold to various aspirants in Anambra State as the date for their purchase closed on November 4.

These include 152 forms for Anambra House of Assembly; 41 for the House of Representatives and 11 for Senate.

PDP guidelines insists that all elected officials on the party’s platform seeking to contest any of the primary election of the party are expected to resign their offices by October 20, seven days to the commencement of the sale of nomination forms.

PDP was said to have pegged the price so high to discourage unserious aspirants from participating in the election, but on the long run, politicians go extra miles to make sure that they secure the ticket at all cost. They engage in all sorts of activities inimical to the society.

Politicians, because of this huge amount, believed that it is a do-or-die affair and therefore use every means to get what they want at the detriment of the populace, without minding how it affects the entire country and the typical example of this, presently ravaging the country, is the issue of Boko Haram.

The sect was allegedly set up as political tool by a former state governor in Borno State to cow opposition element but the activities of the sect has since metamorphosed into a global problem which has rendered millions of Nigerians homeless.

Nigerians believed that parties are not helping matter; rather than screening out politicians with shady characters, they prefer to get money from them through purchase of forms. Parties even go beyond that to help individuals secure ticket and in most cases help win the election through rigging.

So, it could be concluded that this process could cause corruption in all levels because there is no way an individual could cough out such huge amount of money, without looking for ways of getting back the money.

UPU assures APC, Emerhor of Urhobo support THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

D

elta State All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial aspirant, Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor and the party have been assured of the support of Urhobo people ahead of the 2015 governorship election in the state.

President General of Urhobo Progressive Union, UPU, Chief Joe Omene said UPU, the socio-cultural organ of Urhobo people worldwide is unwavering in its “Ovwiamughe Declaration,” which postulates for Urhobo for governor come 2015.

Speaking at the weekend when Emerhor, a frontline gubernatorial aspirant and top leaders of APC visited UPU leadership at Mosogar, his country home in Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state, Omene assured the gubernatorial aspirant

of Urhobo nation block votes in the 2015 Delta governorship election.

Omene told Emerhor: “Urhobo is unwavering on the spirit of the Ovwiamughe declaration, which affirms that Urhobo will mobilise its over one million majority votes in Delta for the alternate party, APC, for both the governorship and the presidential elections, should Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, refuse Urhobo candidacy for the 2015 governorship in Delta.

“Following our reaffirmation of the Ovwiamughe Declaration at the UPU House in Warri a week ago, we have been reached by the Presidency and the governor, but as I speak now, we still do not understand the language they are speaking. If the APC has found our own son worthy to fly its flag, then we are solidly behind you.”

Recalling Emerhor’s commitment to Urhobo progress, Omene noted that “during

the fundraising for the new UPU complex, you donated handsomely to UPU. Over recent funeral of our late President General, we know how well you gave too. We are motivated that your party chairman, other executives and Delta North and South are strongly behind you even on this visit to UPU and Urhobo will not go back on its word.”

Earlier, Emerhor said: “People all over Delta are tired of the PDP whose administration has been hijacked by a tiny proportion who lord it over the majority even in their own party. Now it has degenerated to a point where to determine succession, one man presents his messenger to take over.

Or they begin to talk of zoning but they still present their own brother.”

He described APC as the only true alternate party to take over with robust followership and sense of equity to correct the wrongs of the PDP in Delta.

46

Politics

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

GUBERNATORIAL UPDATE KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

F

ormer Commissioner for Information in Oyo State, Pastor Taiwo Otegbeye, yesterday said the understanding he had with Governor Abiola Ajimobi, ended when he left his government last September.

Otegbeye while addressing a large crowd of members of the Action Alliance, AA, in Ibadan, said he would contest against the governor in 2015.

It will be recalled that he challenged the 2011 election which brought in Ajimobi because his name did not appear in the list of governorship candidates at polling units, but later withdrew the case in court

My pact with Ajimobi ended in 2013 –Ex-commissioner because according to him, the election would have been nullified and violence would have erupted.

Otegbeye, who had a stint as a commissioner but was left out after Ajimobi reshuffled his cabinet in September 2013, said he accepted the pact to express humility and readiness to serve the people.

He said: “If I had pursued that case to the end, the election would have been nullified and there could be bloodbath in the state which I did not want.

People wanted a change in the state at that time and I was not going to stand in their way just because I wanted to become governor. I followed Ajimobi because I humbled myself to serve. I was committed to the government when I served as commissioner and I was loyal the governor. In Oyo State, we should begin to play the politics of honest and committed people and not politics of political parties.”

Saying that AA has since strengthened its posi-

tion in the state, he said: “I cannot jeopardise my party’s chances to win in 2015 for my personal gain. I cannot support Ajimobi or any other candidate again because we have passed that stage. I am out to contest the governorship election on the platform of AA. It is time for me to champion the cause of the younger generation. The old order is not ready to leave the stage for us but providence will force them out and we will rise up for this generation.”

Chairman, PDP aspirants screening committee for Adamawa, Alhaji Abdulmalik Bappa (L) and other members, screening some PDP aspirants for 2015 general elections in Yola on Friday

Rivers: I’ve not endorsed Wike –Graham-Douglas DENNIS NAKU

PORT HARCOURT

A

founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Rivers State, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, yesterday denied endorsing former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, to contest the 2015 governorship election in the state.

Graham-Douglas was reacting to reports in sections of the media that he had given Wike his blessings to vie for the plum position.

The member of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt and signed by his private secretary, Mr Ken Robinson, however said it was true that he had a “coincidental meeting” with Wike at a church service at the weekend.

Narrating what transpired at the church service where they met, GrahamDouglas said Wike expressed profound regrets for any seeming misunderstanding between them and apologised for any wrong misrepresentations.

He said: “The coinciden-

tal meeting does not alter the political principles he had stood for in Rivers State.

“May it therefore be unambiguously stated that Graham-Douglas socioreligious reception of Wike in the church service should not under any circumstance be interpreted as an endorsement. Alabo Graham-Douglas did not endorse Wike.

“As a founder of the PDP in Rivers State and as a father, Graham-Douglas further admonished Wike to adhere to and abide to the advice and instruction of elders concerning the age

long zoning arrangement of the governorship of Rivers State.

“The principle of zoning of the office of the governor between the riverine and the upland is non-negotiable.

“On the upland, the Ogoni group has equally not benefited, so every consideration and succession to the Brick House should be limited to the Riverine/ Ogoni group as the Upland Ikwerre group and their neighbouring groups with common affinity’s have ruled the state for 16 years.”

Why Ndigbo must embrace APC –Okorocha DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

I

mo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday said that Igbos of South-East Nigeria must embrace the All Progres-

sives Congress, APC, because according to him, an Igbo must emerge the party’s presidential candidate to win the 2015 election.

Okorocha stated that the South-East caucus of the party jettisoned zoning the

APC presidential candidate to the North but rather rezoned it to the zone.

He therefore told Ndigbo that the party belongs to them and they must not reject but embrace it for their welfare.

Okorocha also warned

Ndigbo not to be deceived by the deception of some leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who branded President Jonathan as Igbo, saying that nothing could be farther CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

He regretted the inability of young and new breed politicians in the state to hold weighty elective offices, saying that they were often relegated while older people remain in power.

Abia cooperatives endorse Ikpeazu as PDP consensus candidate PETER EKANANEM

O

ver 50,000 members of cooperative societies in Abia State have endorsed Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial aspirant as their consensus candidate for the 2015 election in the state.

This follows Ikpeazu’s indication to remould Abia economy by making cooperative societies formidable platform for the state’s economic growth, if elected as governor.

Speaking before adopting him as their candidate for the election in Umuahia, President, Cooperative Financing and Investment Agency, CFINA, Abia State branch, Mr. Sam Esindu, said the group took the decision to sustain the good governance, physical and economic transformation, dynamic and purposeful leadership the state has witnessed since the past seven years.

The group, which comprises of traders, farmers and financial experts, pledged to engage in door-to-door, communityto-community outreach so Ikpeazu could occupy the governorship seat of the state in 2015.

Responding, Dr Ikpeazu noted that no state thrives if its economy is not built on solid foundation, assuring that he would make the programme of cooperative society one of the bedrocks of his administration if elected as governor, pledging readiness to complete the projects of the present administration in the state.

Parties endorse Agbaje AFOLABI GAMBARI

T

welve political parties in Lagos State have tipped gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, as the only one who could help expand the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan in the state.

At a meeting held recently in Lagos between Eko Initiative and chairmen of the 12 parties, Mr. Sumbo Onitiri, insisted that Agbaje was the only aspirant that could improve on the achievement of outgoing Governor Babatunde Fashola.

Parties that attended the meeting include National Conscience Party, NCP, Citizen’s Popular Party, CPP, People for Democratic Change, PDC, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, Mega Progressive Peoples Party, MPPP, Labour Party, LP, Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, United Peoples Party, UPP and PDP. Onitiri said: “We believe that Agbaje is the right candidate that can dismantle the bad government of over taxation and commercialisation in Lagos.

“We believe he is the only one that can bring back industries and commerce to Lagos State, thereby creating more employment opportunities for our teeming youths.

“We are fully aware that Lagos people are sophisticated and well enlightened voters and they want credible, honourable and competent candidate in an era where aspirations of the electorate can no longer be taken for granted.”

Contending that Agbaje’s endorsement derived from his credibility and political relevance, as well as his personal accomplishment, he added: “All these traits will ensure his electoral victory in 2015.”

Meanwhile, Director of Administrator and Logistics, Eko Initiative, Mr. Babatunde Shinaba, has assured Lagosians that their support for Agbaje would guarantee dividend of democracy.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

NSE expels Gosord,Lakesworth securities JOHNSON OKANLAWON

T

he Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday announced the expulsion of Gosord Securities Limited, and Lakesworth Investment & Securities Limited, two dealing members of NSE and the revocation of their dealing licenses for regulatory infractions.

The offence involved unauthorized sale of clients’ shares contrary to the rules and regulations governing dealing members of the Exchange.

A statement from the NSE said in line with its zero tolerance policy on regulatory infractions, after carefully considering the documents relating to each firm and giving each firm an opportunity to be heard, it has reached the decision to expel both

firms and revoke their dealing licenses.

According to the statement, the National Council acted under powers conferred on it by the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Exchange and the Rules and Regulations Governing Dealing Members.

Speaking on the development, the Head, Legal and Regulation Division, Ms. Tinuade Awe said the Exchange is committed to restoring investor confidence in the Nigerian capital market.

She said, “ The NSE will not hesitate to bring the full weight of its regulatory powers to bear on any dealing member that commits regulatory infractions and does not take steps to address them as appropriate even after being given sufficient time to do so.”

She explained that of all the penalties, expulsion and revocation of dealing license is usually viewed as a last resort where a dealing member fails to engage in conduct to rectify wrong doing or comply with the directives of the National Council.

The Exchange stressed that it received several complaints of unauthorized sale of clients’ shares against Gosord.

“The National Council found that: Gosord breached Article 59(v) of the Rules and Regulations Governing Dealing Members of NSE by engaging in unauthorized sales of clients’ shares; “Gosord failed to buy back clients’ shares and resolve all complaints against it, as directed by the Disciplinary Committee (which

decision was approved by the National Council); and Gosord’s conduct was dishonourable, disgraceful, unprofessional and detrimental to the interests of NSE,” it said.

On Lakesworth, the council found that it breached Article 59(v) of the Rules and Regulations Governing Dealing Members of The Exchange by engaging in unauthorized sales of a client’s shares; “Lakesworth failed to buy back the client’s shares and resolve all complaints against it, as directed by the Disciplinary Committee (which decision was approved by the National Council); and its conduct was dishonorable, disgraceful, unprofessional and detrimental to the interests of NSE.”

Bear run ends as equities gain 0.03% JOHNSON OKANLAWON

T

rading in equities closed slightly positive on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as it reversed long-run of bearish movements to return confidence in the market.

The lead indicator closed at 33,234.28 points, representing 0.03 per cent, as against the decline of 3.71 per cent recorded on Friday to close at 33,216.31 points.

Market capitalisation

appreciated N3bn to close at N11.004trn, in contrast to the drop of N424bn recorded on Friday to close at N11.001trn.

Custodian Insurance Plc led the gainers’ table with 33 kobo or 10.15 per cent to close at N3.58 per share, followed by Dangote Sugar Plc with 49 kobo or 9.86 per cent to close at N5.46 per share.

United Bank for Africa Plc added 41 kobo or 9.53 per cent to close at N4.71 per share, while Oando Plc rose 95 kobo or 5.62 per cent to

close at N17.85 per share.

Nigerian Breweries Plc appreciated N7.11 or five per cent to close at N149.42 per share.

Conversely, RT Briscoe Plc lost six kobo or 8.33 per cent to close at 66 kobo per share, while Honeywell Flour Mills Plc shed 27 kobo or 7.76 per cent to close at N3.21 per share.

AG Leventis Plc dipped eight kobo or 5.52 per cent to close at N1.37 per share, while Neimeth International Plc declined five kobo or

5.49 per cent to close at 86 kobo per share.

Berger Paints Plc fell 40 kobo or five per cent to close at N7.60 per share.

A total of 490.9 million shares valued at N6.99bn were traded in 5,470 deals.

In a total of 110 traded stocks, twenty-nine (29) stocks gained value while thirty-three (33) stocks shed value to give a negative market breadth of 0.88x. Forty-eight (48) stocks remained flat at unchanged prices.

China deal sends shares to one-month high, rouble surges

A

landmark deal to give global investors easier access to China’s $3.9trn stock market helped lift world shares to their highest in over a month yesterday, as renewed tensions in Libya and Ukraine pushed up oil prices.

Wall Street was also expected to edge higher when trading resumes, while the fireworks continued in Russia as tough talk from Vladimir Putin and a move by the central bank to abandon rules-based currency intervention sent the rouble soaring.

Chinese shares had jumped 2.5 per cent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, HSI climbed almost one per cent overnight after the two announced a November 17 start date for their long-

awaited tie-up that will allow global investors to buy Chinese stocks from Hong Kong.

European markets.

FTEU3 also got the week off to positive start amid more merger and acquisition activity and encouraging results from brewer Carlsberg pushing MSCI’s All-World index, which spans 45 countries, to its highest since late September.

“We have seen pretty strong recovery by stocks in the past few weeks after the dip last month but we aren’t really surprised,” said Sybren Brouwer, head of equity strategy at ABN Amro.

“We have the feeling the global economic recovery is still going on, and even though there is this gap (in pace of recovery) between the U.S. and Europe at the

moment, we expect Europe will catch up.”

In the currency market, the high-flying dollar took a step back, however, with some traders still using mixed US jobs numbers on Friday as an excuse to lock in some gains. The Swiss franc was also in focus as it nudged the Swiss National Bank’s 1.20 ceiling against the euro.

The SNB has successfully kept a lid on the franc’s gains since it introduced the cap in 2011 and says it has not had to intervene to reinforce it for more than two years.

But with a referendum on November 30 that is aimed at preventing the SNB from offloading its gold holdings and obliging it to hold at least 20 percent of its assets in gold, speculators are targeting the cap, testing the SNB’s patience.

Europe’s bond markets were feeling the benefit of Friday’s rally in US government bonds following the jobs data that showed although headline employment continued to improve, wage growth remained subdued.

German government bond yields touched their lowest in nearly a month and even Spanish ones dipped despite millions of Catalans voting over the weekend in a non-legally binding referendum on independence from the rest of Spain.

Oil prices rose on renewed political tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine, with Brent crude gaining 1.4 per cent, extending its recovery from a fouryear low hit last Wednesday.

47

Source: NSE

Market indicators All-Share Index 33,224.84 points Market capitalisation 11.00trn

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

CUSTODYINS

3.25

3.58

0.33

10.15

DANGSUGAR

4.97

5.46

0.49

9.86

UBA

4.30

4.71

0.41

9.53

OANDO

16.90

17.85

0.95

5.62

NB

142.31

149.42

7.11

5.00

STERLNBANK

2.20

2.31

0.11

5.00

ACCESS

7.40

7.77

0.37

5.00

CADBURY

34.82

36.56

1.74

5.00

FO

175.77

184.55

8.78

5.00

DIAMONDBNK

5.31

5.57

0.26

4.90

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

RTBRISCOE

0.72

0.66

-0.06

-8.33

HONYFLOUR

3.48

3.21

-0.27

-7.76

AGLEVENT

1.45

1.37

-0.08

-5.52

NEIMETH

0.91

0.86

-0.05

-5.49

BERGER

8.00

7.60

-0.40

-5.00

DANGCEM

188.53

179.11

-9.42

-5.00

UPDCREIT

9.00

8.55

-0.45

-5.00

OKOMUOIL

31.35

29.79

-1.56

-4.98

MOBIL

161.98

153.92

-8.06

-4.98

CHAMPION

11.58

11.01

-0.57

-4.92

FGN Bonds Offer

Bid Description

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

13.05 16-AUG-2016

1.77

101.55

12.02

101.70

11.92

15.10 27-APR-2017

2.46

105.35

12.50

105.50

12.43

16.00 29-JUN-2019

4.63

110.85

12.81

111.15

12.73

16.39 27-JAN-2022

7.21

116.90

12.73

117.20

12.67

14.20 14-MAR-2024

9.34

107.65

12.77

107.95

12.71

10.00 23-JUL-2030

15.70 81.60

12.73

81.90

12.68

Closing Market Prices of November 10, 2014

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

12-Feb-15

10.15

10.42

07-May-15

10.20

10.73

03-Sep-15

9.50

10.30

NIBOR Tenor

Rate (%)

O/N

10.0167

1M

11.9765

3M

12.8594

6M

13.8054 The Fixings of November 10, 2014

48

Capital Market

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at November 10, 2014 1st Tier Securities

1st Tier Securities Sector

Company name

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

Sector

Company name

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

49

Community Mirror Nigeria is not healthy, when you look at the economy and insecurity in the country you will know that Nigeria is not healthy.

FORMER VICE-PRESIDENT – ATIKU ABUBAKAR

NDLEA remands 3 women for drug trafficking DARE AKOGUN

A

Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, has remanded two women in Kirikiri Prisons at Apapa, over alleged laundering of proceeds from drug trafficking.

The accused, Juliet Richard and Ihuoma Keogene, were arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.

The prosecutor, Mr. Mattew Ewah, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime between November 2013 and June 2014, within the jurisdiction of the court.

Ewah said that the accused conspired with Richard Ejikeme and Patrick Nwadike, who are currently on trial in Switzerland for drug-related offences, to conceal the sum of N14 million which he alleged was proceeds from trafficked drugs.

He said that the accused laundered the amount

through First City Monument Bank, with the knowledge that the money was derived from the proceeds of illicit drug trafficking.

Ewah noted that the accused colluded with one Richard Ikechukwu and withdrew N8million out of the original sum, without giving proper account of the money.

The prosecutor told the court that the women also procured the services of one Nathaniel Okeke, to use the money gotten from the proceeds of drug trafficking to build a 12-room

store complex in Badagry, Lagos.

Ewah affirmed that the offences committed contravened Sections 15 (a), (b), 15 (b) and 17 (b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.

Mr. Benson Ndakara, counsel to the accused, prayed the court to grant his client bail, which he supported with two separate12-paragraph affidavits.

However, the prosecutor urged the court to dismiss the application and supported his argument with a 20 paragraph coun-

ter-affidavit.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke ordered the remand of the two women in prison custody after they pleaded not guilty to the charge and adjourned the case till November 14, for ruling on their bail application.

In a related development a 33-year-old woman, Hope Umuraero, charged with attempting to export 1.4 kg of hemp to Dubai has been remanded at Kirikiri Prisons.

Umuraero, who is being prosecuted by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for drug trafficking, pleaded guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor, Mr. Emmanuel Vembe, told the court that the accused committed the offence on August 14, 2014.

Vembe said the accused was caught during the outward clearance of passengers on Kenya Airways to Dubai at the departure

hall of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos in possession of 1.4kg of hemp.

Vembe noted that the offence contravened Section 11(b) of the NDLEA Act, Laws of the Federation, 2004. The prosecutor, therefore, urged the court to remand the accused in prison based on his guilty plea.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke consequently remanded the accused in prison and adjourned the case till November 14 for review of facts and sentencing.

Roli Bode-George

Kwara to upgrade more traditional rulers WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

T President, American University of Nigeria, Yola, Prof. Margee Ensign sympathising with some internally displaced persons at Damare IDP Camp in Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa, recently PHOTO: NAN

NSCDC parades 49 pipeline vandals in Rivers DENNIS NAKU

PORT HARCOURT

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he Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Rivers State Command has paraded 49 persons suspected to have been involved in oil pipeline vandalism and theft in the state.

Parading the suspects, before newsmen in Port Harcourt, the state

NSCDC commandant, Helen Amakiri, stated that 37 of the suspects were arrested by the Nigeria Navy and handed over to the Corps while the rest were directly apprehended by operatives of the command at Abonnema in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Kpor in Gokana Local Government Area and Azuabie in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

Commending the efforts of the Nigeria Navy for their vigilance over the waterways, Amakiri also stressed the commitment of NSCDC to reduce oil pipeline vandalism and theft in the state to barest minimum, adding that the suspects would be investigated and prosecuted according to the law.

Amakiri promised to work with other stakeholders in the crude oil

and gas sector in the state to achieve set objectives, adding that the capacity of training of personnel would be given priority attention.

She commended the Federal Government over its efforts in equipping the Corps, and called on other stakeholders, especially, the Rivers State government to assist the Corps in achieving its objectives.

he Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has promised to upgrade more traditional rulers in the State devoid of politics, religion and ethnicity.

Speaking at the 9th Omo Ibile Igbomina Day celebration held in Share in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State, the Governor said his administration would not spare any efforts in providing physical and social infrastructures in all communities to ensure accelerated development of the state.

This he promised to do, even with the prevailing paucity of funds and pledged in addition, that all qualified stools

would benefit from the grading exercise the financial implication notwithstanding.

He highlighted the various achievements of his administration in Igbomina land, adding that he would in addition construct Agunjin-Agbeku-Owa Kajola-Owode-Afaro Road, Idofian-MalokoIgbo-Owu-Igbaja, OkeOnigbin-Isanlu-Isin, Anilelerin, Offa and several other roads for the benefit of the people.

His words, “the present administration has completed and commissioned road projects such as Oro-Ojomu Oro and Ijara-Isanlu Isin while several others were at various stages of completion under the shared prosperity programme of the government.

50

Politics

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

AHEAD 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS

Atiku visits Osun, for interactive session with APC members BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA OSOGBO

A

head All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential primaries, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, will this week visit Osun, State.

During the visit, Abubakar, who is expected to have discussions with the state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, will also have interac-

tive session with officials of the APC in Osun State.

A letter informing Governor Aregbesola of the visit and signed by Abdulsalam Olaitan, Secretary of Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, copy of which was obtained by National Mirror in Osogbo, said the visit is to create a platform to engage APC state Working Committee, members of the state House of Assembly as well

as party chairmen and secretaries of local government chapters, in an interactive session.

The letter reads: “The primary objective of the political family interaction is to strengthen the APC into a formidable platform for change that Nigerians desire.

“The interaction will also afford Abubakar the opportunity to tap the collective wisdom and wealth of experience of party lead-

ers regarding the hopes, expectations and needs of the party’s compatriots in Osun State, for inclusion in his policy document within the context of APC’s manifestos.”

During the visit, it is also is expected that the former vice president will use the opportunity to solicit for support of participants for his candidature to fly the flag of APC in the 2015 presidential election.

Group mobilise support for Jonathan HAKEEM GBADAMOS AKURE

O

ndo State chapter of Campaign for Transformation Agenda, CTA, has expressed its readiness to continue mobilising support for President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure his re-election in the forthcoming general election in 2015.

CTA National Coordinator, Banji Omotosho, who disclosed this yesterday in Akure, Ondo State capital said the political group has been rated as one of the best groups mobilising for the re-election of the President.

He said a political survey carried out on about 300,000 groups campaigning for Jonathan’s re-election indicated that CTA was rated one the best groups rooting for the coming back of

President Jonathan in February 2015.

His words: “I am happy to tell you today that of all the over 300,000 proJonathan groups that has been streamlined to 8,000 groups, CTA has just been rated as top of the list by an Abuja political consulting company, ‘Beta Politicking’.

“With this rating, am happy to let you know that we are ready to go all out campaigning for the reelection of President Jonathan, and let Nigerians know of his transformation agenda and the need to sustain it beyond 2015.”

Omotoso however, hailed the commitment and contribution of the grand patron of CTA, Engr. Olajide Adeniyi, the chairman of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, towards achieving CTA present success story.

Group warns FG over Lagos security AYO ESAN L-R: Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf; Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial aspirant for Zamfara State, Hon. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau; Hon. Ibrahim Ebbo; Hon. Jones Onyrere and others, during the official declaration of Hon. Gusau in Gusau, yesterday.

Crisis tears Kwara PDP apart over congress list WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

T

welve out of the 13 gubernatorial aspirants of Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as well as all senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants are now poised for a show down with the plans by an Abuja based woman leader of the party over her overbearing attitude in party affairs.

National Mirror was told yesterday that all has not been well within the party in the state since the ward congress penultimate Saturday, where delegates that would elect the governorship flagbearer of the party were chosen.

Reports said the woman;

CONTINUED FROM 46 from the truth than that.

He said that few Igbo personalities are merely picking crumbs from the table, while the people were being deceived that Ndigbo is enjoying the Jonathan presidency.

Okorocha, the chairman of APC Governors Forum,

...12 guber aspirants take protest to Abuja

a business mogul who is very close to the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, has been too overbearing of late in the party, dropping the name of the First Lady to intimidate the rank and file, to impose on them candidates of her choice for positions.

She was said to have already caused a change to the list of eight wards in Ilorin West and Asa Local Government areas, which is now generating wild protests from party men across the state.

Meanwhile, nine governorship aspirants, including Deacon John Dara, Alhaji Makanjuola Ajadi; the current Special Adviser to

the President on National Assembly, Engr Jani Ibrahim, Senators Simon Ajibola and Gbemisola Saraki, Hon Bio Ibrahim; former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Arc Kale Belgore and Akeem Lawal; son of late former governor, Mohammed Lawal, were scheduled to hold a meeting in Abuja last night to carry a protest to the Presidency and the national secretariat of the party over the matter.

They were said to be fixed for crucial meetings with the Senate President David Mark and the National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu requesting that the alleged woman be restrained from dropping

the name of the President’s wife along with a particular aspirant from Ilorin in the interest of the prospects of the PDP in the state.

A PDP member, Hon. Remi Martins told National Mirror that all they wanted was a level playing field to select PDP flag bearer for the governorship election later this month, threatening that anything less than that could “lead to bloodshed.”

He said: “All we are saying is that we do not agree to consensus candidacy.

That was what we ran away from in the hands of the Sarakis. Consensus candidacy will cost our party victory in all elections come next February.”

A

non-governmental organisation, NGO, Lagos Peace Movement, LPM, has warned the Federal Government against any acts that could threaten the peace of Lagos State, pointing out that “if the peace being enjoyed in Lagos is disturbed, no section of the country would be free.”

LMP President, Kola Oba in a statement reminded that, Lagos, being the most populous state in the country, is home to every Nigerian family,” stating that, “no family in Nigeria would be spared should there be any eruption of crisis in the state.”

He however assured that “our group will keep on holding sensitisation rallies and peaceful protests against any form of acts capable of undermining the security of Lagos and compromising its peace for the sake of peaceful coexistence of all and sun-

Why Ndigbo must embrace APC –Okorocha said that Igbo leaders who are in the PDP are in it for selfish interest, as the party “is worthless for Ndigbo.”

Okorocha spoke at an APC rally in Enugu yesterday, saying that Igbo is not in national protocol, not

occupying any important position from Presidency to vice president, Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the federation, Inspector-General of Police, Comptroller of Prisons,

Comptroller of Immigration, nor any service chief.

He said: “PDP has failed God, for 16 years, they have nothing to show. It is because of these marginalisations that we chose an alternative national party such as APC.

“In Imo there is free education, free meal, free school uniform. In 2015, if what PDP is doing well for the masses of this country, let God return the party, but if not may God return APC for change.

dry, irrespective of creed, religious affiliation, social status or political leaning.”

Oba therefore called on President Goodluck Jonathan to nip in the bud, the activities of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, and SURE-P agents who he said were trying to usurp the power of real agencies empowered by the law to maintain sanity on the roads.

The LPM boss reminded that it was only the Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the Lagos State Traffic Maintenance Agency, LASTMA, that were permitted to control traffic with a view to ensuring sanity for all road users.

Oba, who suspected that the Federal Government’s new love for Lagos roads was borne out of its efforts at gaining undue electoral advantages in 2015 election, however reasoned that “if not so, why was such a step not taken in other towns like Abuja, Kano and PortHarcourt, where traffic congestion is also the order of the day?”

A stitch in time saves nine, the group warned, saying, “if the activities of these strange element are not contained in time before they snowballed into skirmishes, the resultant effect on the whole country would better be imagined.”

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

51

World News

Britain should not be willing to stay in the European Union come what may –British Prime Minister, David Cameron

Renowed preacher Myles Munroe, wife, daughter, seven others killed in plane crash PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

A

renowned United States pastor, who was the President and Founder of Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI) Dr. Myles Munroe, his wife, Ruth, and seven others, including two other BFMI pastors, were killed in a plane crash in Freeport, Grand Bahama on Sunday evening, officials confirmed. Authorities said the plane took off from Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) at 4:07 p.m. and crashed while making an approach for landing at Grand Bahama International Airport at 5:10 p.m.

BFMI’s Assistant Senior Pastor Richard Pinder was among those killed in the crash, according to BFMI officials.

The Guardian also understands that BFMI Youth Pastor Lavard Parks and wife, Radel, along with Captain Stanley Thurston died.

One of the victims was said to be a foreigner.

An eyewitness said the plane was flying low over the Grand Bahama Shipyard when it hit a crane and exploded on impact.

The eyewitness said the plane then crashed into the junkyard area.

There was widespread shock as images of the crash quickly circulated on social media sites.

Munroe, 60, was travelling to Grand Bahama where he was set to host the Global Leadership Forum.

The 2014 Global Leadership Forum was scheduled to begin today and end on November 13 at the Lucayan Resort Hotel in Freeport.

Munroe and his wife recently

returned from a three-week tour of eight east African nations.

The tragic accident sent shockwaves throughout the country.

On his Facebook page last night, President of the Bahamas Christian Council Rev. Dr. Ranford Patterson urged people to “join me in prayer for BFM and the entire Bahamas as we reflect on the life of Dr. Myles Munroe his wife and team who

went down in a plane crash today”.

“The Bahamas has lost a giant of a man,” Patterson said.

“Please pray for us.” Prime Minister Perry Christie said he is “deeply saddened” by the accident.

“It is utterly impossible to measure the magnitude of Dr. Munroe’s loss to The Bahamas and to the world,” Christie said in a statement.

T

Obama defends plan to act on immigration U.S. President Barack Obama defended his plan to use executive powers to implement some immigration reforms, saying in an interview broadcast on Sunday he had waited long enough for Congress to act.

Obama told congressional leaders on Friday he would try to ease some restrictions on undocumented immigrants, despite warnings from Republican leaders that such actions would “poison the well” or would be “a red flag in front of a bull”.

‘More than 1,000 killed in battle for Kobane in Syria’ More than 1,000 people, mostly jihadists, have been killed in Kobane since the Islamic State group launched an offensive on the Syrian town nearly two months ago, a monitor said.

IS jihadists, who proclaimed a “caliphate” in June straddling territory captured in Iraq and Syria, launched their offensive for the town -- also known as Ain al-Arab -- in mid-September.

“At least 1,013 people have been killed in fighting in Ain al-Arab from the beginning of the offensive till last night,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Mali due to declare 108 Ebola-free after quarantine

Dr. Munroe and his wife

African Union chief in Burkina Faso for transition talks he chief of the African Union yesterday arrived in Burkina Faso for urgent talks on the West African country’s political transition following the ouster of veteran president Blaise Compaore.

“We have come to participate in a solution,” Mauritania’s president and current AU head Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said after talks with LieutenantColonel Isaac Zida, the officer the army installed to lead the nation after Compaore fled.

Abdel Aziz’s visit came a day after the opposition and civil society groups agreed on a blueprint for transition that provides for new elections in a year. The deal now has to be negotiated with the military, which is under international

WORLD BULLETIN

pressure to stand down.

After publicly embracing Zida, the AU head went straight into private talks with the soldier in a lounge at Ouagadougou airport. No details emerged from their discussion, which preceded talks in the city itself between Abdel Aziz and other parties to the political process.

“The African Union has not come to sanction Burkina Faso,” Abdel Aziz stated on emerging from the talks with Zida, adding that a settlement would come from “the Burkinabe people”.

The AU chief then travelled to a luxury hotel in the capital for meetings with opposition politicians and leaders of civil society, as well as loyalists who had backed the increasingly

Mali is preparing to release 108 people from Ebola quarantine in a tentative step towards declaring it has contained an outbreak.

Mali became the sixth West African country to report a case of Ebola when a 2-year-old girl died last month, leading to an urgent search for anyone who may have been infected during her 1,200-km bus trip from Guinea to the Malian town of Kayes The Malian Ministry of Health is expected to confirm later on Monday that 29 people who may have had contact with her during a two-hour stopover in Bamako, along with 12 people in Kayes, can be released from a 21-day quarantine today.

CHANGE OF NAME

Mauritanian President and African Union Chairman Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (C) speaking next to Burkina Faso’s Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Zida (R) -- installed as head of the West African nation -- at Ouagadougou airport, yesterday.

unpopular Compaore in office.

“The African Union is there to accompany them (parties to transition). They have already taken the essential steps for more democracy in their country,” Abdel Aziz said.

Though Zida’s regime rejected

a recent ultimatum from the AU to stand down within a fortnight, Abdel Aziz said he wanted “to congratulate” all parties to the succession crisis and urged them to go on working together “in tranquillity, security and social peace”.

Formerly known as Miss Sunmonu Saheedat Taiwo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Tijani Saheedat Taiwo. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known as Miss Ojo Oluwatoyin Sarah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olusegun-Ojo Oluwatoyin Sarah. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

52

North

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Yero calls for harmonised northern development plan AZA MSUE KADUNA

K

Plateau State Deputy Governor, Mr. Ignatius Longjan (left) being welcomed by his supporters in Jos after submitting his nomination form for governorship in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

IDPs: Borno govt pleads with banks to broaden operations INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

T

he Borno State Government is partnering with commercial banks in the state, partially those operating in Maiduguri, the state capital in order to assist the over 80,000 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, which resulted from the capture of eight local government areas of the state by insurgents.

The insurgents had in recent months, capture eight local government areas of the state which includes, Bama, Gamboru Ngala, Gwoza, Abadam, Damboa, Dikwa, Marte, and some parts of Konduga.

Borno State Accountant - General, Hajiya Mairo Bunu Lawan, disclosed

the move yesterday in her office, during a meeting with bank managers operating in the state.

She noted that since the height of the insurgency, banks in the state have been forced to close operations, with few existing ones limiting their working hours, by opening around 10am and closes by 1pm daily, while limited numbers of ATM machines were deployed across Jere and Maiduguri metropolitan Council Areas.

The Accountant –General said that consequent upon the development, the state governor, Kashim Shettima, has directed that a meeting be held between her office and the management of banks to see how customers who are now finding it difficult

to access their money at their various branches in the state can be assisted.

Mairo also noted that the increasing number of IDPs, has led to increase in the numbers of people living in Maiduguri metropolis, a situation which makes demands for banking facilities to remain high among the populace.

She added that the increase in demand from customers to access their monies from their banks, requires an increase in the number of working hours, as well as ensure that ATM machines are installed at various places and remain functional at all times to address the issue.

Responding on behalf of other bank managers that attended the meeting, the Regional Credit Analyst of Entreprise Bank

plc, Mr. Yusuf Haruna thanked Governor Shettima and the Accountant General for their concern for the banking industry in the state.

He acknowledged the effort of the state government in salvaging the economy of the state, as many banks have relocated and even closed their branches in the state following the activities of Boko Haram.

LAFIA

A

lawmaker representing Akwanga South in the Nasarswa State House of Assembly, Honourable Philip Aruwa Gyunka, yesterday, condemned the recent spate of attacks on communities in the Southern Senatorial zone of the state with the most recent attack leaving over 30 people dead.

The over 30 persons, including women, were last Sunday reportedly ambushed and killed by gunmen suspected to be Fulani

heardsmen at Arikya-Soni, a boundary area between Nasarawa-Eggon and Lafia local Government Areas of Nasarawa State.

Sources said the victims were ambushed and massacred when returning from their farms, even as the said gunmen made away with nine motorcycles belonging to the deceased persons.

Gyunka made the condemnation yesterday, while submitting his nomination form to contest for the Nasarawa South Senatorial seat in the senate at the state secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party,

PDP, Lafia, adding that “human life is sacred and must not be used as a bargaining chip in any political puzzle.”

He therefore charged politicians to appeal to their good consciences and halt the ongoing carnage in the state, saying they are the fulcrum and primary beneficiaries of any political process.

The Nasarawa lawmaker said his decision to declare his intention to contest for the senate is informed by the desire to use his eight years experience in the Nasarawa State Assembly to influence quality

Rep advocates more funding to fight insurgency DANJUMA WILLIAMS GOMBE

C Gov Shettima

Lawmaker condemns Nasarawa killings IGBAWASE UKUMBA

aduna State Governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, has called on the 19 northern states to initiate a harmonised development plan that will ensure rapid economic growth and infrastructural development of the area.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Secretariat of the Sardauna Foundation yesterday in Kaduna, Yero, said the time has come for the entire north to reflect on the times of the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Premier of the defunct Northern Region by introducing policies and programmes that will directly touch on the citizenry.

He wondered how the north had retrogressed since the demise of the late Sardauna, saying; “we keep talking about the legacies of Sardauna, but we are yet to act like him. What happened to the north since his demise is it of leadership or followership.”

Yero called for a unified development plan which all 19 state governments will

legislation that would positively touch on the lives of his constituents.

He lamented that there is total absence of federal presence in his constituency despite being a dominant agrarian region in the state, as farmers in the area are yet to benefit from any agricultural scheme.

Gyunka said; “As a banker and legislator, I know what my people, who are mostly farmers, are going through and I will deploy my energy towards ensuring that they are able to get access to the various federal Government agroschemes.

key into saying; “let me suggest the adoption of a common development plan for the entire region. It is time for us to revisit the development model of the late Sardauna, which has the entire north as a single entity.

“Such plan can be gradually implemented through selection of some key sectors. For instance, we can have a common development plan in agriculture value chain, transport and education. The success of such can be measured over a period of time and more sectors added. This will surely be of great benefit to our people.”

Yero however urged the region to take advantage of it market size and advantage in agriculture production, adding that, “we must take advantage of our numbers as a huge market, by becoming more productive and less dependent. No people ever developed by being solely dependent on resources from outside. It is also time for northern leaders to begin to plan for postoil era. The present global oil market realities should be of concern to all of us.”

hairman House of Re p r e s e n t a t ive s Committee on Police Affairs, Honourable Usman Bello Kumo, says the legislative arm will continue to advocate for more funding to the Nigerian security apparatus until the activities of insurgents ends in the country.

Kumo, who represents Akko Federal Constituency in Gombe State, was optimistic that the insurgency in the North East would soon come to an end. “We will continue to advocate for more funding for the security agencies to fight insurgency”.

According to him, if people would volunteer information to the security personnel, they will go to sleep and insurgency will be history in Nigeria.

In an chat with journalists after submitting his forms of expression of interest and nomination for Gombe Central Senatorial

seat under the PDP, the House of Representative member described Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje as a mere walk over should they meet at the polls in February 2015.

He said the PDP zoned the senate seat to his area and that following his track record of achievements, defeating the immediate past Governor, currently serving his first term in the senate under the APC as an easy ride.

He added that his confidence stems from the fact that Senator Goje’s defection from the PDP to the APC has not been approved by the Senate, thus making the contest an easy one.

According to him, with the formidable team and the unity in the PDP, he is sure of sweeping the polls.

On claims that he has been romancing with the opposition All Progressive Congress,APC, Kumo said as a public figure, he mingles with everybody.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

I am happy with the progress on my injury. I really think I will come back to the pitch very strongly –Arsenal midfielder, Mesut Ozil

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

53

Sport

AFCON 2015: CIV mulls Drogba recall 54

Eagles

storm Congo Thursday on chartered flight ADEOLU JOHNSON

T

he Super Eagles have been scheduled to storm Congo on Thursday with a chartered Boeing 737 plane in the fleet of Discovery Airlines.

Media Officer of the Eagles, Ben Alaiya, said the team is leaving on a chartered flight in order to concentrate fully for the must-win return leg.

He explained that with the new spirit, vim and vitality displayed by the home-based Eagles against the Ghana Meteors, the Super Eagles would whip Congo silly in the reverse match after the Red Devils beat them 3-2 in Calabar.

“The Eagles that played Ghana were put together under three days. That team has given us hope that Nigerian will continue her dominance of African football and make great impact at the world scene,” Alaiya said.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles caretaker coach, Stephen Keshi, is waiting patiently for the foreign-based players ahead of the decisive Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Point Noire on Saturday.

Alaiya told National Mirror that although majority of the players were expected yesterday, none of them could make the evening workout under the supervision of Keshi.

“As I am talking to you we are keeping vigil at the airport to receive these players and we are optimistic that some of them would arrive with the last flight,” he enthused.

He said the match is so important that the technical crew has taken trainings to another level in order to surprise the Congolese in Point Noire.

“We already have their games on tape and will study them well before the match to ensure that the Eagles excel at the end of hostilities.”

We mustn’t allow Bifouma hurt us again –Azeez

N

igeria international midfielder, Ramon Azeez, has sounded a note of warning to Super Eagles players ahead of Saturday’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying game against Congo in Pointe-Noire.

Azeez believes one man, Thievy Bifouma, his team mate at Spanish club, Almeria, has the capability of ruining Nigeria’s chances of reaching the 2015 AFCON if he’s not carefully watched during the encounter.

Bifouma netted a double as the Super Eagles suffered a shock 2-3 defeat in the reverse fixture in Calabar on September 6.

“He (Bifouma) is an excel-

lent footballer and he proved it in Calabar when he scored two goals against us. I watch him train every day and I can say he’s very good,” Azeez told supersport.com.

Bifouma underlined his worth by scoring a brilliant goal against FC Barcelona in La Liga last Saturday and Azeez took the time to discuss the striker’s strides in Spain’s top flight.

“He has been doing well for us (Almeria) and he scored against Barcelona yesterday (Sunday).

We have to watch him carefully,” he said.

But Azeez was left out of the 25-man Nigeria squad that will face Congo on Saturday.

Enyeama nominated for BBC award ADEOLU JOHNSON

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

S

uper Eagles captain, Vincent Enyeama, is among the five nominees for British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC’s) African Footballer of the Year award.

BBC Sport reported yesterday that Enyeama was nominated alongside Ivorians, Yaya Toure and Gervinho, Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

and Algeria’s Yacine Brahimi.

While this season has not seen the best of starts for Nigeria’s number one stopper, last season was one of his best in Europe. He kept 21 clean sheets for his French club, Lille, and was also instrumental in Nigeria reaching the last 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The winner will be decided by votes from soccer fans, with voting closing on November 24, while the winner will be an-

nounced on December 1.

Enyeama, 32, is also in the 25man shortlist for the 2014 CAF African Footballer of the Year award.

Nigeria former midfield star and captain, Austin Okocha is the only Nigerian that has won the BBC award twice in 2003 and 2004 while with Bolton Wanderers in the English Premiership.

Ivorian and Manchester City midfielder, Toure, is the defending champion.

54

Sports

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Eagles vs Bafana: Akpabio assures on safety

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overnor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, has assured Nigerians on safety and perfect security measure put in place for the final African Cup of Nations 2015 qualifying match between the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the new Akwa Ibom International Stadium on November 19.

Information Commissioner, Aniekan Umanah, who expressed the governor’s declaration yesterday, said Akpabio had frowned at reports in the social media and a section of the media of a tragic twist to the opening of Akwa Ibom International Stadium on Friday where two persons were reportedly stampeded to death.

The commissioner described the report as figment of imagination and an attempt to deny people of Akwa Ibom the euphoria and joy of building what he described as one of the best stadia in Africa.

“We are not distracted by the biased report by a section of the media,” an enraged Umanah told National Mirror.

“There were no deaths because we envisaged the mammoth crowd that would want to witness the historic opening of the edifice. We had over 150 medical experts on the ground, 15 ambulances and eight emergency clinics around the stadium.

AFCON 2015:

CIV mulls Drogba recall

Governor Akpabio

“Our mission is to reposition sports in Nigeria and such negative report won’t derail us. We have set the standard on security for the Nigeria versus South Africa match and we won’t fall short. The match is important to Nigeria and we want Nigerians to come out in their thousands to support the Eagles.”

With three heads of government at the opening of the stadium last Friday and the frenzy atmosphere, the crowd was apparently unprecedented but the information commissioner revealed that he had ordered the closure of the gates after the stadium was filled to capacity and asked the crowd at the gates to proceed to the viewing centres around the stadium where big screens had been provided.

“It should be expected that the crowd would be large being the first time such event would happen in the state.

Everybody was excited and wanted to enter the stadium.

But nobody collapsed, let alone died.”

Drogba

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Carthage Eagles omit top strikers

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unisia will be without Issam Jemaa and Sami Allagui for their upcoming 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Botswana and Egypt.

Coach Georges Leekens last week named a 27-man squad in which neither of the experienced attackers made the cut, with the tactician opting for a blend of youth and experience.

Both Jemaa and Allagui have been asked to focus on their club form for the moment, with the latter returning to full fitness after recovering from injury.

“We must give more chance to the young. Those who have played have given the best of themselves, without producing the best football. We think of power by the first team players of the Olympic U-23 team selection,” the Belgian said.

The Carthage Eagles need only a draw in their first match in Botswana on Saturday to secure qualification, but Leekens insists they

are aiming for a full haul of points from the remaining two matches.

“We have prepared as if we needed six points. There is no question of playing for a draw.

We will always be playing to win, even if it does not happen every time. A point will be enough to qualify, but we want to win,” the gaffer added.

Oscar extends Blues deal

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helsea midfielder, Oscar, has signed a new contract with the Premier League leader.

The 23-year-old Brazilian international will now remain at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2019.

He has made 15 appearances this season in all competitions, scoring four goals for the Blues who are currently unbeaten and four points clear at the top of the Premier

Oscar

Jemaa

League table.

“I am so happy because I love playing for Chelsea and living in England. I have enjoyed playing here for two years, and now I have five more, so I am very happy,” Oscar said yesterday.

The Brazilian joined Chelsea from Internacional in the summer of 2012 and has been a vital member of the firstteam since, scoring 11 goals last season.

ote d’Ivoire Coach, Herve Renard, has expressed his desire to see legendary Didier Drogba coming out of international retirement to rescue the Elephants’ run to the AFCON 2015 finals.

Former captain Drogba, who made his return to Chelsea this summer, decided to hang up his Ivoirian boots following the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Defender Didier Zokora and striker Seydou Doumbia had also announced their retirement before making themselves available for international duty again.

Under pressure following their 3-4 defeat to DR Congo in Abidjan in October, Renard recalled Drogba together with Liverpool centre-back Kolo Touré to strengthen the Ivoirian defence ahead of the last round of their Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2015 qualifying campaign, while lamenting the absence of Drogba in the previous games.

“When I see Didier playing for Chelsea, I feel I need him for sure,” Renard, who formerly coached Zambia to AFCON success in 2012, said yesterday.

In the absence of retired Drogba, injured Seydou Doumbia and suspended Wilfried Bony against Sierra Leone in Abidjan on November 14, the Frenchman will put his trust in Salomon Kalou to lead the Elephants’ attack.

Cote d’Ivoire will then host Cameroon on November 19 in the closing game of their campaign.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

55

Oke-Afa clinches Martins prize IFEANYI EDUZOR

S Action during the 2013 Copa Lagos tourney

Copa Lagos: Ghana Sharks due for tourney

s Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Oke-Afa, at the weekend won the maiden Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins Football Tournament organised by the Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic Men Organisation of Nigeria (LACMON).

The Isolo Deanery champions defeated Catholic Church of the Assumption, Falomo 1-0 in the final played at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos on Saturday while

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Arida beat St Gabriel’s Catholic Church, LadiLak 5-4 on penalties after full time ended 1-1 to win the third place match.

Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Dr Alfred Adewale Martins, who presented the trophy to the winners, praised the organisers foe what he called exceptional standard, saying the event had promoted friendship and love among Catholic faithful in Lagos.

The Archbishop also com-

mended Catholic Men Organisation (CMO) for initiating the tournament and urged the team to improve on the competition next year.

“I thank all those that contributed financially and morally towards the tournament’s success and urged them to rededicate themselves to the service of humankind.

President of the CMO, Mr. Emeka Asoegwu, expressed delight at the competition and promised a better outing next year.

Ebonyi contingent marching past during the opening ceremony of the National School Sports Festival in Oturkpo on Saturday

PAUL EREWUBA

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hana’s beach soccer team, the Black Sharks, have confirmed participation in the 2014 Copa Lagos billed for the Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos from December 12 to 14.

Chief Executive Officer, Kinetic Sports, organisers of the three-day event, Samson Adam, told National Mirror that the Ghanaians were among teams expected for the competition.

“We have their word and they will be arriving in Lagos on December 12,” Adam disclosed.

The Ghanaian side will take on Nigeria’s Super Sand Eagles, Switzerland and Cote d’Ivoire in the round-robin tournament.

Lead sponsor, 1960BET, and long-standing sponsor First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Eko Atlantic, Cool FM, Pepsi and venue sponsors Eko Energy Estate under Orlean Invest are supporting the annual competition, even as the organisers have pledged improved outing.

Lagos honours Fed Cup legends ADEOLU JOHNSON

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agos State Government revealed yesterday that thirteen former stars of the Federation Cup, formerly known as the Challenge Cup, will be rewarded during 2014 Federation Cup final scheduled for Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on November 23.

Defending champion Enyimba Football Club of Aba will meet Dolphins Football Club of Warri in the final where Rivers Angels and Sunshine Queens of Akure will also meet in the women’s final category.

A member of the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) Mr. Dotun Coker, the FA would appreciate the legends’ contribution to the game.

Benue 2014:

Danagogo backs school sports ANDREW EKEJIUBA OTURKPO

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ports Minister, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, has declared support for school sports in Nigeria, saying it is the best avenue for discovering hidden talent.

Danagogo, who gave the support at the opening of the 7th National School Sports Festival tagged “Mark of Excellence” in Otukpo, Benue State last weekend, called on the school kids to be mindful of the country’s national prayer to God to “help our youths the truth to know,

in love and honesty to grow.”

The minister was represented by the Director of the Grassroots Department at the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Alhassan Yakmut.

“This competition will create an enabling avenue for togetherness among children from various parts of the country and further motivate their desire to choose sport as a career,” Danagoggo said.

Meanwhile, in some of the football matches played in the U-12 and U-17 categories at the opening ceremony, Niger U-12

Football Team defeated Anambra by 1-0, while in another U-17 match Methodist College Otukpo defeated Jesus College also of Otukpo by 2-1.

Also, President of the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF), Mallam Ibrahim Mohammad, has observed that the competition will bring lasting changes to schools in the Oturkpo Local Government Area.

“As you can see, the festival is impacting on the social life of Oturkpo indigenes and the schools are now being renovated with mosquito nets, carpets,

paintings and landscaping,” Mohammad said.

“Food vendors are everywhere and the economy is booming, while the children are happy meeting each other,” the NSSF boss added.

The screening for the festival was conducted yesterday and competition in various events will continue today.

About 21 games will take place in eleven venues including St. Francis College, St. Anne’s Secondary School, Wesley High School, Jesus College and Government Day Secondary School, Oturkpo.

Squash: Ikeja set for Sam & Arit Udo-Akagha

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he 2nd Annual Sam & Arit Udo-Akagha Squash Tournament is scheduled to start at the Squash Section of the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja tomorrow.

Sponsored by the Udo-Akagha family in honour of their late parents who were squash players and active members of the Lagos Country Club Squash Section where they contributed to squash

development, , the tournament aims at promoting squash and building enthusiasm towards the sport while encouraging healthy and active lifestyle.

A closed tourney at the moment, the sponsors said subsequent editions would accommodate events for professionals as the tournament moves to evolve into a Professional Squash Association (PSA-sanctioned tour-

nament with different categories involving players across the youths and the professionals in Nigeria.

Chairman of the Lagos Country Club Squash Section, Demola Olusunmade, explained that this year’s edition would feature the best of squash players that would face top rated duels for three consecutive days while the player with the highest points

would emerge champion.

“More tournaments like this would further promote the game of squash and encourage more people to embrace it,” he said, adding, “We have worked hard to organise this edition and everyone is looking up to it.”

The tournament which ends of Friday will see winners cart away trophies, medals and other prizes.

WORLD RECORD

Best start in an NHL season Vol. 04 No. 980 Tuesday, November 11,, 2014

The best start by a team in NHL history is by the Ottawa Senators (Canada) with 26 points in the first 14 games of the 2007-08 season.

The Senators started the season with a 13-1 record.

N150

2015: Tambuwal and politics of defection

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t is no longer news that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, has formally pitched tent with the opposition party, the All Progressive’s Congress, APC. Before that happened recently, it has been so glaring to close observers of events that the Speaker had seized to be a member of the ruling party for a long time. His action will not be the first in our body politics, given similar scenario in the past, which had been the sore point in the country’s quest for reliable democratic system capable of standing the test of time.

Defection or cross carpeting is not new in politics but it has remained a sore point of Nigerian politics and an issue yet to be

TALKINGPOINT Seyi Fasugba

seyifasugba@yahoo.com 08053069514 (sms only)

decisively addressed in our context. Tambuwal’s defection has just added a new dimension to it and one can only hope this does not lead to crisis in the polity which ordinarily should have been avoided. This is a case of the glaring defect for which a solution is yet to be found and to which none may emerge not in the near future due largely to gross indiscipline among politicians and absence of a clear cut ideology of the parties except the struggle for power by all means and at all costs.

One common element to this has been the disagreement between political class based purely on personal interest rather than collective good of the electorate they all sworn to protect as contained in the constitution. The crisis witnessed in the first republic which turned the SouthWest to a theatre of war shortly after independence was due largely to differences among the leadership of the political parties then which eventually snowballed to violence which signaled the beginning of what eventually terminated the then democratic experiment.

The Second Republic crisis which led to the return of the military was similar and was also initiated by the defection of politicians from the opposition to the ruling party with the purpose of wrestling power at all costs. This inordinate ambition also led to the crash of the second republic and an end to the National Party of Nigeria-led

IT IS EASY TO REMEMBER THE EXPLOITS OF FORMER ELDER STATESMEN WHO FOUGHT FOR A PURPOSE WHILE THEY LIVE government of President Shehu Shagari.

The return to democratic governance under President Olusegun Obasanjo was not spared of this crisis also but for the grace of God and providence that has continued to keep the country together as one. Even the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, seems confused on what to do to tame this cancerous development which had continued to threaten our nascent democratic experiment. President Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar were elected on the platform of the same political party but left office as sworn enemies before the former vice-president defected to the Action Congress. The development almost rocked the government but for the matured way Nigerians reacted to it.

One strong lesson to learn from the older democracies where all known democratic tenets have been well established was the outcome of the mid-term election in the United States where the ruling Democratic

Party lost the simple majority it had enjoyed in Congress to the GOP. The transition was smooth and without any rancour once the electorate had spoken through the ballot boxes and made their intention known on the need to change leadership.

There was no controversy on which side the leadership of the Congress should go in spite of the Democrats still in control of government. They have not only accepted the defeat but also interpreted the development to mean that more works needed to be done in the next two years to retain the Presidency.

This is real democracy in action and one should not be surprised while the American system is working because their politicians are not only responsible but their actions show that they respect the wishes of the people and never claim to be above the law.

What are the lessons for students and youths to learn from our own democracy where leaders are reckless in their action and lack the needed respect for the electorate in taking certain decisions? What we are witnessing now is reminiscent of what obtains in animal kingdom where there is absolute disregard for order.

It is a common thing for executive governors, senators, speakers, lawmakers, local government councilors, chairmen and even the vice-president identified and elected on the platform of a political party to change party platform overnight without giving a thought for the interest of the electorate. I have been asking and wondering what legacy do we ascribed to the current crop of political leaders that one can say has deepen democracy, still searching.

It is easy to remember the exploits of former elder statesmen who fought for a purpose while they live. Politicians of old, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo will forever be remembered because they represented ideology in their time and the people believe them and what they represent even till today.

Sport Extra

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s countdown continues to the Nigerian Sports Award 2014 billed for the Muson Centre, Lagos on Thursday, recently ranked world number 30, Aruna Quadri, yesterday confirmed his participation in the ceremony where the

NSA 2014: Quadri, others confirm attendance Portugal-based player is one of the nominees.

According to the General Manager, Unmissable Incentives Limited, organisers of the award, Mr. Kayode Idowu, other sports

personalities that have confirmed participation are USA-based former athlete, Modupe Oshikoya, as well as the current Nigeria’s foremost basketball player, Olumide Oyedeji.

Osikoya is due to honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony where Sports Minister Dr. Tammy Danagogo will be Special Guest of Honour.

“We understand that Olumide Oyedeji is expected to travel to a professional assignment on Thursday but he has opted to honour us with his presence in Nigeria,” Idowu stated.

Quadri

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